It happened on a… December 22

2020

Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi scores his 644th goal for FC Barcelona during 3-0 win over Real Valladolid to break Pele’s record for most goals for one club; Pele, 643 goals for Santos 1956-74.

1997

Scotty Bowman’s Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins, 4-2 giving him 200 wins with Detroit, and making him the first NHL coach to record 200 wins with 3 different teams; also Montreal and Buffalo

1996

Brett Hull scores his 500 career goals; with father Bobby Hull, first father/son combo to each record 500 goals

1990

Lech Walesa was sworn in as Poland’s first popularly elected president.

1989

Romania’s hard-line Communist ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu, was overthrown in a popular uprising.

1984

Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” single goes #1 for 6 weeks.

1932

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers 1st joint movie “Flying Down to Rio,” directed by Thornton Freeland, premieres in NYC.

1895

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen made the first X-ray, of his wife’s hand.

1894

Claude Debussy’s first orchestral masterpiece “Prélude à l’apres-midi d’un faune” premieres in Paris

1882

1st string of Christmas tree lights created by Thomas Edison.

1877

Formerly a branch of the Université Laval de Québec, the Université de Montréal officially opened its door.

1808

Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano).