Fred Astaire dies
1987 - Fred Astaire, who danced his way across the screen to become a film legend, died of pneumonia at the age of 88. In his later years, he built a second career as a character actor. But he will be remembered for his stylish dancing, with his bewildering array of intricate steps, that made him one of Hollywood’s major box office attractions for 35 years. With his dancing came a thin, clipped but catchy singing voice and a light-hearted sense of humour. He gave millions of people far from the big cities their first taste of professional dancing, paving the way for dancers like Gene Kelly. Astaire was born Frederick Austerlitz on May 10, 1899, in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Anna Austerlitz, launched Astaire and his elder sister, Adele, on a dancing career.
June 22
1865 - English cricketer W.G. Grace makes First Class cricket debut at The Oval.
1906 - The flag of Sweden is adopted.
1910 - The first commercial passengers to ride in a zeppelin board the airship Deutschland.
1938 - Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis knocks out Max Schmeling of Germany in the first round of their rematch in New York.
1973 - Skylab 1 astronauts return safely to Earth after record 28 days aboard the first US orbiting space station.
1976 - The Canadian House of Commons abolishes capital punishment.
1983 - The US space shuttle Challenger retrieves a satellite from orbit for the first time.
1995 - British Prime Minister John Major resigns as leader of the ruling Conservative party.
2002 - UAE and Oman sign an agreement demarcating international borders from east of Al Oqaidat to Al Dara on the Arabian Gulf.
2002 - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad withdraws his resignation after weeping supporters begged him to stay.
2006 - Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas kiss and embrace in the first meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in more than a year.
2012 - Raja Pervez Ashraf is appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan.
2013 - Mohammad Assaf, a Palestianian raised in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, wins the Arab Idol.
2015 - The first artificial heart surgery held in Al Qasimi Hospital, Sharjah, for a 21-year-old Emirati patient.
2016 - Renowned Pakistani qawwali singer Amjad Sabri is shot dead in Karachi.
