22 APRIL

1529 - Spanish and Portuguese monarchs Cárlos I and João III sign the Treaty of Zaragoza that relinquishes Moluccas to Portugal as Spain retains the Philippine islands; the treaty basically continues the meridian of Tordesillas in the opposite hemisphere to settles their claims over Moluccas, with the Philippines standing on the Spanish side.

1970 - The first Earth Day is celebrated in the bid to increase public awareness of the world's environmental problems; the event was first held in the United States, a product of Sen. Gaylord Nelson's advocacy to unite the grassroots environmental movement and heighten ecological awareness.

1980 - Liberia's new military regime publicly executes 13 leading officials of the ousted government of William Tolbert in what journalists will describe to be cruel and messy executions; Tolbert was assassinated 10 days ago in a coup headed by Sergeant Doe who will himself be deposed by the late 1980s when Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front that will overran much of the countryside and start 14 years of civil war in the west African state.

1997 - Peruvian forces helped by the British SAS storm the Japanese embassy in Peru to free all but one of the 72 hostages who have been held by anti-government rebels for four months; Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori ordered the siege that killed all the 14 Tupac Amaru rebels whose hostages included Peruvian Foreign Minister Francisco Tudela and Japanese Ambassador, Morihita Aoki.