On This Day in History – October 22

Major Events

• 362 – A fire destroyed the Temple of Apollo at Daphne in Antioch.
• 1746 – Princeton University was founded as the College of New Jersey.
• 1797 – André-Jacques Garnerin made the first recorded parachute jump.
• 1879 – Thomas Edison perfected the long-lasting electric light bulb.
• 1934 – Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd was killed by FBI agents.
• 1962 – President John F. Kennedy announced a blockade of Cuba, beginning the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• 1978 – Pope John Paul II was inaugurated.

Famous Birthdays

• Franz Liszt (1811–1886) – Hungarian composer and pianist.
• Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923) – French stage actress.
• Ivan Bunin (1870–1953) – Russian novelist, Nobel laureate.
• Doris Lessing (1919–2013) – British novelist, Nobel laureate.
• Christopher Lloyd (born 1938) – American actor.
• Jeff Goldblum (born 1952) – American actor.
• Shaggy (born 1968) – Jamaican-American musician.

Notable Deaths

• François de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680) – French author of maxims.
• Pretty Boy Floyd (1904–1934) – American gangster.
• Soupy Sales (1926–2009) – American comedian.

Holidays

• Wombat Day (Australia)
• Feast of Saint John Paul II (Catholic Church)

Fun Facts

• Edison improved his light bulb on October 22, 1879, two days after his first test.
• Garnerin’s parachute jump in 1797 was from a hot air balloon.
• Wombat Day is uniquely Australian.