What Happened on October 22?
October 22 is National Nut Day — celebrating crunchy, brain-friendly snacks — on the same date Kennedy revealed missiles in Cuba in 1962, Garnerin parachuted in 1797, and Carlson invented xerography in 1938.
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1797 — André-Jacques Garnerin makes the first documented parachute jump from a balloon
On October 22, 1797, French aeronaut André-Jacques Garnerin jumped from a hydrogen balloon over Paris using a parachute — a pioneering descent. Read the full story →
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1836 — Sam Houston becomes the first elected president of the Republic of Texas
On October 22, 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first regularly elected president of the independent Republic of Texas. Read the full story →
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1883 — New York's Metropolitan Opera House opens
On October 22, 1883, the Metropolitan Opera opened in New York City with a performance of Gounod's Faust — launching America's premier opera company. Read the full story →
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1938 — Chester Carlson invents xerography — the dry-copying process
On October 22, 1938, inventor Chester Carlson produced the first xerographic copy in Queens, New York — the dry process behind modern photocopiers. Read the full story →
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1962 — President Kennedy announces Soviet missiles in Cuba
On October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy told the world that Soviet nuclear missiles had been found in Cuba — launching the Cuban Missile Crisis. Read the full story →
Famous birthdays
Franz Liszt (1811–1886) · Ichiro Suzuki (1973) · Spike Lee (1957) · Catherine Deneuve (1943)
Days & observances
National Nut Day · International Stuttering Awareness Day · National Knee Day · National Color Day