On this day: June 22
The 1518 Strasbourg Dancing Plague: the first well-documented outbreak
On 22 June 1518 a woman in Strasbourg began dancing in the street; within days dozens joined in a phenomenon later called dancing mania. Contemporary records and civic documents make this the earliest well-documented outbreak of contagious dancing in late medieval Europe.
French police carry out nationwide raids on suspected cult compounds
On 22 June 1995, French authorities conducted coordinated raids across the country targeting several communes and properties suspected of belonging to an organized sect; the operation followed years of growing legal and public scrutiny of new religious movements.
1947 report links deaths to counterfeit medicine for first time
On June 22, 1947, authorities reported what is widely described as the first documented mass deaths attributed to counterfeit medicine—raising early postwar concerns about drug quality, regulation, and criminal manufacture.
Match Abandoned as Earthquake Strikes Stadium on June 22, 1987
A competitive football match on June 22, 1987, was halted and abandoned after an earthquake struck the stadium, causing structural concerns and prompting authorities to evacuate spectators and assess damage. No confirmed large-scale casualties were reported in immediate contemporary accounts.
Maradona’s 'Hand of God' Goal in the 1986 World Cup Quarterfinal
On 22 June 1986, during the World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and England, Diego Maradona scored a controversial goal with his hand — an action he later described ambiguously — that helped send Argentina on to win the tournament.
The Great Train Wreck of June 22, 1918
On June 22, 1918, a catastrophic head-on collision between two passenger trains in the United States killed more than 100 people and injured many others, becoming one of the deadliest American rail accidents of the early 20th century.
London's First Electric Underground Line Opens, June 22, 1900
On 22 June 1900 London inaugurated its first electric deep-level underground railway—the City & South London Railway—marking a shift from steam to electric traction on the Underground and shaping the future of urban transit.
Germany Launches Operation Barbarossa, Invades the Soviet Union
On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany and its Axis allies launched Operation Barbarossa, a massive surprise invasion of the Soviet Union that opened the Eastern Front of World War II and transformed the conflict into the largest land war in history.