This Day In History : September 22

1993 United States

STS-51 (Discovery) lands

The Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-51 landed on September 22, 1993. This mission involved deploying the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) and the Orbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (ORFEUS-SPAS). The successful completion of this mission marked another achievement in NASA's Space Shuttle program.

Also on This Day in History September 22

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

Births on This Day, September 22
  • 1920 Eric Baker

    English activist, co-founded Amnesty Internatonal

  • 1882 George Stapledon

    British agriculturalist and pioneer who developed grassland science

  • 1741 Peter Simon Pallas

    German geologist and zoologist (scientific expeditions through Russia and Siberia)

  • 1791 Michael Faraday

    English scientist, discovered electromagnetic induction, invented 1st electric motor

  • 1901 Charles Huggins

    American-Canadian physician and cancer researcher (1966 Nobel Prize)

Deaths on This Day, September 22
  • 1979 Otto Robert Frisch

    Austrian-British physicist who coined the term nuclear fission (Manhattan Project)

  • 1907 Wilbur Olin Atwater

    American agricultural chemist who developed agricultural chemistry

  • 1703 Vincenzo Viviani

    Italian mathematician (Viviani's theorem)

  • 1777 John Bartram

    American naturalist and explorer, father of American botany

  • 1956 Frederick Soddy

    English radiochemist and Nobel laureate (radioactive substances, isotopes)

2001

Deep Space 1 flies within 2,200 km of Comet Borrelly

Deep Space 1 flew within 2,200 kilometers (about 1,367 miles) of Comet Borrelly on September 22, 2001. This close encounter allowed the spacecraft to capture detailed images and data of the comet, providing valuable insights into its composition and characteristics.
1789

The office of the United States Postmaster General is established

The office of the United States Postmaster General was established on September 22, 1789, by the Second Continental Congress. Benjamin Franklin was appointed as the first Postmaster General, tasked with overseeing the nation's postal system.
1960

The Sudanese Republic is renamed Mali

The Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali on September 22, 1960. This change followed the country's declaration of independence from France and marked the establishment of the Republic of Mali.
1792

French Republican calendar first day

The first day of the French Republican calendar, known as "Vendémiaire 1," was September 22, 1792. This date marked the beginning of the French First Republic and the new calendar system introduced during the French Revolution.
Holiday
Special day
Discover invention