It happened one 22 August

1864 : Recognition of the International Red Cross


On August 22, 1864, the first Geneva Convention was signed by 12 states. This agreement decided on the fate of the wounded on the battlefield and the recognition of the intervention of the International Red Cross in a neutral and nonpartisan basis. The emblem of the medical personnel in time of war was adopted: it was an inverted Swiss flag in honor of the nationality of the creator of the organization, Jean-Henri Dunant.

1922 : Michael Collins murdered


On August 22, 1922, the Irish revolutionary Michael Collins was assassinated by Irish extremists. Member of Sinn Fein, Michael Collins was one of the fathers of the independence of Ireland. He led the Irish Volunteers, who would later become the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and was one of the architects of the peace treaty with the United Kingdom. At the time of his death he was a member of the first government of the Irish Free State.

1944 : Kedros massacre in Crete


On August 22, 1944, Wehrmacht soldiers razed several villages around Mount Kedros in Crete. 164 people were killed.

1962 : De Gaulle saved by his DS


On August 22, 1962, President de Gaulle is saved by the suspension system of the DS in an attack against him by the OAS. While traveling to Orly De Gaulle was attacked by 12 men of the OAS who opened fire on his car. Two bodyguards were killed, but the unique Citroën suspension system allowed the driver to continue his journey in spite of skids.

1992 : Andrew hit the Bahamas


On August 22, 1992, Category 4 Hurricane Andrew hit the Bahamas. He became a Category 5 Hurricane with winds up to 340km/h when it hit the coast of Florida two days later. It killed 65 people and destroyed 25,000 homes. Damage amounted to $35 billion.

Quote of the day : 22 August

Charles de Gaulle
I respect only those who resist me, but I cannot tolerate them.

Birthdays : 22 August

Denis Papin, French physicist (1647)
Claude Debussy, French composer (1862)
Alexander Bogdanov, Russian polymath (1873)
Dorothy Parker, American writer (1893)
Deng Xiaoping, Chinese politician (1904)
Henri Cartier-Bresson, French photographer (1908)
Julius J. Epstein, American screenwriter (1909)
Ray Bradbury, American writer (1920)
Micheline Presle, French actress (1922)
Ivry Gitlis, Israeli violinist (1922)
Honor Blackman, English actress (1925)
Pierrette Bruno, French actress (1930)
Gerald P. Carr, American astronaut (1932)
Norman Schwarzkopf, American general (1934)
Valerie Harper, American actress (1939)
Erol Gelenbe, Turkish computer scientist (G-network) (1945)
Chiranjeevi, Indian actor (1955)
Debbi Peterson, American musician (The Bangles) (1961)
Roland Orzabal, English musician (Tears for Fears) (1961)
Tori Amos, American singer (1963)
Mats Wilander, Swedish tennis player (1964)
Ty Burrell, American actor (1967)
Alfred Gough, American screenwriter (Charlie's Angels, Smallville, Hannah Montana...) (1967)
Richard Armitage, English actor (1971)
Sheree Murphy, English actress (1975)
Laura Breckenridge, American actress (1983)

They left us one 22 August

Konoe, Emperor of Japan (1155)
Jean-Honoré Fragonard, French painter (1806)
Xianfeng, Emperor of China (1861)
Kate Chopin, American writer (1904)
Michael Collins, Irish revolutionary leader (1922)
Roger Martin du Gard, French writer, Nobel Prize in Literature (1958)
Juscelino Kubitschek, President of Brazil (1956-1961) (1976)
Jomo Kenyatta, Founding father of the Kenyan nation, President of Kenya (1964–1978) (1978)
Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian actress (1991)
Vue mer : crédit photo Aseed