With so much happening on a daily basis, it’s hard to keep track of all the events of the past. 2022 is a year of several important anniversaries, many of which you might not have heard of before. In this list, we’re bringing you our selection of the most interesting anniversaries happening this year. Let’s have a look.
85 years since the Golden Gate Bridge
Perhaps the most picturesque and photographed bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. Taking four whole years to build, the bridge was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its completion.
Many interesting facts about the construction can be found online. It was originally supposed to be painted black and feature yellow stripes, but the final ‘International Orange’ color was decided because it made the bridge look more dominant and massive. The 80,000 tons of steel are anchored by two main cables, which are also the largest cables ever spun.
125 years since the first Boston Marathon
The infamous Boston Marathon is the oldest annual marathon in the world. The event is one of six World Marathon Majors and boosts an impressive prize of $150,000 for the winner. The second fastest runner doesn’t have to be sad, though, since $75,000 are waiting for them at the end of the finish line too.
Known by every running fan, the event was organized every single year since 1897 except for 2020, which was a result of the pandemic. What started as a sporting event with 15 runners in 1897 has managed to become one of the most attractive running competitions 125 years later, welcoming over 30,000 runners on a yearly basis.
40 years since Michael Jackson’s Thriller was released
Very few artists manage to create an album where every song is a bop – but Michael Jackson was undoubtedly one of them. Featuring the timeless Billie Jean and Beat It smash hits, it’s crazy to think it has been 40 years since the album saw the light of the day for the first time.
Selling over 33 million copies in the US alone, Thriller still holds the record for the best-selling album of all times. It even managed to score Jackson seven Top 10 hits on the Hot 100 just for the Thriller album alone. To celebrate the anniversary, a special edition of the album is now available for pre-order and should be released in November.
100 years since insulin was given to a diabetes patient for the first time
That’s right, it’s been a full centennial since insulin, one of the biggest contributions to health and medicine throughout history, started saving lives. In 1922, a 14-year-old Canadian boy became the first person to ever get an insulin injection.
A year later, in 1923, after obtaining necessary patents, the team behind the discovery of insulin sold each patent to University of Toronto for a single dollar, emphasizing their goal of creating insulin with the aim of helping people in need, not with the aim of making millions of dollars on it.
130 years since the Oklahoma mine explosion
When money becomes a priority, terrible things can happen. Nearly 100 miners died during an explosion caused by an unexperienced worker in a small city of Krebs in 1892. Mine nr. 11, as they called it, was one of the most dangerous places in the state at the time – not only because it was a mine, but rather because no safety measures were followed at the site.
Injuring over 200 workers and killing another 100, the explosion is one of the darkest moments in Oklahoma’s history to this day. Today, a memorial built over 100 years after the incident can be found at the site, and mourners can pay their respect to the deceased in this way.
135 years since the first slot machine
The history of the so-called „one-armed bandits“ goes all the way back to 1887, when the first mention of a slot machine is recorded. Charles Fey, a German-American mechanic based in California, is generally considered to be the inventor of slots. Fey built the 3-reel, 5-symbol slot titled „the Liberty Bell“ in San Francisco, and, needless to say, it was an instant hit.
135 years and many upgrades later, slots are still considered to be among the most popular casino games. Entertaining hundreds of millions of players worldwide daily and contributing to up to 85% of casinos’ revenues, slots have given life to the gambling industry we know today.
100 years since the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered
Another centenary on our list, 2022 marks 100 years since Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered. The king’s remains revealed that his early death – the king was just 19 years old when he died - might have been caused by an infected broken leg, but the multiple malarias he went through surely didn’t help the pharaoh either.
Son of Amenhotep IV and – according to many scientists – Queen Nefertiti, the young boy became a king around the age of 8 or 9. Since its discovery, the tomb is still considered one of the most precious additions to the archeological findings of Ancient Egypt. Tutankhamun’s famous golden mask can even be found in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
10 years since the first Avengers movie was released
On a lighter note, can you imagine it’s already been a decade since the first Avenger movie took us by storm in the cinemas? Marking the start of an unprecedented cinematic universe, the movie revolutionized the movie industry and created a model which has proven to work amazingly well even 10 years later. Many players in the game have since tried to replicate it, just look at DC’s Justice League, but none have yet managed to succeed in a way Marvel does.
To make things even more interesting, this year also marks 20 years since the first Spiderman movie was released. And although Spidey was not part of Marvel during that time, we now have three standalone Marvel Spiderman movies along with some unforgettable surprises from the last one. Marvel really knows its craft.
60 years since the death of Marilyn Monroe
Found naked in her bed, phone in hand and 40 pills inside her system, Marilyn Monroe’s story has had people captivated for 6 decades. To this day, the revolutionary image Marilyn embodies is far from a woman with multiple mental issues and heavy substance abuse.
She was, indeed, beautiful, but she was also so much more than that. Marilyn fought hard against sexual harassment, exploitation, and objectification of women in the business, and had become a big feminist icon. Many conspiracy theories surround her death to this date, but one thing’s for sure: Marilyn Monroe was the proof of why judging a book by its cover often turns out to be a mistake.
90 years since Amelia Eckhart’s first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean
Pioneering the way for women in the aviation industry, Amelia Eckhart’s achievement of becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean is celebrating 90 years in 2022. But Eckhart has gathered many other impressive achievements too. For example, she was the first person to fly from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland, winning her $10,000 for this amazing achievement!
Eckhart died somewhere over the Pacific in 1937 while attempting to fly over the globe. The last thing the world knows about her sudden disappearance is that she was “lost and low on fuel.” The remains of her plane were never discovered, which makes the story of her death an interesting source of conspiracy theories.
