What Happened Today in History on April 22

Pope Alexander II dies after a papacy that advanced many reforms in the Catholic Church.

Pedro Álvares Cabral's 13 ship fleet lands in Brazil, leading to the Portuguese claim on the territory.

Christopher Columbus begins his fourth and final voyage to the New World.

The Battle of Poltava takes place, leading to a significant victory for Peter the Great of Russia over Charles XII of Sweden.

The Battle of Neuwied takes place during the French Revolutionary Wars, resulting in a French victory over the Austrians.

The first performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, takes place in Vienna.

General Robert E. Lee accepts  the appointment of major general of Virginia’s state forces. On May 7 Virginia joined the Confederacy . On May 14, Lee was  commissioned brigadier general in the Confederate army. He was  promoted to full general on August 31, 1861. More

The Oklahoma Land Rush begins as thousands of homesteaders plant their stakes pursuing their 160 acres claims to nearly 1.9 million acres of land that was formerly part of Indian Territory but had been identified by the federal government as unassigned land. Thousands of people seeking land crowded into towns that served as official starting points for the April 22 claim race.  Different starting points experienced a different process, some more orderly and some more chaotic. More

The first Earth Day is celebrated in the United States to promote environmental awareness.

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori orders an assault of the Japanese ambassador’s residence to rescue the 72 hostages remaining of the 490 taken during a party celebrating Emperor Akihito’s birthday, by armed terrorists from the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, a Marxist-Leninist organization, All the rebels, including their leader, were killed during the rescue operation. Only one hostage, Supreme Court Justice, Carlos Giusti, was killed in the attack Two soldiers wounded during the rescue operation died later from their injuries. More

n a symbolic move, Elián González, a Cuban boy at the center of an international custody dispute, is seized by federal agents in Miami.

The Paris Agreement on climate change is signed by 175 countries at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompts the cancellation of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, due to health concerns.