June 22nd in History

Galileo Galilei at his trial by the Inquisition in Rome in 1633. (Wellcome Images)

Today in History

  • Galileo Galilei is forced to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe (1633)
  • Spanish-American War: US Marines land in Cuba (1898)
  • World War II: Nazi Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, an invasion of the Soviet Union (1941)
  • The US Congress adopts the Pledge of Allegiance (1942)
  • FDR signs the G.I. Bill into law (1944)
  • The Cuyahoga River catches fire in Cleveland, Ohio (1969)
  • The Hand of God goal and the Goal of the Century, both by Diego Maradona, take place in the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup (1986)
  • Checkpoint Charlie is dismantled in Berlin (1990)

Birthdays

  • H. Rider Haggard, author (1856)
  • Maximilian von Spee, admiral, namesake of the heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee (1986)
  • Julian Huxley, biologist (1887)
  • Erich Maria Remarque, author (1898)
  • John Dillinger, bank robber (1903)
  • Anne Morrow Lindbergh, aviator and author (1906)
  • Billy Wilder, filmmaker (1906)
  • Mike Todd, filmmaker (1909)
  • Gower Champion, dancer and choreographer (1919)
  • Paul Frees, actor and cartoon voice (1920)
  • Joseph Papp, impressario (1921)
  • Bill Blass, fashion designer (1922)
  • Ralph Waite, actor (1928)
  • Diane Feinstein, politician (1933)
  • Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter (1936)
  • Ed Bradley, television journalist (1941)
  • Brit Hume, television journalist (1943)
  • Octavia E. Butler, science fiction writer (1947)
  • Todd Rundgren, singer-songwriter (1948)
  • Meryl Streep, actress (1949)
  • Lindsay Wagner, actress (1949)
  • Elizabeth Warren, academic and US Senator (1949)
  • Cyndi Lauper, singer-songwriter (1953)
  • Freddie Prinze, comedian and actor (1954)
  • Bruce Campbell, actor and director (1958)
  • Erin Brockovich, environmentalist (1960)
  • Dan Brown, author (1964)
  • Mary Lynn Rajskub, actress (1971)
  • Carson Daly, television host (1973)

Deaths

  • Walter de la Mare, author and poet (1956)
  • David O. Selznick, producer (1965)
  • Judy Garland, actress and singer (1969)
  • Fred Astaire, dancer, actor, and singer (1987)
  • Dennis Day, singer and actor (1988)
  • Pat Nixon, first lady (1993)
  • George Carlin, comedian (2008)
  • Felix Dennis, publisher (2014)

Holidays and Celebrations

  • Anti-Fascist Struggle Day (Croatia)
  • Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War (Belarus)
  • Father’s Day (Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Jersey)
  • Global Surfs Day
  • Teacher’s Day (El Salvador)

June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years). There are 192 days remaining until the end of the year.