MAY 22 ~ ON THiS DAY in History

1724 – Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne the French explorer was born on the 22nd May 1724 (died 1772).

1733 – Hubert Robert the French artist was born on the 22nd May 1733 (died 1808).

1783 – William Sturgeon the English physicist and inventor of the Electromagnet and Electric motor  was born on the 22nd May 1783 (died 1850).

1807 – Most of the English town of Chudleigh was destroyed by fire on the 22nd May 1807.

1809 – On the 2nd and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I was repelled by an enemy army for the first time on the 22nd May 1809.

1813 – Richard Wagner the German composer was born on the 22nd May 1813 (died 1883).

1819 – The SS Savannah left port at Savannah, GeorgiaUnited States on the 22nd May 1819, on a voyage to become the 1st steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The ship arrived at Liverpool, England on June 20 1819.

1826 – HMS Beagle departed on its 1st voyage on the 22nd May 1826.

1840 – The transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony was abolished on the 22nd May 1840.

1844 – Mary Cassatt the American artist was born on the 22nd May 1844 (died 1926).

1849 – President Abraham Lincoln was issued a patent for an invention to lift boats over obstacles in a river on the 22nd May 11849, the only patent ever issued to a U.S. President.

1864 – Willy Stöwer the German artist was born on the 22nd May 1864 (died 1931).

1897 – The Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames was officially opened on the 22nd May 1897.

1906 – The Wright brothers were granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their Flying-Machine on the 22nd May 1906.

1907 – Hergé the Belgian writer and artist was born on the 22nd May 1907 (died 1983). Hergé was the pen name of Georges Prosper Remi, best known for The Adventures of Tintin comic book series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until he died in 1983.

1907 – Laurence Olivier the English actor was born on the 22nd May 1907 (died 1989).

1936 – M. Scott Peck the American psychiatrist and writer was born on the 22nd May 1936 (died 2005).

1942 – Calvin Simon the American singer and musician from Parliament-Funkadelic was born on the 22nd May 1942.

1950 – Bernie Taupin the English singer-songwriter and poet was born on the 22nd May 1950.

1955Iva Davies the Australia frontman of Icehouse was born on the 22nd May 1955.

1957 – Gary Sweet the Australian actor was born on the 22nd May 1957.

1958 – Denise Welch the English actress was born on the 22nd May 1958.

1959 – Morrissey the English singer-songwriter and pianist from The Smiths was born on the 22nd May 1959.

1961 – An earthquake rocked New South Wales on the 22nd May 1961..

1962 – Continental Airlines Flight 11 crashed after bombs exploded on board on the 22nd May 1962.

1964 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced the goals of his Great Society social reforms on the 22nd May 1964,  to bring an “end to poverty and racial injustice” in America.

1969 – Apollo 10 ‘s lunar module flew within 8.4 nautical miles (16 km) of the moon‘s surface on the 22nd May 1969..

1970 – Naomi Campbell the English model and actress was born on the 22nd May 1970.

1972 – Alison Eastwood the American actress and model was born on the 22nd May 1972.

1978Katie Price (previously known as Jordan) the English media personality, reality TV star, author, former glamour model and businesswoman was born on the 22nd May 1978. Katie Price was originally a topless Page Three female glamour model in The Sun newspaper, before expanding into television, books, fashion and music. Katie Price was once married to Australian singer Peter Andre from 2005 to 2009. Katie Price’s official website: www.KatiePrice.co.uk | Facebook: www.facebook.com/KatiePrice | verified Twitter: www.Twitter.com/MissKatiePrice

1980 – Namco released Pac-Man on the 22nd May 1980.

1982 – Apolo Anton Ohno the American speed skater was born on the 22nd May 1982.

1982 – Erin McNaught the Australian model, television host and Miss Australia 2006 was born on the 22nd May 1982.

1987 – First ever Rugby World Cup kicked off with New Zealand playing Italy at Eden Park in AucklandNew Zealand on the 22nd May 1987.

1990 – North and South Yemen were unified to create the Republic of Yemen on the 22nd May 1990.

1990 – Microsoft released the Windows 3.0 operating system on the 22nd May 1990.

1992 – After 30 years, 66-year-old Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show for the last time on the 22nd May 1992.

1992 – Bosnia and HerzegovinaCroatia and Slovenia joined the United Nations on the 22nd May 1992.

1998 – Lewinsky scandal: a federal judge ruled that United States Secret Service agents could be compelled to testify before a grand jury on the 22nd May 1998, concerning the scandal, involving President Bill Clinton.

2011 – An EF5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri on the 22nd May 2011, killing 162 people and wreaking $2.8 billion worth in damage, becoming the costliest and 7th deadliest single tornado in U.S. history.

2012 – Tokyo Skytree was opened to public on the 22nd May 2012. It became the tallest tower in world (634 m), and the 2nd tallest man-made structure on Earth, after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m).

2012 ~ The FALCON 9 launched the first commercial flight to space, with a cargo delivery to a space station by a private company on the 22nd day of May in 2012. The Falcon rocket was topped by an unmanned Dragon freight capsule, when it lifted clear of its Florida pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 03:44 EDT (07:44 GMT; 08:44 BST). The launch system has been built by California-based firm SpaceX. See Nasa’s news: SpaceX Launches Falcon 9/Dragon on Historic Mission 

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lift off from Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Falcon 9 launches with first Dragon spacecraft (Photo: NASA ~ National Aeronautics & Space Administration)
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft lift off from Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Falcon 9 launches with first Dragon spacecraft (Photo: NASA ~ National Aeronautics & Space Administration)

2012 ~ JAMES DOOHAN the Star Trek legend best known as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott was beamed up to space on the 22nd day of May in 2012. His ashes were blasted into space aboard the Falcon 9 Rocket (as seen above)the first commercial rocket launched into the space, along with Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, and more than 300 other hardcore space fans. James Doohan died in 2005 at the age of 85, and the first attempt to send his ashes into the orbit in 2008 was unsuccessful after the rocket carrying them failed.

James Doohan aka Scotty at the first Swiss Star Trek Convention in Lucerne in 1997 (photo by Gestumblindi)
James Doohan aka Scotty at the first Swiss Star Trek Convention in Lucerne in 1997 (photo by Gestumblindi)
James Doohan aka Scotty visiting NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center with pilot Bruce Peterson on 13 April 1967 in front of the Northrop M2-F2
James Doohan aka Scotty visiting NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center with pilot Bruce Peterson on 13 April 1967 in front of the Northrop M2-F2

*see the full image at NASA and more info about this photo and project at this NASA page

Today in History for May 22nd ~ video presented by the Associated Press

International Day for Biological Diversity