2000. “We were on the phone with them negotiating they put them in hold they were waver in hold, they banded on the door they broke everything in.” During a predawn raid, federal agents in Miami seize Elián González from his relative’s home. The Cuban boy is later reunited with his father and both of them return to Cuba. 1889. The Okalahoma Land Rush begins at noon, as thousands of homesteaders rushed to state claims to land in what is now the State of Okalahoma. 1970. Millions of Americans concerned about the environment observe the first Earth Day. The demonstration becomes an annual event that’s now observed around the world.

And 1937. “Get out of my way, son, you’re using my oxygen, you know I mean.” Actor Jack Nicholson is born in Neptune, New Jersey. Among his movie roles, Chinatown, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Shining, Terms of Endearment, and As Good as it Gets.

Today in History, April 22nd. Camille Bohannon, the Associated Press.