127 things happened on 22 January, from AD 613 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1924 · 102 years ago
Ramsay MacDonald became the first prime minister of the United Kingdom from the Labour Party. The prime minister leads the government and chairs the Cabinet. MacDonald's first government was a minority government, which means his party had fewer than half of …
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
A Viking army defeated the West Saxons, from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, at Basing, a royal estate in Hampshire. The West Saxons were led by King Æthelred and his brother, the future King Alfred the Great. The date, worked out from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, is only approximate. A few months later Æthelred died, and Alfred became king.
UK story
A special Parliament, known as the Convention, met to decide what should happen to the throne. King James II, the last Catholic monarch of England, had fled to France during the Glorious Revolution. The Convention gave the crowns of England and Ireland to William III and Mary II. These events confirmed that Parliament had more power than the monarch.
UK story
The Zulu army of King Cetshwayo won a decisive victory over British forces at Isandlwana, in present-day South Africa. It was part of the Anglo-Zulu War, fought between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom from January to July 1879. Cetshwayo had tried to make peace, but the Zulus were defeated later in the war. Isandlwana and the British defence of nearby Rorke's Drift are the war's most famous battles.
UK story
Queen Victoria died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, aged 81, and her eldest son became King Edward VII. Victoria had reigned for more than 63 years, longer than any British monarch before her. Her reign is known as the Victorian era, a time of great change in industry, science and politics, when the British Empire grew enormously. Edward VII reigned until 1910.
UK story
Ramsay MacDonald became the first prime minister of the United Kingdom from the Labour Party. The prime minister leads the government and chairs the Cabinet. MacDonald's first government was a minority government, which means his party had fewer than half of the MPs, and it lasted only nine months. He became prime minister again from 1929 to 1935.
UK story
Teddy Wakelam and Cecil Lewis gave the first commentary of a football match on British radio. The game, between Arsenal and Sheffield United at Highbury, ended in a 1–1 draw. A week earlier, Wakelam had given the BBC's first ever running sports commentary, at a rugby match. Some people believe the phrase 'back to square one' comes from the numbered squares used to help listeners follow his commentaries.
UK story
Second Anglo-Sikh War: The Siege of Multan ends after nine months when the last Sikh defenders of Multan, Punjab, surrender.
UK story
Anglo-Zulu War: the Battle of Rorke's Drift, just some 15 km (9.3 mi) away from Isandlwana, results in a British victory.
UK story
World War II: British and Commonwealth troops capture Tobruk from Italian forces during Operation Compass.
The first group of 150 Swiss Guards arrived at the Vatican in Rome. The Swiss Guard was set up under Pope Julius II to protect the Pope and his palace. It is one of the oldest military units still serving without a break. Because it is so small, it is sometimes called 'the world's smallest army'.
Apollo 5 lifted off from Cape Kennedy on a Saturn IB rocket, carrying NASA's Lunar Module into space for the first time. The Lunar Module was the spacecraft that would later land astronauts on the Moon. This test flight had no crew on board. There were some computer programming problems, but the mission was still a success.
The Boeing 747 began passenger service with the airline Pan Am on the route between New York and London. It was the world's first wide-body airliner, meaning its cabin was wide enough to have two aisles. The biggest wide-body planes became known as jumbo jets. Boeing went on to build 747s until 2023.
During the Super Bowl, America's biggest American football game, Apple Computer showed a TV advert called '1984' to introduce its new Macintosh computer. The Macintosh was the first successful personal computer to use a graphical user interface. This means users could work with pictures, windows and menus on the screen instead of only typing commands. Apple had been founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.
Eight-month-old Heraclius Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (Caesar) by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
The Ottoman Empire under Selim I defeats the Mamluk Sultanate and captures present-day Egypt at the Battle of Ridaniya.
The Ava Kingdom falls to the Taungoo Dynasty in what is now Myanmar.
The Portuguese royal family arrives in Brazil after fleeing the French army's invasion of Portugal two months earlier.
The January Uprising breaks out in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. The aim of the national movement is to regain Polish–Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth from occupation by Russia.
The United Mine Workers of America is founded in Columbus, Ohio.
The SS Valencia was wrecked off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, in a location so treacherous it was known as the Graveyard of the Pacific.
American entry into World War I: President Woodrow Wilson of the still-neutral United States calls for "peace without victory" in Europe.
Act Zluky is signed, unifying the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic.
World War II: The Battle of Buna–Gona on New Guinea ended with an Allied victory after two months of fighting in which the Japanese fought with a resolve and tenacity not previously encountered.
World War II: The Allies commence Operation Shingle, an assault on Anzio and Nettuno, Italy.
Creation of the Central Intelligence Group, forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.
In Iran, Qazi Muhammad declares the independent people's Republic of Mahabad at Chahar Cheragh Square in the Kurdish city of Mahabad; he becomes the new president and Haji Baba Sheikh becomes the prime minister.
KTLA, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, begins operation in Hollywood.
Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula.
The Élysée Treaty of cooperation between France and West Germany is signed by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer.
Operation Igloo White, a US electronic surveillance system to stop communist infiltration into South Vietnam begins installation.
The Singapore Declaration, one of the two most important documents to the uncodified constitution of the Commonwealth of Nations, is issued.
The crew of Apollo 17 addresses a joint session of Congress after the completion of the final Apollo Moon landing mission.
In a bout for the world heavyweight boxing championship in Kingston, Jamaica, challenger George Foreman knocks down champion Joe Frazier six times in the first two rounds before the fight is stopped by referee Arthur Mercante Sr..
After surrounding Mutukula the previous day, Tanzanian forces attacked the town and caused Ugandan forces to flee.
Space Shuttle program: The space shuttle Discovery launches on STS-42 carrying Dr. Roberta Bondar, who becomes the first Canadian woman and the first neurologist in space.
Space Shuttle program: space shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-89 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
Evo Morales was inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country's first indigenous president.
U.S. President Barack Obama signs an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp; congressional opposition will prevent it being implemented.
Croatia held a referendum in which it voted to become a member of the European Union.
Ram Mandir is inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh after 500 years of dispute.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour prime minister”?
C: 1924. 1924 — that’s 102 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Zulu forces defeat the British at the Battle of Isandlwana”?
C: 1879. 1879 — that’s 147 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: Zulu forces defeat the British at the Battle of Isandlwana. 1924: Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour prime minister · 1901: Queen Victoria dies and her son becomes King Edward VII · 1879: Zulu forces defeat the British at the Battle of Isandlwana Find it on the page
“Queen Victoria dies and her son becomes King Edward VII” happened in 1901. How many years ago was that?
A: 125 years. 2026 − 1901 = 125. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 22 January.
UK story
Francis Bacon was an English philosopher and statesman who served King James I as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor. He argued for studying the natural world using the scientific method, which means testing ideas through careful observation and experiment. His writings stayed influential throughout the Scientific Revolution, when modern science began to take shape.
UK story
Alf Ramsey was an English footballer who played as a defender and captained the England team. He is best known as England's manager from 1963 to 1974. He guided England to victory in the 1966 World Cup and was knighted the following year as a reward. His teams also came third in the 1968 European Championship.
Well-known people who died on 22 January.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 22 January somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “January 22” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.