Today in History - April 22

[AlphaCentauri]

AP

Today is Tuesday, April 22, the 113th day of 2008. There are 253 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:



On this date:

In 1509, Henry VIII became king of England following the death of his father, Henry the VII.

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

On April 22, 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, Va.

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

In 1954, the publicly televised sessions of the 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 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 from his relatives' home in Miami; Elian was reunited with his father at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.

Ten years ago: A young woman charged along with her high school sweetheart with murdering their newborn at a Delaware motel pleaded guilty to manslaughter. (Amy Grossberg ended up serving nearly two years of a 2 1/2-year sentence; Brian Peterson served 1 1/2 years of a two-year sentence.)

Five years ago: President Bush announced he would nominate Alan Greenspan for a fifth term as Federal Reserve chairman. Songwriter Felice Bryant, who, with her late husband, Boudleaux, wrote "Bye Bye Love" and other Everly Brothers hits, died in Gatlinburg, Tenn., at age 77.

One year ago: In the first round of the French presidential election, conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist rival Segolene Royal received enough votes to advance to a runoff, which Sarkozy won.

Thought for Today: "Always remember others may hate you but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself." — Richard M. Nixon, 37th president of the United States (1913-1994).

[Synnical]

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

http://www.treasury.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.shtml

The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase received many appeals from devout persons throughout the country, urging that the United States recognize the Deity on United States coins. From Treasury Department records, it appears that the first such appeal came in a letter dated November 13, 1861. It was written to Secretary Chase by Rev. M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville, Pennsylvania, and read:

Dear Sir: You are about to submit your annual report to the Congress respecting the affairs of the national finances.

One fact touching our currency has hitherto been seriously overlooked. I mean the recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins.

You are probably a Christian. What if our Republic were not shattered beyond reconstruction? Would not the antiquaries of succeeding centuries rightly reason from our past that we were a heathen nation? What I propose is that instead of the goddess of liberty we shall have next inside the 13 stars a ring inscribed with the words PERPETUAL UNION; within the ring the allseeing eye, crowned with a halo; beneath this eye the American flag, bearing in its field stars equal to the number of the States united; in the folds of the bars the words GOD, LIBERTY, LAW.

This would make a beautiful coin, to which no possible citizen could object. This would relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism. This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed. From my hearth I have felt our national shame in disowning God as not the least of our present national disasters.

To you first I address a subject that must be agitated.

[Beregond2]

2. That's an

amazing quote from Nixon. When did he say it? It's the story of his life, really. A man done in by his own paranoia.