- 929 16 Jan Abd ar Rahman (Ummayyad dynasty) is declared caliph in Spain, independent from the caliphate in Baghdad.
- 1547 16 Jan Ivan IV, 'the Terrible', is crowned tsar of Russia, becoming the first ruler to assume the title.
- 1920 16 Jan Prohibition, the criminalisation of alcohol, is introduced in the 18th amendment to the US constitution.

