Jean Racine
b. 1639
French poet and playwright
On This Day · The 356th day of the year
December 22
December 22 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 401 and 2010. Pope Innocent I is elected, the only pope to succeed his father in the office.
Compiled & reviewed by Roman Tailor · Last reviewed July 13, 2026
What happened on December 22?
December 22 is the 356th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 401 and 2010. Famous people born on December 22 include Jean Racine, Giacomo Puccini and Khutughtu Khan Kusala.
The shape of the day
1625 years on from Pope Innocent I, December 22 is a date with an anniversary worth pausing on. Most of the weight falls in the 21st century, where politics and nation-building recur.
Capricorn is the sign for December 22 — read more on the Capricorn page, or see December's birthstone & birth flower.
Events
10 notable moments- 401
Pope Innocent I
Pope Innocent I is elected, the only pope to succeed his father in the office.
- 856
856 Damghan earthquake
Damghan earthquake: An earthquake near the Persian city of Damghan kills an estimated 200,000 people, the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
- 1808
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy.
- 1937
Lincoln Tunnel
The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York City.
- 1942
Adolf Hitler
World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon.
- 1948
Sjafruddin Prawiranegara
Sjafruddin Prawiranegara established the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (Pemerintah Darurat Republik Indonesia, PDRI) in West Sumatra.
- 2001
Burhanuddin Rabbani
Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Northern Alliance, hands over power in Islamic State of Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai.
- 2001
Richard Reid
Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.
- 2008
Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill
An ash dike ruptures at a solid waste containment area for a Tennessee Valley Authority coal-fired power plant in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 4.2 million m3 (1.1 billion US gal) of coal fly ash slurry in the largest industrial spill in U.S. history.
- 2010
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
The repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Famous birthday twins
Born on December 22Giacomo Puccini
b. 1858
Italian composer and educator
Khutughtu Khan Kusala
b. 1300
Mongolian emperor
Eduard Uspensky
b. 1937
Russian author, poet, and playwright
Ralph Fiennes
b. 1962
English actor
Diocletian
b. 244
Roman emperor
Bernd Schuster
b. 1959
German footballer and manager
Vanessa Paradis
b. 1972
French singer-songwriter and actress
Deaths
- 1989Samuel Beckett
- 1950Frederick Freake
- 1919Hermann Weingärtner
- 1891Paul de Lagarde
- 1530Willibald Pirckheimer
Holidays & observances
- —Dongzhi Festival
- —Armed Forces Day (Vietnam)
- —Christian feast day: Anastasia of Sirmium (Orthodox Church)
- —Christian feast day: Eimhin
- —Christian feast day: Ernan, Son of Eogan
- —Christian feast day: Frances Xavier Cabrini (outside US)
- —Christian feast day: Hunger
- —Christian feast day: O Rex
Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.
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