February 22

Events

*1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne.
*1632 - Galileo's "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" is published.
*1744 - War of the Austrian Succession: The Battle of Toulon begins.
*1797 - Last Invasion of Britain: 1797 The Last Invasion of Britain by the French, begins near Fishguard, Wales.
*1819 - By the Adams-Onís Treaty, Spain sells Florida to the United States for five million U.S. dollars.
*1847 - Mexican-American War: The Battle of Buena Vista - 5,000 American troops drive off 15,000 Mexicans.
*1856 - The Republican Party opens its first national meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
*1862 - 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.
*1879 - In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of 5 and 10-cent Woolworth stores.
*1882 - The Serbian kingdom is refounded.
*1889 - President Grover Cleveland signs a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states.
*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.
*1915 - World War I: Germany institutes unrestricted submarine warfare.
*1924 - Calvin Coolidge becomes the first President of the United States to deliver a radio broadcast from the White House.
*1942 - World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as American defenses collapses.
*1943 - Members of White Rose are executed in Nazi Germany.
*1944 - American aircraft bombard the Dutch towns of Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede and Deventer by mistake, resulting in 800 dead in Nijmegen alone.
*1948 - Communist coup in Czechoslovakia.
*1958 - Egypt and Syria join to form the United Arab Republic.
*1959 - Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.
*1973 - Cold War: Following United States President Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China, the two countries agree to establish liaison offices.
*1974 - Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) summit conference starts in Lahore, Pakistan. Thirty-seven countries are attending. Twenty-two heads of state and government participate. It also recognized Bangladesh.
* 1974 - Samuel Byck tries and fails to assassinate U.S. President Richard Nixon.
*1979 - Independence of Saint Lucia from the United Kingdom.
*1980 - Miracle on Ice: In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union hockey team 4-3, in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
* 1983 The notorious Broadway flop Moose Murders opened and closed on the same night at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
*1986 - Start of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
*1994 - Aldrich Ames and his wife are charged by the United States Department of Justice with spying for the Soviet Union.
*1997 - In Roslin, Scotland, scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly had been successfully cloned.
*2002 - Angolan political and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush.
*2006 - At least six men stage Britain's biggest robbery ever, stealing £53m (about $92.5 million or 78€ million) from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.

Births

*1040 - Rashi, French rabbi (d. 1105)
*1403 - Charles VII of France (d. 1461)
*1440 - Ladislaus Posthumus of Bohemia and Hungary (d. 1457)
*1500 - Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian humanist (d. 1564)
*1612 - George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, English statesman (d. 1677)
*1705 - Peter Artedi, Swedish naturalist (d. 1735)
*1714 - Louis-Georges de Bréquigny, French historian (d. 1795)
*1732 - George Washington, First President of the United States (d. 1799)
*1756 - Georg Friedrich von Martens, German diplomat (d. 1821)
*1778 - Rembrandt Peale, American artist (d. 1860)
*1788 - Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (d. 1860)
*1796 - Alexis Bachelot, French missionary (d. 1837)
* 1796 - Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, Belgian mathematician (d. 1874)
*1806 - Józef Kremer, Polish messianistic philosopher (d. 1875)
*1810 - Frédéric Chopin, Polish-French composer and pianist (d. 1849)
*1817 - Carl Wilhelm Borchardt, German mathematician (d. 1880)
*1819 - James Russell Lowell, American poet and essayist (d. 1891)
*1824 - Pierre Janssen, French astronomer (d. 1907)
*1825 - Jean Baptiste Salpointe, second Archbishop of Santa Fe (d. 1898)
*1839 - Francis Pharcellus Church, American editor and publisher (d. 1906)
*1840 - August Bebel, German politician (d. 1913)
*1849 - Nikolay Yakovlevich Sonin, Russian mathematician (d. 1915)
*1857 - Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English founder of the Boy Scouts (d. 1941)
* 1857 - Heinrich Hertz, German physicist (d. 1894)
*1864 - Jules Renard, French author (d. 1910)
*1874 - Bill Klem, American baseball umpire (d. 1951)
*1878 - Walter Ritz, Swiss physicist (d. 1909)
*1879 - Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted, Danish physical chemist (d. 1947)
*1880 - Frigyes Riesz, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1956)
*1881 - Joseph B. Ely, American politician (d. 1956)
*1882 - Eric Gill, British sculptor (d. 1940)
*1883 - Marguerite Clark, American actress (d. 1940)
*1886 - Hugo Ball, German author and poet (d. 1927)
*1887 - Ksawery Tartakower, Polish chess player (d. 1956)
*1888 - Owen Brewster, American politician (d. 1961)
*1889 - Olave Baden-Powell, English founder of the Girl Guide (d. 1977)
*1891 - Vlas Chubar, Soviet politician (d. 1939)
*1892 - Edna St. Vincent Millay, American writer (d. 1950)
*1895 - Victor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician (d. 1979)
*1897 - Karol Świerczewski, Polish general (d. 1947)
*1899 - Dwight Frye, American actor (d. 1943)
* 1899 - George O'Hara, American actor (d. 1966)
* 1899 - Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (d. 1986)
*1900 - Luis Buñuel, Spanish-born film director (d. 1983)
*1900 - Seán Ó Faoláin, Irish author (d. 1991)
*1902 - Fritz Strassmann, German physicist (d. 1980)
*1903 - Morley Callaghan, Canadian writer (d. 1990)
* 1903 - Ain-Ervin Mere, Estonian Nazi (d. 1969)
* 1903 - Robert Weede, American baritone (d. 1972)
*1907 - Sheldon Leonard, American actor (d. 1997)
* 1907 - Robert Young, American actor (d. 1998)
*1908 - Sir John Mills, English actor (d. 2005)
*1911 - Bill Baker, American baseball player (d. 2006)
*1913 - Buddy Tate, American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist (d. 2001)
*1914 - Renato Dulbecco, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate
*1917 - Jane Bowles, American playwright (d. 1973)
*1918 - Sid Abel, Canadian hockey player (d. 2000)
* 1918 - Charlie Finley, American sports entrepreneur (d. 1996)
* 1918 - Don Pardo, American radio and television announcer
* 1918 - Robert Wadlow, American tallest ever-human (d. 1940)
*1921 - Jean-Bédel Bokassa, Central African Republic leader (d. 1996)
* 1921 - Wayne Booth, American literary critic (d. 2005)
* 1921 - David Greene, British television director (d. 2003)
* 1921 - Giulietta Masina, Italian actress (d. 1994)
*1922 - Jesús Iglesias, Argentine racing driver (d. 2005)
*1925 - Edward Gorey, American illustrator (d. 2000)
*1926 - Kenneth Williams, English actor (d. 1988)
* 1926 - Bud Yorkin, American film director
*1928 - Paul Dooley, American actor
* 1928 - Bruce Forsyth, British entertainer
* 1928 - Clarence 13X, American religious leader (d. 1969)
*1929 - James Hong, American actor
* 1929 - Rebecca Schull, American actress
*1930 - Marni Nixon, American singer
* 1930 - James McGarrell, American painter
*1932 - Ted Kennedy, American politician
*1933 - Katharine, Duchess of Kent
* 1933 - Bobby Smith, English footballer
*1934 - Sparky Anderson, American baseball manager
*1936 - J. Michael Bishop, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate
* 1936 - Ernie K-Doe, American singer (d. 2001)
*1938 - Steve Barber, American baseball player (d. 2007)
* 1938 - Ishmael Reed, American writer
* 1938 - Pierre Vallières, French-Canadian politician (d. 1995)
*1940 - Johnson Mlambo, South African politician
* 1940 - Billy Name, American photographer
*1941 - Hipólito Mejía, Dominican politician
*1942 - Christine Keeler, English model and showgirl
*1943 - Terry Eagleton, British theorist
* 1943 - Horst Köhler, President of Germany
*1944 - Jonathan Demme, American director
* 1944 - Robert Kardashian, American lawyer (d. 2003)
* 1944 - Tom Okker, Dutch tennis player
*1945 - Leslie Charleson, American actress
* 1945 - Oliver, American singer (d. 2000)
*1947 - Carol Burns, Australian actress
*1948 - John Ashton, American actor
*1949 - Niki Lauda, Austrian race car driver and entrepreneur
* 1949 - Olga Morozova, Russian tennis player
*1950 - Julius Erving, American basketball player
* 1950 - Ellen Greene, American actress
* 1950 - Lenny Kuhr, Dutch singer
* 1950 - Miou-Miou, French actress
* 1950 - Genesis P-Orridge, English musician and performer
* 1950 - Julie Walters, English actress
*1952 - Bill Frist, American politician
*1953 - Graham Lewis, English musician (Wire)
* 1953 - Nigel Planer, British actor
*1955 - Tim Young, Canadian ice hockey player
*1959 - Jiří Čunek, Czech politician
* 1959 - Kyle MacLachlan, American actor
*1961 - Akira Takasaki, Japanese guitarist
*1962 - Steve Irwin, Australian herpetologist (d. 2006)
* 1962 - Lenda Murray, American bodybuilder
* 1962 - Les Wallace, Scottish darts player
*1963 - Vijay Singh, Fijian golfer
*1964 - Gigi Fernandez, Puerto Rican tennis player
*1965 - Pat Lafontaine, American ice hockey player
* 1965 - Dean Karr, American director and photographer
* 1965 - Chris Dudley, American basketball player
*1966 - Rachel Dratch, American actress and comedienne
* 1966 - Brian Greig, Australian politician
* 1966 - Thorsten Kaye,Daytime actor and poet
* 1966 - Aiden Shaw, English pornographic actor
*1967 - Alf Poier, Austrian comedian
*1968 - Shawn Graham, Canadian politician
* 1968 - Jayson Williams, American basketball player
* 1968 - Bradley Nowell, American musician (d. 1996)
* 1968 - Jeri Ryan, American actress
* 1968 - Elna Reinach, South African tennis player
*1969 - Thomas Jane, American actor
* 1969 - Joaquín Cortés, Spanish dancer
* 1969 - Hans Klok, Dutch illusionist
* 1969 - Brian Laudrup, Danish footballer
* 1969 - Byron Stroud, American bassist
* 1969 - Clinton Kelly, American television personality
*1970 - Dominic Roussel, Canadian ice hockey player
*1971 - Lea Salonga, Filipina actress and singer
*1972 - Michael Chang, American tennis player
* 1972 - Claudia Pechstein, German speed skater
*1973 - Juninho Paulista, Brazilian footballer
*1973 - Claus Lundekvam, Norwegian footballer
* 1973 - Einar Kristian Tveitå, Norwegian athlete
*1974 - James Blunt, English musician
* 1974 - Chris Moyles, English DJ
*1975 - Drew Barrymore, American actress
*1976 - Faan Rautenbach, South African rugby player
*1977 - Timo Rose, German filmmaker
*1977 - Hakan Yakin, Swiss footballer
*1979 - Brett Emerton, Australian footballer
* 1979 - Lee Na-young, South Korean actress
*1981 - Fredson Camara, Brazilian footballer
*1982 - Jenna Haze, American pornographic actress
* 1982 - Robert Weiner, Jr., American water polo player
*1984 - Venetian Princess Internet (You tube) Star (Real Name: Jodie-Amy Rivera)
*1985 - Hameur Bouazza, Algerian footballer
* 1985 - Sean Garballey, American politician
*1986 - Miko Hughes, American actor
* 1986 - Rajon Rondo, American basketball player
*1988 - Kevin Borlée, Belgian athlete
* 1988 - Przemysław Kazimierczak, Polish footballer
*1989 - Alia Sabur, American college educator

Deaths

* 965 - Odo, Duke of Burgundy (b. 944)
*1071 - Arnulf III, Count of Flanders (killed in battle) (b. c.1055)
*1111 - Roger Borsa, King of Sicily
*1371 - King David II of Scotland (b. 1324)
*1512 - Amerigo Vespucci, Italian merchant and explorer (b. 1454)
*1627 - Olivier van Noort, Dutch navigator (b. 1558)
*1674 - Jean Chapelain, French writer (b. 1595)
*1680 - Catherine Monvoisin, French sorceress (b. c.1640)
*1690 - Charles Le Brun, French artist (b. 1619)
*1727 - Francesco Gasparini, Italian composer (b. 1661)
*1731 - Frederik Ruysch, Dutch physician and anatomist (b. 1638)
*1732 - Francis Atterbury, English bishop and man of letters (b. 1663)
*1742 - Charles Rivington, English publisher (b. 1688)
*1797 - Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von Münchhausen, German officer and adventurer (b. 1720)
*1799 - Heshen, infamous Qing Dynasty Chinese official at court (b. 1750)
*1816 - Adam Ferguson, Scottish philosopher and historian (b. 1723)
*1875 - Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, French painter (b. 1796)
* 1875 - Sir Charles Lyell, Scottish geologist (b. 1797)
*1890 - John Jacob Astor III, American businessman (b. 1822)
* 1890 - Carl Heinrich Bloch, Danish painter (b. 1834)
*1892 - Herman Koeckemann, German Catholic prelate (b. 1828)
*1903 - Hugo Wolf, Austrian composer (b. 1860)
*1904 - Leslie Stephen, English writer and critic (b. 1832)
*1913 - Ferdinand de Saussure, Swiss linguist (b. 1857)
*1921 - Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1864)
*1923 - Théophile Delcassé, French statesman (b. 1852)
*1934 - Willem Kes, Dutch conductor (b. 1856)
*1939 - Antonio Machado, Spanish poet (b. 1875)
*1942 - Stefan Zweig, Austrian writer (b. 1881)
*1943 - Hans Scholl, German resistance fighter (b. 1918)
* 1943 - Christoph Probst, German resistance fighter (b. 1919)
* 1943 - Sophie Scholl, German resistance fighter (b. 1921)
*1944 - Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mohandas Gandhi (b. 1869)
*1945 - Osip Brik, Russian writer (b. 1888)
*1960 - Paul-Émile Borduas, Quebec painter (b. 1905)
*1961 - Nick LaRocca, American jazz musician (b. 1889)
*1965 - Felix Frankfurter, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (b. 1882)
*1968 - Peter Arno, American cartoonist (b. 1904)
*1973 - Jean-Jacques Bertrand, Quebec politician, Premier of Quebec (b. 1916)
* 1973 - Katina Paxinou, Greek actress (b. 1900)
*1974 - Samuel Byck, American attempted assassin of Richard Nixon (b. 1930)
*1976 - Angela Baddeley, English actress (b. 1904)
* 1976 - Florence Ballard, American singer (The Supremes) (b. 1943)
*1980 - Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian artist (b. 1886)
*1982 - Josh Malihabadi, Urdu poet of India and Pakistan (b. 1898)
*1983 - Sir Adrian Boult, English conductor (b. 1889)
* 1983 - Romain Maes, Belgian cyclist (b. 1913)
*1984 - Jessamyn West, American writer (b. 1902)
*1985 - Salvador Espriu, Spanish poet (b. 1913)
* 1985 - Alexander Scourby, American actor (b. 1913)
* 1985 - Efrem Zimbalist, Russian violinist (b. 1889)
*1987 - Andy Warhol, American artist, director, and writer (b. 1928)
*1989 - Moisés da Costa Amaral, East Timorese leader, UDT President in the exterior (b. 1938)
*1994 - Papa John Creach, American musician (b. 1917)
*1995 - Ed Flanders, American actor (b. 1934)
*1997 - Joseph Aiuppa, American gangster (b. 1907)
*1998 - Abraham Ribicoff, American politician (b. 1910)
*1999 - Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (b. 1964)
*2000 - Fernando Buesa, Spanish politician (b. 1946)
*2002 - Chuck Jones, American cartoonist (b. 1912)
* 2002 - Jonas Savimbi, Angolan rebel leader (b. 1934)
* 2002 - Roden Cutler, Australian diplomat and war hero (b. 1916)
* 2002 - Daniel Pearl, American journalist (b. 1963)
*2003 - Daniel Taradash, American screenwriter (b. 1913)
*2004 - Roque Máspoli, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1917)
* 2004 - Andy Seminick, American baseball player (b. 1920)
*2005 - Zdzisław Beksiński, Polish artist (b. 1929)
* 2005 - Simone Simon, French actress (b. 1910)
* 2005 - Lee Eun Ju, Korean actress (b. 1980)
*2006 - Anthony Burger, American musician and singer (b. 1961)
*2007 - Dennis Johnson, American basketball player (b. 1954)
* 2007 - Howard Verne Ramsey, oldest U.S. veteran of WWI (b. 1898)
* 2007 - Samuel Hinga Norman, Sierra Leonean alleged war criminal (b. 1940)
* 2007 - George Jellicoe, Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords & Special Boat Service veteran (b. 1918)

Holidays and observances

*United States — Washington's Birthday.
*Saint Lucia — independence (1979).
*The Scouting movement and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts celebrate this day as "World Thinking Day", "B.-P. day", or "Founder's Day", as it is the shared birthday of the Scouts' founder Sir Robert Baden-Powell and his wife, Lady Olave Baden-Powell, the World Chief Guide.
*Roman Catholic Church — Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter.
*Blessed Saint Isabel of France (died 1270)

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/22 BBC: On This Day]
*
* [http://www1.sympatico.ca/cgi-bin/on_this_day?mth=Feb&day=22 On This Day in Canada] ----