April 22

Today in History
• 1056 - Supernova Crab nebula last seen by the naked eye
• 1370 - Building begins on the Bastille fortress in Paris
• 1500 - Pedro Alvarez Cabral discovers Brazil and claims it for Portugal
• 1509 - Henry VIII ascended to throne of England
• 1662 - Royal Society incorporates
• 1793 - President Washington attends opening of Rickett's, 1st circus in U.S.
• 1817 - Curacao prohibits use of white paint due to fierce sunlight
• 1864 - U.S. mints 2 cent coin (1st appearance of "In God We Trust")


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• April Showers Day
• Earth Day
• Eid al-Fitr
• In God We Trust Day
• International Mother Earth Day
• National Day of Puppetry
• National Jelly Bean Day
• Oklahoma Day

Birthdays
• 0570 - Muhammad, Arabic prophet and founder of Islam
• 1451 - Isabella I, of Castile, Queen of Spain, 1479-1504, patron of Columbus
• 1518 - Antoine of Navarre [de Bourbon], King of Navarre, 1555-62
• 1610 - Alexander VIII, Pietro Ottoboni, Italy, lawyer/Pope, 1689 - 1691
• 1729 - Michael Hillegas, American merchant and first Treasurer of the United States
• 1852 - Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1905-12)
• 1892 - Vernon Johns, American civil rights activist
• 1904 - J. Robert Oppenheimer, head of Manhattan, A-bomb, Project