Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
Today is also the anniversary of the first air raid in history, as Austrian forces launched an aerial assault with hot air balloons against Venice, in 1849. The International Red Cross was founded on this day. The Treaty of St. Petersburg between Russia and Japan was completed on this day. The Nez Perce fled to the territory that is now Yellowstone National Park. Japan annexed Korea as a protectorate. The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, although it was recovered and returned two years later. J. Edgar Hoover became the assistant director of the FBI. The invading Nazi forces reached Leningrad in 1941, although they were ultimately unsuccessful in completely taking it over. One year later, Brazil declared war on the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan. The Soviet Union took over Romania, and communism was there to stay for quite some time afterwards. In 1944, this day marked the last deportation of Jews from France into Nazi Germany. On that same day, Hitler ordered Paris to be destroyed, although it ultimately was not. The conflict in Vietnam by Ho Chi Minh was begun on this day in 1945, shortly after the Japanese were defeated. Charles De Gaulle survived an assassination attempt (see story above, or at http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history). Althea Gibson broke the color barrier for the sport of tennis on this day in history. The first nuclear powered ship went from Yorktown, VA., to Savannah, Georgia. The Beatles arrived in the United States on this date in 1966. Rhodesia was expelled from the Olympics for it's racial policies. Australia unveiled the first ever platinum coin, which featured a Koala. A version of the famous painting "The Scream" by Munch was stolen in Norway.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
• On this day in 392, Arbogast had Eugenius elected as the Western Roman Emperor. In 476 on this day, Odoacer was named Rex Italiae by his troop. St Columba reported seeing a monster in Loch Ness on this day in 565. In 851 on this day, Erispoe defeated Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland. On this day in 1138, the English defeated the Scots at Cowton Moor in the Battle of the Standards. Banners of various saints were carried into battle which led to being called Battle of the Standard. Jews were expelled from Brunn Moravia by order of King Ladislaus on this day in 1454.
• The Battle of Bosworth Field was fought on this day in 1485, when Henry VII's forces defeated England's King Richard III. This marked the end of the War of the Roses with the death of Richard III.
• Emperor Charles V's army occupied Duren on this day in 1543. On this day in 1559, Spanish Archbishop Bartholome de Carranza was arrested as a heretic.
• In 1567 on this day, the "Council of Blood" was established by the Duke of Alba. This was the beginning of his reign of terror in the Netherlands.
• There was a failed assassination on Admiral De Coligny on this day in 1572.
• King James IV of Scotland was captured on this day in 1582.
• In 1603 on this day, the first stones were layed in Zuiderkerk Amsterdam. Trades people under Vincent Fettmilch chased & plundered Jews out of the ghetto in Frankfurt, Germany, on this day in 1614. Prince Frederik Hendrik occupied Maastricht on this day in 1632.
• On this day in 1639, Madras (now Chennai), India, was founded by the British East India Company on a sliver of land bought from local Nayak rulers. On this day in 1642, the Civil War in England began between the Royalists and Parliament. In 1654 on this day, Jacob Barsimson arrived in New Amsterdam (modern day Manhattan) aboard the Peartree, becoming one of the first Jewish colonists there.
• Prince Eugenius van Savoye siege of Toulon fell on this day in 1707. Sweden & Prussia signed a military treaty on this day in 1707.
Bust of German-British composer George Friedrich Handel
• In 1715 on this day, Handel's "Watermusic" premiered on Thames.
• On this day in 1717, Spanish troops landed in Sardinia.
• In 1762 on this day, the first female (Ann Franklin) US newspaper editor, Newport RI, Mercury.
Picture of a statue of British explorer Captain James Cook
Picture of a statue of British explorer Captain James Cook
• James Cook's expedition landed on the east coast of Australia on this day in 1770. Cook claimed the land for England and called it New South Wales.
• On this day in 1775, King George III proclaimed the American colonies to be in open rebellion.
• In 1780 on this day, the ship Resolution, without Captain Cook (who had been killed), returned to England. John Fitch's steamboat completed its tests, years before Fulton, on this day in 1787.
• This day in 1791 marked the beginning of the Haitian Slave Revolution, which started under voodoo priest Dutty Boukman.
• On this day in 1798, French troops landed in Kilcummin Harbour, County Mayo, Ireland to aid Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen's Irish Rebellion.
• Grand Duchy of Bathe was formed on this day in 1818.
• Colonies under Jedediah Strong Smith moved near Salt Lake, Utah, on this day in 1826.
• On this day in 1827, José de La Mar became the President of Peru. The United States annexed New Mexico on this day in 1848. On this day in 1849, the first air raid in history took place.
• Austrian forces launched an aerial assault with pilotless hot air balloons against the Italian city of Venice.
Flag of Australia
• Gold fields were discovered in Australia on this day in 1851.
A statue in Flemington, New Jersey, honoring veterans of the American Civil War.
In 1862 on this day during the American Civil War, the Battle of Catlett's Station, Virginia, was fought.
There was a Santee Sioux Indian attack on Fort Ridgely on this day in 1862.
The Geneva Convention was signed by 12 nations on this day in 1864.
On that same day in 1864, the International Red Cross was formed. Fisk University was forms on this day in 1867.
• The Treaty of Saint Petersburg between Japan and Russia was ratified on this day in 1875, providing for the exchange of Sakhalin for the Kuril Islands.
• In 1877 on this day, the Nez Perce Indians fled into to Yellowstone National Park.
• On this day in 1900, Gabriel Faures opera "Prométhée," premiered in Beziers.
• 1901 - Cadillac Motor Company is founded.
1902 - Pres Teddy Roosevelt became 1st US chief executive to ride in a car
1906 - 1st Victor Victrola manufactured
1907 - Colin Buchanan, town planner
1907 - Cyril Astley Clarke, British geneticist
1908 - Henri Cartier-Bresson, Montjustin France, photographer (Decisive Moment), (d. 2004)
• Japan annexed Korea on this day in 1910 after 5 years as a protectorate
The Mona Lisa inside of the Louvre in Paris.
• Vincenzo Perugia stole the Mona Lisa from Louvre, Paris, on this day in 1911. It would eventually be recovered two years later.
1912 - England defeat Australia to win the Triangular Tournament
1912 - Richard Catling, commissioner of police (Kenya)
1913 - Robert Martineau, bishop of Blackburn
1914 - Battle at Charleroi begins: Gen von Bulows troops beat French
1914 - 1st encounter between British & German troops (in Belgium)
1914 - Battle in Ardennen: Neufchateau, Rossignal, Tintigny & Virton
1914 - Canada's Finance Act, 1914, receives assent
1914 - General Martos' troops occupy Soldau/Neidenburg East Prussia
1914 - German troops execute 384 inhabitants of Tamines Belgium
1914 - Von Ludendorff & von Hindenburg move into E Prussia enroute to Russia
1917 - Pittsburgh Pirates play 4th straight extra inning game, Carson Bigbee sets record of 11 at-bats, they lose in 22 innings to Dodgers
1921 - J. Edgar Hoover becomes asst director of FBI
1923 - Paavo Nurmi runs world record mile (4:10.4)
1926 - Gold discovered in Johannesburg, South Africa
1926 - Greek dictator Gen Pangulos driven out
1927 - Babe Ruth hits 40th of 60 homers
1930 - Australia regain Ashes on 6th day of 5th Cricket Test
1932 - BBS begins experimental regular TV broadcasts
1932 - The BBC first experiments with television broadcasting. (See also Timeline of the BBC.)
1933 - Bill Veeck, urges midsummer inter-league games & a split season
1933 - International Zionists Congress opens in Prague
1934 - Australia beat England by 562 runs to regain Cricket Ashes
1934 - Red Sox pitcher Wes Ferrell hits 2 HRs to beat White Sox 3-2 in 12
1939 - Dutch border guards take positions for German invasion
1939 - Premier De Geer recalls Dutch vacationers in Black Forest
• 1941 - Nazi troops reach Leningrad
• 1942 - Brazil declares war on Germany, Japan and Italy
1943 - Soviet troops free Karkov
1944 - Hitler orders Paris to be destroyed [or 23rd]
1944 - Last transport of French Jews to Nazi Germany
1945 - Bob Cristofani scores 110 for Aust Services at Old Trafford
• On this day in 1945 after the European theater of World War II had ended, French President Charles de Gaulle arrived in Washington D.C. and met with American President Harry Truman. He participated in a welcome ceremony at the White House and held two meetings with President Truman, where the future of global order and France's particular role were discussed. It was aimed to foster a new era of relations between the two nations in the postwar era.
1945 - England defeat Aust Services by 6 wkts in 5th Victory Test Cricket
1945 - Noel Coward's revue "Sigh no More," premieres in London
• 1945 - Vietnam conflict begins as Ho Chi Minh leads a successful coup
1946 - Baseball approves a 168-game schedule, but later rescinds it
1946 - Mikko Hietanen wins Oslo marathon (2:24:55)
1947 - 14th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 16, Chi Bears 0 (105,840)
1950 - Abdel Rehim swims English Channel (10:50)
1950 - Althea Gibson becomes 1st black competetor in natl tennis competition
1950 - Rotterdam harbor strike end
1951 - Harlem Globetrotters play in Olympic Stadium, Berlin before 75,052
Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler 1952 - The penal colony on Devil's Island is permanently closed.
1953 - John Norman Lewis contends players have no desire to form a union
1953 - Shah of Persia returns to Teheran
1954 - WPTV TV channel 5 in Palm Beach, FL (NBC) begins broadcasting
1956 - Elvis Presley begins filming "The Reno Brothers" (Love Me Tender)
1956 - Pres Eisenhower & VP Nixon renominated by Rep convention in SF
1957 - Floyd Patterson KOs Pete Rademacher in 6 for heavyweight boxing title
1958 - Argos' Boyd Carter, Dave Mann combine for record 131-yd punt return
1958 - Great Britain performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island
1959 - Cin Red Frank Robinson hits 3 consecutive HRs
1960 - Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Asheville Golf Open
1960 - Gil Hodges set NL righty HR record with #352
1961 - Maris hits his 50th of 61 homers
French President Charles De Gaulle
• In 1962 on this day, there was a failed assassination on French President Charles De Gaulle.
On August 22, 1962, President Charles de Gaulle of France survives one of several assassination attempts against him thanks to the superior performance of the presidential automobile: The sleek, aerodynamic Citroen DS 19, known as “La Deesse” (The Goddess).
When the Citroen DS made its sensational debut at the 1955 Paris Motor Show, its streamlined, understated form stood out among the tail-finned and chrome-covered cars popular in that era. A far cry from Citroen’s famous 2CV (dubbed the “ugly duckling”), the DS had a 1.9-liter engine and power-assisted gearshift, clutch, steering and brake systems. Its crowning aspect, however, was a hydropneumatic suspension system that Citroen would become known for, which automatically adjusted the height of the car to keep it level and enable the driver to maintain control more easily. Citroen took 12,000 orders for the DS by the end of that first day, and it soon became known as the preferred mode of transportation among France’s wealthy and most powerful citizens.
In August 1962, a group called the OAS (Secret Army Organization in English) plotted an assassination attempt on President de Gaulle, who they believed had betrayed France by giving up Algeria (in northern Africa) to Algerian nationalists. Near dusk on August 22, 1962, de Gaulle and his wife were riding from the Elysee Palace to Orly Airport. As his black Citroen DS sped along the Avenue de la Liberation in Paris at 70 miles per hour, 12 OAS gunmen opened fire on the car. A hail of 140 bullets, most of them coming from behind, killed two of the president’s motorcycle bodyguards, shattered the car’s rear window and punctured all four of its tires. Though the Citroen went into a front-wheel skid, de Gaulle’s chauffeur was able to accelerate out of the skid and drive to safety, all thanks to the car’s superior suspension system. De Gaulle and his wife kept their heads down and came out unharmed.
Frederick Forsyth dramatized the events of that August in his best-selling novel “The Day of the Jackal,” later made into a film. In 1969, de Gaulle–knowing that he owed his life to that Citroen–attempted to prevent the outright sale of France’s premier auto manufacturer (owned by the Michelin family of tire fame) to the Italian automaker Fiat by limiting the stake Fiat could buy to 15 percent. In 1975, to avert potential bankruptcy, the French government funded Citroen’s sale to a group that included its French rival, Peugeot; the result was PSA Peugeot Citroen SA, formed in 1976.
1962 Citroen helps de Gaulle survive assassination attempt HISTORY.com Editors Published: November 13, 2009 Last Updated: May 27, 2025:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-22/citroen-helps-de-gaulle-survive-assassination-attempt
1962 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1962 - Savannah, world's 1st nuclear-powered ship, completes maiden voyage from Yorktown, Va, to Savannah, Ga
1963 - NASA civilian test pilot Joe Walker in X-15 reaches 67 miles (106 km)
1964 - Guinee, Liberia & Ivory Coast form joint market
1964 - Supreme's "Where Did Our Love Go," reaches #1
1965 - Clifford Ann Creed wins LPGA Omaha Jaycee Golf Open
1965 - San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marachal hits LA Dodger catcher John Roseboro on the head with his bat causing a 14 minute brawl
• 1966 - Beatles arrive in NYC
1968 - 1st papal visit to Latin America (Pope Paul VI arrives in Bogota)
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1968 - Cynthia Lennon sues John Lennon for divorce on adultry
1968 - Pope Paul VI opens Eucharistic congress in Bogota
• 1969 - Beatles record a video for "Long and Winding Road"
1969 - Gloria O Smith, (NY), crowned 2nd Miss Black America
1969 - Hurricane Camille strikes US Gulf Coast kills 255
1971 - Bolivian military coup under col Hugo Banzer, pres Torres driven out
1971 - Pam Barnett wins LPGA Southgate Golf Open
1971 - J. Edgar Hoover and John Mitchell announce the arrest of 20 of the Camden 28.
• In 1972 on this day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expelled Rhodesia from participation in the Olympics due to its racist policies. At the time, Rhodesia was ruled by a white minority government that excluded blacks from power and equal rights within that nation.
1973 - Chilean parliament accuses pres Allende violating laws
1973 - Henry Kissinger succeeds William Rogers as min of Foreign affairs
1975 - Assassination attempt on president Gerald Ford
1975 - McNichols Sports Arena in Denver opens
1976 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Patty Berg Golf Classic
1978 - Sandinistas occupy National Palace in Managua Nicaragua
1979 - 200 black leaders, meet in NY, to support Andrew Young
1980 - Bill Veeck agrees to sell Chicago White Sox to Eddie DeBartolo Sr for $20,000,000, AL owners block the sale
• On this day in 1982, Israeli General Ariel Sharon urged Palestinians to discuss peaceful coexistence with Israel.
1982 - Joanne Carner wins LPGA Chevrolet World Championship of Women's Golf
1984 - Evelyn Ashford of US ties world women's mark for 100 m, 10.76 sec
1984 - Last Volkswagen Rabbit produced
1984 - Met pitcher Dwight Gooden becomes 11th rookie to strikeout 200
1984 - Rep convention in Dallas renominates Pres Reagan & VP Bush
Flag of South Africa during the apartheid era
• In 1984 on this day during apartheid white minority rule in South Africa, the United Democratic Front, an internal coalition of anti-apartheid groups within the country, orchestrated a largely successful boycott of the Colored and Indian elections to parliament. This had been regarded as a conciliatory measure of reform by the white minority government, but it was largely rejected as a token measure that only gave the appearance of real reform and a move away from apartheid.
1985 - 30th Walker Cup: US wins 13-11
1985 - Airtours Boeing-737 crashes at airport of Manchester, 55 killed
1986 - Gas from Volcano Chamberoen kills 1,734 (Cameroon)
• 1986 - NASA announces tests designed to verify ignition pressure dynamics
1987 - Madonna's "Who's That Girl," single goes #1
1988 - Australia unveils 1st platinum coin (Koala)
1988 - NBC premieres "Later" with Bob Costas (1st guest Linda Ellerbee)
1988 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
• 1989 - 1st complete ring around Neptune discovered
1989 - Nolan Ryan strikes out his 5,000th batter (Rickey Henderson)
1990 - Pres Bush calls up military reserves
1991 - Krizstina Egerszegi swims world record 100 m backstroke (1:00.31)
1992 - Matthews & Warne spin Australia to a famous win v Sri Lanka
1992 - FBI HRT sniper Lon Horiuchi shoots and kills Vicki Weaver during an 11-day siege at her home at Ruby Ridge, Idaho.
1993 - "In the Summer House" closes at Beaumont Theater NYC after 25 perfs
1993 - Hiromi Kobayash wins Minnesota LPGA Golf Classic
1994 - DNA testing links OJ Simpson to murder of Nicole Simpson & Ron Goldman
1994 - Wim Cook government forms in Neth
1995 - FBI agent Lon Horiuchi shoots at Randy Weaver's cabin in Idaho
2003 - Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is suspended after refusing to comply with a federal court order to remove a rock inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lobby of the Alabama Supreme Court building.
• 2004 - A version of The Scream and Madonna, two paintings by Edvard Munch, are stolen at gunpoint from a museum in Oslo, Norway.
2007 - The Texas Rangers rout the Baltimore Orioles 30-3, the most runs scored by a team in modern MLB history.
2007 - The Storm botnet, a botnet created by the Storm Worm, sends out a record 57 million e-mails in one day
2012 - 47 people are killed in the Syrian civil war
2012 - 48 people are killed in Kenyan tribal wars between the Pokomo and Orma
2012 - Russia and Vanuatu become members of the World Trade Organization
1485 - The War of the Roses ended with the death of England's King Richard III. He was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field. His successor was Henry V II. 1567 - The "Council of Blood" was established by the Duke of Alba. This was the beginning of his reign of terror in the Netherlands. 1642 - The English Civil War began when Charles I called Parliament and its soldiers traitors. 1762 - Ann Franklin became the editor of the Mercury of Newport in Rhode Island. She was the first female editor of an American newspaper. 1770 - Australia was claimed under the British crown when Captain James Cook landed there. 1775 - The American colonies were proclaimed to be in a state of open rebellion by England's King George III. 1846 - The U.S. annexed New Mexico. 1851 - The schooner America outraced the Aurora off the English coast to win a trophy that became known as the America's Cup. 1865 - A patent for liquid soap was received by William Sheppard. 1902 - In Hartford, CT, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt became the first president of the United States to ride in an automobile. 1906 - The Victor Talking Machine Company of Camden, NJ began to manufacture the Victrola. The hand-cranked unit, with horn cabinet, sold for $200. 1910 - Japan formally annexed Korea. 1911 - It was announced that Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" had been stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. The painting reappeared two years later in Italy. 1932 - The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) began its first TV broadcast in England. 1938 - Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared on the cover of "LIFE" magazine. 1941 - Nazi troops reached the outskirts of Leningrad during World War II. 1950 - Althea Gibson became the first black tennis player to be accepted into a national competition. 1951 - 75,052 people watched the Harlem Globetrotters perform. It was the largest crowd to see a basketball game. 1959 - Stephen Rockefeller married Anne Marie Rasmussen. Anne had once been a maid for the powerful and wealthy Rockefeller family. 1968 - Pope Paul VI arrived in Bogota, Colombia, for the start of the first papal visit to Latin America. 1972 - Due to its racial policies, Rhodesia was asked to withdraw from the 20th Olympic Summer Games. 1973 - Henry Kissinger was named Secretary of State by U.S. President Nixon. Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize in the same year. 1984 - The last Volkswagen Rabbit rolled off the assembly line in New Stanton, PA. 1986 - Kerr-McGee Corp. agreed to pay the estate of the late Karen Silkwood $1.38 million to settle a 10-year-old nuclear contamination lawsuit. 1989 - Nolan Ryan became the first major league pitcher to strike out 5000 batters. (MLB) 1990 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush signed an order for calling reservists to aid in the build up of troops in the Persian Gulf. 1990 - The U.S. State Department announced that the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait would not be closed under President Saddam Hussein's demand. 1990 - Angry smokers blocked a street in Moscow to protest the summer-long cigarette shortage. 1991 - It was announced by Yugoslavia that a truce ordered on August 7th with Croatia had collapsed. 1991 - Mikhail S. Gorbachev returned to Moscow after the collapse of the hard-liners' coup. On the same day he purged the men that had tried to oust him. 1992 - In Rostock, Germany, neo-Nazi violence broke out against foreigners. 1996 - U.S. President Clinton signed legislation that ended guaranteed cash payments to the poor and demanded work from recipients. 1998 - "The Howard Stern Radio Show" premiered on CBS to about 70% of the U.S. 2004 - In Oslo, Norway, a version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and his work "Madonna" were stolen from the Munch Museum. This version of "The Scream," one of four different versions, was a tempera painting on board.
1642 The English Civil War began between supporters of King Charles I (Royalists or Cavaliers) and those of Oliver Cromwell (Roundheads). 1775 King George III proclaimed the American colonies to be in open rebellion. 1846 The United States annexed New Mexico. 1851 The U.S. yacht America outraced the British Aurora off the English coast to win a trophy that became known as the America's Cup. 1902 Theodore Roosevelt became the first United States president to ride in an automobile. 1910 Korea was annexed by Japan after five years as a protectorate. 1989 Black Panther co-founder Huey P. Newton was shot to death in Oakland, Calif. 2003 Alabama's chief justice, Roy Moore, was suspended for refusing to move a Ten Commandments monument from the state courthouse. 2004 A version of Edvard Munch's painting The Scream was stolen in Norway. Another version had been stolen in 1994
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/aug22.htm
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