This Day In History : April 22

1971 Russian Federation

Soyuz 10 Launches for Historic Space Station Mission

On April 22, 1971, Soyuz 10 launched as the first mission to dock with the world's first space station, Salyut 1. Despite a successful launch, the mission faced challenges, and the docking attempt was unsuccessful. The cosmonauts safely returned to Earth, marking an important step in space exploration.

Also on This Day in History April 22

Discover what happened on April 22 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, April 22
  • 1929 Michael Francis Atiyah

    British mathematician who was awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 primarily for his work in topology.

  • 1891 Harold Jeffreys

    English astronomer, geophysicist and mathematician who had diverse scientific interests.

  • 1839 August Wilhelm Eichler

    German botanist whose natural system of plant classification (1886) was one of the first to become widely adopted.

  • 1834 Raymond Louis Gaston Planté

    French physicist constructed the first storage battery (1859), which was able to provide electricty, and be recharged many times.

  • 1887 Harald August Bohr

    Danish mathematician who devised a theory that concerned generalizations of functions with periodic properties, the theory of almost periodic functions.

Deaths on This Day, April 22
  • 2001 Jack Allen

    John Frank (Jack) Allen was a Canadian physicist who co-discovered the superfluidity of liquid helium near absolute zero temperature.

  • 1933 Henry Royce

    English industrialist who, having met Charles Rolls, in May 1904, found they shared a common interest to manufacture and market the finest cars.

  • 1833 Richard Trevithick

    English mechanical engineer and inventor who successfully harnessed high-pressure steam and constructed the world's first steam railway locomotive (1803).

  • 1778 James Hargreaves

    English inventor of the spinning jenny, the first practical application of multiple spinning by a machine.

  • 1890 Magnus Huss

    Swedish physician who coined the word “alcoholism” and was the first to define it as a chronic, relapsing disease.

1970

Earth Day

In 1970, the first nationwide Earth Day was celebrated in the U.S. as an environmental awareness event celebrated by millions of Americans with marches, educational programs, and rallies.
2014

Youngest UK organ donor

In 2014, Teddy Houlston became the youngest organ donor in Britain, aged only 100 minutes. The baby's early death after delivery was anticipated because during the pregnancy a rare abnormality had been detected.
1915

Chemical weapons used

In 1915, modern chemical weapons were first used in a war. German troops released chlorine gas from several metal cylinders on the front lines at Ypres, Belgium during WW I.
1945

Adolf Hitler Admits Defeat

On April 22, 1945, Adolf Hitler admitted defeat as Allied forces closed in on Berlin. Realizing the inevitable fall of the Third Reich, he expressed despair over Germany's situation. This marked a pivotal moment leading to the end of World War II in Europe.
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