EDMOND—Philadelphia Church of God Pastor General Gerald Flurry has drawn attention to a special date: January 16. On this day in 1986, the life and ministry of Herbert W. Armstrong came to an end. In the 34 years since his death, a number of major Church, national and world events have fallen on this same calendar date. Following are some of the most significant world events.
January 16, 1986
Worldwide Church of God founder Herbert W. Armstrong dies.
January 16, 1991
America launches Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, leading to the 2003 removal of Saddam Hussein and enabling Iran to eventually dominate the region.
January 16, 1993
January 16 is established in the United States as National Religious Freedom Day.
January 16, 1998
Germany repeals the constitutional right of privacy and enables the government to spy on citizens. United States attorneys and FBI agents question White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
January 16, 1999
U.S. House of Representatives impeachment managers rest their case against President Bill Clinton on one count of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. He was later acquitted.
January 16, 2003
Space Shuttle Columbia is damaged during launch; it later breaks apart upon reentering the atmosphere, killing six Americans and one Israeli.
January 16, 2008
Germany announces deployment of 250 combat troops to Afghanistan. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigns over Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s appeasement policies.
January 16, 2009
Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip. Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel negotiate over influence in Ukraine and Russian gas flows to Europe.
January 16, 2010
President Obama announces one of America’s largest-ever rebuilding projects in Haiti after a massive earthquake there killed more than 100,000 people and caused about $8 billion in damage.
January 16, 2012
European bailout fund’s AAA credit rating stripped after France, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia are downgraded.
January 16, 2013
President Obama issues executive orders on gun control after the Sandy Hook massacre. Militants in Algeria seize a facility on the Libyan border. Germany withdraws gold from Paris and New York.
January 16, 2015
U.S. Supreme Court announces it will hear arguments on the question of same-sex “marriage,” later ruling it to be constitutional.
January 16, 2016
“Implementation Day” for Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Iran nuclear deal, granting Iran $100 billion in sanctions relief. China inaugurates a major global economic entity, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
January 16, 2020
Impeachment trial of President Donald Trump begins in U.S. Senate.