22 December History
- 1135 - Stephen of Blois is crowned the king of England.
- 1775 - Esek Hopkins takes command of the Continental Navy — a total of seven ships.
- 1807 - Congress passes the Embargo Act, which halts all trading completely. It is hoped that the act will keep the United States out the European Wars.
- 1829 - The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad opens the first passenger railway line.
- 1918 - The last of the food restrictions, enforced because of the shortages during World War I, are lifted.
- 1929 - Soviet troops leave Manchuria after a truce is reached with the Chinese over the Eastern Railway dispute.
- 1941 - Japanese troops make an amphibious landing on the coast of Lingayen Gulf on Luzon, the Philippines.
- 1942 - The Soviets drive German troops back 15 miles at the Don River.
- 1944 - During the Battle of the Bulge, General Anthony McAuliffe responds to a German surrender request with a one word answer: "Nuts!"
- 1945 - The United States recognizes Tito's government in Yugoslavia.
- 1965 - The EF-105F Wild Weasel makes its first kill over Vietnam.
- 1966 - The United States announces the allocation of 900,000 tons of grain to fight the famine in India.
- 1989 - The Romanian government of Nicolae Ceausescu is overthrown, ending 42 years of communist rule.
22 December Birthdays
- 1856 - Frank Kellogg, U.S. Secretary of State who tried to outlaw war with the Kellogg-Briand Pact.
- 1858 - Giacomo Puccini, Italian operatic composer best known for Madam Butterfly.
- 1883 - Arthur Wergs Mitchell, first African-American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
- 1912 - Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Baines Johnson.