TODAY IN HISTORY: MAY 22

 

May 22

May 22 is a significant date in history for several reasons. From important events to notable individuals' births and deaths, May 22 has witnessed numerous occurrences that have shaped the world we live in today.

One of the most crucial events that took place on May 22 is the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1859. Doyle, famous for creating the iconic detective character Sherlock Holmes, revolutionized the detective fiction genre with his brilliant storytelling and intricate plotlines. His works continue to captivate readers and have inspired countless adaptations on screen and stage.

Another significant event that occurred on May 22 is the establishment of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1959. This specialized agency of the United Nations plays a crucial role in enhancing the safety and security of international shipping, preventing marine pollution, and promoting maritime education and training. The IMO's efforts have been instrumental in implementing global regulations and standards to ensure the smooth functioning of the maritime industry.

May 22 is also observed as the International Day for Biological Diversity, declared by the United Nations in 2000. This day serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving and maintaining biodiversity as the foundation for sustainable development. It highlights the need for collective action to protect species and ecosystems that are under threat due to human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change.

On May 22, 1967, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, a pivotal event that ultimately led to the Six-Day War. This conflict between Israel and its neighboring Arab states had a profound impact on the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, reshaping regional alliances and causing significant tensions that still persist today.

May 22 is also the day when Thomas Edison succeeded in using his phonograph for the first time in 1878. This groundbreaking invention marked the beginning of sound recording and reproduction, paving the way for modern audio technology. Edison's phonograph revolutionized entertainment, communication, and the music industry, leaving an indelible mark on human history.

In the realm of sports, May 22 witnessed the birth of legendary soccer player Sir Alex Ferguson in 1941. As the manager of Manchester United from 1986 to 2013, Ferguson led the team to unparalleled success, winning numerous domestic and international titles. His leadership and strategic prowess earned him respect and admiration worldwide, making him one of the most successful football managers in history.

Unfortunately, May 22 has also seen its fair share of tragedies. In 2017, a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, claimed the lives of 22 people and injured hundreds more. This horrific act of terror shocked the world and highlighted the ongoing threats posed by terrorism in the modern era.

To conclude, May 22 is a date that encompasses a myriad of noteworthy events and moments across history. From the birth of influential individuals like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Alex Ferguson, to the establishment of critical organizations such as the IMO and observance of the International Day for Biological Diversity, May 22 has witnessed milestones that have shaped various aspects of our society.

Here are some more events from this day:

192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu.

760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.

853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt.

1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to assassinate Saladin near Aleppo.

1200 – King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet.

1246 – Henry Raspe is elected anti-king of the Kingdom of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV.

1254 – Serbian King Stefan Uroš I and the Republic of Venice sign a peace treaty.

1370 – Brussels massacre: Between six and twenty Jews are murdered and the rest of the Jewish community is banished from Brussels, Belgium, for allegedly desecrating consecrated Host.

1377 – Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe.

1455 – Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England.

1520 – The massacre at the festival of Tóxcatl takes place during the Fall of Tenochtitlan, resulting in turning the Aztecs against the Spanish.

1629 – Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV sign the Treaty of Lübeck ending Danish intervention in the Thirty Years' War.

1762 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Hamburg.

1762 – Trevi Fountain is officially completed and inaugurated in Rome.

1766 – A large earthquake causes heavy damage and loss of life in Istanbul and the Marmara region.

1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri.

1807 – A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason.

1809 – On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I is repelled by an enemy army for the first time.

1816 – A mob in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, riots over high unemployment and rising grain costs, and the riots spread to Ely the next day.

1819 – SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

1826 – HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage.

1840 – The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished.

1846 – The Associated Press is formed in New York City as a non-profit news cooperative.

1848 – Slavery is abolished in Martinique.

1849 – Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only U.S. president to ever hold a patent.

1856 – Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beats Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made regarding Southerners and slavery.

1863 – American Civil War: Union forces begin the Siege of Port Hudson which lasts 48 days, the longest siege in U.S. military history.

1864 – American Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army's Red River Campaign ends in failure.

1866 – Oliver Winchester founded the Winchester Repeating Arms

1872 – Reconstruction Era: President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers.

1905 – The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II establishes the Ullah Millet for the Aromanians of the empire. For this reason, the Aromanian National Day is sometimes celebrated on this day, although most do so on May 23 instead, which is when this event was publicly announced.

1906 – The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine".

1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, the only volcano besides Mount St. Helens to erupt in the contiguous U.S. during the 20th century.

1915 – Three trains collide in the Quintinshill rail disaster near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246.

1926 – Chiang Kai-shek replaces the communists in Kuomintang China.

1927 – Near Xining, China, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake causes 200,000 deaths in one of the world's most destructive earthquakes.

1939 – World War II: Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel.

1941 – During the Anglo-Iraqi War, British troops take Fallujah.

1942 – Mexico enters the Second World War on the side of the Allies.

1943 – Joseph Stalin disbands the Comintern.

1947 – Cold War: The Truman Doctrine goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece.

1948 – Finnish President J. K. Paasikivi releases Yrjö Leino from his duties as interior minister in 1948 after the Finnish parliament adopted a motion of censure of Leino with connection to his illegal handing over of nineteen people to the Soviet Union in 1945.

1957 – South Africa's government approves of racial separation in universities.

1958 – The 1958 riots in Ceylon become a watershed in the race relations of various ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. The total deaths are estimated at 300, mostly Tamils.

1960 – The Great Chilean earthquake, measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, hits southern Chile, becoming the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.

1962 – Continental Airlines Flight 11 crashes in Unionville, Missouri after bombs explode on board, killing 45.

1963 – Greek left-wing politician Grigoris Lambrakis is shot in an assassination attempt and dies five days later.

1964 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson launches his Great Society program.

1967 – Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping.

1967 – L'Innovation department store in Brussels, Belgium, burns down, resulting in 323 dead or missing and 150 injured, the most devastating fire in Belgian history.

1968 – The nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 miles southwest of the Azores.

1969 – Apollo 10's lunar module flies within 8.4 nautical miles (16 km) of the moon's surface.

1972 – Ceylon adopts a new constitution, becoming a republic and changing its name to Sri Lanka.

1972 – Over 400 women in Derry, Northern Ireland attack the offices of Sinn Féin following the shooting by the Irish Republican Army of a young British soldier on leave.

1987 – Hashimpura massacre occurs in Meerut, India.

1987 – First ever Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand playing Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.

1990 – North and South Yemen are unified to create the Republic of Yemen.

1992 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia join the United Nations.

1994 – A worldwide trade embargo against Haiti goes into effect to punish its military rulers for not reinstating the country's ousted elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

1996 – The Burmese military regime jails 71 supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi in a bid to block a pro-democracy meeting.

1998 – A U.S. federal judge rules that U.S. Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the Lewinsky scandal involving President Bill Clinton.

2000 – In Sri Lanka, over 150 Tamil rebels are killed over two days of fighting for control in Jaffna.

2002 – Civil rights movement: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama, convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murder of four girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.

2010 – Air India Express Flight 812, a Boeing 737 crashes over a cliff upon landing at Mangalore, India, killing 158 of 166 people on board, becoming the deadliest crash involving a Boeing 737 until the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

2010 – Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2–0 in the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid, Spain to become the first, and so far only, Italian team to win the historic treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League).

2011 – An EF5 tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people and wreaking $2.8 billion in damages, the costliest and seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.

2012 – Tokyo Skytree opens to the public. It is the tallest tower in the world (634 m), and the second tallest man-made structure on Earth after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m).

2012 – SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2 launches a Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket in the first commercial flight to the International Space Station.

2014 – General Prayut Chan-o-cha becomes interim leader of Thailand in a military coup d'état, following six months of political turmoil.

2014 – An explosion occurs in Ürümqi, capital of China's far-western Xinjiang region, resulting in at least 43 deaths and 91 injuries.

2015 – The Republic of Ireland becomes the first nation in the world to legalize gay marriage in a public referendum.

2017 – Twenty-two people are killed at an Ariana Grande concert in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

2017 – United States President Donald Trump visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall.

2020 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashes in Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 98 people.

2021 – Severe weather kills 21 runners in the 100 km (60-mile) ultramarathon in the Yellow River Stone Forest, Gansu province of China.