Today is Monday, April 22, the 112th day of 2019. There are 253 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 22, 2000, in a dramatic pre-dawn raid, armed immigration agents seized Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy at the center of a custody dispute, from his relatives' home in Miami; Elian was reunited with his father at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.

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 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.






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.

In 2005, Zacarias Moussaoui (zak-uh-REE'-uhs moo-SOW'-ee) pleaded guilty in a federal courtroom outside Washington, D.C. to conspiring with the Sept. 11 hijackers to kill Americans. (Moussaoui is serving a life prison sentence.)

In 2008, Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, defeating Barack Obama and keeping her presidential hopes alive.

In 2013, a seriously wounded Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR' tsahr-NEYE'-ehv) was charged in his hospital room with bombing the Boston Marathon in a plot with his older brother, Tamerlan (TAM'-ehr-luhn), 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 Jersey City, New Jersey.

Ten 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, California, at age 94. Oscar-winning British cinematographer Jack Cardiff ("Black Narcissus") died in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, at age 94.

Five years ago: In a blow to affirmative action, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld, 6-2, a voter-approved change to the Michigan Constitution forbidding the state's public colleges to take race into account in admissions. Vice President Joe Biden told Ukrainian political leaders the United States stood with them against "humiliating threats" and encouraged them to root out corruption as they rebuilt their government. Albert Pujols became the first major leaguer to hit his 499th and 500th homers in the same game, driving in five runs to help the Los Angeles Angels beat the Washington Nationals 7-2.

One year ago: A nearly naked gunman carrying an assault rifle stormed a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, shooting four people to death before a customer rushed him and wrestled the weapon away; after a manhunt lasting more than 24 hours, Travis Reinking was arrested on charges including four counts of criminal homicide. (After being ordered to receive treatment for schizophrenia, Reinking was deemed fit for trial; he has pleaded not guilty.) An Islamic State suicide bomber attacked a voter registration center in the Afghan capital, killing 60 people and wounding 130 others.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Estelle Harris is 91. Actor Jack Nicholson is 82. Singer Mel Carter is 80. Author Janet Evanovich is 76. Country singer Cleve Francis is 74. Movie director John Waters is 73. Singer Peter Frampton is 69. Rock singer-musician Paul Carrack (Mike and the Mechanics; Squeeze) is 68. Actor Joseph Bottoms is 65. Actor Ryan Stiles is 60. Baseball manager Terry Francona is 60. Comedian Byron Allen is 58. Actor Chris Makepeace is 55. Rock musician Fletcher Dragge (DRAH'-guh) is 53. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is 53. Actress Sheryl Lee is 52. Actress-talk show host Sherri Shepherd is 52. Country singer-musician Heath Wright (Ricochet) is 52. Country singer Kellie Coffey is 48. Actor Eric Mabius is 48. Actor Ingo Rademacher (RAH'-deh-mah-ker) is 48. Rock musician Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down) is 45. Rock singer-musician Daniel Johns (Silverchair) is 40. Actor Malcolm Barrett is 39. Actress Cassidy Freeman is 37. Actress Michelle Ryan is 35. Actress Amber Heard is 33. Singer-songwriter BC Jean (Alexander Jean) is 32. Drummer Tripp Howell (LANCO) is 30. Rapper/singer Machine Gun Kelly is 29.

Thought for Today: "What's vice today may be virtue, tomorrow." — Henry Fielding, English novelist (born this date in 1707, died in 1754).