Today in History

Today is Friday, May 22, the 142nd day of 2015. There are 223 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 22, 1915, the Lassen Peak volcano in Northern California exploded, devastating nearby areas but causing no deaths.

On this date:

In 1860, the United States and Japan exchanged ratifications of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce during a ceremony in Washington.

In 1913, the American Cancer Society was founded in New York under its original name, the American Society for the Control of Cancer.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared before Congress to explain his decision to veto a bill that would have allowed World War I veterans to cash in bonus certificates before their 1945 due date.

In 1939, the foreign ministers of Germany and Italy, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Galeazzo Ciano, signed a "Pact of Steel" committing the two countries to a military alliance.

In 1947, the Truman Doctrine was enacted as Congress appropriated military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey.

In 1960, an earthquake of magnitude 9.5, the strongest ever measured, struck southern Chile, claiming some 1,655 lives.

In 1968, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion, with 99 men aboard, sank in the Atlantic Ocean. (The remains of the sub were later found on the ocean floor 400 miles southwest of the Azores.)

In 1969, the lunar module of Apollo 10, with Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene Cernan aboard, flew to within nine miles of the moon's surface in a dress rehearsal for the first lunar landing.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon began a visit to the Soviet Union, during which he and Kremlin leaders signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The island nation of Ceylon became the republic of Sri Lanka.

In 1981 "Yorkshire Ripper" Peter Sutcliffe was convicted in London of murdering 13 women and was sentenced to life in prison.

In 1990, after years of conflict, pro-Western North Yemen and pro-Soviet South Yemen merged to form a single nation, the Republic of Yemen. Boxer Rocky Graziano died in New York at age 71.

In 1992, after a reign lasting nearly 30 years, Johnny Carson hosted NBC's "Tonight Show" for the last time.

Ten years ago: First lady Laura Bush was heckled by protesters -- Israelis as well as Palestinians -- during a visit to holy sites in Jerusalem. Three Romanian journalists and their Iraqi-American guide were freed after nearly two months in captivity in Iraq. Voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft, who supplied Tony the Tiger's "They're grrrrreat!" for more than 50 years, died in Fullerton, California, at age 91.

Five years ago: Addressing graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, President Barack Obama said the U.S. had to shape a world order as reliant on diplomacy as on the might of its military to lead, a repudiation of the go-it-alone approach forged by his predecessor, George W. Bush. An Air India Express Boeing 737-800 crashed after overshooting a runway at Mangalore International Airport, killing all but eight of the 166 people aboard. Jordan Romero, at age 13, became the youngest climber to reach the peak of Mount Everest.

One year ago: The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to end the National Security Agency's bulk collection of American phone records (however, the USA Freedom Act was later blocked in the Senate). Thailand's military seized power in a bloodless coup.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Charles Aznavour is 91. Actor Michael Constantine is 88. Conductor Peter Nero is 81. Actor-director Richard Benjamin is 77. Actor Frank Converse is 77. Former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw is 75. Actress Barbara Parkins is 73. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Tommy John is 72. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 65. Actor-producer Al Corley is 60. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is 58. Singer Morrissey is 56. Actress Ann Cusack is 54. Country musician Dana Williams (Diamond Rio) is 54. Rock musician Jesse Valenzuela is 53. Actor Mark Christopher Lawrence is 51. Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is 50. Rhythm-and-blues singer Johnny Gill (New Edition) is 49. Rock musician Dan Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 48. Actress Brooke Smith is 48. Actor Michael Kelly (TV: "House of Cards") is 46. Model Naomi Campbell is 45. Actress Anna Belknap is 43. Actress Alison Eastwood is 43. Singer Donell Jones is 42. Actor Sean Gunn is 41. Actress A.J. Langer is 41. Actress Ginnifer Goodwin is 37. Actress Maggie Q is 36. Olympic gold-medal speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno is 33.

Thought for Today: "We have all, at one time or another, been performers, and many of us still are -- politicians, playboys, cardinals and kings." -- Laurence Olivier, British actor (born this date in 1907, died in 1989).

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