Osun Defender History Corner: February 22 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip into the realm of flashbacks and recall some events that marked this day.

February 22, 705

Empress Wu Zetian abdicates the throne, restoring the Tang dynasty.

February 22, 1371

Robert II becomes King of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty.

February 22, 1630

Native American Quadequine introduces popcorn to English colonists at their first Thanksgiving dinner.

February 22, 1797

The last invasion of Britain begins, as French forces land near Fishguard, Wales.

February 22, 1819

By the Adams-Onís Treaty, Spain sells Florida to the United States for five million US dollars.

February 22, 1879

In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of five-and-dime Woolworth stores.

February 22, 1904

The United Kingdom sells a meteorological station on the South Orkney Islands to Argentina.

February 22, 1924

President Calvin Coolidge becomes the first president to deliver a radio broadcast from the White House.

February 22, 1943

Members of the White Rose resistance group are executed in Nazi Germany.

February 22, 1959

Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.

February 22, 1974

Samuel Byck attempts to assassinate U.S. President Richard Nixon by hijacking a plane.

February 22, 1980

Miracle on Ice: The United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

February 22, 1997

In Roslin, Scotland, scientists announce the successful cloning of a sheep named Dolly.

February 22, 2002

Angolan political and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush.

February 22, 2011

An earthquake measuring 6.3 in magnitude strikes Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 185 people.

February 22, 2014

President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine is impeached by the Ukrainian parliament.

February 22, 2016

A train derailment in Kanpur, India, kills at least 148 people.

February 22, 2018

A series of bomb blasts at a mosque in Benghazi, Libya, kills at least 33 people.

February 22, 2019

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump meet for a summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.

February 22, 2022

Russia invades Ukraine, sparking international condemnation and a significant escalation of tensions in Eastern Europe.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on February 22. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.