On This Day in History – July 22

Major Events

• 1298 – The Battle of Falkirk was fought, where English forces defeated William Wallace’s Scottish army.
• 1484 – The papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus was issued by Pope Innocent VIII, promoting the persecution of witches.
• 1793 – Alexander Mackenzie completed the first transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico.
• 1933 – Wiley Post became the first person to fly solo around the world, completing the trip in 7 days and 19 hours.
• 1942 – The Holocaust: The first Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto were transported to the Treblinka extermination camp.
• 2003 – Saddam Hussein’s sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed by U.S. forces in Mosul, Iraq.

Famous Birthdays

• Gregor Mendel (1822–1884), Austrian scientist and founder of the modern science of genetics
• James Whale (1889–1957), English film director known for Frankenstein (1931)
• Bob Dole (1923–2021), American politician and U.S. Senator
• Oscar de la Renta (1932–2014), Dominican-American fashion designer
• Willem Dafoe (born 1955), American actor known for roles in Platoon, Spider-Man, and The Florida Project
• David Spade (born 1964), American actor and comedian

Notable Deaths

• Cleveland Abbe (d. 1916), American meteorologist and founder of the U.S. Weather Bureau (b. 1838)
• Carl Sandburg (d. 1967), American poet, writer, and editor (b. 1878)
• Estelle Getty (d. 2008), American actress best known for her role in The Golden Girls (b. 1923)

Holidays

• Pi Approximation Day – Celebrated by math enthusiasts, based on the fraction 22/7 as a common approximation of pi.
• National Mango Day (India) – Honoring one of the country’s most beloved fruits.
• Rat Catcher’s Day (Germany) – Commemorates the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Fun Facts

• Gregor Mendel’s pea plant experiments laid the groundwork for genetics, but his work wasn’t recognized until after his death.
• Wiley Post wore one of the first pressure suits, an early step toward space suit design.
• Oscar de la Renta dressed numerous First Ladies, including Jacqueline Kennedy and Michelle Obama.
• Pi Approximation Day is celebrated in July because 22/7 equals approximately 3.14, a close approximation of pi.
• The legend of the Pied Piper is based on a real disappearance of children from the town of Hamelin in 1284.