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

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

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

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1073 CE, April 22

Pope Alexander II dies after a papacy that advanced many reforms in the Catholic Church.

1500 CE, April 22

Pedro Álvares Cabral's 13 ship fleet lands in Brazil, leading to the Portuguese claim on the territory.

1502 CE, April 22

Christopher Columbus begins his fourth and final voyage to the New World.

1521 CE, April 22

Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrives in the Philippines.

1671 CE, April 22

1671, April 22 - Pirate Captain Henry Morgan captures Panama City from the Spanish.

1709 CE, April 22

The Battle of Poltava takes place, leading to a significant victory for Peter the Great of Russia over Charles XII of Sweden.

1797 CE, April 22

The Battle of Neuwied takes place during the French Revolutionary Wars, resulting in a French victory over the Austrians.

1827 CE, April 22

The first performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, takes place in Vienna.

1861 CE, April 22

General Robert E. Lee accepts the appointment of major general of Virginia’s state forces. On May 7 Virginia joined the Confederacy . On May 14, Lee was commissioned brigadier general in the Confederate army. He was promoted to full general on August 31, 1861. More

1889 CE, April 22

The Oklahoma Land Rush begins as thousands of homesteaders plant their stakes pursuing their 160 acres claims to nearly 1.9 million acres of land that was formerly part of Indian Territory but had been identified by the federal government as unassigned land. Thousands of people seeking land crowded into towns that served as official starting points for the April 22 claim race. Different starting points experienced a different process, some more orderly and some more chaotic. More

1970 CE, April 22

The first Earth Day is celebrated in the United States to promote environmental awareness.

1997 CE, April 22

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori orders an assault of the Japanese ambassador’s residence to rescue the 72 hostages remaining of the 490 taken during a party celebrating Emperor Akihito’s birthday, by armed terrorists from the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, a Marxist-Leninist organization, All the rebels, including their leader, were killed during the rescue operation. Only one hostage, Supreme Court Justice, Carlos Giusti, was killed in the attack Two soldiers wounded during the rescue operation died later from their injuries. More