This Day in History: June 22

1633: The Catholic Church forces Galileo Galilei to renounce his heliocentric world view

The Holy Office concluded that the Italian scientist, by stating that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe, was “vehemently suspect of heresy”. Galileo spent the rest of his life under house arrest. However, the Vatican apologized in October 1992 for how it handled the case.

1675: Royal Greenwich Observatory established in England by Charles II

The Royal Observatory was founded with the purpose of "rectifying the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so-much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation." The observatory played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is still functioning today as part of the National Maritime Museum.

1772: Somerset v Stewart court case finds slavery unsupported by English common law, encouraging the abolitionist movement

The Somerset case was a landmark legal decision in which a British court held that slavery was unsupported by English law. The case played a significant role in the abolitionist movement in Britain and around the world, and helped to pave the way for the eventual abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire.

1848: Beginning of the June Days uprising in Paris by French workers

The June Days uprising was a worker-led rebellion that took place in Paris in 1848. The rebellion was sparked by the closure of the National Workshops, which had been established to provide employment for Parisian workers. The uprising was brutally suppressed by the French army, with thousands of workers killed or imprisoned.

1865: The CSS Shenandoah fires the last shot of the American Civil War in the Bering Strait to indicate surrender.

The CSS Shenandoah was a Confederate warship that had been raiding Union commerce in the Pacific. On August 2, 1865, the ship fired the last shot of the American Civil War in the Bering Strait, several months after General Robert E. Lee had surrendered the Confederate army on April 9, 1865. The shot was fired to indicate the ship's surrender to British authorities.

1941: Germany invades the Soviet Union

In June 1941, Germany launched a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, with the aim of conquering vast territories and destroying the Soviet state. The initial German success was soon followed by a brutal and protracted war of attrition, in which millions of soldiers and civilians were killed. The Soviet Union ultimately emerged victorious, at a staggering cost in human lives.

1945: Okinawa falls to U.S. troops

The Battle of Okinawa was a major battle fought in the closing stages of World War II. The island of Okinawa, located between Japan and Taiwan, was of strategic importance to both sides. The battle was one of the bloodiest of the war, with over 200,000 casualties. Okinawa fell to U.S. troops on June 22, 1945, marking a decisive defeat for Japan and a significant step towards the end of the war.

1986: Diego Maradona coins the phrase “Hand of God”

During the FIFA World Cup quarter-final against England, Argentinian football star Diego Maradona scored a goal with his hand. The referee allowed the goal, and the Argentinian team later became world champions. After the game, Maradona famously stated that the goal was scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God,” thus coining the phrase “Hand of God.”