Eric Adams succeeds Bill de Blasio as the 110th Mayor of New York.[1]
Following the 2018 enactment of the Music Modernization Act, all sound recordings fixed before 1923 enter the public domain in the U.S.; alongside that, books, films and other works published in 1926 enter the public domain as well.[2]
January 2 – Twitter permanently suspends the personal account of U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R–GA) for violating policies on misinformation about COVID-19.[3]
January 3
Apple Inc. becomes the first publicly traded company to exceed a market value of $3 trillion.[4]
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: The number of daily infections in the U.S. exceeds one million for the first time, with a total of 1.08 million reported cases, driven largely by the Omicron variant.[6]
January 4 – Hundreds are stranded on Interstate 95 between Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., in a standstill for over 24 hours following heavy snowfall in Virginia.[7]
January 5 – Twelve people are killed and two others are injured in a fire at a converted apartment complex in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[8]
January 6
The U.S. marks the one-year anniversary of the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[9][10]
Cyber Ninjas, the company who conducted an audit of Maricopa County's election, announces that they will shut down after being held in contempt of court.[11]
January 7 – The three defendants convicted in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery are sentenced to life in prison. Travis McMichael and his father Greg are sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, while William Bryan is sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.[12]
January 9 – Seventeen people are killed and at least 44 others are injured in a fire at an apartment complex in The Bronx, New York City, New York.[13]
January 10
The United States Mint announces that they have started shipping the first coins of the American Women quarters. American poet Maya Angelou will become the first African American woman to be featured on a U.S. quarter.[14][15]
2022 College Football Playoff National Championship: In American football, Georgia defeats Alabama to win the national championship, its first since 1980.[16]
The world's first successful heart transplant from a pig to a human patient is reported at University of Maryland Medical Center.[17][18]
January 12 – In New York, a judge rules that one of Jeffrey Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, can proceed with a civil case against Prince Andrew, rejecting his attempt to have the sexual assault claims dismissed.[20][21]
January 13 – COVID-19 vaccination in the United States: The Supreme Court blocks the Biden administration from enforcing its vaccine-or-test requirements for large private companies. However, it allows a vaccine mandate to stand for medical facilities that take Medicare or Medicaid payments.[22]
January 15
Glenn Youngkin is sworn in as governor of Virginia. After being inaugurated, Youngkin signed multiple executive orders, including barring the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.[23] Governor Youngkin also signed executive orders that would create a commission to help fight against antisemitism in the commonwealth and another that would combat human trafficking.[24]
A gunman takes multiple people hostage at Congregation Beth Israel, a Jewish synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. He is later shot and killed by police, with no other fatalities and all four hostages being rescued.[26]
January 18
Smartmatic announces that it has sued My PillowCEOMike Lindell for defamation, accusing him of defaming the company to sell pillows.[27][28]
Microsoft purchases Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The deal is the largest acquisition of a tech company in history.[29]
January 19 – COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: The Biden Administration is reported to be freely providing 400 million N95 masks to Americans to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.[30]
January 21 – The University of Rhode Island votes to revoke the honorary degrees of Rudy Giuliani and Michael Flynn.[31]
January 26 – Associate Justice Stephen Breyer announces that he will retire from the United States Supreme Court.[32]
February[]
February 3 – The share price of Meta falls by 26.4%, with Facebook losing $230bn in its market value, the biggest one-day loss in history for a US company. This follows an earnings report showing the company's first ever drop in daily user numbers.[33]
February 4
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: The cumulative death toll from the virus exceeds 900,000.[34]
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: A study by the CDC finds that surgical masks worn at indoor public venues can reduce the chances of testing positive for COVID-19 by 66%, while tightfitting N95 masks can reduce the odds of infection by 83%.[35][36]
During a speech before the Federalist Society in Orlando, Florida, former Vice President Mike Pence tells the audience: [Former] President "Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone. Frankly there is almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president."[37]
February 7 – Freedom Convoy 2022: Protesters at the Ambassador Bridge, connecting Ontario with Detroit, Michigan, and one of the busiest international border crossings in North America, blockade the border crossing in response to vaccine mandates for truckers re-entering Canada. Four days later, on February 11, the Ontario Superior Court grants an injunction to remove protesters from the bridge.[38]
February 13 – 2021 NFL season: The Los Angeles Rams win Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals, the second consecutive Super Bowl played at one of the teams' home field.[39][40][41][42]
February 15 – NASA publishes its latest Sea Level Rise Technical Report, an update of the 2017 edition, which includes projections for sea level rise through to the year 2150. The agency warns that sea levels in the U.S. may rise as much over the next 30 years as during the previous 100.[43][44]
The Dow Jones, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 fall sharply in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Oil prices exceed $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014.[55]
President Biden announces new, stronger sanctions that will "impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time." He condemns President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, calling him an "aggressor."[56]
The three former officers involved in the murder of George Floyd (J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao) are found guilty by a federal jury for civil rights violations.[57]
February 25 –
President Biden nominatesDistrict of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat following the retirement of Judge Stephen Breyer.[58]
The America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) is held. Georgia RepresentativeMarjorie Taylor Greene appears as a surprise guest speaker at the conference, as do Paul Gosar, Wendy Rogers Republican member of the Arizona Senate, and lieutenant governor of IdahoJanice McGeachin.[59]
February 26
President Biden signs an order to provide $600 million of military assistance to Ukraine.[60]
The US and its allies commit to removing Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system, as well as imposing measures on the Russian Central Bank and further restrictions on Russian elites.[61][62]
The 2022 MLB lockout results in 91 games getting cancelled following the failure between the MLBPA and the owners to come to an agreement about a new collective bargaining agreement.
March 8
In American football, Green Bay PackersquarterbackAaron Rodgers signs a four-year, $200 million contract including a $153 million in guaranteed money, making him the highest paid player in the National Football League.[64][65] Rodgers confirmed his return but denied that that he has signed the contract.[66] He would later sign a three-year extension worth $150 million.[67]
Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio is indicted on conspiracy charges of obstructing the U.S. Congress during the January 6 attack at the United States Capitol.[68]
In new court documents, the Texas State Bar files a lawsuit accusing Sidney Powell of misconduct and calls for disciplinary actions against her including disbarment.[69]
March 9 – A 25-year old woman in North Texas files a lawsuit against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, accusing him of being her biological father and paying her mother to keep the information secret.[70]
March 10 – The 2022 MLB Lockout comes to an end after 99 days after a new CBA is agreed to, with the season delaying its start to April 7th but still playing all 162 games.
March 11 – A grand jury determines Houston TexansquarterbackDeshaun Watson will not be indicted or face criminal charges for sexual misconduct after 22 women accuse him of various crimes.[71]
March 15
Amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the Senate unanimously passes a resolution condemning President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal.[72]
Russia announces sanctions on several U.S. officials, banning President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and others from entering the country.[73]
March 18 – A transit bus shooting in Fort Lauderdale kills two people and injures two others.[74]
2022 NFL season: In American football, the Atlanta Falcons trade quarterbackMatt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts.[76]
March 23 – The LAUSD lifts their mask mandate for schools in Los Angeles.[77]
March 24
A fire breaks out at the Empower Field at Mile High stadium in Denver, Colorado.[78]
In New York City, MayorEric Adams lifts the vaccine mandate for unvaccinated athletes from teams like the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Brooklyn Nets. The lifting of the mandate also clears the way for point guardKyrie Irving to play home games for the Nets.[79]
March 25
A 14-year old boy falls off a drop tower ride at the Icon Park near International Drive in Orlando, Florida. The teen is identified as Tyre Sampson.[80]
In basketball, Saint Peter’s becomes the first 15th seed to advance to the Elite Eight following a 67-64 win against Purdue.[81]
Predicted and scheduled events[]
March 27 – The 94th Academy Awards are scheduled to be held at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with the ceremony planned to have an assigned host for the first time since 2018. Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog leads the nominations with twelve.[82][83]
April – All data from the 1950 U.S. Census will be fully released to the public.[84]
April 27 – The Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its existence on this date.[85]
May 2 – Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to start a grand jury on this date to kick off a process to decide whether to indict former PresidentDonald Trump over his role in allegedly pressuringSecretary of StateBrad Raffensperger to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election results.[86][87]
June – Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization: The Supreme Court of the United States will announce whether the case Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States, would be overturned.[88]
June 13 – The three other officers involved in the murder of George Floyd (J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao) are scheduled to begin their trial.[90]
July 18 – U.S. District JudgeCarl J. Nichols set a trial for this date for former White House Chief StrategistSteve Bannon. Bannon faces criminal charges for contempt of Congress after defying the January 6 committee, which investigated the 2021 attack at the United States Capitol.[92]
November 8 – The 2022 United States elections will select the 118th Congress as well as various state and local officials. This will be the first set of federal elections after redistricting reflecting the 2020 U.S. Census.[95] Thirty-six states and three territories will have gubernatorial elections, and Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. will hold mayoral elections.[96][97]
^"Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved October 14, 2018. The federal remedies for unauthorized use of pre-1972 sound recordings shall be available for 95 years after first publication of the recording, ending on December 31 of that year, subject to certain additional periods. These periods provide varying additional protection for pre-1972 sound recordings, based on when the sound recording was first published: For recordings first published before 1923, the additional time period ends on December 31, 2021.
Media related to 2022 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons
Years in the United States (1776–present)