Today:
1. 1547: Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) is crowned as the first Tsar of Russia.
2. 1920: The League of Nations holds its first meeting in Paris.
3. 1979: The Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, flees the country amidst the Iranian Revolution.
4. 1991: The United States begins its bombing campaign against Iraq, marking the start of the Gulf War.
5. 2003: The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107. Unfortunately, the shuttle disintegrated upon re-entry on February 1, leading to the deaths of all seven crew members.