2022 Timeline: Events, People and History

Events in 2022 102

1925 – 2022 Angela Lansbury (1925-2022) Died 11 October 2022, aged 96 British-American actress of a seventy-five-year career, from Gaslight to Murder, She Wrote, with five Tony Awards along the way.
1925 – 2022 Angela Lansbury (1925-2022) British-American actress whose career spanned eight decades, from Gaslight to Broadway's Mame and television's Murder, She Wrote.
1926 – 2022 Elizabeth II (1926-2022) Died 8 September 2022, aged 96 Princess Elizabeth of York was born in London on 21 April 1926, the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. She became Queen of the United Kingdom in 1952 and went on to become the longest-reigning British monarch.
1926 – 2022 Jiang Zemin (1926-2022) Died 30 November 2022, aged 96 Chinese politician who led the country from 1989 to 2002, steering it through the aftermath of Tiananmen and into the WTO.
1926 – 2022 Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) Died 22 January 2022, aged 95 Vietnamese Zen monk, poet and peace activist who brought mindfulness practice to the West.
1927 – 2022 Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) Died 6 January 2022, aged 94 Bahamian-American actor, the first Black man to win the Academy Award for best actor, for Lilies of the Field.
1927 – 2022 Pope Benedict XVI (1927-2022) Died 31 December 2022, aged 95 German theologian who led the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 and in 2013 became the first pope in six centuries to resign.
1928 – 2022 Estelle Harris (1928-2022) Died 2 April 2022, aged 93 American actress known for Seinfeld and as the voice of Mrs Potato Head in the Toy Story films.
1929 – 2022 Barbara Walters (1929-2022) Died 30 December 2022, aged 93 American broadcaster who was the first woman to anchor a network evening news programme in the United States.
1929 – 2022 Lata Mangeshkar (1929-2022) Died 6 February 2022, aged 92 Indian playback singer whose voice carried Hindi cinema for seven decades and who recorded in thirty-six languages.
1930 – 2022 Jean-Luc Godard (1930-2022) Died 13 September 2022, aged 91 French-Swiss director whose Breathless launched the New Wave and who spent six decades dismantling how films are made.
1931 – 2022 Philip Baker Hall (1931-2022) Died 12 June 2022, aged 90 American character actor of Magnolia, Boogie Nights and Hard Eight.
1931 – 2022 Mikhail Gorbachev Last leader of the Soviet Union, 1985-1991 Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (March 2, 1931 – August 30, 2022) was the last leader of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 until the USSR's dissolution in 1991. His policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) inadvertently led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.
1931 – 2022 Mwai Kibaki (1931-2022) Died 21 April 2022, aged 90 Kenyan politician who served as president from 2002 to 2013.
1932 – 2022 Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022) Died 30 July 2022, aged 89 American actress whose Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek was among the first non-stereotyped Black roles on American television.
1932 – 2022 Luc Montagnier (1932-2022) Died 8 February 2022, aged 89 French virologist who shared the 2008 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for identifying HIV.
1934 – 2022 Raymond Briggs (1934-2022) Died 9 August 2022, aged 88 English illustrator and author of The Snowman and When the Wind Blows.
1934 – 2022 Bill Russell The Secretary of Defense Holds the record for the most NBA championships as a player (11) with the Boston Celtics.
1935 – 2022 Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022) Died 28 October 2022, aged 87 American singer and pianist whose Great Balls of Fire made him one of rock and roll's founding figures.
1935 – 2022 Paula Rego Visual Artist World-renowned painter and printmaker known for her dark, storytelling-based artworks.
1937 – 2022 Madeleine Albright (1937-2022) Died 23 March 2022, aged 84 Czech-born American diplomat who was the first woman to serve as United States secretary of state.
1940 – 2022 James Caan (1940-2022) Died 6 July 2022, aged 82 American actor whose Sonny Corleone in The Godfather earned an Academy Award nomination.
1940 – 2022 Pelé (1940-2022) Died 29 December 2022, aged 82 Brazilian footballer, the only man to win three World Cups and for many the greatest player the game has produced.
1941 – 2022 Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022) Died 29 December 2022, aged 81 British designer who dressed the punk movement and spent five decades turning subversion into couture.
1943 – 2022 Christine McVie (1943-2022) Died 30 November 2022, aged 79 British singer and songwriter of Fleetwood Mac, who wrote Everywhere, Don't Stop and Songbird.
1943 – 2022 Ronnie Spector (1943-2022) Died 12 January 2022, aged 78 American singer of the Ronettes, whose voice on Be My Baby defined the girl-group era.
1943 – 2022 Vangelis (1943-2022) Died 18 May 2022, aged 79 Greek composer whose electronic scores for Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner reshaped film music.
1944 – 2022 David Trimble (1944-2022) Died 25 July 2022, aged 77 Northern Irish politician who shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize for his part in the Good Friday Agreement.
1947 – 2022 Meat Loaf (1947-2022) Died 20 January 2022, aged 74 American singer and actor whose Bat Out of Hell remains one of the best-selling albums ever made.
1948 – 2022 Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022) Died 8 August 2022, aged 73 British-Australian singer and actress of Grease and Physical, and a long-standing campaigner on breast cancer.
1948 – 2022 Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (1948-2022) Died 13 May 2022, aged 73 President of the United Arab Emirates from 2004 until his death, and ruler of Abu Dhabi.
1949 – 2022 Ivana Trump (1949-2022) Died 14 July 2022, aged 73 Czech-American businesswoman and the first wife of Donald Trump.
1950 – 2022 William Hurt (1950-2022) Died 13 March 2022, aged 71 American actor who won an Academy Award for Kiss of the Spider Woman and was nominated three years running.
1954 – 2022 Ray Liotta (1954-2022) Died 26 May 2022, aged 67 American actor whose Henry Hill in Goodfellas is among the defining performances of American cinema.
1956 – 2022 Bob Saget (1956-2022) Died 9 January 2022, aged 65 American comedian and actor known for Full House and America's Funniest Home Videos.
1959 – 2022 Irene Cara (1959-2022) Died 25 November 2022, aged 63 American singer and actress who sang Fame and won an Oscar for co-writing Flashdance... What a Feeling.
1963 – 2022 Coolio (1963-2022) Died 28 September 2022, aged 59 American rapper whose Gangsta's Paradise topped charts worldwide in 1995.
1964 – 2022 Mark Lanegan (1964-2022) Died 22 February 2022, aged 57 American singer of Screaming Trees and a solo career of unusual depth, one of the defining voices of the Seattle scene.
1969 – 2022 Anne Heche (1969-2022) Died 12 August 2022, aged 53 American actress of Donnie Brasco, Wag the Dog and Six Days Seven Nights.
1969 – 2022 Shane Warne (1969-2022) Died 4 March 2022, aged 52 Australian leg-spinner regarded as the finest of all time, who took 708 Test wickets and revived the art of wrist spin.
1972 – 2022 Taylor Hawkins (1972-2022) Died 25 March 2022, aged 50 American drummer of the Foo Fighters for twenty-five years.
1982 – 2022 Dan Carter All Blacks fly-half and one of rugby union's greatest playmakers Daniel William Carter is a former New Zealand rugby union first five-eighth widely regarded as the greatest fly-half in the sport's history. Over a 13-year international career with the All Blacks he won two Rugby World Cups (2011, 2015), three World Rugby Player of the Year awards, and retired as the leading points scorer in Test rugby history. After leaving the All Blacks he continued at club level with Racing 92 in France and the Kobelco Steelers in Japan, capping a career defined by precision goal-kicking, vision, and composure under pressure.
1994 – 2022 Takeoff (1994-2022) Died 1 November 2022, aged 28 American rapper and member of Migos, the trio that shaped a decade of hip-hop flow.
2005 – 2022 President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine In 2005 Bubka is elected President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOC Ukraine), a position he holds into the 2020s. The role makes him Ukraine's most senior sports administrator and its primary representative in international Olympic governance. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he becomes one of the most prominent Ukrainian voices in international sports organisations, advocating for Ukraine's right to compete and for sanctions on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
2022 Death of Elizabeth II End of the second Elizabethan age Queen Elizabeth II died after a 70-year reign.
2022 Everything Everywhere All at Once Best Picture — 95th Academy Awards The Daniels' multiverse comedy starring Michelle Yeoh, winner of seven Oscars.
2022 Jalen Brunson signs with the Knicks New York signs point guard Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract with a uniquely descending salary structure — a deal that reshapes the franchise.
2022 Australian Open 2022 Men: Rafael Nadal · Women: Ashleigh Barty Nadal came back from two sets down to win his 21st Grand Slam. Barty won on home soil, then retired at 25. Both stories dominated global sports coverage.
2022 Hunga Tonga volcano erupts The most powerful eruption in more than a century The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano erupted on 15 January 2022, sending a plume into the mesosphere and triggering a tsunami across the Pacific. It was the most powerful eruption recorded anywhere in over a century.
2022 2022 Winter Olympics XXIV Winter Games - Beijing Beijing became the first city to host both Summer and Winter games. Winner: Norway.
2022 Russia invades Ukraine Largest European war since WWII Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the largest military attack in Europe since World War II. Ukrainian forces mounted fierce resistance.
2022 Global inflation surge Worst inflation in 40 years Global inflation surged to 40-year highs in 2022, driven by post-COVID supply chain disruptions, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and soaring energy prices.
2022 Iditarod 2022 — 50th anniversary Winner: Brent Sass — 8 days 14h The 50th running of the Iditarod was won by Brent Sass of Eureka in 8 days 14 hours. The race celebrated five decades of "The Last Great Race on Earth."
2022 Will Smith strikes Chris Rock at the Oscars An incident during the ceremony CODA won Will Smith struck presenter Chris Rock on stage during the Academy Awards on 27 March 2022, minutes before winning best actor. CODA won best picture, the first film from a streaming service to do so.
2022 Russian cruiser Moskva sunk in the Black Sea The flagship lost to Ukrainian missiles The Moskva, flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, sank on 14 April 2022 after being struck by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles, the largest warship lost in combat since the Second World War.
2022 2022 World Snooker Championship Record Equalizing O’Sullivan equals Hendry’s record of seven world titles. Winner: Ronnie O’Sullivan; Runner-up: Judd Trump. Score: 18–13.
2022 Emmanuel Macron re-elected president of France The first French president re-elected in twenty years Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen in the French presidential run-off on 24 April 2022, the first incumbent re-elected in twenty years.
2022 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — Season 1 Spun off from the overwhelmingly positive reception to the Anson Mount / Ethan Peck / Rebecca Romijn appearances in Discovery Season 2, Strange New Worlds is a deliberate return to episodic storytelling. Each episode is self-contained. Critics and fans respond with near-unanimous enthusiasm — the best-received Star Trek premiere in decades.
2022 Sweden and Finland apply to join NATO Two centuries of Swedish neutrality abandoned Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO on 18 May 2022, ending Finnish non-alignment and more than two hundred years of Swedish neutrality.
2022 Anthony Albanese becomes prime minister of Australia Labor returns after nine years Anthony Albanese led Labor to victory in the Australian federal election on 21 May 2022, ending nine years of coalition government.
2022 Uvalde school shooting Nineteen children and two teachers killed A gunman killed nineteen children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on 24 May 2022. The delayed police response became the subject of a national inquiry.
2022 Top Gun: Maverick #2 film of 2022 — $1.49bn worldwide Directed by Joseph Kosinski, starring Tom Cruise. After 30 years, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell trains a group of Top Gun graduates for a specialised mission.
2022 Top Gun: Maverick The Tomcat returns The sequel becomes Tom Cruise's highest-grossing film, with an F-14 flying a key role in its climax.
2022 French Open 2022 Men: Rafael Nadal · Women: Iga Świątek Nadal's 14th and final Roland Garros title — the most titles any player has won at a single Grand Slam ever.
2022 Queen's Platinum Jubilee 70 years on the throne celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee was celebrated across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth from June 2-5, 2022, marking her 70 years as monarch — the longest reign in British history.
2022 Roe v. Wade overturned Fifty years of federal abortion rights ended The US Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson on 24 June 2022, overturning Roe v. Wade and ending the federal constitutional right to abortion after nearly fifty years.
2022 Boris Johnson resigns as Conservative leader More than fifty ministers quit in two days Boris Johnson announced his resignation as Conservative leader on 7 July 2022 after more than fifty ministers resigned in protest over a succession of scandals.
2022 Shinzo Abe assassinated Japan's longest-serving prime minister shot at a campaign rally Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, was shot and killed while campaigning in Nara on 8 July 2022.
2022 First images from the James Webb Space Telescope released The deepest infrared view of the universe yet taken NASA released the first full-colour images from the James Webb Space Telescope on 12 July 2022, including the deepest infrared image of the universe taken to that date.
2022 Britain passes 40 degrees Celsius for the first time A national record broken during a European heatwave The United Kingdom recorded a temperature above 40C for the first time on 19 July 2022, reaching 40.3C at Coningsby during a heatwave that set records across western Europe.
2022 US Open 2022 Men: Carlos Alcaraz · Women: Iga Świątek Alcaraz, 19, became the youngest US Open champion and world number 1.
2022 Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan The most senior US visit in twenty-five years US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan on 2 August 2022, the most senior American visit in twenty-five years. China responded with its largest military exercises around the island to that point.
2022 FBI searches Mar-a-Lago Classified documents recovered from a former president's home FBI agents searched Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence on 8 August 2022 and recovered boxes of classified material, the first such search of a former president's home.
2022 Salman Rushdie attacked on stage in New York Stabbed thirty-three years after the fatwa Salman Rushdie was stabbed repeatedly before a lecture in Chautauqua, New York, on 12 August 2022, thirty-three years after Iran issued a fatwa calling for his death. He survived but lost the sight in one eye.
2022 Inflation Reduction Act signed into law The largest US climate investment ever made President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act on 16 August 2022, committing around $370 billion to clean energy, the largest climate investment in United States history.
2022 Liz Truss becomes prime minister The last audience of Elizabeth II's reign Liz Truss became prime minister of the United Kingdom on 6 September 2022, appointed by Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral two days before the Queen's death.
2022 Queen Elizabeth II dies Longest-reigning British monarch, age 96 Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022, aged 96, after 70 years on the throne — the longest reign in British history.
2022 King Charles III accedes New British monarch after 70 years Charles III became King of the United Kingdom on September 8, 2022, following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. He was formally proclaimed king on September 10.
2022 Ethereum moves to Proof of Stake The Merge cuts energy use by 99.9% Ethereum completed its transition from energy-intensive Proof of Work to Proof of Stake consensus on September 15, 2022 — "The Merge". It reduced Ethereum's energy consumption by approximately 99.95%.
2022 Roger Federer announces retirement Laver Cup, London — final match On 15 September 2022, Roger Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis after 24 years and 1,500+ matches. His final match was a doubles match at the Laver Cup alongside Rafael Nadal. Both were in tears at the end. Federer retired with 20 Grand Slam titles, 103 ATP titles, and 310 weeks as world number 1.
2022 Death of Mahsa Amini triggers nationwide protests in Iran Months of unrest over the compulsory hijab Mahsa Amini died in custody on 16 September 2022 after being detained by Iran's morality police. Her death set off months of nationwide protests under the slogan Woman, Life, Freedom.
2022 Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II The largest gathering of world leaders in decades The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II was held at Westminster Abbey on 19 September 2022, watched by an estimated four billion people and attended by some 500 heads of state and dignitaries.
2022 DART spacecraft deliberately strikes an asteroid The first test of planetary defence by impact NASA's DART spacecraft struck the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos on 26 September 2022, successfully altering its orbit in the first demonstration that a threatening asteroid could be deflected.
2022 Nord Stream pipelines sabotaged Explosions rupture the Baltic gas link A series of underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea on 26 September 2022, releasing vast quantities of methane and severing a major Russian gas route to Europe.
2022 Liz Truss resigns after forty-five days The shortest premiership in British history Liz Truss resigned on 20 October 2022 after her mini-budget triggered a collapse in the pound and gilt markets. Hers was the shortest premiership in British history.
2022 Xi Jinping secures a third term A break with three decades of Chinese succession practice Xi Jinping was confirmed for a third term as general secretary at the Communist Party congress that closed on 22 October 2022, breaking the succession norms observed since Deng Xiaoping.
2022 Rishi Sunak becomes prime minister Britain's first British Asian premier Rishi Sunak became prime minister of the United Kingdom on 25 October 2022, the first British Asian and the youngest in more than two centuries to hold the office.
2022 Elon Musk buys Twitter $44 billion acquisition Elon Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter on October 27, 2022, immediately firing its CEO and board. He later renamed the platform X.
2022 Lula defeats Bolsonaro in Brazil A return to the presidency after imprisonment Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential run-off on 30 October 2022, returning to office three years after being released from prison.
2022 United States midterm elections defy expectations The predicted red wave fails to materialise The US midterm elections on 8 November 2022 produced only a narrow Republican House majority and a retained Democratic Senate, well short of the sweep that had been forecast.
2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever #3 film of 2022 — $859m worldwide Directed by Ryan Coogler. The people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from Namor and the underwater nation of Talokan.
2022 FTX cryptocurrency exchange collapses $32 billion lost Cryptocurrency exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy on November 11, 2022, in one of the largest financial frauds in history. Founder Sam Bankman-Fried was later convicted of fraud and sentenced to 25 years.
2022 World population reaches eight billion A United Nations milestone The United Nations marked the world population reaching eight billion on 15 November 2022, some twelve years after it passed seven billion.
2022 Artemis I launches to the Moon The first flight of the Space Launch System Artemis I launched on 16 November 2022, sending an uncrewed Orion capsule around the Moon on the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System. It returned on 11 December.
2022 2022 FIFA World Cup The Winter Cup The first tournament in the Arab world; Lionel Messi finally secured the title for Argentina. Winner: Argentina.
2022 Protests force China to abandon zero-COVID The largest demonstrations in decades Protests against lockdowns spread across Chinese cities in late November 2022 following a deadly fire in Urumqi. Within weeks the government dismantled its zero-COVID controls.
2022 ChatGPT launched AI chatbot transforms technology OpenAI launched ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, a conversational AI that reached 1 million users in 5 days and 100 million users in 2 months — the fastest-growing app in history. It triggered a global AI race.
2022 Nuclear fusion ignition achieved NIF produces more energy than input The National Ignition Facility announced on December 5, 2022 that it had achieved nuclear fusion ignition for the first time — producing more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to trigger it, a 60-year goal.
2022 Pedro Castillo removed and arrested in Peru An attempted dissolution of Congress backfires Peru's Congress removed President Pedro Castillo on 7 December 2022, hours after he tried to dissolve it. He was arrested and Dina Boluarte became the country's first woman president.
2022 Global Combat Air Programme announced United Kingdom, Italy and Japan Britain, Italy and Japan merge their next-generation fighter projects into a single sixth-generation fighter, planned to enter service in 2035.
2022 Avatar: The Way of Water #1 film of 2022 — $2.32bn worldwide Directed by James Cameron. Jake Sully and Neytiri must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora to keep their family safe.
2022 Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar Messi's final at the end of a penalty shoot-out Argentina beat France on penalties in Lusail on 18 December 2022 after a 3-3 draw, widely called the greatest World Cup final ever played. It was Lionel Messi's first world title.