Discover what happened on July 22 in history as remarkable achievements, historic milestones, technological advances, and unforgettable moments helped shape the world we know today.
What Happened on July 22 in History?
Important events on this day include Wiley Post completing the first solo flight around the world, plans for the Pentagon being unveiled, John Dillinger being fatally shot outside Chicago’s Biograph Theater, and the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century crossing parts of Asia and the Pacific.
JULY 22 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1376 – The date that the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin leading rats out of town is said to have occurred.
1796 – Surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company named an Ohio settlement “Cleaveland” after General Moses Cleaveland. The name was later shortened to “Cleveland.”
1893 – Katharine Lee Bates wrote “America the Beautiful” after admiring the view from the top of Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs, CO.
1926 – Babe Ruth caught a baseball at Mitchell Field in New York, NY. The ball had been dropped from an airplane flying at 250 feet above the ball park.
1933 – Pilot Wiley Post completed the first solo global airplane flight. He had traveled 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes.
1934 – Outside of the Biograph Theater in Chicago, IL, “Public Enemy No. 1” John Dillinger was mortally wounded by FBI agents.
1941 – Plans for the Pentagon were presented to the House Subcommittee on Appropriations.
1942 – The U.S. government began compulsory civilian gasoline rationing due to the wartime demands.
1962 – NASA’s Mariner 1 spacecraft veered off course shortly after launch and was destroyed for safety, earning the nickname “the most expensive hyphen in history” because of a coding error in its guidance system.
1983 – The movie “Mr. Mom”, starring Michael Keaton and Teri Garr, premiered in theaters.
1991 – Serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested in Milwaukee, WI after police discovered human remains in his apartment.
1994 – O.J. Simpson pleaded not guilty to the slaying of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
1996 – The Comedy Central late night talk show, “The Daily Show”, debuted with its original host Craig Kilborn.
1997 – The second Blue Water Bridge opened between Port Huron, MI and Sarnia, Canada.
2000 – Astronomers at the University of Arizona announced that they had found a 17th moon orbiting Jupiter.
2003 – Sadaam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed by U.S. troops inside a Mosul palace.
2003 – The movie “Seabiscuit”, starring Toby Maquire, was released in theaters.
2003 – U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch, a prisoner of war who was rescued from an Iraqi hospital, received a hero’s welcome when the 19 year old returned to her hometown of Palestine, WV. She had been captured by Iraqi forces in March of 2003.
2003 – In Paris, France, a fire broke out near the top of the Eiffel Tower. About 4,000 visitors were evacuated. No injuries were reported.
2005 – The movie “March of the Penguins” premiered in theaters.
2009 – The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, occurred over parts of Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
2013 – Prince George, the first child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, was born.
2016 – Japan’s Funai Electric announced it was manufacturing the world’s last videocassette.
2019 – Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time, surpassing Avatar with worldwide box office earnings of nearly $2.8 billion.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JULY 22:
Geraldine Claudette Darden – 90 years old (1936) – Mathematician
Judith Walzer Leavitt – 86 years old (1940) – Historian and academic
George Clinton – 85 years old (1941) – Singer-songwriter and producer
David M. Kennedy – 85 years old (1941) – Historian and author
Kay Bailey Hutchison – 83 years old (1943) – Lawyer and politician
Sparky Lyle – 82 years old (1944) – Baseball player and manager
Danny Glover – 80 years old (1946) – Actor, director, and producer
Paul Schrader – 80 years old (1946) – Director and screenwriter
Albert Brooks – 79 years old (1947) – Actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter
Don Henley – 79 years old (1947) – Singer-songwriter and drummer
S. E. Hinton – 78 years old (1948) – Author
Alan Menken – 77 years old (1949) – Pianist and composer
Richard Bennett – 75 years old (1951) – Guitarist and producer
Al Di Meola – 72 years old (1954) – Guitarist, songwriter, and producer
Lonette McKee – 72 years old (1954) – Actress and singer
Willem Dafoe – 71 years old (1955) – Actor
Dave Stieb – 69 years old (1957) – Baseball player
Jon Oliva – 66 years old (1960) – Singer-songwriter and keyboard player
John Leguizamo – 66 years old (1960) – Colombian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
Keith Sweat – 65 years old (1961) – Singer-songwriter and producer
Alvin Robertson – 64 years old (1962) – Basketball player
Emily Saliers – 63 years old (1963) – Singer-songwriter and musician
Will Calhoun – 62 years old (1964) – Drummer
David Spade – 62 years old (1964) – Actor, producer, and screenwriter
Shawn Michaels – 61 years old (1965) – Wrestler, trainer, and actor
Doug Riesenberg – 61 years old (1965) – Football player and coach
Tim Brown – 60 years old (1966) – Football player and manager
Rebecca Kiessling – 57 years old (1969) – Attorney and anti-abortion activist
Jason Becker – 56 years old (1970) – Guitarist and songwriter
Keyshawn Johnson – 54 years old (1972) – Football player and sportscaster
Brian Chippendale – 53 years old (1973) – Singer and drummer
Mike Sweeney – 53 years old (1973) – Baseball player and sportscaster
Rufus Wainwright – 53 years old (1973) – American-Canadian singer-songwriter
Steven Jackson – 43 years old (1983) – Football player
Takudzwa Ngwenya – 41 years old (1985) – Zimbabwean-American rugby player
Stevie Johnson – 40 years old (1986) – Football player
George Santos – 38 years old (1988) – Politician
Keegan Allen – 37 years old (1989) – Actor, photographer and musician
Taylor Lewan – 35 years old (1991) – Football player
Selena Gomez – 34 years old (1992) – Singer and actress
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – 33 years old (1993) – Kyrgyzstani-American terrorist
Ezekiel Elliott – 31 years old (1995) – Football player
Jonathan Owens – 31 years old (1995) – Football player
Skyler Gisondo – 30 years old (1996) – Actor
Larray – 28 years old (1998) – YouTuber
Madison Pettis – 28 years old (1998) – Actress
Jason Robertson – 27 years old (1999) – Ice hockey player
Garrett Wilson – 26 years old (2000) – Football player
Javon Walton – 20 years old (2006) – Actor and boxer
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JULY 22:
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