Today in History

Today is Friday, April 22, the 113th day of 2016. There are 253 days left in the year. The Jewish holiday Passover begins at sunset.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 22, 1616, Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes, author of "Don Quixote," died in Madrid. (The date is according to the New Style Gregorian calendar that was adopted by Spain in 1582.)

On this date:

In 1864, Congress authorized the use of the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins.

In 1889, the Oklahoma Land Rush began at noon as thousands of homesteaders staked claims.

In 1916, violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin was born in New York City.

In 1930, the United States, Britain and Japan signed the London Naval Treaty, which regulated submarine warfare and limited shipbuilding.

In 1946, Harlan F. Stone, chief justice of the United States, died in Washington, D.C., at age 73.

In 1954, the publicly televised sessions of the Senate Army-McCarthy hearings began.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson opened the New York World's Fair.

In 1970, millions of Americans concerned about the environment observed the first "Earth Day."

In 1983, the West German news magazine Stern announced the discovery of 60 volumes of personal diaries purportedly written by Adolf Hitler; however, the diaries turned out to be a hoax.

In 1994, Richard M. Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, died at a New York hospital four days after suffering a stroke; he was 81.

In 1996, homemaker humorist Erma Bombeck died in San Francisco at age 69.

In 2000, in a dramatic pre-dawn raid, armed immigration agents seized Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy at the center of a custody dispute, from his relatives' home in Miami; Elian was reunited with his father at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.

Ten years ago: The Iraqi parliament elected Jalal Talabani to another term as president. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu won spots in a runoff election for Nagin's job (Nagin won the runoff). Italian actress Alida Valli died in Rome at age 84.

Five years ago: Syrian security forces fired at protesters, killing at least 75 people around the country. Pope Benedict XVI consoled a 7-year-old Japanese girl, reassured a mother about her ailing son's soul and advised a Muslim woman that dialogue was the way to peace in Ivory Coast during an unusual, pre-recorded Good Friday appearance on Italian TV. A tornado ripped through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, causing significant damage to the C Concourse.

One year ago: A federal judge in Philadelphia approved a settlement agreement expected to cost the NFL $1 billion over 65 years to resolve thousands of concussion lawsuits. A federal appeals court in San Francisco overturned home run leader Barry Bonds' obstruction of justice conviction, ruling 10-1 that his meandering answer before a grand jury in 2003 was not material to the government's investigation into illegal steroids distribution.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Charlotte Rae is 90. Actress Estelle Harris is 88. Singer Glen Campbell is 80. Actor Jack Nicholson is 79. Singer Mel Carter is 77. Author Janet Evanovich is 73. Country singer Cleve Francis is 71. Movie director John Waters is 70. Singer Peter Frampton is 66. Rock singer-musician Paul Carrack (Mike and the Mechanics; Squeeze) is 65. Actor Joseph Bottoms is 62. Actor Ryan Stiles is 57. Baseball manager Terry Francona is 57. Comedian Byron Allen is 55. Actor Chris Makepeace is 52. Rock musician Fletcher Dragge is 50. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is 50. Actress Sheryl Lee is 49. Actress-talk show host Sherri Shepherd is 49. Country singer-musician Heath Wright (Ricochet) is 49. Country singer Kellie Coffey is 45. Actor Eric Mabius is 45. Actor Ingo Rademacher is 45. Rock musician Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down) is 42. Rock singer-musician Daniel Johns (Silverchair) is 37. Actress Cassidy Freeman is 34. Actress Michelle Ryan is 32. Actress Amber Heard is 30.

Thought for Today: "Demasiada cordura puede ser la peor de las locuras, ver la vida como es y no como deber'a de ser." (Too much sanity may be the worst folly, see life as it is and not as it should be.) -- Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).