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Old clock in sand with the words: It Happend in May

Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on May 22nd?

Discover major events and cultural milestones that happened on this day — organized by year. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

1765 CE, May 22

The British Parliament passed the Quartering Act, which required American colonies to provide lodging and supplies to British troops.

1843 CE, May 22

The first major wagon train to the northwest via the Oregon Trail leaves Elm Grove, Missouri. About 1,000 people with more than 100 wagons and 1,000 head of cattle, oxen, horses, trailing behind them. The trip of about 2,000 miles lasted five months. The 1843 wagon train was the first of many to follow until 1884 when the railroad provided easier and faster transportation. More

1849 CE, May 22

Future President Abraham Lincoln was granted Patent No. 6,469, for a device called "Buoying Vessels Over Shoals". This invention was a method of lifting boats over shallow water, which was inspired by a trip to Niagara Falls where Lincoln witnessed a boat getting stuck. Lincoln's device used expandable bellows attached to the sides of a boat. These bellows would be inflated to lift the boat over shoals or obstructions. Lincoln was 40 years old at the time. He remains the only U.S. president to ever receive a patent. More

1939 CE, May 22

The Pact of Steel formally known as the Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy was a military and political alliance between Italy and Germany. is signed. The pact was initially drafted to include Japan wanted the focus of the pact to be aimed at the Soviet Union, Italy and Germany wanted the focus of it to be aimed at the British Empire and France. On September 27, 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, thus entering the military alliance known as the "Axis." More

1960 CE, May 22

A magnitude 9.5 earthquake, The largest earthquake ever measured, - occurred along the coast of Chile causing a tsunami which radiated outward from a subduction zone along the coast. Its waves reached Hawaii in 15 hours and Japan in 22 hours. In Chile, the earthquake and the tsunami that followed took more than 2,000 lives and caused property damage estimated at $550 million (1960 dollars).The tsunami killed 61 people in Hawaii and 122 in Japan. More

2011 CE, May 22

A powerful EF5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, causing widespread destruction and resulting in the deaths of approximately 160 people. The storm was rated as one of the deadliest tornadoes in modern U.S. history. More

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