Historical events on May 22
MAY 22, 1766
A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck Constantinople and was followed by a tsunami that caused significant damage.
The 1766 Istanbul earthquake was a strong earthquake with epicenter in the eastern part of the Sea of Marmara, in the Çınarcık
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MAY 22, 1960
The most powerful earthquake ever recorded, registering approximately 9.5 Mw, struck near Valdivia, Chile, generating tsunamis that reached Hawaii and Japan.
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami or the Great Chilean earthquake occurred on 22 May 1960. Most studies have placed it at
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MAY 22, 1816
A riot broke out in Littleport, England, over high unemployment and rising grain costs, spreading to Ely the next day before being quelled by troops.
The Ely and Littleport riots occurred between 22 and 24 May 1816 in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, caused by high unemployment
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MAY 22, 1849
Abraham Lincoln was issued a patent for an invention to lift boats over obstacles in a river, making him the only U.S. president ever to hold a patent.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the United
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MAY 22, 1939
Germany and Italy signed the Pact of Steel, a military and political alliance.
The Pact of Steel, formally known as the Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy was a military and political
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MAY 22, 1762
The Trevi Fountain (pictured) in Rome was officially inaugurated by Pope Clement XIII.
The Trevi Fountain is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed
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MAY 22, 1844
In Shiraz, Iran, the Báb declared himself to be a messenger of God to Mullá Husayn, leading to the foundation of Bábism, considered to be a precursor to the Baháʼà Faith.
Shiraz is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (پارس) and
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MAY 22, 853
Arab–Byzantine wars: The Byzantine navy began a raid on the Nile Delta port city of Damietta, whose garrison was absent at the time.
The Arab–Byzantine wars or Muslim–Byzantine wars were a series of wars from the 7th to 11th centuries between multiple Arab dynasties and
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MAY 22, 2002
Police announced that the skeletal remains of Federal Bureau of Prisons intern Chandra Levy, who had been missing for a year, had been found in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible
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MAY 22, 1874
Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem was first performed in the San Marco church in Milan to commemorate the first anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni's death.
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in
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MAY 22, 1905
Sultan Abdul Hamid II established the Ullah millet, a separate millet for the Aromanians within the Ottoman Empire.
Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan
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MAY 22, 1629
Albrecht von Wallenstein and King Christian IV of Denmark signed the Treaty of Lübeck to end Danish intervention in the Thirty Years' War.
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland, also von Waldstein, was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the
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MAY 22, 1915
California's Lassen Peak violently erupted, the only volcanic eruption in the contiguous U.S. in the 20th century until Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.
Lassen Peak, commonly referred to as Mount Lassen, is a 10,457-foot (3,187Â m) lava dome volcano in Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern
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MAY 22, 2010
Upon landing in Mangalore, Air India Express Flight 812 overshot the runway and fell down a hillside, killing 158 of the 166 people on board.
Mangaluru, formerly called Mangalore, is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of
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MAY 22, 1998
In Public Prosecutor v Taw Cheng Kong, the Court of Appeal of Singapore overruled a High Court decision in the only time a statute in Singapore had been ruled unconstitutional.
Public Prosecutor v. Taw Cheng Kong is a landmark case decided in 1998 by the Court of Appeal of Singapore which shaped
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MAY 22, 1897
The first Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames was opened to improve commerce and trade in the East End of London.
The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, England, linking the London Borough of
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MAY 22, 2014
Prayut Chan-o-cha (pictured), the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army, launched a coup d'état against the caretaker government following six months of political crisis.
Prayut Chan-o-cha is a former Thai politician and army officer who became the 29th prime minister of Thailand after seizing power in
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MAY 22, 1987
During Hindu–Muslim rioting in Meerut, India, 19 members of the Provincial Armed Constabulary allegedly massacred 42 Muslims and dumped their bodies in water canals.
Religious violence in India includes acts of violence by followers of one religious group against followers and institutions of another religious group,
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MAY 22, 1856
Senator Charles Sumner (pictured) was assaulted by Representative Preston Brooks in the United States Senate chamber in retaliation for a speech in which Sumner fiercely criticized slaveholders.
Charles Sumner was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1851 until his death in
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MAY 22, 1958
Ethnic riots mostly targeting the minority Sri Lankan Tamils broke out in Ceylon, resulting in at least 158 deaths over the next few days.
The 1958 anti-Tamil pogrom and riots in Ceylon, also known as the 58 riots, refer to the first island-wide ethnic riots and
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MAY 22, 1972
The Dominion of Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka, adopted a new constitution, and officially became a republic within the Commonwealth.
Ceylon was an independent country in the Commonwealth of Nations from 1948 to 1972, that shared a monarch with other dominions of
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