This Day in History
16 Jan 1120
The Council of Nablus is held establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem
16 Jan 1219
Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm thousands killed
16 Jan 1362
A great storm tide in the North Sea destroys the German island of Strand and the city of Rungholt
16 Jan 1412
The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy
More History
Shah flees Iran
Faced with an army mutiny and violent demonstrations against his rule Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi the leader of Iran since 1941 is forced to flee the country....
The Persian Gulf War begins
At midnight in Iraq the United Nations deadline for the Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait expires and the Pentagon prepares to commence offensive operations to for...
Prohibition takes effect
The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting the manufacture sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes i...
Montenegro capitulates to Austro-Hungarian forces
After an eight-day offensive that marked the beginning of a new aggressive strategy in the region Austro-Hungarian troops under commander in chief Franz Conra...
Johnson approves Oplan 34A
President Johnson approves Oplan 34A operations to be conducted by South Vietnamese forces supported by the United States to gather intelligence and conduct sa...
Agreement to open peace talks reached
An agreement is reached in Paris for the opening of expanded peace talks. It was agreed that representatives of the United States South Vietnam North Vietnam...
Curt Flood files historic lawsuit against Major League Baseball
On January 16 1970 the seven-time Golden Glove-winning center fielder Curt Flood of the St. Louis Cardinals files suit in a New York federal court against Com...
Bush waits for deadline in Iraq
On this day in 1991 President George Herbert Walker Bush waits to see if Iraq will withdraw from Kuwait by midnight a deadline mandated by the United Nations...
Fremont appointed Governor of California
A leader in the successful fight to wrest California away from Mexico the explorer and mapmaker John C. Fremont briefly becomes governor of the newly won Ameri...
Benny Goodman brings jazz to Carnegie Hall
Jazz has been called Americas classical music a label that does more than just recognize its American origins. The label also makes the c...
Carole Lombard killed in plane crash
On this day in 1942 the actress Carole Lombard famous for her roles in such screwball comedies as My Man Godfrey and To Be or Not to Be and for her marriage ...
Avalanches bury buses in Kashmir
Avalanches sweep two buses off the highway between Srinagar and Jammu in Kashmir India on this day in 1995. Two more days of avalanches in the area eventually...
The Moon Maniac
Albert Fish is executed at Sing Sing prison in New York. The Moon Maniac was one of Americas most notorious and disturbed killers. Authori...
Soviets send troops into Azerbaijan
In the wake of vicious fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in Azerbaijan the Soviet government sends in 11000 troops to quell the conflict. The ...
Crittenden Compromise is killed in Senate
On this day in 1861 the Crittenden Compromise the last chance to keep North and South united dies in the U.S. Senate.Proposed by Senator John J. Crittenden o...
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