Skip to main content

President John F. Kennedy is assassinated

Born on This Day

Billie Jean King

1943 -

American tennis legend who won 39 major titles, in singles and doubles, and elevated the status (and pay) of women in the sport.

George Eliot

1819 - 1880

English author (born Mary Ann Evans) whose novels, like "Middlemarch," delved into the psychology of Victorian society.

Rodney Dangerfield

1921 - 2004

Comedian who got plenty of respect for his fidgety, self-deprecating schtick. Starred in '80s comedies like "Back to School."

Billie Jean KingGetty Images

George EliotGetty Images

Rodney DangerfieldGetty Images

1986

NOV22

Mike Tyson, 20, knocks out Trevor Berbick, 33, to become the youngest heavyweight boxing champion ever. Tyson toppled his opponent in 5 minutes and 30 seconds, breaking 21-year-old Floyd Patterson's record when he won the heavyweight title in 1956.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on November 22nd

Blackbeard killed off North Carolina

Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, is killed off North Carolina’s Outer Banks during a bloody battle with a British navy force sent from Virginia. Believed to be a native of England, Edward Teach likely began his pirating career in 1713, when he became a crewman aboard a Caribbean sloop commanded by pirate Benjamin Hornigold. […]

First Mercedes goes for a test drive

On November 22, 1900, the first car to be produced under the Mercedes name is taken for its inaugural drive in Cannstatt, Germany. The car was specially built for its buyer, Emil Jellinek, an entrepreneur with a passion for fast, flashy cars. Jellinek had commissioned the Mercedes car from the German company Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft: it was […]

“Star Trek” airs the interracial kiss heard around the universe

It may not have technically been the first interracial kiss on American television. But on November 22, 1968, when a “Star Trek” episode titled “Plato’s Stepchildren” features Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (played by Black actress Nichelle Nichols) locking lips with Captain Kirk (portrayed by white actor William Shatner), it’s a major cultural moment. The kiss comes […]

First B-52 shot down over North Vietnam

The United States loses its first B-52 of the war. The eight-engine bomber was brought down by a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile near Vinh on the day when B-52s flew their heaviest raids of the war over North Vietnam. The Communists claimed 19 B-52s shot down to date.

Mike Tyson becomes the youngest heavyweight champ in history

On November 22, 1986, 20-year-old Mike Tyson knocks out 33-year-old Trevor Berbick in just five minutes and 35 seconds to become the youngest titleholder ever. “I’m the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history,” Tyson told his manager after the fight, “and I’m going to be the oldest.” Tyson’s bravado wasn’t misplaced: When he walked into […]

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stealth bomber unveiled

In the presence of members of Congress and the media, the Northrop B-2 “stealth” bomber is shown publicly for the first time at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The aircraft, which was developed in great secrecy for nearly a decade, was designed with stealth characteristics that would allow it to penetrate an enemy’s […]

Margaret Thatcher resigns

Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister in British history, announces her resignation after 11 years in Britain’s top office. Margaret Hilda Roberts was born in Grantham, England, in 1925. In 1959, after marrying businessman Denis Thatcher and giving birth to twins, she was elected to Parliament as a Conservative for Finchley, a north London […]

Angela Merkel becomes Chancellor of Germany

Angela Merkel is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany on November 22, 2005. The first woman to hold the position, Merkel emerged as one of the strongest forces in European politics over the subsequent decade. During her tenure, she was frequently called the most powerful woman in the world and the de facto leader of […]

12-year-old Tamir Rice shot and killed by police

On November 22, 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice is shot dead by police officers in Cleveland, Ohio. Rice, who was carrying a realistic-looking toy gun at the time, was one of several African Americans killed by American law enforcement at the time whose deaths garnered national attention, making him a martyr of the burgeoning Black Lives […]

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement