Today is Thursday, Oct. 22, the 295th day of 2026. There are 70 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Oct. 22, 2012, cyclist Lance Armstrong was formally stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and received a lifetime ban from Olympic sports after the International Cycling Union chose not to appeal doping charges against Armstrong by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
Also on this date:
In 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin of France made the first successful parachute drop, descending about 3,000 feet to the ground from a balloon over Paris. He was hailed as the first successful parachutist and went on to make some 200 additional descents.
In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first elected president of the Republic of Texas, which earned its independence from Mexico that year in a military rebellion.
In 1934, bank robber Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd was shot to death by federal agents and local police at a farm near East Liverpool, Ohio.
In 1962, in a nationally televised address, President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a naval blockade of all offensive military equipment shipped to Cuba.
In 1968, Apollo 7, the first crewed mission of NASA's Apollo space program, returned safely from orbit, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1975, the Soviet space lander Venera 9 descended to the surface of Venus and transmitted the first photographs ever from the surface of another planet, revealing a harsh, rocky landscape.
In 2014, a gunman shot and killed a soldier standing guard at a war memorial in Ottawa, then stormed the Canadian Parliament building before he himself was shot and killed.
In 2016, the Chicago Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. (The Cubs would go on to beat Cleveland in the World Series in seven games, their first series championship since 1908.)
In 2019, Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne in a ceremony at Tokyo's Imperial Palace in the presence of foreign dignitaries. Naruhito assumed the duties of emperor, a position with ceremonial roles but no political power, after his father Akihito abdicated earlier in the year.
Today’s Birthdays: Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale is 90. Actor Christopher Lloyd is 88. Actor Derek Jacobi is 88. Actor Catherine Deneuve is 83. Physician and author Deepak Chopra is 80. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 74. Actor-comedian Bob Odenkirk is 64. Olympic gold medal figure skater Brian Boitano is 63. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 58. Reggae deejay and singer Shaggy is 58. Film director Spike Jonze is 57. Argentine President Javier Milei is 56. Former MLB All-Star Ichiro Suzuki is 53. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 51. Actor Corey Hawkins is 38. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki is 36. Rapper 21 Savage is 34. Rapper Roddy Ricch is 28. Rapper Baby Keem is 26.
