November 22 facts for kids

2025 Calendar

November 22 in recent years

November 22 is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 39 days remain until the end of the year.

Every day is special, and today, November 22nd, has seen many interesting things happen throughout history! From important discoveries to big moments in world events, let's explore some of the cool things that have taken place on this date.

Events
Births
Deaths
Holidays and observances
See also

Events

Olden Times (Before 1600)

1307 – Pope Clement V sent out a special order called a "papal bull" to all Christian kings in Europe. He told them to arrest all the Knights Templar, a powerful group of knights, and take their money and property.
1574 – A Spanish explorer named Juan Fernández discovered a group of islands off the coast of Chile. Today, these islands are known as the Juan Fernández Islands.

1601 to 1900

1635 – Dutch forces on Taiwan started a campaign to take control of native villages. This led to the Dutch controlling the middle and southern parts of the island.
1718 – A British Royal Navy officer, Lieutenant Robert Maynard, fought against the famous pirate known as "Blackbeard" off the coast of North Carolina. Blackbeard and Maynard's first officer were both killed in this battle.
1837 – In Canada, a journalist and politician named William Lyon Mackenzie wrote an essay calling for a rebellion against the United Kingdom.
1869 – The famous sailing ship Cutty Sark, known for being very fast, was launched in Scotland.
1873 – The French ship SS Ville du Havre sank very quickly after hitting another ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Sadly, 226 people lost their lives.

Modern Times (1901 to Today)

1908 – The Congress of Manastir created the official Albanian alphabet, which is still used today.
1935 – The China Clipper made history by starting the first regular commercial flights across the Pacific Ocean, connecting California with Manila.
1940 – During World War II, Greek troops fought back against the Italian invasion and captured the city of Korytsa in Italian-occupied Albania.
1942 – In the middle of the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II, German General Friedrich Paulus sent a message to Adolf Hitler saying that his army was completely surrounded.
1943 – The Cairo Conference took place in Egypt. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese Premier Chiang Kai-shek met to plan how to defeat Japan in World War II.
1943 – Lebanon officially gained its independence from France.
1955 – The Soviet Union tested a very powerful hydrogen bomb called RDS-37, designed by Andrei Sakharov.
1963 – U.S. President John F. Kennedy was tragically killed in Texas. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson then became the 36th President of the United States.
1967 – The UN Security Council passed a resolution that set out ideas for peace between Arab countries and Israel.
1971 – In a sad event known as the Cairngorm Plateau Disaster, five children and one of their leaders died from cold in the Scottish mountains.
1975 – Juan Carlos became the King of Spain after the death of Francisco Franco.
1989 – NASA launched the Space Shuttle Discovery on a secret mission for the U.S. government.
1990 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher decided to step down from her leadership role, ending her time as Prime Minister.
2004 – The "Orange Revolution" began in Ukraine after presidential elections, with many people protesting the results.
2010 – A terrible stampede happened during a water festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, killing 347 people.

Births

Born Before 1600

1428 – Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, an important English nobleman known as "the Kingmaker."
1515 – Mary of Guise, who became the Queen of Scots.

Born 1601 to 1900

1643 – René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, a famous French explorer.
1744 – Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams and the second First Lady of the United States.
1808 – Thomas Cook, an English businessman who started the well-known Thomas Cook Group travel company.
1819 – George Eliot, a famous English novelist and poet.
1869 – André Gide, a French novelist and writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
1890 – Charles de Gaulle, a French general who later became the President of France.
1899 – Hoagy Carmichael, an American singer, songwriter, and actor.

Born 1901 to Today

1904 – Louis Néel, a French physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
1913 – Benjamin Britten, a well-known English composer and conductor.
1917 – Andrew Huxley, an English scientist who won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on how nerves and muscles work.
1921 – Rodney Dangerfield, a famous American comedian and actor.
1922 – Eugene Stoner, an American engineer who designed the AR-15 rifle.
1924 – Geraldine Page, an American actress and singer.
1925 – Jerrie Mock, an American pilot who was the first woman to fly solo around the world.
1932 – Robert Vaughn, a popular American actor.
1940 – Terry Gilliam, an American-English actor, director, and animator, known for his work with Monty Python.
1942 – Guion Bluford, an American astronaut.
1943 – Billie Jean King, a legendary American tennis player.
1950 – Steven Van Zandt, an American musician, guitarist (from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band), and actor.
1958 – Jamie Lee Curtis, a famous American actress.
1965 – Mads Mikkelsen, a Danish actor known for many movies and TV shows.
1967 – Boris Becker, a German tennis superstar.
1967 – Mark Ruffalo, a popular American actor.
1984 – Scarlett Johansson, a very well-known American actress.
1985 – Asamoah Gyan, a famous Ghanaian footballer.
1986 – Oscar Pistorius, a South African sprinter.
1988 – Jamie Campbell Bower, an English actor and singer.
1989 – Chris Smalling, an English footballer.
1996 – Hailey Bieber, an American model.
1996 – JuJu Smith-Schuster, an American football player.
2000 – Auliʻi Cravalho, an American actress and singer, known for voicing Moana.

Deaths

Passed Away Before 1600

1286 – Eric V of Denmark, a King of Denmark.
1538 &John Lambert, an English Protestant who was killed for his beliefs.

Passed Away 1601 to 1900

1617 – Ahmed I, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
1718 – Blackbeard, the famous English pirate.
1774 – Robert Clive, an English general and politician who was the first British governor of Bengal in India.
1875 – Henry Wilson, an American politician who was the 18th Vice President of the United States.
1896 – George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., the American engineer who invented the Ferris wheel.
1900 – Arthur Sullivan, a famous English composer.

Passed Away 1901 to Today

1913 – Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shōgun of Japan.
1916 – Jack London, a well-known American novelist and journalist.
1944 – Arthur Eddington, an English astrophysicist and astronomer.
1955 – Shemp Howard, an American actor and comedian, part of The Three Stooges.
1963 – Aldous Huxley, an English novelist and philosopher.
1963 – John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States.
1963 – C. S. Lewis, a British writer and scholar, famous for The Chronicles of Narnia.
1980 – Mae West, a famous American stage and film actress.
1981 – Hans Adolf Krebs, a German-English physician and biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
1986 – Scatman Crothers, an American actor and comedian.
1993 – Anthony Burgess, an English novelist and playwright.
1997 – Michael Hutchence, the lead singer of the Australian band INXS.
2000 – Emil Zátopek, a famous Czech runner.
2001 – Mary Kay Ash, an American businesswoman who founded Mary Kay, Inc..
2011 – Lynn Margulis, an American biologist known for her work on evolution.
2012 – Bryce Courtenay, a popular South African-Australian author.
2015 – Kim Young-sam, a former President of South Korea.

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:
- Cecilia
- Philemon and Apphia
- Pragmatius of Autun
- November 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Day of the Albanian Alphabet (Albania and ethnic Albanians)
Independence Day, celebrating when Lebanon became free from France in 1943.