Daytona International Speedway

February 22, 1959

The Daytona International Speedway opens. It was built by Bill France, Sr., who had previously founded NASCAR (1948) and went on to build the Talladega Superspeedway (1969).
France refused to sell Coca-Cola products at Daytona Speedway because they turned him down when he was raising money to build Daytona. After Coca-Cola turned him down, he then went to Pesi-Cola who provided substantial funding.

John Wayne in the Worst Film of the 50s

February 22, 1956

The Conqueror, starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan, premieres in the U.S. It has been called the worst film of the 1950s. It also starred Susan Hayward, Agnes Moorehead, and Pedro Armendáriz. It was shot downwind of an above-ground nuclear test site, and has been blamed for the cancer deaths of its stars, including Wayne, and many others of the cast and crew. By 1980, of the 220 members of the cast and crew, 91 of them had developed some form of cancer and 46 had died of the disease.

USS Iowa

February 22, 1943

The USS Iowa (BB-61) battleship is commissioned. In 1943 it became the only U.S. Navy ship with a bathtub; which was installed to accommodate U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt who had difficultly using a shower due to the crippling effects of his polio. Later that year, the USS Porter accidentally launched a torpedo narrowly missing the Iowa, which happened to have Roosevelt aboard at the time.

World's Tallest Person

Robert Pershing Wadlow

Born February 22, 1918 d. 1940

American giant, the world's tallest person: 8 ft. 11.1 in. (2.72 m) tall and weighed 490 lb (220 kg) at his death at age 22. His size was due to hyperplasia of his pituitary gland, which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. He was still growing at the time of death, having grown over 3 inches (7.5 cm) during the previous year. His death was due to an infection from a sore caused by a faulty leg brace.

First Jane of Tarzan Films

Enid Markey

Born February 22, 1894 d. 1981

American actress. Film: Tarzan of the Apes (1918, making her the first Jane of Tarzan films).

Founder of the Boy Scouts

Sir Robert Baden-Powell

Born February 22, 1857 d. 1941

British major general. Founder of the Boy Scouts (1908) and the Girl Guides (1910).

Arthur Schopenhauer

Born February 22, 1788 d. 1860

German philosopher. Quote: "All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident."

George Washington

Born February 22, 1732 d. 1799

American politician. First U.S. President (1789-97). "Father of the Country."