December 22 in Pop Culture History

December 22nd History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

December 22nd History Highlights

  • December 22, **** Birthday (fictional) Queen Elsa of Arendelle, Frozen, Disney
  • 1956 – Colo, born at the Columbus, Ohio Zoo, was the first gorilla born in Peru.
  • December 22, 2012 (fiction) After a lot of planning, the alien colonization began on Earth on The X-Files, TV.
  • 1990 – Lech Walesa was elected President of Poland.
  • 2010 – The repeal of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, the policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, was signed into law by President Barack Obama.
  • If you were born on December 22nd,
    You were likely conceived the week of… March 30th (same year)

Lech Walesa

Lech Wałęsa is a Polish trade-union activist and politician, who was the President of Poland from 1990 to 1995. He became famous for his role in organizing protests against Communist rule in Poland during the 1980s. In 1983, he co-founded Solidarity, which helped bring about the end of Communism in Poland and across Europe. In 1990, Wałęsa was elected President of Poland in a free and fair election. He served as President until 1995 when he retired from politics. Since then, Wałęsa has remained active in Polish politics and public life. In 2007, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in helping to end Communist rule in Poland.

Today, Wałęsa is considered a national hero in Poland and is widely respected around the world for his work promoting democracy and human rights. He continues to be an outspoken advocate for freedom, democracy, and human rights and remains an important figure in Polish politics and public life.

December 22nd is…

Abilities Day
Be a Lover of Silence Day
National Cookie Exchange Day

December 22nd Birthday Quotes

“It’s OK to feel crappy sometimes and it’s OK to feel like you don’t look like the next person. But what you have to know is that you are beautiful and you are strong and you are worth it. It’s important to know that.”
– Jordin Sparks

“There are no secrets that time does not reveal.”
– Jean-Baptiste Racine

“Follow what you are genuinely passionate about and let that guide you to your destination.”
– Diane Sawyer

“My heroes are just everyday people who work hard, are honest, and have integrity.”
– Jordin Sparks

“Don’t think your dreams don’t come true, because they do. You’d better be careful what you wish for.”
– Barbara Billingsley

“I don’t feel particularly comfortable about actors using whatever power they may have to push their beliefs unless they’re extremely well informed.”
-Ralph Fiennes

December 22nd Birthdays

1639 – Jean-Baptiste Racine, French playwright (died in 1699)
1858 – Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer (died in 1924)
1862 – Connie Mack, American baseball player, and icon (died in 1956)
1915 – Barbara Billingsley, American actress (died in 2010)
1944 – Steve Carlton, American baseball player
1945 – Diane Sawyer, American journalist
1946 – Pamela Courson, American girlfriend of Jim Morrison (died in 1974) #27club
1948 – Steve Garvey, American baseball player
1960 – Luther Campbell, American rapper
1962 – Ralph Fiennes, English actor
1968 – Dina Meyer, American actress
1970 – Ted Cruz, American politician
1972 – Vanessa Paradis, French actress
1989 – Jordin Sparks, American singer
1993 – Meghan Trainor, American singer-songwriter

December 22nd History

December 22, **** Birthday (fictional) Queen Elsa of Arendelle, Frozen, Disney

856 (Earthquake) Damghan, Iran

1666 – The French Academy of Sciences was founded.

1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67) premiered. It is one of the most well-known pieces of music of all time.

1882 – The first string of electric lights decorating a Christmas tree was created for his house by Edward H. Johnson.

1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia became the first asteroid discovered using photography.

1900 – Emil Jellinek, an Austrian racer, bought the first ‘Mercedes’ automobile.

1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel in New York opened to traffic. A second tube of the Lincoln Tunnel to the north of the first was opened on February 1, 1945, and a third tube was added south of the first on May 25, 1957.

1947 – The transistor was first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.

1956 – Colo was born at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio. She was the first gorilla born in captivity.

1958 – #1 Hit December 22, 1958 – January 18, 1959: The Chipmunks with David Seville – The Chipmunk Song

1962 – #1 Hit December 22, 1962 – January 11, 1963: The Tornados – Telstar

1963 – The National Christmas Tree was not lit until December 22nd because of a national 30-day period of mourning following the assassination of President Kennedy.

1978 – Full-time businessman and part-time clown John Wayne Gacy confessed to kidnapping, torturing, and killing several dozen young men.

1979 – #1 Hit December 22, 1979 – January 4, 1980: Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Pina Colada Song)

1984 – #1 Hit December 22, 1984 – February 1, 1985: MadonnaLike a Virgin

1984 – Bernhard ‘Bernie” Goetz shot several would-be muggers in a Manhattan, New York subway.

1989 – Tango & Cash, Born on the Fourth of July, and Roger & Me were released in theaters.

1990 – Kindergarten Cop, Bonfire of the Vanities, and Awakenings were released in theaters.

1995 – Cutthroat Island, Grumpier Old Men, and Waiting to Exhale were released in theaters.

1999 – Man on the Moon was released in theaters.

2000O Brother Where Art Thou?, Miss Congeniality, and The Family Man debuted in theaters.

2002 – #1 Hit December 22, 2001February 22, 2002: Nickelback – How You Remind Me

2004Meet the Fockers and Phantom of the Opera were released in theaters.

2006Night At The Museum, Hotel Rwanda and The Good Shepard debuted in theaters.

2010 – Little Fockers and True Grit were released in theaters.

2012 – #1 Hit December 22, 2012 – February 1, 2013: Bruno Mars – Locked Out of Heaven

December 22, 2012 (fiction) After long planning, the alien colonization began on Earth on The X-Files, TV

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

It’s socially unacceptable for men to invite kids to sit on their lap unless they’re dressed as Santa Claus.

The biggest film of 1924: Der müde Tod (Thriller) earned ~ $12,000

The human brain is a wonderful thing. It starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.

Vladimir Lenin – Real Name: Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov

In the U.S., the official definition of a white Christmas is that there has to be a snow depth of at least 1″ (2.5 cm) at 7:00 a.m. local time on Christmas morning. In Canada the official definition is that there has to be more than .8″ (2 cm) on the ground on Christmas Day.

Every time someone in a movie has to draw blood they always cut the palm of their hand. Surely this is the least convenient place to have a deep cut.

Today’s Ponder: The most blessed people are those who sneeze the most.

The unit of Watts was named after James Watt who came up with the unit of horsepower, both of which are units of power. #what?

Bruce Willis – Real Name: Walter Willis

In 1981 George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers went on their 50/50 tour where they played in all 50 states in just 50 days.

Obi-wan Kenobi’s home planet, Stewjon, is named after former The Daily Show host Jon Stewart.

I wonder how many of the people who’ve uttered the phrase “I could get hit by a bus tomorrow” actually got hit by a bus the next day.

“And I find it kinda funny, I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.” #songlyrics

The biggest film of 2017: Beauty and the Beast (Musical) earned ~ $504,000,000

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