What Happened on January 22
Important Events
- 1689 Prince William of Orange (future King William III of Britain), summons Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jointly with his wife Mary (daughter of exiled King James II)
- 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift: British garrison of 150 holds off 3,000-4,000 Zulu warriors. Eleven Victoria Crosses and a number of other decorations were awarded to the defenders.
- 1905 In St Petersburg, Russia, a large demonstration of workers led by Father Gapon, march to the Winter Palace with a petition to the Tsar; troops fire on protesters in what becomes known as 'Bloody Sunday'
- 1973 Roe vs Wade: US Supreme Court legalizes most abortions
- 2020 China locks down the city of Wuhan and its 11 million people, in an effort to control COVID-19 with a then official death toll of 17 and over 500 people ill
Jan 22 in Film & TV
- 1987 Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a press conference on live national television, leading to debates on boundaries in journalism
Jan 22 in Music
- 1968 "Lady Soul" 14th studio album by Aretha Franklin is released (Billboard Album of the Year, 1968)
Jan 22 in Sport
- 1857 National Association of Baseball Players founded in New York
Famous Birthdays
Ivan the Great
(1440 - 1505)- Francis Bacon
(1561 - 1626) - William Kidd
(1645 - 1701) - Lord Byron
(1788 - 1824) - Bill Bixby
(1934 - 1993) - Mike Bossy
64 Years Old
Ivan the Great
Francis Bacon
William Kidd
Lord Byron
Bill Bixby
Mike BossyWould You Believe?
Katie Mulcahey is arrested for lighting a cigarette, violating the 1-day old "Sullivan Ordinance" banning women from smoking in public, and is fined $5. Appearing before the judge she stated “I’ve got as much right to smoke as you have. I never heard of this new law, and I don’t want to hear about it. No man shall dictate to me.”
On January 22, 1908
Famous Weddings
- 1942 Novelist Anthony Burgess (25) weds Llewela Jones
- 1960 Comedic actor Bob Denver (25) weds Maggie Ryan in California
- 1985 Zak Starkey (Ringo's son) marries Sarah Menikides
David Edward Hughes
Queen Victoria
Lyndon B. Johnson
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Heath LedgerArticles, Photos and Quiz
The British: 139. Zulu Warriors: 4,000. Let Battle Begin
It was one of the most remarkable military engagements ever: the day that 139 British soldiers took on 4,000 Zulu warriors – and won.
January 22, 1879Pitman Shorthand: An Invention of Note
Shorthand inventor Isaac Pitman died on this day. Other systems evolved before and after Pitman, but the long and short of it is, his is the most widespread.
January 22, 18971905 Russian Revolution
Tsarist troops wait outside the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
January 22, 1905Weekly Quiz for January 20 -26
What year was Ronald Reagan sworn in as US President? What is Marvin Gaye's 1971 single What's Going On about? Who became the 1st elected PM of India in 1952?
January in History
War Victim Goes to Bottom of the Pile
One of the first to die in World War I fell not in the trenches of France but in a leafy lane in rural England. So should he be ranked alongside battle heroes?
January 19, 1915‘My Name is Jimmy Carter and I’m Running for President’
Jimmy Carter is a one-term President but a man who worked tirelessly through a long life to help others and to end conflicts. He won the Nobel Peace Prize.
January 20, 1977The Pain Behind Cleopatra's Needle
First-time visitors to London could be surprised when they see an Egyptian obelisk standing beside the River Thames. It was welcomed to the city on this day.
January 21, 1878California Gold Rush
At first it was just a glint in James Marshall’s eye. But when he confirmed what he thought he had seen, the frantic California Gold Rush of the 1840s began.
January 24, 1848
