April 22

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
The first Earth Day, 1970
American Revolution
John Paul Jones leads American raid on Whitehaven, England, 1778
Automotive
Rolls-Royce co-founder dies, 1933
Civil War
Union raid cuts Mississippi telegraph wires, 1863
Cold War
McCarthy Army hearings begin, 1954
Crime
Seduction is made illegal, 1886
An FBI agent is killed in a gangster raid, 1934
Disaster
Sewers explode in Guadalajara, 1992
General Interest
Germans introduce poison gas, 1915
Fujimori orders assault on Japanese ambassador's home, 1997
Hollywood
Jack Nicholson born, 1937
Literary
Ellen Glasgow, Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, is born, 1873
Music
The Blues Brothers make their world premiere on Saturday Night Live, 1978
Old West
The Oklahoma land rush begins, 1889
Presidential
Former President Richard Nixon dies, 1994
Sports
Pat Tillman killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, 2004
Vietnam War
South Vietnamese have increased combat capabilities, 1968
Antiwar demonstrations held, 1972
World War I
Second Battle of Ypres begins, 1915
World War II
Americans launch Operation Persecution in the Pacific, 1944
Hitler admits defeat, 1945

World War II

Apr 22, 1945:

Hitler admits defeat

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On this day in 1945, Adolf Hitler, learning from one of his generals that no German defense was offered to the Russian assault at Eberswalde, admits to all in his underground bunker that the war is lost and that suicide is his only recourse. Almost as confirmation of Hitler's assessment, a Soviet mechanized corps reaches Treuenbrietzen, 40 miles southwest of Berlin, liberates a POW camp and releases, among others, Norwegian Commander in Chief Otto Ruge.

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This Week in History, Apr 22 - Apr 28

Apr 22, 1944
Americans launch Operation Persecution in the Pacific
Apr 22, 1945
Hitler admits defeat
Apr 23, 1942
Germans begin "Baedeker Raids" on England
Apr 24, 1876
Erich Raeder, commander in chief of the German navy, is born on this day
Apr 24, 1940
Britain begins its evacuation of Greece in Operation Demon
Apr 25, 1945
Americans and Russians link up, cut Germany in two
Apr 26, 1894
Rudolf Hess is born
Apr 27, 1941
German forces enter Athens
Apr 28, 1945
Mussolini is executed

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