1718

Blackbeard the pirate is killed off the coast of North Carolina. AI analysis

The death of Edward Teach (Blackbeard) marked the end of the "Golden Age of Piracy" in the American colonies. His demise symbolized growing naval power and law enforcement in the Atlantic, though his legend continues to influence popular culture's portrayal of pirates. --AI Explanation

1819

Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) is born. AI analysis

The birth of this influential Victorian novelist marked a significant moment in literary history. Writing under a male pseudonym, she challenged gender norms and revolutionized the English novel through psychological insight and intellectual depth. --AI Explanation

1869

First formal intercollegiate American football game is played. AI analysis

The game between Rutgers and Princeton established American football as a collegiate sport. This marked the beginning of a tradition that would grow into one of America's most significant cultural institutions. --AI Explanation

1898

The SS Portland embarks on its last voyage. AI analysis

This shipwreck in a massive storm led to significant improvements in weather forecasting and maritime safety regulations. The tragedy demonstrated the need for better storm warning systems along the New England coast. --AI Explanation

1906

The International Radio Telegraphic Convention adopts "SOS" as the universal distress signal. AI analysis

This standardization of emergency communications marked a crucial development in maritime safety. The simple and distinctive signal helped save countless lives and remains recognized worldwide. --AI Explanation

1916

Jack London, American author, dies. AI analysis

London's death marked the end of an era in American literature. His works about survival, adventure, and social issues influenced generations of writers and helped establish the American adventure novel genre. --AI Explanation

1922

First Skywriting display over New York City. AI analysis

This novel advertising technique captured public imagination and launched a new form of aerial advertising. It demonstrated how aviation technology could be adapted for commercial purposes. --AI Explanation

1935

First flight of the Martin B-10 bomber. AI analysis

This aircraft revolutionized bomber design with its all-metal construction and enclosed cockpit. It set new standards for military aviation and influenced future aircraft development. --AI Explanation

1943

Lebanon gains independence from France. AI analysis

This marked a significant step in the end of French colonial rule in the Middle East. Lebanon's independence established a unique political system and influenced regional politics. --AI Explanation

1954

First commercially produced IBM computer is shipped. AI analysis

The IBM 650 marked IBM's entry into mass-produced computing. This development helped establish computers as practical business tools and accelerated the digital revolution. --AI Explanation

1955

RCA introduces first color TV sets for consumers. AI analysis

This launch marked the beginning of color television for the mass market. Though initially expensive, it revolutionized home entertainment and advertising. --AI Explanation

1967

UN Security Council adopts Resolution 242. AI analysis

This resolution established principles for Middle East peace negotiations. It became a fundamental reference point for subsequent peace efforts in the region. --AI Explanation

1968

The Beatles release "The White Album." AI analysis

This diverse double album showcased the band's creative peak while revealing growing tensions. It influenced countless musicians and demonstrated how popular music could be both experimental and commercially successful. --AI Explanation

1977

First flight of Air France Concorde between Paris and New York. AI analysis

This regular supersonic service marked a new era in commercial aviation. Though ultimately unsustainable, it represented the peak of twentieth-century aviation technology. --AI Explanation

1986

Mike Tyson becomes youngest Heavyweight Champion. AI analysis

At age 20, Tyson's victory marked a new era in boxing. His aggressive style and young age revolutionized heavyweight boxing and made him a global sports icon. --AI Explanation

1995

Toy Story is released as the first fully computer-animated feature film. AI analysis

This groundbreaking film revolutionized animation and storytelling. It established Pixar's prominence and demonstrated the potential of computer animation in feature films. --AI Explanation

2000

PlayStation 2 launches in Europe. AI analysis

The PS2 launch marked a significant moment in gaming history. The console's success helped establish gaming as mainstream entertainment and promoted DVD technology. --AI Explanation

2004

The Orange Revolution begins in Ukraine. AI analysis

These protests demonstrated the power of peaceful civil resistance. The movement influenced subsequent pro-democracy movements and highlighted the role of youth in political change. --AI Explanation

2005

Angela Merkel becomes Germany's first female Chancellor. AI analysis

Merkel's election marked a milestone for women in European politics. Her leadership would significantly influence European Union policy and global politics. --AI Explanation

2011

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory launches. AI analysis

This mission, carrying the Curiosity rover, represented a new era in Mars exploration. The sophisticated laboratory significantly advanced our understanding of Mars' potential for supporting life. --AI Explanation

November 22 Birthdays

1428

Richard Neville

16th Earl of Warwick, English nobleman, known as "the Kingmaker"

(d. 1471)

1515

Mary of Guise

Queen of Scots

(d. 1560)

1519

Johannes Crato von Krafftheim

German humanist and physician

(d. 1585)

1533

Alfonso II d'Este

Duke of Ferrara, Italian noble

(d. 1597)

1564

Henry Brooke

11th Baron Cobham, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Kent

(d. 1619)

1635

Francis Willughby

English ornithologist and ichthyologist

(d. 1672)

1643

René-Robert Cavelier

Sieur de La Salle, French explorer

(d. 1687)

1690

François Colin de Blamont

French composer

(d. 1760)

1698

Pierre de Rigaud

Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnial, Canadian-American politician, Governor of Louisiana

(d. 1778)

1710

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

German composer

(d. 1784)

1728

Charles Frederick

Grand Duke of Baden

(d. 1811)

1744

Abigail Adams

American wife of John Adams, 2nd First Lady of the United States

(d. 1818)

1780

Conradin Kreutzer

German composer

(d. 1849)

1780

José Cecilio del Valle

Honduran journalist, lawyer, and politician, Foreign Minister of Mexico

(d. 1834)

1787

Rasmus Rask

Danish linguist, philologist, and scholar

(d. 1832)

1808

Thomas Cook

English businessman, founded Thomas Cook Group

(d. 1892)

1819

George Eliot

English novelist and poet

(d. 1880)

1820

Katherine Plunket

Irish supercentenarian

(d. 1932)

1849

Christian Rohlfs

German painter and printmaker

(d. 1938)

1852

Paul-Henri-Benjamin d'Estournelles de Constant

French politician and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate

(d. 1924)

1857

George Gissing

English novelist

(d. 1903)

1859

Cecil Sharp

English folk song scholar

(d. 1924)

1861

Cyrus Edwin Dallin

American sculptor

(d. 1944)

1868

John Nance Garner

American politician, 32nd Vice President of the United States

(d. 1967)

1869

André Gide

French novelist, essayist, and dramatist, Nobel Prize laureate

(d. 1951)

1870

Howard Brockway

American composer

(d. 1951)

1870

Harry Graham

Australian cricketer

(d. 1911)

1873

Leo Amery

Indian-English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies

(d. 1955)

1873

Johnny Tyldesley

English cricketer

(d. 1930)

1876

Emil Beyer

American gymnast and triathlete

(d. 1934)

1877

Endre Ady

Hungarian journalist and poet

(d. 1919)

1877

Joan Gamper

Swiss-Spanish footballer, founded FC Barcelona

(d. 1930)

1881

Enver Pasha

Ottoman general and politician

(d. 1922)

1884

C. J. "Jack" De Garis

Australian entrepreneur

(d. 1926)

1890

Charles de Gaulle

French general and politician, President of France

(d. 1970)

1890

Harry Pollitt

British politician and trade unionist, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain

(d. 1960)

1891

Edward Bernays

American publicist

(d. 1995)

1893

Harley Earl

American industrial designer

(d. 1969)

1893

Lazar Kaganovich

Soviet politician

(d. 1991)

1898

Wiley Post

American pilot

(d. 1935)

1899

Hoagy Carmichael

American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor

(d. 1981)

1901

Béla Juhos

Hungarian-Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle

(d. 1971)

1901

Joaquín Rodrigo

Spanish pianist and composer

(d. 1999)

1902

Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque

French general

(d. 1947)

1902

Emanuel Feuermann

Austrian-American cellist

(d. 1942)

1904

Miguel Covarrubias

Mexican painter and illustrator

(d. 1957)

1904

Louis Néel

French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

(d. 2000)

1904

Fumio Niwa

Japanese author

(d. 2005)

1906

Jørgen Juve

Norwegian football player and journalist

(d. 1983)

1910

Mary Jackson

American actress

(d. 2005)

1911

Ralph Guldahl

American golfer

(d. 1987)

1912

Doris Duke

American heiress and philanthropist

(d. 1993)

1913

Benjamin Britten

English pianist, composer, and conductor

(d. 1976)

1913

Gardnar Mulloy

American tennis player

(d. 2016)

1914

Peter Townsend

British captain and pilot

(d. 1995)

1915

Oswald Morris

British cinematographer

(d. 2014)

1917

Jon Cleary

Australian author and playwright

(d. 2010)

1917

Andrew Huxley

English physiologist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate

(d. 2012)

1917

Mick Shann

Australian diplomat

(d. 1988)

1918

Claiborne Pell

American politician

(d. 2009)

1919

Máire Drumm

Irish politician

(d. 1976)

1920

Anne Crawford

British actress

(d. 1956)

1920

Baidyanath Misra

Indian economist

(d. 2019)

1921

Brian Cleeve

Irish writer and broadcaster

(d. 2003)

1921

Rodney Dangerfield

American comedian, actor, rapper, and screenwriter

(d. 2004)

1922

Eugene Stoner

American engineer and weapons designer, designed the AR-15 rifle

(d. 1997)

1923

Arthur Hiller

Canadian-American director

(d. 2016)

1923

Dika Newlin

American composer and singer

(d. 2006)

1924

Les Johnson

Australian politician

(d. 2015)

1924

Geraldine Page

American actress and singer

(d. 1987)

1925

Jerrie Mock

American pilot

(d. 2014)

1925

Gunther Schuller

American horn player, composer, and conductor

(d. 2015)

1926

Lew Burdette

American baseball player and coach

(d. 2007)

1927

Steven Muller

American academic administrator

(d. 2013)

1928

Tim Beaumont

English priest and politician

(d. 2008)

1928

Mel Hutchins

American basketball player

(d. 2018)

1929

Staughton Lynd

American lawyer, historian, author, and activist

(d. 2022)

1930

Peter Hall

English director

(d. 2017)

1930

Peter Hurford

English organist and composer

(d. 2019)

1932

Robert Vaughn

American actor and director

(d. 2016)

1933

Merv Lincoln

Australian Olympic athlete

(d. 2016)

1934

Rita Sakellariou

Greek singer

(d. 1999)

1935

Ludmila Belousova

Soviet ice skater

(d. 2017)

1936

John Bird

English actor, writer and satirist

(d. 2022)

1937

Zenon Jankowski

Polish pilot and military office

r

1937

Nikolai Kapustin

Soviet pianist and composer

(d. 2020)

1938

John Eleuthère du Pont

American convicted murderer

(d. 2010)

1939

Tom West

American technologist

(d. 2011)

1939

Mulayam Singh Yadav

Indian politician, Indian Minister of Defence

(d. 2022)

1940

Terry Gilliam

American-English actor, director, animator, and screenwrite

r

1940

Roy Thomas

American autho

r

1940

Andrzej Żuławski

Polish director and screenwriter

(d. 2016)

1941

Tom Conti

Scottish actor and directo

r

1941

Jacques Laperrière

Canadian ice hockey player and coac

h

1941

Jesse Colin Young

American singer-songwriter and bass playe

r

1942

Guion Bluford

American astronau

t

1942

Floyd Sneed

Canadian drummer

(d. 2023)

1943

Yvan Cournoyer

Canadian ice hockey playe

r

1943

Billie Jean King

American tennis playe

r

1943

Mushtaq Mohammad

Pakistani crickete

r

1945

Kari Tapio

Finnish singer

(d. 2010)

1947

Sandy Alderson

American baseball executiv

e

1947

Rod Price

English guitarist and songwriter

(d. 2005)

1947

Nevio Scala

Italian footballer and manage

r

1947

Salt Walther

American race car driver

(d. 2012)

1947

Valerie Wilson Wesley

American journalist and autho

r

1948

Radomir Antić

Serbian footballer and manager

(d. 2020)

1948

Saroj Khan

Indian dance choreographer, known as "The Mother of Dance/Choreography in India"

(d. 2020)

1948

Mick Rock

English photographer

(d. 2021)

1949

Richard Carmona

American physician and politician, Surgeon General of the United State

s

1950

Lyman Bostock

American baseball player

(d. 1978)

1950

Jim Jefferies

Scottish footballer and manage

r

1950

Steven Van Zandt

American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and acto

r

1950

Tina Weymouth

American singer-songwriter and bass playe

r

1951

Kent Nagano

American conducto

r

1953

Wayne Larkins

English crickete

r

1954

Denise Epoté

Cameroonian journalist at the head of the Africa management of TV5 Mond

e

1954

Paolo Gentiloni

Italian politician, Prime Minister of Ital

y

1954

Carol Tomcala

Australian sports shoote

r

1955

George Alagiah

British journalist

(d. 2023)

1955

James Edwards

American basketball playe

r

1956

Lawrence Gowan

Scottish-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard playe

r

1956

Richard Kind

American acto

r

1957

Donny Deutsch

American businessman and television hos

t

1957

Alan Stern

American engineer and planetary scientis

t

1958

Jamie Lee Curtis

American actres

s

1958

Lee Guetterman

American baseball playe

r

1958

Ibrahim Ismail of Johor

Sultan of Johor and the 17th and current Yang Di Pertuan Agong or the King of Malaysi

a

1958

Jason Ringenberg

American singer-songwriter and guitaris

t

1959

Frank McAvennie

Scottish footballe

r

1959

Fabio Parra

Colombian cyclis

t

1960

Leos Carax

French actor, director, and screenwrite

r

1961

Mariel Hemingway

American actres

s

1961

Stephen Hough

English-Australian pianist and compose

r

1962

Sumi Jo

South Korean sopran

o

1962

Victor Pelevin

Russian autho

r

1963

Hugh Millen

American football playe

r

1963

Tony Mowbray

English footballer and manage

r

1963

Kennedy Polamalu

Samoan-American football player and coac

h

1963

Brian Robbins

American actor, director, producer, and screenwrite

r

1964

Apetor

Norwegian YouTuber

(d. 2021)

1964

Benoit Benjamin

American basketball playe

r

1964

Stephen Geoffreys

American acto

r

1964

Robbie Slater

English-Australian footballer and sportscaste

r

1965

Valeriya Gansvind

Estonian chess playe

r

1965

Olga Kisseleva

Russian artis

t

1965

Mads Mikkelsen

Danish acto

r

1966

Mark Pritchard

English politicia

n

1966

Nicholas Rowe

British acto

r

1966

Michael K. Williams

American actor

(d. 2021)

1967

Boris Becker

German tennis playe

r

1967

Tom Elliott

Australian investment banke

r

1967

Mark Ruffalo

American acto

r

1967

Bart Veldkamp

Dutch-Belgian speed skater and coac

h

1968

Daedra Charles

American basketball player and coach

(d. 2018)

1968

Sidse Babett Knudsen

Danish actres

s

1969

Byron Houston

American basketball playe

r

1969

Marjane Satrapi

Iranian author and illustrato

r

1970

Marvan Atapattu

Sri Lankan crickete

r

1970

Chris Fryar

American drumme

r

1970

Stel Pavlou

English author and screenwrite

r

1971

Cath Bishop

English rowe

r

1971

Kyran Bracken

Irish-English rugby playe

r

1972

Olivier Brouzet

French rugby playe

r

1972

Russell Hoult

English footballe

r

1972

Jay Payton

American baseball playe

r

1973

Andrew Walker

Australian rugby playe

r

1974

Joe Nathan

American baseball playe

r

1974

David Pelletier

Canadian figure skater and coac

h

1976

Adrian Bakalli

Belgian footballe

r

1976

Torsten Frings

German footballer and coac

h

1976

Regina Halmich

German boxe

r

1976

Ville Valo

Finnish singer-songwrite

r

1977

Kerem Gönlüm

Turkish basketball playe

r

1978

Colin Best

Australian rugby league playe

r

1979

Christian Terlizzi

Italian footballe

r

1980

David Artell

English footballer and coac

h

1980

Shawn Fanning

American computer programmer and businessman, founded Napste

r

1980

Yaroslav Rybakov

Russian high jumpe

r

1981

Pape Sow

Senegalese basketball playe

r

1982

Xavier Doherty

Australian crickete

r

1982

Derrick Johnson

American football playe

r

1982

Yakubu

Nigerian footballe

r

1983

Tyler Hilton

American actor and singer-songwrite

r

1983

Peter Ramage

English footballe

r

1984

Scarlett Johansson

American actres

s

1985

Asamoah Gyan

Ghanaian footballe

r

1985

Dieumerci Mbokani

Congolese footballe

r

1985

Mandy Minella

Luxembourgian tennis playe

r

1985

Adam Ottavino

American baseball playe

r

1985

James Roby

English rugby league playe

r

1986

Oscar Pistorius

South African sprinter and convicted murdere

r

1987

Martti Aljand

Estonian swimme

r

1987

Elias

American wrestle

r

1988

Jamie Campbell Bower

English actor, singer, and mode

l

1988

Drew Pomeranz

American baseball playe

r

1988

Austin Romine

American baseball playe

r

1989

Alden Ehrenreich

American acto

r

1989

Candice Glover

American singe

r

1989

Chris Smalling

English footballe

r

1989

Gabriel Torje

Romanian footballe

r

1990

Brock Osweiler

American football playe

r

1991

Tarik Black

American basketball playe

r

1992

Natalie Achonwa

Canadian basketball playe

r

1992

Carles Gil

Spanish footballe

r

1992

Vladislav Namestnikov

Russian ice hockey playe

r

1994

Samantha Bricio

Mexican volleyball playe

r

1994

Dacre Montgomery

Australian acto

r

1994

Nicolás Stefanelli

Argentine footballe

r

1994

Keiji Tanaka

Japanese figure skate

r

1995

Katherine McNamara

American actres

s

1996

Hailey Bieber

American mode

l

1996

Mackenzie Lintz

American actres

s

1996

JuJu Smith-Schuster

American football playe

r

2000

Auliʻi Cravalho

American actress and singe

r

2002

Brandon Miller

American basketball playe

r

2002

Owen Power

Canadian ice hockey playe

r

November 22 Deaths

1249

As-Salih Ayyub

ruler of Egyp

t

1538

John Lambert

English Protestant marty

r

1617

Ahmed I

Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam

(b. 1590)

1694

John Tillotson

English archbishop

(b. 1630)

1697

Libéral Bruant

French architect and academic, designed Les Invalides

(b. c.1635)

1718

Blackbeard

English pirate

(b. 1680)

1758

Richard Edgcumbe

1st Baron Edgcumbe, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall

(b. 1680)

1774

Robert Clive

English general, politician and first British governor of Bengal

(b. 1725)

1813

Johann Christian Reil

German physician, physiologist, and anatomist

(b. 1759)

1819

John Stackhouse

English botanist

(b. 1742)

1871

Oscar James Dunn

African American activist and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana 1868-1871

(b. 1826)

1875

Henry Wilson

American politician, 18th Vice President of the United States

(b. 1812)

1886

Mary Boykin Chesnut

American author

(b. 1823)

1896

George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.

American engineer, invented the Ferris wheel

(b. 1859)

1900

Arthur Sullivan

English composer

(b. 1842)

1902

Walter Reed

American physician and entomologist

(b. 1851)

1913

Tokugawa Yoshinobu

Japanese shōgun

(b. 1837)

1916

Jack London

American novelist and journalist

(b. 1876)

1919

Francisco Moreno

Argentinian explorer and academic

(b. 1852)

1921

Edward J. Adams

American serial/spree killer and bank robber

(b.1887)

1941

Werner Mölders

German colonel and pilot

(b. 1913)

1943

Lorenz Hart

American composer

(b. 1895)

1944

Arthur Eddington

English astrophysicist and astronomer

(b. 1882)

1946

Otto Georg Thierack

German jurist and politician, German Minister of Justice

(b. 1889)

1955

Shemp Howard

American actor and comedian

(b. 1895)

1956

Theodore Kosloff

Russian-American actor, ballet dancer, and choreographer

(b. 1882)

1963

Aldous Huxley

English novelist and philosopher

(b. 1894)

1963

John F. Kennedy

American politician, 35th President of the United States

(b. 1917)

1963

C. S. Lewis

British writer, literary scholar, and Anglican lay theologian

(b. 1898)

1963

J. D. Tippit

American police officer

(b. 1924)

1980

Jules Léger

Canadian journalist and politician, Governor General of Canada

(b. 1913)

1980

Norah McGuinness

Irish painter and illustrator

(b. 1901)

1980

Mae West

American stage and film actress

(b. 1893)

1981

Hans Adolf Krebs

German-English physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate

(b. 1900)

1986

Scatman Crothers

American actor and comedian

(b. 1910)

1988

Luis Barragán

Mexican architect and engineer

(b. 1902)

1989

René Moawad

Lebanese lawyer and politician, 13th President of Lebanon

(b. 1925)

1991

Tadashi Imai

Japanese director

(b. 1912)

1992

Sterling Holloway

American actor

(b. 1905)

1993

Anthony Burgess

English novelist, playwright, and critic

(b. 1917)

1996

Terence Donovan

English photographer and director

(b. 1936)

1997

Michael Hutchence

Australian singer-songwriter

(b. 1960)

1998

Stu Ungar

American poker player

(b. 1953)

2000

Christian Marquand

French actor, director, and screenwriter

(b. 1927)

2001

Mary Kay Ash

American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay, Inc.

(b. 1918)

2001

Theo Barker

English historian and academic

(b. 1923)

2001

Norman Granz

American record producer, founded Verve Records

(b. 1918)

2002

Parley Baer

American actor

(b. 1914)

2005

Bruce Hobbs

American jockey and trainer

(b. 1920)

2006

Asima Chatterjee

Indian chemist

(b. 1917)

2006

Pat Dobson

American baseball player and coach

(b. 1942)

2007

Maurice Béjart

French-Swiss dancer, choreographer, and director

(b. 1927)

2007

Verity Lambert

English television producer

(b. 1935)

2010

Jean Cione

American baseball player

(b. 1928)

2010

Frank Fenner

Australian virologist and microbiologist

(b. 1914)

2011

Svetlana Alliluyeva

Russian-American author

(b. 1926)

2011

Sena Jurinac

Bosnian-Austrian soprano

(b. 1921)

2011

Lynn Margulis

American biologist and academic

(b. 1938)

2011

Paul Motian

American drummer and composer

(b. 1931)

2012

Bryce Courtenay

South African-Australian author

(b. 1933)

2013

Tom Gilmartin

Irish businessman

(b. 1935)

2013

Georges Lautner

French director and screenwriter

(b. 1926)

2013

Alec Reid

Irish priest and activist

(b. 1931)

2015

Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury

Bangladeshi politician

(b. 1949)

2015

Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed

Bangladeshi politician

(b. 1948)

2015

Kim Young-sam

South Korean soldier and politician, President of South Korea

(b. 1927)

2016

M. Balamuralikrishna

Indian vocalist and singer

(b. 1930)

2017

Bob Avakian

American music producer

(b. 1919)

2017

Dmitri Hvorostovsky

Russian operatic baritone

(b. 1962)

2017

Tommy Keene

American singer-songwriter

(b. 1958)

2020

Otto Hutter

Austrian-born British physiologist

(b. 1924)

2022

John Y. Brown Jr.

American soldier, lawyer, and politician, Governor of Kentucky

(b. 1933)