What’s Observed on February 22
Born on February 22: Pisces ♓
Pisces, the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac, spans February 19 to March 20 and is symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions, tied together by a cord, representing the tension between fantasy and reality, or the conscious and subconscious mind. Ruled by Neptune, the planet of dreams, intuition, and illusion, Pisces is widely regarded as the most emotionally sensitive and imaginative sign of the zodiac. As a Water sign, Pisces navigates the world primarily through feeling and empathy, often absorbing the moods of people around it as though they were its own. Its Mutable modality reflects a deep adaptability and fluidity, comfortable going with the flow rather than forcing rigid plans. People born under this sign are often drawn to art, music, and other creative or spiritual pursuits where their vivid imagination can take shape. Compassionate to a fault, Pisces individuals are frequently the ones quietly caring for others, sometimes at the expense of their own boundaries and needs.
Personality Traits
Strengths
- Deeply empathetic and compassionate
- Highly imaginative and artistic
- Intuitive and perceptive
- Selfless and generous
- Adaptable to change
Weaknesses
- Prone to escapism or avoidance
- Overly trusting, can be taken advantage of
- Difficulty setting boundaries
- Tends toward melancholy
- Indecisive
Compatible Signs
Fun Facts
- Pisces' symbol of two fish bound together swimming in opposite directions comes from a Greek myth in which Aphrodite and Eros transformed into fish and tied themselves together to escape the monster Typhon.
- As the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac, Pisces is often described as embodying traits of all the preceding signs, a kind of culmination of the zodiac wheel.
- Neptune, Pisces' modern ruling planet, is the Roman god of the sea, discovered in 1846 and named for its blue, oceanic appearance.
- Notable Pisces include Albert Einstein, Rihanna, Steve Jobs, and Kurt Cobain.
- Classical astrology assigns Jupiter as Pisces' ruler, before Neptune's discovery in the 19th century gave the sign its modern ruling planet.
Born on February 22
- 1732
George Washington
First President of the United States
- 1857
Robert Baden-Powell
Founder of the worldwide Scouting movement
- 1892
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet
- 1900
Luis Bunuel
Influential Spanish-Mexican film director
- 1949
Niki Lauda
Formula One world champion driver
- 1950
Julius Erving
Basketball Hall of Famer known as "Dr. J"
- 1962
Steve Irwin
Australian wildlife expert known as "The Crocodile Hunter"
- 1975
Drew Barrymore
American actress and talk show host
On This Day in History
- 1797
A small French invasion force lands near Fishguard, Wales, the last time hostile foreign troops landed on British soil.
The small French force, intended as a diversionary landing to support a larger failed invasion of Ireland, surrendered within days after being confronted by local militia and, according to legend, mistaking Welsh women in traditional red cloaks for British soldiers. It remains the last hostile foreign landing on mainland Britain.
- 1819
Spain agrees to sell Florida to the United States for five million dollars under the Adams-Onís Treaty.
The Adams-Onís Treaty resolved lingering border disputes between the United States and Spain, with Spain ceding Florida partly in exchange for the U.S. relinquishing claims to Texas. The purchase eliminated a persistent source of tension along the southeastern border and opened the territory to American settlement.
- 1848
Popular uprisings break out in Paris, sparking the French Revolution of 1848 and the collapse of the July Monarchy.
Popular anger over economic hardship and political repression under King Louis-Philippe erupted into street protests that escalated into revolution within days, forcing the king's abdication and the establishment of France's short-lived Second Republic, part of a wave of revolutions that swept across Europe that year.
- 1942
President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur to leave the besieged Philippines for Australia, a decision that saved MacArthur to lead the later Pacific counteroffensive.
MacArthur reluctantly obeyed Roosevelt's direct order to evacuate the besieged Philippines by PT boat and aircraft to Australia, famously vowing "I shall return." He fulfilled that promise nearly three years later, leading the campaign that liberated the islands from Japanese occupation.
- 1943
White Rose resistance members Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst are executed by the Nazi regime for distributing anti-war leaflets.
The three White Rose members were tried in a hastily convened Nazi "People's Court" and executed by guillotine just hours after their sentencing, a swift and brutal response intended to deter further resistance. Their courage in openly opposing the regime later made them celebrated symbols of German anti-Nazi resistance.
- 1980
In the "Miracle on Ice," the underdog U.S. Olympic hockey team defeats the heavily favored Soviet Union 4-3 at the Lake Placid Winter Games.
The underdog American college and amateur hockey players' victory over the dominant, professional-caliber Soviet team, during the height of Cold War tensions, is widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history and became a defining moment of American sporting patriotism, later dramatized in the film "Miracle."
- 1997
British scientists announce the successful cloning of an adult sheep named Dolly, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.
Dolly, cloned from the mammary cell of an adult sheep by Scottish researchers, proved that a specialized adult cell could be reprogrammed to grow into a complete new organism, a discovery with profound implications for genetics, medicine, and ongoing ethical debates over cloning technology.
- 2006
A bombing severely damages the al-Askari Shrine in Samarra, Iraq, triggering a sharp escalation in sectarian violence.
The bombing of the al-Askari Shrine, one of Shia Islam's holiest sites, though it caused no direct casualties, triggered a devastating wave of retaliatory sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia militias across Iraq, pushing the country closer to full-scale civil war during the ongoing U.S. occupation.
- 2011
A powerful earthquake strikes Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 185 people in the country's second-deadliest natural disaster.
The Christchurch earthquake, though smaller in magnitude than an earlier 2010 quake near the city, struck much closer to the surface and directly beneath the urban center, causing far greater destruction and loss of life, and prompted a massive, years-long rebuilding effort.
- 2014
Ukraine's parliament votes to impeach President Viktor Yanukovych following months of Euromaidan protests, prompting his flight from the country.
Yanukovych's impeachment followed months of Euromaidan protests sparked by his rejection of a trade deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia. He fled to Russia as parliament voted him out, and Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine within weeks of his ouster.