On This Day in History — February 22

Highlights of February 22

• 2019 — A group broke into the North Korean embassy in Madrid, Spain, and stole several mobile telephones and digital storage devices. Read more
• 2012 — A train failed to apply its brakes and crashed through a buffer stop at Once railway station in Buenos Aires, resulting in 51 deaths and more than 700 injuries. Read more
• 2011 — An earthquake registering 6.3 ML struck Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 185 people and causing around NZ$40 billion in damage. Read more
• 2011 — Bahraini uprising: Tens of thousands of people marched in protest in Manama against the deaths of seven people killed by police and army forces during previous protests. Read more
• 2006 — Seven men staged the largest cash robbery in Britain at a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom. Read more
• 1998 — The cherry-throated tanager, a critically endangered bird which had not been definitively sighted in over a century, was rediscovered in Conceição do Castelo, Brazil. Read more
• 1997 — Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland announced the existence of Dolly, a female sheep who was the first mammal to have successfully been cloned from an adult cell. Read more
• 1983 — The play Moose Murders opened and closed on the same night at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, becoming the standard of "awfulness" against which all Broadway failures are judged. Read more
• 1980 — At the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the United States ice hockey team defeated the Soviet team in an unlikely victory that became known as the Miracle on Ice. Read more
• 1974 — Samuel Byck attempted to hijack an aircraft at Baltimore/Washington International Airport with the intention of crashing it into the White House to assassinate U.S. president Richard Nixon, but he was stopped by police. Read more
• 1959 — Lee Petty won the first edition of the Daytona 500, a NASCAR auto race at the Daytona International Speedway (pictured) in Florida. Read more
• 1909 — The sixteen United States Navy battleships of the Great White Fleet, led by Connecticut (pictured), completed a circumnavigation of the globe. Read more
• 1744 — War of the Austrian Succession: British ships began attacking the rear of a combined Franco-Spanish fleet in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Toulon, France. Read more
• 1371 — Robert II became King of Scots as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. Read more
• 1316 — The Catalan forces of Ferdinand of Majorca defeated troops loyal to Princess Matilda of Hainaut at the Battle of Picotin on the Peloponnese peninsula in modern-day Greece. Read more

Events

• 2022 — Twosday, the name given to Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at 2:22:22, occurs. Read more
• 2018 — A man throws a grenade at the U.S. embassy in Podgorica, Montenegro. He dies at the scene from a second explosion, with no one else hurt. Read more
• 2015 — A ferry carrying 100 passengers capsizes in the Padma River, killing 70 people. Read more
• 2014 — President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine is impeached by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by a vote of 328–0, fulfilling a major goal of the Euromaidan rebellion. Read more
• 2012 — A train crash in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 51 people and injures 700 others. Read more
• 2011 — New Zealand's second deadliest earthquake, the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, kills 185 people. Read more
• 2011 — Bahraini uprising: Tens of thousands of people march in protest against the deaths of seven victims killed by police and army forces during previous protests. Read more
• 2006 — At approximately 6:44 a.m. local Iraqi time, explosions occurred at the al-Askari Shrine in Samarra, Iraq. The attack on the shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, caused the escalation of sectarian tensions in Iraq into a full-scale civil war. Read more
• 2006 — The Securitas depot robbery was the UK's largest heist. Almost £53m (about $92.5 million or €78 million) was stolen from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent. Read more
• 2005 — The 6.4 Mw Zarand earthquake shakes the Kerman province of Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), leaving 612 people dead and 1,411 injured. Read more
• 2002 — Angolan political and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush. Read more
• 1997 — In Roslin, Midlothian, British scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly has been successfully cloned. Read more
• 1995 — The Corona reconnaissance satellite program, in existence from 1959 to 1972, is declassified. Read more
• 1994 — Aldrich Ames and his wife are charged by the United States Department of Justice with spying for the Soviet Union. Read more
• 1986 — Start of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines. Read more
• 1983 — The notorious Broadway flop Moose Murders opens and closes on the same night at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. Read more
• 1980 — Miracle on Ice: In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union hockey team 4–3. Read more
• 1979 — Saint Lucia gains independence from the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1974 — The Organisation of the Islamic Conference summit begins in Lahore, Pakistan. Thirty-seven countries attend and twenty-two heads of state and government participate. It also recognizes Bangladesh. Read more
• 1974 — Samuel Byck attempts to hijack an aircraft at Baltimore/Washington International Airport with the intention of crashing it into the White House to assassinate Richard Nixon, but commits suicide after being wounded by police. Read more
• 1973 — Cold War: Following President Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China, the two countries agree to establish liaison offices. Read more
• 1972 — The Official Irish Republican Army detonates a car bomb at Aldershot barracks, killing seven and injuring nineteen others. Read more
• 1959 — Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500. Read more
• 1958 — Following a plebiscite in both countries the previous day, Egypt and Syria join to form the United Arab Republic. Read more
• 1957 — Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam survives a communist shooting assassination attempt in Buôn Ma Thuột. Read more
• 1946 — The "Long Telegram", proposing how the United States should deal with the Soviet Union, arrives from the US embassy in Moscow. Read more
• 1944 — World War II: American aircraft mistakenly bomb the Dutch towns of Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede and Deventer, resulting in 800 dead in Nijmegen alone. Read more
• 1944 — World War II: The Soviet Red Army recaptures Krivoi Rog. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: Members of the White Rose resistance, Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst are executed in Nazi Germany. Read more
• 1943 — Yankee Clipper crashes while landing on the Tagus in Lisbon, killing 24. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as the Japanese victory becomes inevitable. Read more
• 1921 — After Russian forces under Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg drive the Chinese out, the Bogd Khan is reinstalled as the emperor of Mongolia.[citation needed] Read more
• 1909 — The sixteen battleships of the Great White Fleet, led by USS Connecticut, return to the United States after a voyage around the world. Read more
• 1904 — The United Kingdom sells a meteorological station on the South Orkney Islands to Argentina; the islands are subsequently claimed by the United Kingdom in 1908. Read more
• 1899 — Filipino forces led by General Antonio Luna launch counterattacks for the first time against the American forces during the Philippine–American War. The Filipinos fail to regain Manila from the Americans. Read more
• 1889 — President Grover Cleveland signs a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states. Read more
• 1881 — Cleopatra's Needle, a 3,500-year-old Ancient Egyptian obelisk is erected in Central Park, New York. Read more
• 1879 — In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of five-and-dime Woolworth stores. Read more
• 1872 — The Prohibition Party holds its first national convention in Columbus, Ohio, nominating James Black as its presidential nominee. Read more
• 1862 — American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is officially inaugurated for a six-year term as the President of the Confederate States of America in Richmond, Virginia. He was previously inaugurated as a provisional president on February 18, 1861. Read more
• 1856 — The United States Republican Party opens its first national convention in Pittsburgh. Read more
• 1848 — The French Revolution of 1848, which would lead to the establishment of the French Second Republic, begins. Read more
• 1847 — Mexican–American War: The Battle of Buena Vista: Five thousand American troops defeat 15,000 Mexican troops. Read more
• 1819 — By the Adams–Onís Treaty, Spain sells Florida to the United States for five million U.S. dollars. Read more
• 1797 — The last Invasion of Britain begins near Fishguard, Wales. Read more
• 1770 — British customs officer Ebenezer Richardson fires blindly into a crowd during a protest in North End, Boston, fatally wounding 11-year-old Christopher Seider; the first American fatality of the American Revolution. Read more
• 1744 — War of the Austrian Succession: The Battle of Toulon causes several Royal Navy captains to be court-martialed, and the Articles of War to be amended. Read more
• 1651 — St. Peter's Flood: A storm surge floods the Frisian coast, drowning 15,000 people. Read more
• 1632 — Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, the dedicatee, receives the first printed copy of Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. Read more
• 1495 — King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne. Read more
• 1371 — Robert II becomes King of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty. Read more
• 1316 — The Battle of Picotin, between Ferdinand of Majorca and the forces of Matilda of Hainaut, ends in victory for Ferdinand. Read more
• 1288 — The Franciscan Girolamo Maschi is elected pope, choosing the name Nicholas IV. Read more
• 1076 — Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. Read more
• 896 — Pope Formosus crowns Arnulf of Carinthia as Emperor in Rome. Arnulf suffers a stroke soon after and retreats from Italy. Read more

Born on February 22

• 1999 — Harry Brook, English cricketer Read more
• 1997 — Jerome Robinson, American basketball player Read more
• 1997 — Ilya Samsonov, Russian ice hockey player Read more
• 1996 — Kia Nurse, Canadian basketball player Read more
• 1995 — Devonte' Graham, American basketball player Read more
• 1994 — Nam Joo-hyuk, South Korean model and actor Read more
• 1994 — Elfrid Payton, American basketball player Read more
• 1992 — Dixon Machado, Venezuelan baseball player Read more
• 1991 — Khalil Mack, American football player Read more
• 1989 — Franco Vázquez, Argentine footballer Read more
• 1988 — Jonathan Borlée, Belgian sprinter Read more
• 1987 — Han Hyo-joo, South Korean actress and model Read more
• 1987 — Sergio Romero, Argentine footballer Read more
• 1986 — Rajon Rondo, American basketball player Read more
• 1985 — Hamer Bouazza, Algerian footballer Read more
• 1985 — Georgios Printezis, Greek basketball player Read more
• 1985 — Zach Roerig, American actor Read more
• 1984 — Tommy Bowe, Irish rugby player Read more
• 1984 — Branislav Ivanović, Serbian footballer Read more
• 1983 — Brian Duensing, American baseball player Read more
• 1983 — Clint McKay, Australian cricketer Read more
• 1983 — Iliza Shlesinger, American stand-up comedian, actress and television host Read more
• 1983 — Shaun Tait, Australian cricketer Read more
• 1980 — Jeanette Biedermann, German singer-songwriter and actress Read more
• 1979 — Brett Emerton, Australian footballer Read more
• 1979 — Lee Na-young, South Korean actress Read more
• 1977 — Hakan Yakin, Swiss footballer Read more
• 1975 — Drew Barrymore, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter Read more
• 1974 — James Blunt, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Read more
• 1973 — Philippe Gaumont, French cyclist (died 2013) Read more
• 1973 — Juninho Paulista, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1973 — Scott Phillips, American musician and songwriter Read more
• 1972 — Michael Chang, American tennis player and coach Read more
• 1972 — Claudia Pechstein, German speed skater Read more
• 1972 — Haim Revivo, Israeli footballer Read more
• 1972 — Ben Sasse, American politician and college administrator Read more
• 1971 — Lea Salonga, Filipino actress and singer Read more
• 1969 — Thomas Jane, American actor Read more
• 1969 — Clinton Kelly, American TV personality and author Read more
• 1969 — Brian Laudrup, Danish footballer and sportscaster Read more

Died on February 22

• 2026 — Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (born 1966) Read more
• 2024 — John Lowe, English musician, pianist for The Quarrymen (born 1942) Read more
• 2021 — Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American poet, painter (born 1919) Read more
• 2019 — Brody Stevens, American comedian and actor (born 1970) Read more
• 2019 — Morgan Woodward, American actor (born 1925) Read more
• 2015 — Chris Rainbow, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer (born 1946) Read more
• 2014 — Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand–Australian television host (born 1966) Read more
• 2014 — Trebor Jay Tichenor, American pianist and composer (born 1940) Read more
• 2014 — Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist, poet, and illustrator (born 1915) Read more
• 2013 — Atje Keulen-Deelstra, Dutch speed skater (born 1938) Read more
• 2013 — Jean-Louis Michon, French-Swiss scholar and translator (born 1924) Read more
• 2013 — Wolfgang Sawallisch, German pianist and conductor (born 1923) Read more
• 2012 — Sukhbir, Indian author and poet (born 1925) Read more
• 2012 — Frank Carson, Irish-English comedian and actor (born 1926) Read more
• 2012 — Marie Colvin, American journalist (born 1956) Read more
• 2012 — Rémi Ochlik, French photographer and journalist (born 1983) Read more
• 2007 — George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, English politician, Leader of the House of Lords (born 1918) Read more
• 2007 — Dennis Johnson, American basketball player and coach (born 1954) Read more
• 2006 — S. Rajaratnam, Singaporean politician, 1st Senior Minister of Singapore (born 1915) Read more
• 2005 — Lee Eun-ju, South Korean actress and singer (born 1980) Read more
• 2005 — Simone Simon, French actress (born 1910) Read more
• 2004 — Andy Seminick, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1920) Read more
• 2002 — Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (born 1912) Read more
• 2002 — Jonas Savimbi, Angolan general, founded UNITA (born 1934) Read more
• 1999 — William Bronk, American poet and academic (born 1918) Read more
• 1999 — Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (born 1964) Read more
• 1998 — Abraham A. Ribicoff, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (born 1910) Read more
• 1997 — Joseph Aiuppa, American gangster (born 1907) Read more
• 1995 — Ed Flanders, American actor (born 1934) Read more
• 1994 — Papa John Creach, American violinist (born 1917) Read more
• 1992 — Markos Vafiadis, Greek general and politician (born 1906) Read more
• 1987 — David Susskind, American talk show host and producer (born 1920) Read more
• 1987 — Andy Warhol, American painter and photographer (born 1928) Read more
• 1986 — John Donnelly, Australian rugby league player (born 1955) Read more
• 1985 — Salvador Espriu, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (born 1913) Read more
• 1985 — Efrem Zimbalist, Russian violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1889) Read more
• 1983 — Adrian Boult, English conductor (born 1889) Read more
• 1983 — Romain Maes, Belgian cyclist (born 1913) Read more
• 1982 — Josh Malihabadi, Indian-Pakistani poet and author (born 1898) Read more
• 1980 — Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian painter, poet and playwright (born 1886) Read more

Holidays & observances

Birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Robert Baden-Powell and Olave Baden-Powell, and its related observance: Founder's Day or "B.-P. day" (World Organization of the Scout Movement); Birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Robert Baden-Powell and Olave Baden-Powell, and its related observance: World Thinking Day (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts); Christian feast day: Baradates; Christian feast day: Blessed Émilie d'Oultremont; Christian feast day: Eric Liddell (Episcopal Church (USA)); Christian feast day: Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day: Margaret of Cortona; Christian feast day: Papias of Hierapolis; Christian feast day: February 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Crime Victims Day (Europe); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Saint Lucia from the United Kingdom in 1979.; Founding Day (Saudi Arabia); Washington's Birthday, federal holiday in the United States. A holiday on February 22 as well as the third Monday in February.; National Cat Day (Japan)

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