131 things happened on 22 February, from AD 606 to 2022. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1997 · 29 years ago
Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Scotland, announced Dolly, a Finn-Dorset sheep born the summer before. She was the first mammal to be cloned from a cell taken from an adult animal. A clone has exactly the same genes as the animal it was copi…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Robert Stewart became King of Scots as Robert II after the death of his uncle, King David II. Robert's mother, Marjorie, was the daughter of the famous King Robert the Bruce, and his father was the High Steward of Scotland. Robert II was the first monarch of the House of Stewart, also spelled Stuart. He reigned until his death in 1390.
UK story
About 1,400 French troops landed at Carreg Gwastad Point, near Fishguard in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is the most recent landing on British soil by an enemy force, so it is often called the 'last invasion of mainland Britain'. Many invaders soon stopped obeying orders, and local people turned against them. Some French soldiers mistook Welsh women in red shawls for British soldiers. Their commander surrendered two days later.
UK story
Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Scotland, announced Dolly, a Finn-Dorset sheep born the summer before. She was the first mammal to be cloned from a cell taken from an adult animal. A clone has exactly the same genes as the animal it was copied from. Dolly lived at the Roslin Institute and had six lambs. Her preserved body is now shown at the National Museum of Scotland.
UK story
Having received a letter during the Lenten synod of 14–20 February demanding that he abdicate, Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
UK story
The Catalan forces of Ferdinand of Majorca defeated troops loyal to Princess Matilda of Hainaut at the Battle of Picotin on the Peloponnese peninsula in modern-day Greece.
UK story
King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne.
UK story
War of the Austrian Succession: British ships began attacking the rear of a combined Franco-Spanish fleet in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Toulon, France.
UK story
The United Kingdom sells a meteorological station on the South Orkney Islands to Argentina; the islands are subsequently claimed by the United Kingdom in 1908.
Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, received the first printed copy of Galileo Galilei's book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. In it, three characters argue about two ideas: that everything in the universe circles the Earth, or that the Earth and planets orbit the Sun. In 1633 the Church banned the book, and it stayed on its list of forbidden books until 1835.
An ancient Egyptian stone pillar, called an obelisk, was put up in Central Park, New York. It was made in the 15th century BC and was a gift to the United States from the ruler of Egypt. It is one of a pair of obelisks known as Cleopatra's Needles, which once stood in Alexandria. Its twin was put up on the Victoria Embankment in London in 1878.
The Caribbean island of Saint Lucia became an independent country. England and France had fought over the island 14 times, and Britain took full control in 1814. Saint Lucia gained independence peacefully and stayed in the Commonwealth, keeping Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch. The island is named after Saint Lucy, and Saint Lucians celebrate Independence Day every 22 February.
At the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the United States ice hockey team beat the Soviet Union 4–3. The Soviet team was full of experienced players and had won gold at five of the six previous Winter Olympics. The American team was mostly made up of amateur players and was the youngest in the tournament. The surprise win became known as the 'Miracle on Ice'.
A cherry-throated tanager was rediscovered on a farm in Espírito Santo, Brazil. Scientists first described this bird in 1870, but there had been no confirmed sightings for more than 100 years, and many thought it had died out. It lives in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. It is still critically endangered: by 2023, there were thought to be fewer than 50 left.
Tuesday 22 February 2022 was nicknamed 'Twosday', joining the words 'two' and 'Tuesday'. Written as 22/02/2022 or 22/2/22, the date is a palindrome, which means it reads the same forwards and backwards. It is also made almost entirely of the digit 2. Some people marked the moment the clock showed 2:22:22.
Pope Formosus crowns Arnulf of Carinthia as Emperor in Rome. Arnulf suffers a stroke soon after and retreats from Italy.
The Franciscan Girolamo Maschi is elected pope, choosing the name Nicholas IV.
By the Adams–Onís Treaty, Spain sells Florida to the United States for five million U.S. dollars.
Mexican–American War: The Battle of Buena Vista: Five thousand American troops defeat 15,000 Mexican troops.
The French Revolution of 1848, which would lead to the establishment of the French Second Republic, begins.
The United States Republican Party opens its first national convention in Pittsburgh.
American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is officially inaugurated for a six-year term as the President of the Confederate States of America in Richmond, Virginia. He was previously inaugurated as a provisional president on February 18, 1861.
The Prohibition Party holds its first national convention in Columbus, Ohio, nominating James Black as its presidential nominee.
In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of five-and-dime Woolworth stores.
President Grover Cleveland signs a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states.
Filipino forces led by General Antonio Luna launch counterattacks for the first time against the American forces during the Philippine–American War. The Filipinos fail to regain Manila from the Americans.
The sixteen United States Navy battleships of the Great White Fleet, led by Connecticut (pictured), completed a circumnavigation of the globe.
After Russian forces under Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg drive the Chinese out, the Bogd Khan is reinstalled as the emperor of Mongolia.[citation needed]
World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as the Japanese victory becomes inevitable.
World War II: The Soviet Red Army recaptures Krivoi Rog.
The "Long Telegram", proposing how the United States should deal with the Soviet Union, arrives from the US embassy in Moscow.
Following a plebiscite in both countries the previous day, Egypt and Syria join to form the United Arab Republic.
Lee Petty won the first edition of the Daytona 500, a NASCAR auto race at the Daytona International Speedway (pictured) in Florida.
Cold War: Following President Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China, the two countries agree to establish liaison offices.
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference summit begins in Lahore, Pakistan. Thirty-seven countries attend and twenty-two heads of state and government participate. It also recognizes Bangladesh.
Start of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
The Corona reconnaissance satellite program, in existence from 1959 to 1972, is declassified.
President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine is impeached by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by a vote of 328–0, fulfilling a major goal of the Euromaidan rebellion.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Robert II becomes the first Stewart king of Scots”?
A: 1371. 1371 — that’s 655 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Scientists reveal Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal”?
A: 1997. 1997 — that’s 29 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: Robert II becomes the first Stewart king of Scots. 1797: The last invasion of Britain begins near Fishguard · 1997: Scientists reveal Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal · 1371: Robert II becomes the first Stewart king of Scots Find it on the page
“Robert Baden-Powell” happened in 1857. How many years ago was that?
C: 169 years. 2026 − 1857 = 169. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 22 February.
UK story
Robert Baden-Powell was a British Army officer and writer who started the Scout movement. He was the first Chief Scout of The Boy Scouts Association and, with his sister Agnes, founded the Girl Guides Association. His book Scouting for Boys helped Scouting grow very quickly. His wife, Olave, who later became the World Chief Guide, was born on the same day of the year.
Well-known people who died on 22 February.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 22 February somewhere in the world.
World Thinking Day is celebrated every year on 22 February by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, and by many Scout groups too. It is a day to think about Guides and Scouts in every country of the world. The date was chosen because it was the birthday of both Robert Baden-Powell, who founded Scouting, and his wife Olave. Money is collected to support Guiding projects around 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 “February 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.