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UPI Almanac for Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025

On Jan. 16, 1919, the United States went legally "dry" when the 36th state ratified the 18th Amendment.

By United Press International
New York City Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach (R) watches agents pour liquor into sewer following a raid during the height of prohibition. On January 16, 1919, the United States went legally "dry" when the 36th state ratified the 18th Amendment. File Photo courtesy Library of Congress
1 of 3 | New York City Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach (R) watches agents pour liquor into sewer following a raid during the height of prohibition. On January 16, 1919, the United States went legally "dry" when the 36th state ratified the 18th Amendment. File Photo courtesy Library of Congress

Today is Thursday, Jan. 16, the 16th day of 2025 with 349 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include industrialist Andre Michelin in 1853; poet Robert Service in 1874; inventor Frank Zamboni in 1901; Olympic runner/Christian missionary Eric Liddell in 1902; musician Ethel Merman in 1908; zoologist Dian Fossey in 1932; writer Susan Sontag in 1933; musician Marilyn Horne in 1934 (age 91); auto racer A.J. Foyt in 1935 (age 90); producer/musician Rene Angelil in 1942; musician Ronnie Milsap in 1943 (age 82); radio personality Laura Schlessinger in 1947 (age 78); filmmaker/musician John Carpenter in 1948 (age 77); choreographer/actor/filmmaker Debbie Allen in 1950 (age 75); musician Sade Adu in 1959 (age 66); musician Jill Sobule in 1959 (age 66); musician Maxine Jones (En Vogue) in 1962 (age 63); musician Paul Webb (Talk Talk) in 1962 (age 63); TV personality James May in 1963 (age 62); actor/comedian Jonathan Mangum in 1971 (age 54); model Kate Moss in 1974 (age 51); musician Aaliyah in 1979; musician Rashawn Ross (Dave Matthews Band) in 1979 (age 46); MLB star Albert Pujols in 1980 (age 45); actor/playwright/musician Lin-Manuel Miranda in 1980 (age 45); musician Nick Valensi (Strokes) in 1981 (age 44); actor Birgitte Hjort Sorensen in 1982 (age 43); musician FKA Twigs in 1988 (age 37); musician Jennie (Blackpink) in 1996 (age 29).

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On this date in history:

In 1581, the English Parliament outlawed Roman Catholicism.

In 1919, the United States went legally "dry" when the 36th state ratified the 18th Amendment. Prohibition went into effect one year later and the amendment was repealed in 1933.

In 1942, screen star Carole Lombard, her mother and 20 other people were killed in a plane crash near Las Vegas. Lombard was the wife of actor Clark Gable.

In 1984, U.S. President Ronald Reagan called for "peaceful competition" with Moscow. He authorized research and development on space-age weapons capable of destroying incoming nuclear missiles -- the program known as "Star Wars."

In 1990, Soviet troops entered Azerbaijan amid fighting between Christian Armenians and Islamic Azerbaijani in the waning days of the central government's power.

In 1997, the 28-year-old son of TV star Bill Cosby, Ennis Cosby, was shot to death in the Bel-Air area of Los Angeles while changing a flat tire on his car.

In 2001, President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was shot to death by one of his bodyguards, who was killed by other guards.

In 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in as Liberia's president. She was the first female elected head of state in Africa.

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In 2014, Major League Baseball announced a "historic" expansion of instant replay to review close calls -- starting in the 2014 season.

In 2024, Kensington Palace announced that Britain's Princess Kate had undergone a planned abdominal surgery. Weeks later, it was revealed she had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer. Kate said she was in remission from cancer in January 2025.


A thought for the day: "Narratives can make us understand. Photographs do something else; they haunt us." American writer/activist Susan Sontag

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