22 October in history
5 events that happened on 22 October, from 794 to 1962.
✦ Anniversary of the day
794 CE 1,232 years ago
Emperor Kanmu moves Japan's capital to Heian-kyō
On the 22nd day of the tenth month, Emperor Kanmu formally moved his court to the new capital of Heian-kyō, modern Kyoto. It remained the imperial seat for over a thousand years; the Jidai Matsuri festival marks the date.
1721 CE 305 years ago
Peter the Great takes the title of emperor
After victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War, the Russian Senate conferred on Peter I the titles 'the Great' and Emperor of All Russia (22 October, Old Style). Russia was now formally an empire and a European great power.
1836 CE 190 years ago
Sam Houston becomes the first president of the Republic of Texas
Sam Houston, victor of San Jacinto, was inaugurated as the first elected president of the Republic of Texas at Columbia. Texas remained an independent republic until joining the United States in 1845.
1962 CE 64 years ago
Kennedy tells Americans of Soviet missiles in Cuba
In a televised address, John F. Kennedy revealed that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being built in Cuba and announced a naval 'quarantine' of the island. The crisis brought the superpowers closer to nuclear war than ever before.
