What happened on May 22nd?

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Year What happened?
337 AD Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, dies Learn more..
  1040 years
1377 Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of John Wycliffe. Learn more..
  78 years
1455 The first in Wars of the Roses, the Battle of St Albans at which Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures Henry VI. Learn more..
  71 years
1526 Pope Clement VII teams up with European leaders to challenge the Habsburg Emperor Charles V's growing power, when they form The League of Cognac Learn more..
  44 years
1570 Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, considered the first modern atlas, is published by Abraham Ortelius in Antwerp - it even points a tentative finger to the theory of continental drift Learn more..
  41 years
1611 James I of Great Britain created the title of baronet Learn more..
  140 years
1751 Chesterfield's Calendar Act given royal assent allowing the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar "Throughout all his Majesty's Dominions" Learn more..
  48 years
1799 Napoleon makes a statement extolling Jews to seize the moment and restore 'your political existence as a nation among the nations' Learn more..
1807 His public reputation tarnished after killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel, Former US Vice President Aaron Burr is tried for treason Learn more..
1809 First prisoners arrive at Dartmoor Prison in Devon, England Learn more..
1813 German composer Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany. Learn more..
  13 years
1826 HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage as a survey vessel, to survey Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego - Darwin would be on the next one Learn more..
  14 years
1840 An Order-in-Council is issued removing New South Wales from the list of places where convicts could be sent and so defining it as a free colony Learn more..
1843 700-1,000 migrants set off on the first major wagon train from Independence, Missouri for Oregon - part of what will become known as the Great Emigration Learn more..
1844 American painter Mary Cassatt, the only American artist to exhibit with the Impressionists in Paris, is born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania Learn more..
1849 Abraham Lincoln becomes the only US President to receive a patent - it's for a device to lift a boat over shoals and obstructions Learn more..
1856 The business of the US Senate was interrupted when Representative Preston Brooks uses a cane to beat Senator Charles Sumner for criticising slave owners - it took Sumner 3 years to fully recover from his wounds Learn more..
1859 Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle was born at Edinburgh, Scotland. Learn more..
  26 years
1885 French poet, novelist, and dramatist Victor Hugo, the most important of the French Romantic writers, dies at age 83 Learn more..
1892 Dr Washington Sheffield invents the toothpaste tube - he thought it unsanitary for multiple people to dip their toothbrushes into one jar of toothpaste Learn more..
1897 The Blackwall Tunnel, the first road tunnel under the River Thames, officially opens Learn more..
1906 The garrison of Esquimalt is evacuated - they are the last British soldiers to be stationed in Canada Learn more..
The Wright Brothers are granted a patent for their 'flying machine' after a wait of 3 years Learn more..
1907 The creator of Tintin, Georges Remi, who created the pen name Hergé by reversing his initials, is born in Brussels Learn more..
Laurence Olivier was born in Dorking, England. Learn more..
  32 years
1939 The Pact of Steel is signed, formalising the alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis Learn more..
1942 Mexico declare war on Germany, Italy, and Japan Learn more..
1946 George Best, who was given the nickname of the Fifth Beatle and became one of the first celebrity footballers, is born in Belfast Learn more..
1947 Congress approved the Truman Doctrine, assuring U.S. support for Greece and Turkey to prevent the spread of Communism. Learn more..
1954 Robert Allen Zimmerman celebrates his bar mitzvah in Hibbing, Minnesota - he will later find fame as Bob Dylan Learn more..
  15 years
1969 The Apollo 10 mission gets to within eight miles of the Moon's surface Learn more..
1970 Anti-apartheid activist Peter Hain, welcomes the news that the South African cricketers UK tour has been called off Learn more..
1972 President Richard Nixon became the first American president to visit Moscow. Learn more..
1980 The arcade game Pac-Man (originally called Puck Man) is first released in Japan by Namco Learn more..
  18 years
1998 Voters in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland overwhelmingly support the so-called Good Friday agreement Learn more..
  28 years
2026 Today

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