Today in History

Today is Tuesday, April 22, the 112th day of 2014. There are 253 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 22, 1864, Congress authorized the use of the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins.

On this date:

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

In 1912, the United States Chamber of Commerce had its beginnings with a National Commercial Conference held in Washington, D.C.

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

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

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

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.

Ten years ago: Army Ranger Pat Tillman, who'd traded in a multi-million-dollar NFL contract to serve in Afghanistan, was killed by friendly fire; he was 27. Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, 22, died near Karabilah, Iraq, after falling on an insurgent's grenade to protect his fellow Marines; he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2009. 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 a reported 160 people.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama marked Earth Day with a pitch for his energy plan, calling for a "new era of energy exploration in America" during a visit to Newton, Iowa. The FDA said 17-year-old girls could get "morning after" birth control without a prescription. Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls won the NBA's rookie of the year award. British-born movie director Ken Annakin ("Swiss Family Robinson") died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 94. Oscar-winning British cinematographer Jack Cardiff ("Black Narcissus") died in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, at age 94.

One year 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 New Jersey.

Today's Birthdays: Actor George Cole is 89. Actress Charlotte Rae is 88. Actress Estelle Harris is 86. Singer Glen Campbell is 78. Actor Jack Nicholson is 77. Singer Mel Carter is 71. Author Janet Evanovich is 71. Country singer Cleve Francis is 69. Movie director John Waters is 68. Singer Peter Frampton is 64. Rock singer-musician Paul Carrack (Mike and the Mechanics; Squeeze) is 63. Actor Joseph Bottoms is 60. Actor Ryan Stiles is 55. Baseball manager Terry Francona is 55. Comedian Byron Allen is 53. Actor Chris Makepeace is 50. Rock musician Fletcher Dragge is 48. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is 48. Actress Sheryl Lee is 47. Actress-talk show host Sherri Shepherd is 47. Country singer-musician Heath Wright (Ricochet) is 47. Country singer Kellie Coffey is 43. Actor Eric Mabius is 43. Actor Ingo Rademacher is 43. Rock musician Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down) is 40. Rock singer-musician Daniel Johns (Silverchair) is 35. Actress Michelle Ryan is 30. Actress Amber Heard is 28.

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

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.