This Day in History

On Feb. 22, 1980, the "Miracle on Ice" took place at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, as the United States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviet Union, 4-3. (The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal two days later with a 4-2 victory over Finland.)

Also on this date:

In 1732, the first president of the United States, George Washington, was born in Westmoreland County in the Virginia Colony.

In 1784, a U.S. merchant ship, the Empress of China, left New York for the first trade voyage of an American ship to China.

In 1959, the inaugural Daytona 500 race was held; although Johnny Beauchamp was initially declared the winner, the victory was later awarded to Lee Petty.

In 1967, more than 25,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese troops launched Operation Junction City, aimed at smashing a Vietcong stronghold near the Cambodian border.

In 1997, scientists in Scotland announced they had successfully cloned an adult mammal for the first time, a sheep they named "Dolly."

In 2010, Najibullah Zazi (nah-jee-BOO'-lah ZAH'-zee), accused of buying products from beauty supply stores to make bombs for an attack on New York City subways, pleaded guilty to charges including conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction. (Zazi faced up to life in prison but spent nearly a decade after his arrest helping the U.S. identify and prosecute terrorists; he was given a 10-year sentence followed by supervised release.)

In 2021, the number of U.S. deaths from COVID-19 topped 500,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Today's birthdays: Actor Paul Dooley is 97. Actor James Hong is 96. Actor Julie Walters is 75. Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving is 75. Golf Hall of Famer Amy Alcott is 69. Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 66. Golf Hall of Famer Vijay Singh is 62. Hockey Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine is 60. Actor-comedian Rachel Dratch is 59. Actor Paul Lieberstein (TV: "The Office) is 58. Actor Jeri Ryan is 57. Actor Thomas Jane is 56. Actor-singer Lea Salonga is 54. Tennis Hall of Famer Michael Chang is 53. Singer James Blunt is 51. Actor Drew Barrymore is 50.