What Happened on February 22?

February 22 is World Thinking Day and George Washington's birthday — the same date the Purple Heart was revived in 1932 and underdog American college players beat Soviet hockey pros in 1980!

• 1879 — First five-cent store opens in Utica, New York

  Frank Winfield Woolworth opened 'Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store,' where everything cost a nickel. The Utica shop flopped within months — but his second try built a worldwide five-and-dime empire. Read the full story →

• 1932 — General Order No. 3 revives the Purple Heart

  Exactly 200 years after George Washington's birth, General Douglas MacArthur revived Washington's own 1782 medal for wounded and meritorious soldiers — the Purple Heart we know today. Read the full story →

• 1980 — Miracle on Ice: U.S. college players upset Soviet hockey team

  A young team of American college players — average age 22 — beat the mighty Soviet Union 4-3 at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, in one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Steve Irwin (1962–2006) · Drew Barrymore (1975)

Days & observances

World Thinking Day · George Washington's Birthday (traditional date)