On This Day: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf becomes first female elected head of state in Africa

Jan. 16 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1581, the English Parliament outlawed Roman Catholicism.

In 1883, the U.S. Congress passed a bill creating the civil service.

In 1919, the United States went legally "dry" as prohibition of alcoholic beverages took effect under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment was repealed in 1933.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.

File Photo by Paul Hesse/Wikimedia

In 1944, U.S. Army Gen. Dwight Eisenhower arrived in London to assume command of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe.

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 Azerbaijan 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 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush said his re-election was a ratification of what he did in Iraq and there was no reason to hold any administration official accountable.

File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI

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

In 2013, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced a tax amnesty program, offering an opportunity to people owing taxes to pay without penalty.

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

Photo by Pat Benic/UPI