May 22nd is Harvey Milk Day and Goth Day.
Welcome to day 142 of 365! There are 223 days remaining in 2025.
There were so many incredible events that all fell on May 22 throughout history, from crime and politics to inventions and more! Check out all the events that make this day so special.
Did you know that on this day in 1906, the Wright Brothers were granted a patent for their “flying machine”? Their first application was rejected and overall the process took 3 years.
Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about May 22nd in history!
Events
What memorable events happened on May 22 in history? Keep reading to find out!
2015
Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson set a Guinness World Record for the Most selfies taken in three minutes.
Dwayne captured 105 selfies on the red carpet at the world premiere of his new film San Andreas.
1980
Namco installed the first Pac-Man arcade machine in Shibuya, Tokyo.
This iconic game was released as Puck man, based on the character’s resemblance to a hockey puck. However, when the game came to North America, Namco rightly feared that people would vandalize machines to turn “Puck Man” into something a little less PG-13, so they changed the name to Pac-Man.
Famous Births
Are you celebrating your birthday today? If so, did you know that you share the same birthday as Naomi Campbell? See what other famous people were born on this day.
2001
Emma Chamberlain
American
YouTuber
Age:
23 years old
Born In:
California, USA
1970
Naomi Campbell
British
Model
Age:
54 years old
Born In:
England, UK
1978
Ginnifer Goodwin
American
Actress
Age:
46 years old
Born In:
Tennessee, USA
1979
Maggie Q
American
Actress
Age:
45 years old
Born In:
Hawaii, USA
Famous Deaths
Unfortunately, May 22nd has also been a day where we’ve had to say some goodbyes over the years…
1802
1885
Victor Hugo
French
Writer
1802
1885
Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo was a French writer born on February 26, 1802. He died on this day in 1885, at age 83 in Paris, France.
Died On:
May 22, 1885 (Age 83)
Died In:
Paris, France
Quotes
Memorable quotes are being said or written every day. Here we have the most notable quotes ever said on May 22nd.
1843
Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.
Henry David Thoreau
American Naturalist
Special Holidays
Are you looking for something to do today? Then why not find time today to celebrate the following special holidays.
World Goth Day
Much of society just doesn’t really get goths, which can make life a bit difficult for anyone who likes the darker side of things. Goth Day raises awareness of this by celebrating goth culture. You can take part too by going to a goth gig, or just watching something with goths in it!
Harvey Milk Day
Today we celebrate the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician in California and a prominent figure in the US Civil Rights Movement. A rival politician assassinated Harvey Milk in 1978, but his legacy lives on – so fly your rainbow flags today in honor of him!
THe Fact Site’s
Fun Fact Of The Day
There is an insurance policy issued against alien abduction. Around 50,000 policies have been sold, mainly to residents of the US and England.
Birthday & Zodiac
For those of you who were born on May 22, your zodiac sign is Gemini.
Air is the element given to Gemini, which is quite fitting since Geminis tend to have a way of breezing through life like the wind.
All those born in May have the Emerald birthstone. The lush green color of the Emerald birthstone is the perfect choice for the month of May, as green is a color that signifies hope, the coming of spring, regeneration, and new growth.
People born on May 22 were likely conceived the previous year on August 29.
Babies conceived on May 22nd, 2025, will likely be born around February 12th, 2026.
