Mind flex: Feeling ’22?

As Taylor Swift says in her hit song “22,” she doesn’t know about you, but she’s feeling 22. Well, we do too—so here’s some fun trivia about things that have happened in years ending in 22.

In 1622, the Gregorian calendar declared January 1 the first day of the year instead of what other day?

A. March 25

B. June 15

C. January 30

Answer: A. To conform to the Annunciation festival, England adopted March 25 as New Year’s Day in the 12th century. Nearly 300 years later, it was changed to January 1, and a leap year was added to account for the earth’s rotation around the sun being 365.25 days.

What common household object was patented in October of 1722?

A. Tea kettle

B. Watering can

C. Fire extinguisher

Answer: C. French C. Hopffer, a celebrated chemist, patented his design for a system of fuses which, when lighted, would explode and scatter a solution of fire-extinguishing liquid. Before this, in case of fire, you’d use…a bucket of water. Thank goodness for modern technology.

On March 30, 1822, U.S. Congress merged two territories to create what current U.S. state?

The territories of East and West Florida were combined to create a single territory. Tallahassee was named the capital of the new Florida Territory. It would be another 22(!) years until Florida became a state.

Which popular U.S. magazine published its first edition on February 5, 1922?

A. Time

B. Reader’s Digest

C. Good Housekeeping

Answer: B. Since its debut in 1922, Reader’s Digest has published in more than 25 different countries and has circulated to 10.5 million people.

Since we can’t say yet what historic events will occur this year, let’s see what we can look forward to in 2022:

  • February 4: 2022 Winter Olympic Games scheduled to begin in Beijing, China

  • February 6: Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne

  • May 10: Eurovision Song Contest 2022, Turin, Italy

  • July 7: 2022 World Games scheduled to begin in Birmingham, Alabama

  • November 21: 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar

And, of course, all the unanswered questions we’ll have to endlessly discuss. Will Nathan Chen land every quadruple axel jump in his Olympic programs? Will a new iPhone be released? Who will win Oscars, Emmys and Tonys this year? Will season four of “Stranger Things” be released? 

So much to look forward to; so much yet to happen. Are you feeling ’22 yet? We hope so. Here’s to an exciting year! 

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