1922 History Events: What Happened in 1922

The British Empire was at its peak in 1922, with a quarter of the world and one out of every four people under its control. The London version of Whirled into Happiness premiered at the Lyric Theater and ran for a record 246 performances. It was also the year that Pope Benedict XV was elected as the Catholic Church’s 259th Pope.

A 14-year-old boy named Leonard Thompson was the first person to get an insulin injection. Before January 23, doctors advised diabetics to consume a low-carbohydrate, low-fat, low-protein, and low-sugar diet. This form of diabetes management would extend the victim’s life by a year. Insulin was readily available by 1923, and it was saving countless lives.

Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, British archaeologists, became the first persons in almost three millennia to enter King Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of Kings. The archaeologists discovered a variety of priceless things within, including a gilded coffin containing the mummified remains of the youthful king. The records of King Tutankhamen and other Amarna kings were missing in the 13th century B.C. until November 26, when they were discovered.

El Aziza, Libya, reported a temperature of 136.4 degrees Fahrenheit on September 13, 1922. Before a team of atmospheric experts invalidated the record, it had stood for 90 years. El Aziza lost the title in 2012 due to the inexperience of the weather observation crew and the usage of outmoded instruments. On July 10, Death Valley set a new record for the hottest temperature ever recorded, with a temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius).

The legendary Yankee Stadium was built in the Bronx neighbourhood of New York. The USSR had also gone ahead and prosecuted its opponents, resulting in the death sentences of eight priests, two laymen, and a woman for their hostility to the government. In China, a storm slammed Shantou, killing nearly 5,000 people.

Continue reading to discover more about the events of 1922.

Event
(February 28, 1922) With a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, the United Kingdom dissolves its sovereignty over Egypt. Egypt has been recognised as a sovereign nation.
Advertisements (March 01, 1922) Yitzhak Rabin, an Israeli leader and soldier, was born. As Prime Minister of Israel, he engaged in peace negotiations with the Palestinians, for which he shared a share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.
(June 29, 1922) France provides "one square kilometre" of land at Vimy Ridge "freely and forever to the Government of Canada, exempt from all taxes."
(July 09, 1922) Johnny Weissmuller breaks the world swimming record and the "minute barrier" by swimming 100 metres freestyle in 58.6 seconds.
(July 15, 1922) Leon Max Lederman was born in New York City and was a co-recipient of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics for research on neutrinos.
Advertisements (October 18, 1922) The British Broadcasting Company (later Corporation) is created by a consortium with the objective of establishing a nationwide network of radio transmitters for the purpose of providing a national broadcasting service.
(November 04, 1922) The entrance to Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings is discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter and his men in Egypt. photo source: wikimedia.org
(November 09, 1922) The Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded to Albert Einstein in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect; the Nobel committee had postponed the presentation of the 1921 physics prize until 1922. photo source: wikimedia.org
(November 21, 1922) Rebecca Ann Felton of Georgia was sworn in as the first woman to serve in the United States Senate; Felton, who was appointed to the position, only served for one day. photo source: wikimedia.org
Advertisements (November 26, 1922) The Toll of the Sea is the first picture to use two-tone Technicolor in a wide distribution. (The first picture to do so was The Gulf Between, although it was not widely distributed.) photo source: wikimedia.org
(December 30, 1922) The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which was founded on this day in 1922 and had its capital in Moscow, eventually grew to include 15 republics and was the world's largest country (by area) until it was disbanded in 1991. photo source: wikimedia.org