Indian scholar and politician, who was also the first Education Minister of India, Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini Azad, died on February 22, 1992. In the same year, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously. Commonly remembered as Maulana Azad where Maulana refers to a ‘learned man’, he adopted Azad which was his pen name. His birthday, November 11, is celebrated as National Education Day all over India.

It was on February 22, 1854, that Cowasji Nanabhai Davar opened the first Indian cotton mill, called The Bombay Spinning Mill, with opposition from the Lancashire mill owners eventually combated by the support of the British manufacturers of textile machinery.

In 2017, also on this day, Jay-Z became the first rapper to be inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Max Martin, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Since 1926, February 22 has been celebrated as World Thinking Day each year by scout and guide organisations from around the world. Scouts and guides use this day to study and interact more with foreign cultures and increase their awareness about issues of global importance. This day was chosen as it was the birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell.