1547 - Ivan the Terrible was crowned Czar of Russia.
1759 - The British Museum opened.
1809 - The British defeated the French at the Battle of Corunna, in the Peninsular War.
1920 - Prohibition went into effect in the U.S.
1944 - General Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied invasion force in London.
1979 - The Shah of Iran and his family fled Iran for Egypt.
1982 - Britain and the Vatican resumed full diplomatic relations after a break of over 400 years.
1998 - Researchers announce that an altered gene helped to defend against HIV.
1991 - The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm. The operation was designed to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
2002 - The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted sanctions against Osama bin Laden, his terror network and the remnants of the Taliban. The sanctions required that all nations impose arms embargoes and freeze their finances.