Historical Events on August 22
- 1770: James cook lands on Possession Island and not only names it but claims it and the eastern coast of Australia for Britain.
- 1777: Fort Stanwix is abandoned when British forces hear about rumors that the Continental Army is sending reinforcements.
- 1780: the HMS Resolution returns to England with James Cook, who was killed on Hawaii.
- 1798: French troops are sent to Kilcummin, Ireland to aid the rebellion there.
- 1831: The slave rebellion led by Nat Turner begins in Southampton County, Virginia. It leads to the death of 60 white people and 250 black people.
- 1846: The 2nd Federal Republic of Mexico is established.
- 1846: The 2nd Federal Republic of Mexico is established.
- 1864: The Twelve Nations sign the 1st Geneva Convention.
- 1902: American automaker Cadillac Motor is founded on this day.
- 1941: German troops engage in the Siege of Leningrad.
- 1944: German Wehrmacht infantry forces begin the Holocaust of Amiri on the Greek island of Crete. 164 Greeks die as a result.
- 1953: The penal colony on Devil’s Island is closed permanently.
- 1962: The OAS tries to assassinate Charles de Gaulle – President of France.
- 1985: 55 people are killed during the Manchester Air Disaster when a fire erupts on a commercial aircraft at Manchester Airport.
- 1989: Nolan Ryan becomes the first MLB pitcher to record 5,000 strikeouts when he strikes out Rickey Henderson on this day.
Famous Birthdays on August 22
- French author and poet Georges de Scudery is born in 1601.
- French author and poet Jean Regnault de Segrais is born in 1624.
- French physicists, mathematician and inventor of pressure cooking Denis Papin is born in 1647.
- Pope Leo XII is born in 1760.
- American screenwriter and producer Julius J. Epstein is born in 1909.
- English businessman and pilot Leonard Pagliero is born in 1913.
- American general Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. is born in 1934.
- American novelists and short story writer Annie Proulx is born in 1935.
- American singer-songwriter Chuck Brown is born in 1936.
- American journalist and producer John Callaway is born in 1936.