Today in History: April 23, Hank Aaron’s first home run
Today in History
Today is Saturday, April 23, the 113th day of 2022. There are 252 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On April 23, 2005, the recently created video-sharing website YouTube uploaded its first clip, “Me at the Zoo,” which showed YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo.
On this date:
In 1616 (Old Style calendar), English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon on what has traditionally been regarded as the 52nd anniversary of his birth in 1564.
In 1898, Spain declared war on the United States, which responded in kind two days later.
In 1940, about 200 people died in the Rhythm Night Club Fire in Natchez, Mississippi.
In 1954, Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hit the first of his 755 major-league home runs in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. (The Braves won, 7-5.)
In 1969, Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death for assassinating New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. (The sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment.)
In 1971, hundreds of Vietnam War veterans opposed to the conflict protested by tossing their medals and ribbons over a wire fence in front of the U.S. Capitol.
In 1988, a federal ban on smoking during domestic airline flights of two hours or less went into effect.
In 1992, McDonald’s opened its first fast-food restaurant in the Chinese capital of Beijing.
In 1993, labor leader Cesar Chavez died in San Luis, Arizona, at age 66.
In 1998, James Earl Ray, who confessed to assassinating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and then insisted he’d been framed, died at a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital at age 70.
In 2007, Boris Yeltsin, Russia’s first freely elected president, died in Moscow at age 76.
In 2020, at a White House briefing, President Donald Trump noted that researchers were looking at the effects of disinfectants on the coronavirus, and wondered aloud whether they could be injected into people.
Ten years ago: Actor-singer Jennifer Hudson broke down in tears while testifying at the Chicago trial of William Balfour, the man accused of killing her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in a jealous rage in 2008. (Balfour was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.) The government reported that Social Security was rushing even faster toward insolvency, with its trust funds expected to run dry in 2033, three years earlier than previously projected.
Five years ago: Centrist Emmanuel Macron (eh-mahn-yoo-EHL’ mah-KROHN’) and far-right populist Marine Le Pen advanced to a May runoff in France’s presidential election (Macron ended up defeating Le Pen).
One year ago: U.S. health officials lifted an 11-day pause on COVID-19 vaccinations using Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot, after scientific advisers decided its benefits outweighed a rare risk of blood clot. Reality TV personality and Olympic hero Caitlyn Jenner joined a growing list of Republican candidates seeking to oust Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was facing a likely recall election. (Newsom would beat back the recall effort in a September vote.)
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Alan Oppenheimer is 92. Actor David Birney is 83. Actor Lee Majors is 83. Irish nationalist Bernadette Devlin McAliskey is 75. Actor Blair Brown is 75. Writer-director Paul Brickman is 73. Actor Joyce DeWitt is 73. Actor James Russo is 69. Filmmaker-author Michael Moore is 68. Actor Judy Davis is 67. Actor Valerie Bertinelli is 62. Actor Craig Sheffer is 62. Actor-comedian-talk show host George Lopez is 61. U.S. Olympic gold medal skier Donna Weinbrecht is 57. Actor Melina Kanakaredes (kah-nah-KAH’-ree-deez) is 55. Rock musician Stan Frazier (Sugar Ray) is 54. Actor Scott Bairstow (BEHR’-stow) is 52. Actor-writer John Lutz is 49. Actor Barry Watson is 48. Rock musician Aaron Dessner (The National) is 46. Rock musician Bryce Dessner (The National) is 46. Professional wrestler/actor John Cena is 45. Actor-writer-comedian John Oliver is 45. Actor Kal Penn is 45. Retired MLB All-Star Andruw Jones is 45. Actor Jaime King is 43. Pop singer Taio (TY’-oh) Cruz is 39. Actor Aaron Hill is 39. Actor Jesse Lee Soffer is 38. Actor Rachel Skarsten is 37. Rock musician Anthony LaMarca (The War on Drugs) is 35. Singer-songwriter John Fullbright is 34. Actor Dev Patel (puh-TEHL’) is 32. Actor Matthew Underwood is 32. Model Gigi Hadid is 27. Rock musicians Jake and Josh Kiszka (Greta Van Fleet) are 26. Actor Charlie Rowe (TV: “Salvation”) is 26. Retired tennis player Ashleigh Barty is 26. U.S. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Chloe Kim is 22.
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