The United States launched a massive invasion of the Japanese
home island of Okinawa, with an initial landing of 60,000 soldiers
and marines, on this day in history, April 1, 1945.

The Battle of Okinawa proved the last major engagement of World
War II and the largest battle of the entire war in the Pacific Theater. 

Okinawa has been a critical strategic location for the United States Armed Forces since the Battle of Okinawa and the end of World
War II. The island was under American administration until 1972,
and today hosts around 26,000 US military personnel, about half
of the total complement of the United States Forces Japan,
spread among 32 bases and 48 training sites.

Naha, Okinawa, Japan today.

On April 1, 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed a
measure banning cigarette advertising on radio and
television, to take effect after Jan. 1, 1971.

Nixon, who was an avid pipe smoker, indulging in as
many as eight bowls a day, supported the legislation
at the increasing insistence of public health advocates.

Hymen L. Lipman (1817-1893)

(FOXNEWS) – Philadelphia inventor Hymen L. Lipman rushed
heroically to the aid of mistake-prone schoolchildren, artists
and draftsmen everywhere when he secured the patent for the
pencil with eraser on this day in history, March 30, 1858. 

"Be it known that I, Hymen L. Lipman, of Philadelphia, in the
county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have
invented a new and useful Lead-Pencil and Eraser;" the
visionary wrote in his patent application.

"I make a lead-pencil in the usual manner, reserving about
one-fourth of the length, in which I make a groove of suitable
size … and insert in this groove a piece of prepared India
rubber (or other erasive substance) secured to said pencil
by being glued at one edge."

The eraser, he noted in his application, "is particularly valuable 
for removing or erasing lines, figures, etc., and not subject to
be soiled or mislaid on the table or desk" — as if the purpose
of an eraser was unknown to mid-19th century consumers. 

ROSS SIMPSON

Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist,
singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most
successful and influential guitarists in rock music. He
ranked second in Rolling Stone‘s list of the "100 Greatest
Guitarists of All Tim’‘ and fourth in Gibson‘s "Top 50
Guitarists of All Time". He was also named number five
in Time magazine’s list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar
Players" in 2009. Clapton is 78 years old today.

March 29, 1973: Two months after the signing of the Vietnam
peace agreement, the last U.S. combat troops left South
Vietnam as Hanoi freed many of the remaining American
prisoners of war held in North Vietnam. America’s direct
eight-year intervention in the Vietnam War was at an end.

In Saigon, some 7,000 U.S. Department of Defense civilian
employees remained behind to aid South Vietnam in
conducting what looked to be a fierce and ongoing war
with communist North Vietnam.