On This Date in History

On this date in history:

January 16, 1909 - American singer/actress Ethel Merman was born.

January 16, 1919 - The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, prohibiting the 'manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes', achieves the necessary two-thirds majority for state ratification, and thus becomes the law of the land.

January 16, 1942 - Hollywood actress Carole Lombard is killed in a plane crash; she was 32.

January 16, 1945 - Adolf Hitler takes to his underground bunker, where he remains for 105 days until he commits suicide.

January 16, 1979 - Faced with an army mutiny and violent demonstrations against his rule, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi is forced to flee Iran.

January 16, 1991 - The United States goes to war with Iraq, beginning the 1st Gulf War.

January 16, 1998 - Monica Lewinsky's 11 hour interrogation by OIC after she was set-up by Linda Tripp.

January 16, 2003 - The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry.