136 things happened on 22 December, from AD 69 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1808 · 218 years ago
Ludwig van Beethoven held a concert at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, conducting and playing the piano himself. It included the first public performances of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, his Fourth Piano Concerto and his Choral Fantasy. The hall was ver…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Three weeks after King Henry I died, Stephen of Blois claimed the throne. He was crowned King of England in a private ceremony. Stephen's reign was troubled by the Anarchy, a long civil war against his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda. When Stephen died in 1154, Matilda's son became King Henry II.
UK story
A speed limit of 70 miles per hour (about 110 km/h) began on all country roads in the United Kingdom, including motorways. It was the first time these roads had such a limit. A speed limit is the fastest speed that vehicles are allowed to travel. It is still the national speed limit for cars on motorways and dual carriageways.
UK story
Members of the All-India Muslim League observed a "Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian National Congress over the decision to enter the Second World War at the request of the United Kingdom.
Ludwig van Beethoven held a concert at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, conducting and playing the piano himself. It included the first public performances of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, his Fourth Piano Concerto and his Choral Fantasy. The hall was very cold, the concert went on too long and the playing was not very good. Even so, these pieces are now seen as masterpieces.
Itō Hirobumi, who came from Japan's samurai warrior class, became the first Prime Minister of Japan. He later led the government three more times. Itō was a key figure in the making of modern Japan. He played a central part in writing the Meiji Constitution of 1889 and in setting up Japan's parliament, called the National Diet.
The asteroid 323 Brucia became the first asteroid to be discovered using astrophotography, which means taking photographs of the night sky. Asteroids are rocky objects that travel around the Sun. Brucia is about 33 kilometres across and lies in the inner part of the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter. It is a stony asteroid whose path once crossed the orbit of Mars.
The Lincoln Tunnel opened, running about 2.4 kilometres under the Hudson River. It links Weehawken, New Jersey, with Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by the engineer Ole Singstad and named after President Abraham Lincoln. The tunnel now has three separate tubes, each with two lanes for traffic.
The SR-71 Blackbird made its first test flight at Palmdale in California, USA. Built by the American company Lockheed, it was a reconnaissance aircraft, a plane used to gather information from high in the sky. It could fly at more than three times the speed of sound. In 1974 it flew from London to New York in under two hours, a record it still holds.
The charity Médecins Sans Frontières, which is French for Doctors Without Borders, was founded in Paris, France. Its founders were the doctor Bernard Kouchner and a group of journalists. The charity gives medical care to people in places affected by war and disease. It now works in more than 75 countries, and most of its staff are local doctors, nurses and other helpers.
The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin reopened after being closed for nearly 30 years. Germany had been divided into two countries, East and West, and the reopening effectively marked the end of that division. Germany officially became one country again on 3 October 1990, now celebrated every year as German Unity Day. The gate itself is a famous landmark, built between 1788 and 1791.
The United States Copyright Office said that a photograph taken by a monkey could not be registered for copyright. It said that only works made by humans could be registered. Copyright is the legal right to own a creative work such as a photo. The ruling followed an argument over selfies taken by crested macaques in Indonesia with a British photographer's camera.
Pope Innocent I began his papacy, succeeding Anastasius I.
Luoyang, eastern capital of the Tang dynasty, is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong.
Pope Honorius III approves the Dominican Order through the papal bull of confirmation Religiosam vitam.
The forces of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, take control of Almería from the Nasrid ruler of Granada, Muhammad XI.
Sino-Burmese War: The war ends with the Qing dynasty withdrawing from Burma forever.
Nguyễn Huệ proclaims himself Emperor Quang Trung, in effect abolishing on his own the Lê dynasty.
In an effort to avoid engaging in the Napoleonic Wars, the United States Congress passed the Embargo Act, forbidding American ships from engaging in trade with foreign nations.
The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., burns.
India's first freight train is operated in Roorkee, to transport material for the construction of the Ganges Canal.
American Civil War: Savannah, Georgia, falls to the Union's Army of the Tennessee, and General Sherman tells President Abraham Lincoln: "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah".
The Christmas Meeting of 1888, considered to be the official start of the Faroese independence movement.
Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between Kentville and Kingsport, Nova Scotia.
The Congress of Soviets approved the GOELRO plan, the first Soviet plan for national economic recovery and development.
Opening of Visva-Bharati College, also known as Santiniketan College, now Visva Bharati University, India.
World War II: Himara is captured by the Greek army.
World War II: Battle of the Bulge: German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!"
World War II: The People's Army of Vietnam is formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indochina, now Vietnam.
U.S. President Harry S. Truman issues an executive order giving World War II refugees precedence in visa applications under U.S. immigration quotas.
Chaired by Sjafruddin Prawiranegara, the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia was established to counter Dutch attempts to re-assert colonial control.
Cultural Revolution: People's Daily posted the instructions of Mao Zedong that "The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty."
Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli vote to become the independent nation of Comoros. Mayotte remains under French administration.
U.S. President Gerald Ford creates the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in response to the 1970s energy crisis.
The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for the reform and opening up.
Lech Wałęsa is elected President of Poland.
Final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship.
Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquished the disputed title of President of Somalia.
Burhanuddin Rabbani of the Northern Alliance handed over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by Hamid Karzai.
The United States repealed its "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay, lesbian and bisexual people in the military (signing pictured).
A study finds the VSV-EBOV vaccine against the Ebola virus between 70 and 100% effective, making it the first proven vaccine against the disease.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397 against North Korea is unanimously approved.
The 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown, the second-longest shutdown of the U.S. federal government in history, begins.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Stephen of Blois is crowned King of England”?
A: 1135. 1135 — that’s 891 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “A 70 mph speed limit starts on Britain's motorways and country roads”?
A: 1965. 1965 — that’s 61 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: Stephen of Blois is crowned King of England. 1135: Stephen of Blois is crowned King of England · 1808: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is performed for the first time · 1965: A 70 mph speed limit starts on Britain's motorways and country roads Find it on the page
“Ralph Fiennes” happened in 1962. How many years ago was that?
A: 64 years. 2026 − 1962 = 64. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 22 December.
UK story
Ralph Fiennes is an English actor and director, born in Ipswich, Suffolk. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and became well known for acting in Shakespeare's plays. Many young people know him as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films. He also voiced a character in the Wallace & Gromit film The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
Well-known people who died on 22 December.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 22 December somewhere in the world.
India celebrates National Mathematics Day on 22 December, the birthday of the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who was born in 1887. He began his research on his own, then wrote to the English mathematician G. H. Hardy, who arranged for him to come to Cambridge. Ramanujan found nearly 3,900 results and became one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society.
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 “December 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.