Today in History

Today is Sunday, April 22, the 112th day of 2018. There are 253 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 22, 1898, with the United States and Spain on the verge of war, the U.S. Navy began blockading Cuban ports. Congress authorized creation of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, also known as the "Rough Riders."

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 1938, 45 workers were killed in a coal mine explosion at Keen Mountain in Buchanan County, Virginia.

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

In 1952, an atomic test in Nevada became the first nuclear explosion shown on live network television as a 31-kiloton bomb was dropped from a B-50 Superfortress.

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 1993, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was dedicated in Washington, D.C. to honor victims of Nazi extermination.

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 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: Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, defeating Barack Obama and keeping her presidential hopes alive. At the close of a two-day North American summit in New Orleans, President George W. Bush chastised U.S. lawmakers for letting international trade deals falter and criticized Democratic presidential contenders for wanting to scrap or amend the vast North American free-trade zone. Singer-songwriter Paul Davis died in Meridian, Mississippi, a day after turning 60.

Five years ago: A seriously wounded Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged in his hospital room with bombing the Boston Marathon in a plot with his older brother, Tamerlan, who died after a fierce gunbattle with police. Richie Havens, 72, the folk singer and guitarist who was the first performer at the 1969 Woodstock festival, died in Jersey City, New Jersey.

One year ago: From the Washington Monument to Germany's Brandenburg Gate and even to Greenland, scientists, students and research advocates rallied on Earth Day, conveying a global message about scientific freedom without political interference, the need for adequate spending for future breakthroughs and just the general value of scientific pursuits. A supply ship bearing the name of the late John Glenn arrived at the International Space Station. Erin Moran, the former child star who played Joanie Cunningham in the sitcoms "Happy Days" and "Joanie Loves Chachi," died in New Salisbury, Indiana; she was 56.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Charlotte Rae is 92. Actress Estelle Harris is 90. Actor Jack Nicholson is 81. Singer Mel Carter is 79. Author Janet Evanovich is 75. Country singer Cleve Francis is 73. Movie director John Waters is 72. Singer Peter Frampton is 68. Rock singer-musician Paul Carrack (Mike and the Mechanics; Squeeze) is 67. Actor Joseph Bottoms is 64. Actor Ryan Stiles is 59. Baseball manager Terry Francona is 59. Comedian Byron Allen is 57. Actor Chris Makepeace is 54. Rock musician Fletcher Dragge is 52. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is 52. Actress Sheryl Lee is 51. Actress-talk show host Sherri Shepherd is 51. Country singer-musician Heath Wright (Ricochet) is 51. Country singer Kellie Coffey is 47. Actor Eric Mabius is 47. Actor Ingo Rademacher is 47. Rock musician Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down) is 44. Rock singer-musician Daniel Johns (Silverchair) is 39. Actor Malcolm Barrett is 38. Actress Cassidy Freeman is 36. Actress Michelle Ryan is 34. Actress Amber Heard is 32. Singer-songwriter BC Jean (Alexander Jean) is 31.

Thought for Today: "Life is one long process of getting tired." -- Samuel Butler, British author (1835-1902).