Overview

November 22 is the 326th day of the year in common years and the 327th day in leap years. In both types of year there are 39 days left to the end of the calendar year. The date sits in the latter part of autumn (northern hemisphere) and late spring (southern hemisphere) and often falls close to the United States Thanksgiving holiday when that is observed on the fourth Thursday of November.

Calendar and observances

This date is recorded in the modern Gregorian calendar. It is subject to the adjustments of leap years, which add an extra day to February and shift day counts in leap years. Liturgically and culturally, November 22 is the traditional feast day of Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians. Depending on the year, the fourth Thursday observance of U.S. Thanksgiving sometimes falls on or near this date.

Notable historical events

  • 1963 – The assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, is the most widely remembered event associated with November 22 in the 20th century and had profound political and cultural repercussions.
  • 1943 – Lebanon marks its formal independence from the French mandate; Independence Day is commemorated annually on November 22.

Significance and examples

Beyond specific anniversaries, November 22 often appears in national calendars because of political events, treaties, and cultural commemorations. It is a date on which music societies mark Saint Cecilia’s day with concerts, and in years when the U.S. Thanksgiving falls on this day it becomes notable for family gatherings and national retail traditions. The date therefore combines religious, national and social meanings in different countries.

Notable births and deaths

Many well-known figures from politics, the arts and sciences were born or died on November 22. As with any date, lists of births and deaths are long and varied and reflect a range of historical periods and countries. Observers and historians often use such lists to mark anniversaries and to frame retrospectives in media and education.

Distinctions and trivia

Because the day can fall near major holidays and seasonal transitions, it is sometimes referenced in literature, film and journalism as a marker of change or culmination. It also illustrates how calendar reckoning—ordinary year versus leap year—affects the ordinal numbering of days and the placement of anniversaries across years.