Today is Wednesday, April 22, the 113th day of 2020. There are 253 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On April 22, 1915, the first full-scale use of deadly chemicals in warfare took place as German forces unleashed chlorine gas against Allied troops at the start of the Second Battle of Ypres (EE’-preh) in Belgium during World War I; thousands of soldiers are believed to have died.

On this date:

In 1898, with the United States and Spain on the verge of war, the U.S. Navy began blockading Cuban ports. Congress authorized creation of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, also known as the “Rough Riders.”

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 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 2003, President George W. Bush announced he would nominate Alan Greenspan for a fifth term as Federal Reserve chairman.

In 2004, 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.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Estelle Harris is 92. Actor Jack Nicholson is 83. Singer Mel Carter is 81. Author Janet Evanovich is 77. Country singer Cleve Francis is 75. Movie director John Waters is 74. Singer Peter Frampton is 70. Rock singer-musician Paul Carrack (Mike and the Mechanics; Squeeze) is 69. Actor Joseph Bottoms is 66. Actor Ryan Stiles is 61. Baseball manager Terry Francona is 61. Comedian Byron Allen is 59. Actor Chris Makepeace is 56. Rock musician Fletcher Dragge is 54. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is 54.

Thought for Today: “Demasiada cordura puede ser la peor de las locuras, ver la vida como es y no como debería de ser.” (Too much sanity may be the worst folly, see life as it is and not as it should be.) — Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).