Today in History, June 22nd
On June 22, 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, its invasion of the Soviet Union. Plus the G.I. Bill and the Hand of God goal.
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June 22 is best known for 1941, when Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, its massive invasion of the Soviet Union. The date also saw President Franklin D. Roosevelt sign the G.I. Bill in 1944 and Diego Maradona score his “Hand of God” goal against England in 1986.
The big story: Germany invades the Soviet Union (1941)
In 1939 Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin had signed a pact carving Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, each promising to leave the other alone. Hitler never meant it to last. In December 1940 he issued the directive for “Case Barbarossa,” and after a delay caused when Italy’s attack on Greece forced Hitler to help his ally, the attack came on June 22, 1941. More than 3 million German troops crossed into Soviet territory in three parallel thrusts along a front about a thousand miles long, backed by 3,000 tanks, 2,500 aircraft and 7,000 artillery pieces. Stalin had brushed off warnings, from his own people and from Winston Churchill, that an attack was coming. The cost of that was immediate: by the end of the first day the Luftwaffe had destroyed more than 1,000 Soviet planes, and within days some German units were up to 300 miles inside the country. In doing so, Hitler opened a second front in the war.
More events on June 22
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 168 BCE | Roman forces defeated King Perseus at the Battle of Pydna, ending the Macedonian monarchy. |
| 1633 | Accused of heresy by the Inquisition, Galileo was forced to renounce his support for the idea that Earth circles the sun. |
| 1775 | The Continental Congress authorized $2 million in paper money, known as bills of credit, to pay for the Revolution. |
| 1815 | Four days after Waterloo, Napoleon abdicated as emperor of the French for the second time. |
| 1864 | Confederates blocked a Union push toward a railroad feeding Petersburg, Virginia, at the Jerusalem Plank Road, and both armies settled in for a nine-month siege. |
| 1940 | With German troops close by, France signed an armistice with Germany, leading to the Vichy regime. |
| 1944 | President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill into law. |
| 1955 | Walt Disney’s Lady and the Tramp opened in U.S. theaters. |
| 1969 | An oil slick on Cleveland’s badly polluted Cuyahoga River caught fire, drawing national attention and spurring antipollution efforts. |
| 1978 | Astronomers discovered Charon, the largest moon of Pluto. |
| 1986 | Diego Maradona scored his illegal “Hand of God” goal in a World Cup quarterfinal against England. Argentina won the match and later the tournament. |
| 2011 | After 16 years on the run, Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger, wanted for 19 murders, was arrested in Santa Monica, California. |
Born on June 22
- 1898: Erich Maria Remarque, German author of All Quiet on the Western Front, born in Osnabrück.
- 1906: Billy Wilder, Austrian-born filmmaker behind Some Like It Hot and Sunset Boulevard, born in Sucha (now in Poland).
- 1949: Meryl Streep, three-time Academy Award-winning actress, born in Summit, New Jersey.
Sources
- Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, History.com
- This Day in History: June 22, History.com
- On This Day: June 22, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Erich Maria Remarque born, History.com
- Billy Wilder, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Meryl Streep, Encyclopaedia Britannica
