Iron Lady of Monrovia: Africa Elects Its First Woman President
On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in as president of Liberia, becoming the first woman ever elected to lead an African nation.
On January 16
America Votes Itself Dry: The 18th Amendment Is Ratified
On January 16, 1919, Nebraska became the 36th state to ratify the 18th Amendment, locking Prohibition into the U.S. Constitution.
Three Men and a Compass: The Dash to the South Magnetic Pole
On January 16, 1909, three men from Shackleton's Nimrod expedition planted the Union Jack at the South Magnetic Pole after hauling their sledges some 1,260 miles across Antarctica.