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September 22
5 moments across history
Plaza Accord Signed
On September 22, 1985, the United States, Japan, West Germany, France, and Britain signed the Plaza Accord, agreeing to coordinated action to weaken the U.S. dollar. The agreement mattered because the dollar’s strength had worsened U.S. trade deficits and intensified protectionist pressure, while coordinated intervention helped drive its value lower. Signed during the post-Bretton Woods era of floating exchange rates, the accord became a landmark example of major economies cooperating to influence currency markets.
Plaza Accord Signed
Iran-Iraq War Begins
Iran-Iraq War Begins
Year: 1980
On September 22, 1980, Iraq invaded Iran by air and land, beginning the Iran-Iraq War amid border disputes and Iraqi fears following Iran’s 1979 revolution. The invasion led to nearly eight years of brutal, largely inconclusive fighting that killed or wounded hundreds of thousands and devastated both countries. The war became a major Cold War-era Middle Eastern conflict, drawing support from regional and global powers and further destabilizing the Persian Gulf.
Attempted Assassination of President Gerald Ford
Event 3
Year: 1975
On September 22, 1975, Sara Jane Moore fired a handgun at President Gerald Ford outside San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel but missed. The attack mattered because it was the second assassination attempt against Ford in 17 days, intensifying concerns about presidential security. It occurred amid the political unrest and violence of the post-Watergate 1970s, when Ford was leading a nation divided after Richard Nixon’s resignation.
Independent Television Launches in Britain
Independent Television Launches in Britain
Year: 1955
On September 22, 1955, Independent Television (ITV) began broadcasting in Britain as the country’s first commercial television service. Its launch introduced advertising-funded programming and ended the BBC’s monopoly over British television broadcasting. Created under the Television Act 1954, ITV reflected the rapid growth of television and widening media competition in postwar Britain.
Action of 22 September 1914
Action of 22 September 1914
Year: 1914
On 22 September 1914, German submarine U-9 torpedoed and sank the British armored cruisers HMS Aboukir, Hogue, and Cressy in the North Sea. The rapid loss of three warships and nearly 1,400 sailors demonstrated the destructive potential of submarines and exposed weaknesses in British naval tactics. The action occurred during the opening months of World War I, as Britain and Germany contested control of the North Sea and adapted to new forms of naval warfare.