September 22
Activity of the day
Today is . . .
- Car Free Day in Europe
- American Business Women’s Day in the U.S.
- OneWebDay
- Hobbit Day
- Independence Day in Bulgaria
- Independence Day in Mali
- Feast Day of St Phocas, patron saint of gardeners and sailors
On this day . . .
- Sir Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister to occupy 10 Downing Street (1735)
- France is declared a Republic (1792)
- US President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, ordering the freeing of slaves (1862)
- Italo Marchiony applies for a patent for the ice cream cone (1903)
- The Soviet Union explodes its first atomic bomb (1949)
- Gibbs SR toothpaste is the first TV commercial to be shown in Britain (1955)
- The Solidarity movement in Poland is created, with Lech Walesa as its leader (1980)
Births
- Christabel Pankhurst, English suffragette (1880)
- Erich von Stroheim, Austrian actor and film director (1885)
- Fay Weldon, British author (1931)
- Nick Cave, Australian musician (1957)
- Andrea Bocelli, Italian singer (1958)
- Scott Baio, US actor (1961)
- Ronaldo, Brazilian football player (1976)
Deaths
- Axel Springer, German publisher (1985)
- Irving Berlin, US composer (1989)
- George C. Scott, American actor (1999)
- Marcel Marceau, French mime artist (2007)