Updated May 22, 2014, 10:58 am
On May 22, 1947, the Truman Doctrine was enacted as Congress appropriated military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey.
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On May 22, 1859, Arthur Conan Doyle, the Scottish writer best known for his creation of the detective Sherlock Holmes, was born. Following his death on July 7, 1930, his obituary appeared in The Times.
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On This Date
| 1813 | Composer Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany. |
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| 1859 | Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Canon Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. |
| 1868 | The Great Train Robbery took place near Marshfield, Ind., as seven members of the Reno gang made off with $96,000 in cash, gold and bonds. |
| 1907 | Actor Laurence Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, England. |
| 1947 | The Truman Doctrine was enacted as Congress appropriated military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey. |
| 1960 | A magnitude 9.5 earthquake, the strongest ever recorded, struck southern Chile, claiming 1,655 lives. |
| 1981 | "Yorkshire Ripper" Peter Sutcliffe was convicted in London of murdering 13 women and was sentenced to life in prison. |
| 1990 | North Yemen and South Yemen merged to form the Republic of Yemen. |
| 1992 | Johnny Carson hosted NBC's "Tonight Show" for the last time after nearly 30 years in the job. |
| 1998 | Voters in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland cast ballots giving resounding approval to a Northern Ireland peace accord. |
| 2011 | A tornado devastated Joplin, Mo., claiming at least 159 lives and destroying about 8,000 homes and businesses. |
Historic Birthdays
Arthur Conan Doyle
5/22/1859 - 7/7/1930
Scottish writer.Go to obituary »
| 76 |
Louis de Buade Frontenac 5/22/1622 - 11/28/1698 French courtier and governor of New France (1672-82, 1689-98) |
|---|---|
| 77 |
Francois-Joachim Bernis 5/22/1717 - 11/3/1794 French statesman and cardinal |
| 69 |
Richard Wagner 5/22/1813 - 2/13/1883 German composer |
| 42 |
Albrecht von Grafe 5/22/1828 - 7/20/1870 German surgeon and pioneering ophthalmologist |
| 67 |
Catulle Mendes 5/22/1841 - 2/9/1909 French poet, playwright and novelist |
| 82 |
Mary Cassatt 5/22/1844 - 6/14/1926 American Impressionist painter and printmaker |
| 39 |
Giacomo Matteotti 5/22/1885 - 6/10/1924 Italian Socialist leader assassinated by the Fascists in 1924 |
| 67 |
Johannes Becher 5/22/1891 - 10/11/1958 German poet, critic, editor and government official |
| 82 |
Laurence Olivier 5/22/1907 - 7/11/1989 English stage and film actor, director and producer |
Correction: An earlier version of this page identified author Arthur Conan Doyle as English. He was born in Scotland.