February 22

Discover what happened on February 22 in history, along with notable celebrity birthdays and fun Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1630 – Quadequine introduced popcorn to English colonists at their first Thanksgiving dinner.

1849 – The first school house built in Grand Rapids, MI, just for school, burned to the ground.

1854 – The first ever meeting of the new Republican Party in Jackson, MI.

1855 – Congress voted to appropriate $200,000 to continue the work on the Washington Monument. The next morning the resolution was tabled and it would be 21 years before the Congress would vote on funds again. Work was continued by the Know-Nothing Party in charge of the project.

1860 – Organized baseball’s first game was played in San Francisco, CA.

1865 – Tennessee adopted a new constitution that abolished slavery.

1879 – In Utica, NY, Frank W. Woolworth opened his first of many 5 and 10-cent Woolworth stores.

1885 – The Washington Monument was officially dedicated in Washington, DC. It opened to the public in 1889.

1889 – President Grover Cleveland signed a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states.

1920 – The first dog race track to use an imitation rabbit opened in Emeryville, CA.

1923 – The first successful chinchilla farm opened in Los Angeles, CA. It was the first farm of its kind in the U.S.

1924 – President Calvin Coolidge delivered the first Presidential radio broadcast from the White House.

1959 – Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500.

1973 – Hermus Millsaps of Taylor, MI, became the first Michigan lottery million dollar winner. Millsaps and his wife went to Lansing to collect their winnings and spent all of their money on bus tickets to get there. They didn’t have the money for bus fare to get home. A lottery agent drove the couple home.

1974 – The final episode of the “Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” was taped, less than a week after the couple filed for divorce. Despite being the eighth most watched show in prime time, CBS cancelled the series on May 29th.

1980 – The United States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviets in Lake Placid, NY, 4-3 in a win that came to be known as “the miracle on ice”. The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.

1983 – Smokey Robinson became the 1,759th celebrity on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1984 – The U.S. Census Bureau statistics showed that the state of Alaska was the fastest growing state of the decade with an increase in population of 19.2%.

1989 – Milli Vanilli won a Grammy for Best New Artist. It was admitted later that they were not the vocalists on the album.

1997 – In Roslin, Scotland, Ian Wilmut and colleagues announced that an adult sheep had been successfully cloned. Dolly the sheep (named after Dolly Parton) was actually born on July 5, 1996. She was the first mammal to have been successfully cloned from an adult cell.

2004 – Ralph Nader announces his independent candidacy for President.

2006 – Someone in Michigan purchased the one billionth song on iTunes. The song was Coldplay’s “Speed of Sound”.

2010 – A copy of “Action Comics #1” sold at auction for $1 million. The comic featured the introduction of Superman.

2010 – Walmart announced it was acquiring the video streaming company Vudu, Inc.

2021 – A candle lighting ceremony was held outside the White House in Washington, DC, to mark 500,000 COVID-19 deaths.

BIRTHDAYS:

Paul Dooley – 98 years old (1928) – Actor

James Hong – 97 years old (1929) – Actor and director

Rebecca Schull – 97 years old (1929) – Stage, film, and television actress

J. Michael Bishop – 90 years old (1936) – Microbiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate

Tommy Aaron – 89 years old (1937) – Golfer

Ishmael Reed – 88 years old (1938) – Poet, novelist, essayist

Tom Van Arsdale – 83 years old (1943) – Basketball player

Harvey Mason – 79 years old (1947) – Drummer

Dennis Awtrey – 78 years old (1948) – Basketball player

Julius Erving – 76 years old (1950) – Basketball player and sportscaster

Ellen Greene – 75 years old (1951) – Singer and actress

Bill Frist – 74 years old (1952) – Physician and politician

David Axelrod – 71 years old (1955) – Journalist and political adviser

Dave Spitz – 68 years old (1958) – Bass player and songwriter

Kyle MacLachlan – 67 years old (1959) – Actor

Vijay Singh – 63 years old (1963) – Fijian-American golfer

Chris Dudley – 61 years old (1965) – Basketball player

Pat LaFontaine – 61 years old (1965) – Ice hockey player

Rachel Dratch – 60 years old (1966) – Actress and comedian

Paul Lieberstein – 59 years old (1967) – Actor, screenwriter, director, and producer

Jeri Ryan – 58 years old (1968) – Model and actress

Jayson Williams – 58 years old (1968) – Basketball player and sportscaster

Thomas Jane – 57 years old (1969) – Actor

Michael Chang – 54 years old (1972) – Tennis player and coach

Ben Sasse – 54 years old (1972) – Politician and college administrator

Scott Phillips – 53 years old (1973) – Musician and songwriter

Drew Barrymore – 51 years old (1975) – Actress, director, producer, and screenwriter

Brian Duensing – 43 years old (1983) – Baseball player

Iliza Shlesinger – 43 years old (1983) – Stand-up comedian, actress and television host

Zach Roerig – 41 years old (1985) – Actor

Rajon Rondo – 40 years old (1986) – Basketball player

Khalil Mack – 35 years old (1991) – Football player

Elfrid Payton – 32 years old (1994) – Basketball player

Devonte' Graham – 31 years old (1995) – Basketball player

Jerome Robinson – 29 years old (1997) – Basketball player

TODAY IS:

• National Margarita Day: Transport yourself to a sunny beach with this delicious, refreshing drink that perfectly blends sweet and sour flavors. Cheers!
• Forgiveness Sunday:
• Single Tasking Day: Ever notice how tackling one thing at a time feels like cruising down an open road instead of gridlocked traffic?
• World Yoga Day: Twist, stretch, breathe in and out, feel the stress melt away, feel the joy flowing in — journey towards a better version of yourself.
• National Cook a Sweet Potato Day: When roasted to a golden brown, they turn into crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside bites of perfection that leave taste buds grinning.
• National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day: Elevating well-being and joy in active pursuits — embracing vitality through diverse, invigorating activities that harmonize mind and body.
• National Walking the Dog Day: Take your furry friend on a leisurely stroll and explore the outdoors together. Bond, get exercise, and breathe in the fresh air!
• World Thinking Day: Leadership roles, community service, and outdoor adventures — hallmarks of an organization that empowers girls to make a positive difference.
• Be Humble Day: In a world where self-promotion reigns, quietly helping others and letting actions speak loudly is a refreshing and admirable trait.
• Supermarket Employee Day: Dedicated individuals who ensure the shelves are stocked, checkout lines run smoothly, and our daily needs are met with care.
• National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day:
• 2Twenty2 Day:
• Play More Cards Day: Gather 'round a table, shuffle, deal, and let the friendly competition begin, as friends test their wits with a trusty deck.
• Woolworth’s Day:
• National California Day:
• Tex Avery Day:
• Abu Simbel Festival:
• Real Bread Week: Real bread is a joy to behold! Made with natural ingredients and baked to perfection, each bite is a heavenly experience.
• Make Mine Chocolate:
• Future Farmers of America Week:
• Bird Health Awareness Week:
• Whooping Crane Festival:
• National Engineers Week: With a mind full of creativity and a tool kit full of gadgets — from bridges to phones — engineers are the ultimate problem solvers!
• National Drink Wine with Your Cat Week:
• National Green Week:
• Ramadan: During this holy month, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, focusing on spiritual reflection and community. Ramadan is a time for self-improvement and bringing people together in celebration of faith.

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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.