Today in History

April 22

1509 - Henry VIII becomes King of England.

1898 - The first shot of the Spanish-American War rings out as the USS Nashville captures a Spanish merchant ship off Key West, Florida.

1931 - Egypt and Iraq sign treaty of friendship, the first pact between Egypt and another Arab state. 1945 - Allied forces take Bologna in Italy during the Second World War. 1956 - China appoints Dalai Lama chairman of a committee to prepare Tibet for regional autonomy within Chinese People’s Republic.

1970 - The first Earth Day is celebrated.

1975 - First Vietnamese refugees arrive on US West Coast while South Vietnam gradually falls to Communists.

1980 - Dubai Natural Gas Company Limited (Dugas) is inaugurated. 1990 - American hostage Robert Polhill is freed in Lebanon after almost 39 months.

1992 - A series of at least 20 gas explosions hit Reforma district in Mexico, killing at least 230 people. 1993 - The first popular web browser, Mosaic 1.0, is officially released.

1997 - Commandos storm the Japanese ambassador’s residence in Lima, Peru, ending a 126-day hostage crisis.

1998 - The 22 members of the Arab League sign the first Arab convention against terrorism.

1999 - Nato destroys Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic’s home during air strike.

2004 - Two trains carrying fuel collide and explode at a North Korean railway station near the Chinese border and kill 154 people. 2006 - Hundreds are injured in Kathmandu when Nepalese security opens fire on tens of thousands of protesters marching towards the royal palace.

2007 - South Korea reaches a deal with North Korea to resume rice aid as well as agreeing to the first run of trains across their border in 50 years.

2008 - Several hijackers of a Dubairegistered ship are arrested when the vessel is stormed by Somali troops to end the hijack.

2012 - Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel wins the Bahrain Grand Prix in Manama.