Today in history: April 22

updated 12:04 a.m. ET April 22, 2005

Today is Friday, April 22, the 112th day of 2005. There are 253 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:
On April 22, 1889, the Oklahoma Land Rush began at noon as thousands of homesteaders staked claims.

On this date:
In 1509, Henry VIII ascended the throne of England following the death of his father, Henry VII.

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

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

In 1944, during World War II, U.S. forces began invading Japanese-held New Guinea with amphibious landings near Hollandia.

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

In 1964, President 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 the 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.

Ten years ago: At least 2,000 Rwandan refugees were massacred by Rwandan troops at a camp in Kibeho.

Five years ago: In a dramatic pre-dawn raid, armed immigration agents seized Elian Gonzalez from his relatives’ home in Miami; Elian was reunited with his father at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington. Broadway producer Alexander Cohen died in New York at age 79.

One year ago: NFL player Pat Tillman, who’d traded in a multimillion-dollar contract to serve as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, was killed by friendly fire; he was 27. Sex abuse victims were awarded nearly $70 million after suing part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. An explosion at a railway station in Ryongchon, North Korea, killed 161 people.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Eddie Albert is 97. TV producer Aaron Spelling is 82. Actor George Cole is 80. Actress Charlotte Rae is 79. Actress Estelle Harris (“Seinfeld”) is 73. Singer Glen Campbell is 69. Actor Jack Nicholson is 68. Singer Mel Carter is 62. Country singer Cleve Francis is 60. Movie director John Waters is 59. Singer Peter Frampton is 55. Rock singer-musician Paul Carrack (Mike and the Mechanics; Squeeze) is 54. Actor Joseph Bottoms is 51. Actor Ryan Stiles is 46. Comedian Byron Allen is 44. Actor Chris Makepeace is 41. Actress Sheryl Lee is 38. Country singer-musician Heath Wright (Ricochet) is 38. Country singer Kellie Coffey is 34. Actor Ingo Rademacher is 34. Rock singer-musician Daniel Johns (Silverchair) is 26.

Thought for Today: “History is an accumulation of error.” — Norman Cousins, American editor (1912-1990).

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