Today in 1898, the Spanish-American War began.
Today in 1910, American storyteller/author Mark Twain (real name Samuel Clemens) died at the age of 76 at his home in Redding, Connecticut.
Today in 1980, at the Boston Marathon, Rosie Ruiz was the first woman to cross the finish line that year with a time of 2:31:56. The problem? She was later exposed as a fraud (she took a city bus for a majority of the course).
Today in 1983, former first lady Betty Ford, undergoing treatment at Long Beach Memorial Naval Hospital in California, disclosed in a statement that she was addicted to alcohol as well as a drug she had been taking for arthritis.
Today in 1986,Geraldo Rivera, along with a camera crew arrived at the once-notorious Lexington Hotel in Chicago. A TV audience watched as the long-sealed vault of racketeer Al Capone was opened during the much-hyped special. In the end, all Geraldo found were broken bottles and no trace that Capone and his gang had ever stashed anything there.
Today in 1994, Jackie Parker became the first woman to qualify to fly an F-16 combat plane.
Today in 1995, the FBI arrested former soldier Timothy McVeigh at an Oklahoma jail where he'd spent two days on minor traffic and weapons charges. He was charged in connection with the Oklahoma City bombing two days earlier.
Today in 1997, the cremated remains of Timothy Leary and "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry were launched from a space shuttle, marking the first "burial in space."
Today in 2000, the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act went into effect.
Today in 2020, President Donald Trump announced a new 60-day ban on most green cards for the United States.