AToday in History

Today is Monday, April 25, the 115th day of 2022. There are 250 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On April 25, 1945, during World War II, U.S. and Soviet forces linked up on the Elbe River, a meeting that dramatized the collapse of Nazi Germany's defenses.

On this date:

In 404 B.C., the Peloponnesian War ended as Athens surrendered to Sparta.

In 1507, a world map produced by German cartographer Martin Waldseemueller contained the first recorded use of the term "America," in honor of Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci.

In 1859, ground was broken for the Suez Canal.

In 1862, during the Civil War, a Union fleet commanded by Flag Officer David G. Farragut captured the city of New Orleans.

In 1898, the United States Congress declared war on Spain; the 10-week conflict resulted in an American victory.

In 1901, New York Gov. Benjamin Barker Odell, Jr. signed an automobile registration bill which imposed a 15 mph speed limit on highways.

In 1915, during World War I, Allied soldiers invaded the Gallipoli Peninsula in an unsuccessful attempt to take the Ottoman Empire out of the war.

In 1945, delegates from some 50 countries gathered in San Francisco to organize the United Nations.

In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed in orbit from the space shuttle Discovery. (It was later discovered that the telescope's primary mirror was flawed, requiring the installation of corrective components to achieve optimal focus.)

In 1992, Islamic forces in Afghanistan took control of most of the capital of Kabul following the collapse of the Communist government.

In 2002, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of the Grammy-winning trio TLC died in an SUV crash in Honduras; she was 30.

In 2019, former Vice President Joe Biden entered the Democratic presidential race, declaring the fight against Donald Trump to be a "battle for the soul of this nation."

Ten years ago: The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Arizona's tough immigration law. (A divided court later threw out major parts of the law.)

Five years ago: A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to withhold funding from "sanctuary cities" that did not cooperate with U.S. immigration officials, saying the president had no authority to attach new conditions to federal spending. Ivanka Trump drew groans and hisses from an audience in Berlin while defending her father's attitude toward women, but brushed the negative reaction aside as "politics" during her first overseas trip as a White House adviser.

One year ago: America's top general in Afghanistan said the U.S. military had begun closing down operations in the country and that Afghanistan's security forces "must be ready" to take over. "Nomadland," Chloe Zhao's portrait of itinerant lives on open roads across the American West, won Best Picture at the 93rd Academy Awards; Zhao was honored as best director.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Al Pacino is 82. Ballroom dance judge Len Goodman (TV: "Dancing with the Stars") is 78. Rock musician Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is 77. Singer Bjorn Ulvaeus (ABBA) is 77. Actor Talia Shire is 77. Actor Jeffrey DeMunn is 75. Rock musician Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 72. Country singer-songwriter Rob Crosby is 68. Actor Hank Azaria is 58. Rock singer Andy Bell (Erasure) is 58. Rock musician Eric Avery is 57. Country musician Rory Feek (Joey + Rory) is 57. TV personality Jane Clayson is 55. Actor Renee Zellweger is 53. Actor Gina Torres is 53. Actor Jason Lee is 52. Actor Jason Wiles is 52. Actor Emily Bergl is 47. Actor Marguerite Moreau is 45. Singer Jacob Underwood is 42. Actor Melonie Diaz is 38. Actor Sara Paxton is 34. Actor/producer Allisyn Snyder is 26. Actor Jayden Rey is 13.