February 22 facts for kids

February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 312 days remain until the end of the year (313 in leap years).

February 22nd is a day filled with many important events throughout history, from ancient times to today. It's a day when leaders were crowned, big discoveries were made, and even new countries were formed. Many famous people were also born or passed away on this date. Let's explore some of the most interesting moments and people connected to February 22nd!

Historical Events on February 22

Early History: Before 1600

• 1076 – Pope Gregory VII removed Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor from the church. This happened after Henry IV demanded the Pope step down.
• 1316 – The Battle of Picotin took place. Ferdinand of Majorca won against the forces of Matilda of Hainaut.
• 1371 – Robert II of Scotland became the King of Scotland. This marked the start of the Stuart family ruling Scotland.
• 1495 – King Charles VIII of France entered Naples. He wanted to claim the city's throne for himself.

Important Events: 1601–1900

• 1632 – Galileo Galilei's famous book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, was first printed. It was given to Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
• 1651 – The "St. Peter's Flood" hit the Frisian coast. This huge storm caused floods that sadly drowned about 15,000 people.
• 1744 – During the War of the Austrian Succession, the Battle of Toulon happened. After this battle, some Royal Navy captains faced trials, and the rules for the navy were changed.
• 1770 – In Boston, a British officer shot into a crowd during a protest. This sadly killed 11-year-old Christopher Seider, who became the first American to die in the events leading to the American Revolution.
• 1797 – The Battle of Fishguard began near Fishguard, Wales. This was the last time Britain was invaded by another country.
• 1819 – Spain sold Florida to the United States for five million U.S. dollars through the Adams–Onís Treaty.
• 1847 – In the Mexican–American War, the Battle of Buena Vista took place. About 5,000 American soldiers defeated 15,000 Mexican soldiers.
• 1848 – The French Revolution of 1848 began. This revolution eventually led to the creation of the French Second Republic.
• 1856 – The Republican Party in the United States held its very first big meeting in Pittsburgh.
• 1862 – During the American Civil War, Jefferson Davis officially became the President of the Confederate States of America for a six-year term in Richmond, Virginia.
• 1879 – Frank Woolworth opened his first "five-and-dime" store in Utica, New York. This was the beginning of the famous Woolworth stores.
• 1881 – Cleopatra's Needle, a very old Egyptian stone monument (obelisk) from 3,500 years ago, was put up in Central Park, New York.
• 1889 – President Grover Cleveland signed a bill that allowed North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington to become U.S. states.

Modern Times: 1901–Present

• 1909 – The "Great White Fleet" returned to the United States. This was a group of sixteen battleships, led by USS Connecticut, that had sailed all the way around the world.
• 1921 – The Bogd Khan was put back as the emperor of Mongolia. This happened after Russian forces drove out the Chinese.
• 1942 – During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur to leave the Philippines. This was because it was clear the Japanese would win there.
• 1943 – World War II: Three members of the White Rose resistance group, Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst, were executed in Nazi Germany. They had bravely stood up against the Nazis.
• 1944 – World War II: American planes accidentally bombed several Dutch towns, including Nijmegen. This sad mistake caused about 800 deaths in Nijmegen alone.
• 1946 – The "Long Telegram" arrived from the US embassy in Moscow. This important message suggested how the United States should deal with the Soviet Union.
• 1958 – Egypt and Syria joined together to form the United Arab Republic. This happened after people in both countries voted for it.
• 1959 – Lee Petty won the very first Daytona 500 car race.
• 1973 – During the Cold War, the United States and the People's Republic of China agreed to open special offices to communicate. This followed President Richard Nixon's important visit to China.
• 1979 – The island nation of Saint Lucia gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1980 – The "Miracle on Ice" happened! In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team famously defeated the strong Soviet Union hockey team with a score of 4–3.
• 1986 – The People Power Revolution began in the Philippines. This was a peaceful movement that led to big changes in the country.
• 1994 – Aldrich Ames and his wife were accused by the United States Department of Justice of spying for the Soviet Union.
• 1995 – The Corona reconnaissance satellite program was made public. This program had been a secret from 1959 to 1972.
• 1997 – In Roslin, Midlothian, British scientists announced a huge breakthrough: an adult sheep named Dolly had been successfully cloned.
• 2002 – Jonas Savimbi, a political and rebel leader in Angola, was killed in a military ambush.
• 2005 – A strong earthquake hit the Kerman Province of Iran. It caused 612 deaths and injured 1,411 people.
• 2006 – The Securitas depot robbery took place in Tonbridge, Kent, UK. It was the largest heist in the UK's history, with almost £53 million stolen.
• 2011 – New Zealand's second deadliest earthquake struck Christchurch, killing 185 people.
• 2012 – A train crash in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killed 51 people and injured 700 others.
• 2014 – President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine was removed from office by a vote of 328–0. This was a major goal of the Euromaidan rebellion.
• 2022 – "Twosday" occurred! This fun name was given to Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at 2:22:22.

Famous Births on February 22

Born Before 1900

• 1040 – Rashi, a very important French rabbi and writer.
• 1403 – Charles VII of France, who became a king of France.
• 1514 – Tahmasp I, an Iranian shah (king).
• 1550 – Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of Arenberg, a nobleman.
• 1592 – Nicholas Ferrar, an English scholar.
• 1649 – Bon Boullogne, a French painter.
• 1732 – George Washington, an American general and politician who became the 1st President of the United States.
• 1749 – Johann Nikolaus Forkel, a German music expert and theorist.
• 1778 – Rembrandt Peale, an American painter.
• 1788 – Arthur Schopenhauer, a famous German philosopher and writer.
• 1796 – Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian mathematician and astronomer.
• 1805 – Sarah Fuller Flower Adams, an English poet.
• 1819 – James Russell Lowell, an American poet and critic.
• 1824 – Pierre Janssen, a French astronomer.
• 1840 – August Bebel, a German politician.
• 1857 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, an English general who helped start the Scout movement.
• 1857 – Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist known for his work with electromagnetic waves.
• 1864 – Jules Renard, a French writer and playwright.
• 1874 – Bill Klem, an American baseball umpire.
• 1876 – Zitkala-Sa, an American author and activist.
• 1879 – Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted, a Danish chemist.
• 1881 – Joseph B. Ely, an American lawyer and politician who was the 52nd Governor of Massachusetts.
• 1882 – Eric Gill, an English sculptor.
• 1889 – Olave Baden-Powell, an English scout leader who became the first World Chief Guide.
• 1892 – Edna St. Vincent Millay, an American poet.
• 1900 – Luis Buñuel, a Spanish-Mexican film director.

Born After 1900

• 1903 – Morley Callaghan, a Canadian author.
• 1907 – Sheldon Leonard, an American actor and director.
• 1908 – John Mills, a famous English actor.
• 1914 – Renato Dulbecco, an Italian-American scientist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1918 – Robert Wadlow, an American man who was the tallest person ever recorded.
• 1921 – Giulietta Masina, an Italian actress.
• 1925 – Edward Gorey, an American illustrator and poet.
• 1926 – Kenneth Williams, an English actor.
• 1928 – Paul Dooley, an American actor.
• 1928 – Bruce Forsyth, a popular English television host.
• 1929 – James Hong, an American actor and director.
• 1932 – Ted Kennedy, an American politician.
• 1933 – Sheila Hancock, an English actress.
• 1936 – J. Michael Bishop, an American scientist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1940 – Judy Cornwell, an English actress.
• 1941 – Hipólito Mejía, a politician who became the 52nd President of the Dominican Republic.
• 1943 – Horst Köhler, a German economist and politician who became the 9th President of Germany.
• 1944 – Jonathan Demme, an American film director.
• 1944 – Robert Kardashian, an American lawyer.
• 1949 – Niki Lauda, a famous Austrian racing driver.
• 1950 – Julius Erving, a legendary American basketball player.
• 1950 – Julie Walters, an English actress.
• 1955 – David Axelrod, an American political adviser.
• 1959 – Kyle MacLachlan, an American actor.
• 1962 – Steve Irwin, a beloved Australian zoologist and television host, known as "The Crocodile Hunter."
• 1963 – Vijay Singh, a Fijian-American golfer.
• 1966 – Rachel Dratch, an American actress and comedian.
• 1968 – Jeri Ryan, an American actress.
• 1969 – Thomas Jane, an American actor.
• 1969 – Brian Laudrup, a Danish footballer.
• 1971 – Lea Salonga, a Filipino actress and singer.
• 1972 – Michael Chang, an American tennis player.
• 1972 – Claudia Pechstein, a German speed skater.
• 1974 – James Blunt, an English singer-songwriter.
• 1975 – Drew Barrymore, a well-known American actress and director.
• 1979 – Brett Emerton, an Australian footballer.
• 1980 – Jeanette Biedermann, a German singer and actress.
• 1984 – Branislav Ivanović, a Serbian footballer.
• 1986 – Rajon Rondo, an American basketball player.
• 1987 – Han Hyo-joo, a South Korean actress.
• 1987 – Sergio Romero, an Argentine footballer.
• 1991 – Khalil Mack, an American football player.
• 1994 – Nam Joo-hyuk, a South Korean model and actor.

Notable Deaths on February 22

Passed Away Before 1900

• 556 – Maximianus, a bishop.
• 606 – Sabinian, a pope.
• 954 – Guo Wei, a Chinese emperor.
• 970 – García I, a king.
• 1071 – Arnulf III, a count.
• 1072 – Peter Damian, an Italian cardinal.
• 1111 – Roger Borsa, a king of Sicily.
• 1297 – Margaret of Cortona, an Italian religious figure.
• 1371 – David II, a king of Scotland.
• 1511 – Henry, a young duke.
• 1512 – Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian mapmaker and explorer. America is named after him!
• 1627 – Olivier van Noort, a Dutch explorer.
• 1674 – Jean Chapelain, a French poet.
• 1690 – Charles Le Brun, a French painter.
• 1731 – Frederik Ruysch, a Dutch physician.
• 1770 – Christopher Seider, the first American killed in the American Revolution events.
• 1799 – Heshen, a Chinese politician.
• 1816 – Adam Ferguson, a Scottish historian.
• 1875 – Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, a French painter.
• 1875 – Charles Lyell, a Scottish geologist.
• 1888 – Anna Kingsford, an English physician.
• 1890 – John Jacob Astor III, an American businessman.
• 1897 – Charles Blondin, a French tightrope walker.

Passed Away After 1900

• 1903 – Hugo Wolf, an Austrian composer.
• 1913 – Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist.
• 1913 – Francisco I. Madero, a Mexican president.
• 1923 – Théophile Delcassé, a French politician.
• 1939 – Antonio Machado, a Spanish poet.
• 1942 – Stefan Zweig, an Austrian writer.
• 1943 – Christoph Probst, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl, German activists from the White Rose resistance group.
• 1944 – Kasturba Gandhi, an Indian activist and wife of Mahatma Gandhi.
• 1958 – Abul Kalam Azad, an Indian scholar and politician.
• 1961 – Nick LaRocca, an American trumpet player.
• 1965 – Felix Frankfurter, an Austrian-American lawyer and judge.
• 1973 – Elizabeth Bowen, an Anglo-Irish author.
• 1976 – Florence Ballard, an American singer.
• 1980 – Oskar Kokoschka, an Austrian painter.
• 1983 – Adrian Boult, an English conductor.
• 1985 – Salvador Espriu, a Spanish poet.
• 1987 – Andy Warhol, a famous American painter and photographer.
• 1992 – Markos Vafiadis, a Greek general.
• 1994 – Papa John Creach, an American violinist.
• 1995 – Ed Flanders, an American actor.
• 1997 – Joseph Aiuppa, an American gangster.
• 1998 – Abraham A. Ribicoff, an American politician.
• 2002 – Chuck Jones, a famous American animator who created many classic cartoons.
• 2002 – Jonas Savimbi, an Angolan general.
• 2005 – Lee Eun-ju, a South Korean actress.
• 2006 – S. Rajaratnam, a Singaporean politician.
• 2007 – Dennis Johnson, an American basketball player.
• 2012 – Marie Colvin, an American journalist.
• 2013 – Wolfgang Sawallisch, a German conductor.
• 2014 – Charlotte Dawson, a New Zealand–Australian television host.
• 2016 – Sonny James, an American singer.
• 2018 – Forges, a Spanish cartoonist.
• 2019 – Brody Stevens, an American comedian.
• 2021 – Lawrence Ferlinghetti, an American poet.
• 2024 – John Lowe, an English musician.

Special Days and Observances

• Birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Robert Baden-Powell and Olave Baden-Powell, and its related observances:
  • Founder's Day or "B.-P. day" (World Organization of the Scout Movement)
  • World Thinking Day (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts)
• Christian feast day:
  • Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter (Roman Catholic Church)
• Independence Day, celebrating when Saint Lucia became independent from the United Kingdom in 1979.
• Founding Day (Saudi Arabia)
• Washington's Birthday, a federal holiday in the United States, honoring George Washington.
• National Cat Day (Japan)

Images for kids

• Cleopatra's Needle, Central Park, New York City.jpg

  Cleopatra's Needle in Central Park, New York.

• Dolly the sheep.jpg

  Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal.

• Steve Irwin 2004.jpg

  Steve Irwin, "The Crocodile Hunter."

See also

In Spanish: 22 de febrero para niños