Valentine’s Day is around the corner and for most this is an opportunity to spoil their significant other and have a romantic day celebrating their love. Some even plan their wedding on this day, turning it into a ‘double-up on love’ day. Weddings and Valentine’s Day always conjure up images of flowers, hearts, chocolates, declarations of love and gorgeous wedding dresses. Around the world however, love is celebrated with a variety of customs and traditions when it comes to Valentine’s and wedding ceremonies. On this list are just a few examples of weird celebrations of love from around the globe.

See Also: 10 Creepy Valentine’s Day Mysteries That Are Still Unsolved

10 That’s the spirit

China has a wide variety of wedding customs and traditions. One of the weirder ones that has been around for over 3,000 years is the practise of ghost weddings. When ghost weddings were first performed, they were restricted to a marriage ceremony between two deceased people who were both single while alive.

The deceased ‘bride’s’ family would request a price for the bride and the dowry would include paper tributes such as a large house and expensive jewels. The ‘wedding ceremony’ was then held at the cemetery where the tombstones of the couple were. When the ceremony was completed, the bones of the bride would be dug up and reburied inside the grave of the groom. It was also decided beforehand whether the couple were the right age and whether their family background meant they would be compatible in the afterlife.

In modern times the tradition allows for one of the ‘betrothed’ to be a living person who will then marry a deceased person.^[1]

9 Sponsored weddings

You don’t need to binge-watch Say Yes To The Dress to know that weddings can be incredibly expensive and go way beyond just the dress. There is the transport, venue, flowers, food and music to think about and this can run into thousands of dollars.

The Philippine government started a great custom to help its citizens get married without breaking the bank. Each year on Valentine’s Day couples have the chance to wed in a mass ceremony sponsored by the government. Everything is taken care of including flowers, cake, food, gifts and sometimes even wedding rings. The only thing the engaged couples need to do is get themselves to the venue in their wedding attire and make sure they registered for the event beforehand.^[2]

8 Why so serious?

Weddings are traditionally associated with joy, laughter and happiness and all the other appropriate words that describe the feeling two people have when they finally commit their lives to one another in matrimony.

However, some traditions do not believe in taking weddings lightly. For instance, the Tuijia people in China require the bride to cry for at least one hour every day for a whole month before she gets married. In some parts of India, marriage is a case of life and death as certain girls born under the wrong star (astrologically speaking) are believed to be cursed and would bring death upon their husbands. However, if the girl marries a tree and chops it down before marrying her fiancé, the curse will be broken.

In the Congo, smiling is frowned upon at some weddings. Instead, it is preferred that the bride and groom keep a straight face through proceedings because if they break into laughter or even just grin, it means they are not taking their wedding seriously enough. Only when they leave for their honeymoon do they get to take a break from being stony-faced.^[3]

7 Bloody Valentine

What is Valentine’s Day without a little blood right? For those who love to get their horror-fest on, the London Dungeon likes to put on a display during special holidays and Valentine’s Day is no exception. In 2011, the Dungeon had human heart cupcakes on sale for those who wanted a gross treat while watching a surgical procedure in the Blood and Guts exhibit.

In 2017 however, the Dungeon went too far with its outlandish ideas and was accused of ‘demeaning women and sex workers’ after a series of promotional social media posts for their ‘Dark Valentine’ campaign rubbed people up the wrong way. The posts included “Jack The Ripper just messaged. He wants to Netflix and kill” and “I love a girl that’s a good eater. Female translation: You’re fat.”

A spokesperson for the museum responded via social media and apologized for any offence caused.^[4]

6 Shooting the br(ide)

In general, grooms like to protect their brides at all cost and show her how much she’s appreciated. However, in the Yugur culture grooms get to shoot their future bride with a bow and arrow. But it’s not as awful as it sounds. The grooms cut off the arrow heads beforehand. After shooting the blunt arrows at their bride, the groom then breaks the arrows to ensure that the couple’s love lasts a lifetime.

In Scotland, brides don’t get shot at, but they do get sour milk, dead fish, rotten food and feathers thrown at them. As if that weren’t enough, she then must be willingly tied to a tree for some time. Once released, the bride then join her friends for a night out on the town. The thinking behind this custom is that if the bride can deal with this type of harsh treatment, she will be able to effectively deal with obstacles in her marriage.^[5]

5 Nail in the coffin

For most people, lying in a coffin while alive would freak them out to no end. Others are willing to risk it for the sake of love. On Valentine’s Day 2015, 10 couples participated in a wedding ceremony at Wat Ta Kien in the Bang Kruay district.

Before the ceremony began, the couples had to make offerings to the monks and then proceed to lay down in a pink coffin. They were then draped with a white sheet and the monks chanted over them as they would over a deceased couple. When the chanting ceased, the monks prayed over the couples and blessed them for their new lives together. It is believed that laying down in the coffin and being prayed over sends all approaching bad luck packing before it has a chance to land.^[6]

4 Symbols all over the place

Symbolism plays a big part in wedding celebrations worldwide and Africa is no exception. Some couples who live there include the 12 symbols of life in wedding ceremonies to remind them of what their expectations should be once married and how to overcome those inevitable arguments.

Wheat represents fertility while wine symbolizes the uniting of two families. Pepper is included to represent arguments and salt for healing and preservation. Additionally, water indicates purity and the dissolving of bad feelings, bitter herbs symbolize the ‘growing pains’ of a new marriage and a pot and spoon symbolizes good food to sustain a healthy family. A shield is added to the mix to represent the pride of the home as well as a spear for protection. The last three symbols are honey that should remind the couple of the sweetness of their love for one another, a broom to ensure a clean home and a holy book to represent the truth and power of God.^[7]

3 Unrequited love

Valentine’s Day may stir up feelings of love worldwide, but some countries don’t share the sentiment. In fact, in Saudi Arabia, PDAs are strictly forbidden, and Valentine’s Day has been banned for fear of citizens becoming influenced and led astray by Western Christian customs. They take this rule so seriously, that the government imposed a 39-year prison sentence on 5 men in 2012 who dared to be out in public drinking and dancing with women. This is not to mention the 4,500 lashes they received between them.

Pakistan joined the party in 2017 and banned the day of love after the High Court ruled that Valentine’s Celebrations were not in keeping with Muslim tradition. Belgorod in Russia too clamped down on Valentine’s Day celebrations claiming that the ungodly atmosphere of the holiday does not encourage the formation of spiritual and moral values, especially in the youth.^[8]

2 Keep the fire burning

It is said that love is as random as lottery numbers. You get it when you least expect it and may just run out after a couple of years. In France, people tried to make the finding of true love more of a sure thing on Valentine’s Day. To this end they came up with the custom of single people lining up in houses facing each other. Once each person was settled, they’d call through the windows until everyone had found a partner.

Now of course in every game there must be winners and losers. The women who didn’t find their partners in the above-mentioned way were given license to start a huge bonfire in which they burned photos of all the single men who rejected them while yelling insults at them. As you might imagine, the bonfires soon got out of hand, and the French government stepped in to ban the custom.^[9]

1 The luck of the Irish

In Ireland exists quite a few wedding customs that are initiated before, during and after the ceremony as part of the celebrations. These include putting a sixpence in one of the bride’s shoes and incorporating a horseshoe in the bouquet. Some Irish couples toast to their honeymoon with honey wine while others include a traditional fruit cake as their wedding cake.

A very beautiful celebration however comes in the form of a lace handkerchief. An Irish bride would carry the handkerchief with her down the aisle (the handkerchief is usually handed down through generations). Some couples have their name embroidered on it along with the date of the wedding. Once the wedding is over, the handkerchief is made into a bonnet for the christening of the couple’s first child.^[10]

Name a holiday when evil spirits are all around you and magic and mysticism is celebrated. Not Halloween, but Midsummer. In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year falls around June 21, when the sun’s rays are perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer at 23°30′ North latitude.

It is called the summer solstice and has been celebrated around the world since time began.

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream depicted the fairy world’s riot of mischief on this special night. Today, folklore still plays an important role, and sacred rituals are observed by different groups to mark the start of summer.

Welcome to the quirky world of Midsummer.

Related: 10 Unusual Festivals Around The World

10 Sankthansaften

Sankthansaften is the Danish midsummer festival named after Sankt Hans—St John the Baptist, who was born on June 24. As with Christmas Eve, the holiday is celebrated the night before on June 23 along with the summer solstice—the date of which can move due to shifting calendar days in a year.

Midsummer is welcomed by bonfires topped with an effigy of a witch called “heksedukke,” whose cloth body is stuffed with firecrackers. According to legend, when the witch doll explodes, she is set free to fly away to Mount Brocken in Germany—a legendary gathering place for witches from around the world. The bonfire tradition stems from the Middle Ages when people suspected of witchcraft were burned at the stake throughout Europe. The custom of adding a witch doll began in the 1920s.

The fires are lit at around 10 pm, and revelers sing the traditional anthem “Midsommervisen” to mark the longest day of the year, where some parts of Denmark will enjoy 18 hours of daylight.^[1]

9 Sun Dance

The Sun Dance is a sacred ritual of pain and self-sacrifice practiced by some Native American tribes. The ceremony starts at the time of the full moon closest to midsummer, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky and the sage plant—a symbol of healing—is ready to pick.

Tribes from the Great Plains, including the Lakota, Cree, and Blackfoot, spend all year preparing for the important ritual.

The theme of the Sun Dance is healing and renewal as dancers give thanks to the sun by sacrificing their own flesh in an act called “piercing.” The grueling process sees wooden skewers inserted under the skin of a dancer’s chest or shoulder blade. Rawhide cords are attached to the skewers, which are then tied to a central Sun Pole. The men dance around the pole for hours, pulling back until the flesh rips.

The tribes believe that without the Sun Dance, the earth will lose its precious connection to the universe.

Western settlers’ squeamishness at the Sun Dance caused it to be banned by the American government around 1895, although some tribes continued the practice in secret. In 1978, President Carter signed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, ensuring that all Native American religions were protected by law.^[2]

8 Ivana-Kupala

Deep in Eastern Europe, the winters are long and harsh, so midsummer is welcomed by a celebration called Ivana-Kupala. It was initially a pagan fertility ritual named after the summer sun “Kupalo” but was later combined with the birthday of St John or “Ivan.”

Water and fertility are the main themes—Kupala morning dew is believed to have healing properties, and people bathe in outdoor waters to cleanse both body and soul. No one sleeps on Kupala night as it is said that witches and vampires lurk in the shadows, so bonfires are lit to keep them at bay. Young men show their bravery by leaping over the flames while young couples jump bonfires together to prove the strength of their relationship.

Legend has it that a magical fern will appear in the forest on Kupala night and whoever finds it first will be bestowed with good luck.^[3]

7 Da Simmer Dim

Shetland is a remote archipelago lying between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, 230 kilometers (143 miles) north of Scotland. At 60 degrees North, its position affords the islands around 19 hours of daylight at midsummer. On the longest day of the year, the sun rises at around 4 am and sets again at 10:30 pm.

Da simmer dim is an old Shetland term that refers to twilight on the islands when the sun dips just below the horizon for a few hours at night, filling the skies with a milky white light. As the sun rises, the light changes and casts an orange glow.

Shetland is closer to Norway than mainland Scotland, and so at midsummer, early Norse settlers celebrated Baldur, the god of light. Islanders marked the day by building bonfires stacked with fish bones, straw, and seaweed—set alight with fish oil.

Young couples would follow an ancient Shetland tradition of meeting secretly as the sun went down. The lovers would pick a stalk of ribwort plantain, which grows wild on the islands. The buds were removed and then hidden, and if new buds sprouted on the plant, this was a sign that the couple was destined to marry.

Since 1982, bikers from all around the world have caught the ferry to the tiny islands to celebrate midsummer at the Simmer Dim bike rally. Around 400 bikers gather to witness the magical skies on the shortest night of the year.^[4]

6 Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks is Alaska’s second-largest city and experiences a unique midsummer. At 65 degrees north latitude, the former gold rush town enjoys the Midnight Sun season from April to August—a time when the sun never fully sets. This culminates at the summer solstice on June20/21, when the sun dips no lower than 6 degrees below the horizon, and the area is plunged into near 24-hour sunlight.

“Civil twilight” is the official term for “usable daylight hours,” meaning the amount of light a pilot needs to see objects on the ground. From May 17 to July 27, Fairbanks has 70 days of 24-hour official civil twilight. On the longest day—June 21—the sun will typically set at 12:47 am and rise again at 2:59 am.

As the earth rotates, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted nearer to the sun, causing sunlight to fall at a steeper angle. The further north you venture, the more hours of daylight you will experience at the summer solstice. Alaska’s position at 315 kilometers (196 miles) south of the Arctic Circle explains this phenomenon.

Since 1906, the Alaska Goldpanners have hosted the Midnight Sun baseball game on June 21. It begins at 10:30 pm, finishing around 1:30 am, and the floodlights have never been turned on for the duration of the game.^[5]

5 Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is an ancient Mayan site on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, built around AD 400. By AD 600, it was a bustling city and home to thousands. However, something caused the population to vanish, and by the time Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century, it was a ghost town.

The Mayans were fascinated by astronomy and closely followed the changing seasons when planting crops. The main pyramid at Chichen Itza comprised 365 steps in line with the days of the year and was designed as an early type of calendar—alerting the Mayans to the arrival of solstices and equinoxes.

Every year around June 21, the early morning sun filters into the north and east sides of the pyramid, leaving the south and west sides in darkness. so the structure appears to be split in half. To the Mayans, this light display was the start of summer.

Legend has it that if you clap your hands at the base of the steps, the echo will mimic the sound of the Mexican quetzal bird—a sacred Mayan symbol.^[6]

4 The Power of Trees

Most Midsummer celebrations are a way to reconnect with the earth at a time when nature is in full bloom. Many can be traced back to early pagans who regarded trees as sacred spirits with magical powers.

The Celtic people of Britain praised the oak tree as King of the Forest due to its strength and longevity. The Celtic word for oak is duir, meaning doorway. They believed the oak tree’s roots were a direct link to the underworld and the dark days of winter which lay ahead.

Druids also worshipped the oak tree due to the presence of mistletoe—a sign of healing and fertility that seemed to grow only on trees that had been struck by lightning. In fact, mistletoe is a parasitic plant that would creep out of a gap in the trunk caused by a lightning bolt.

Druids hailed the beech tree as the “Queen of the Mother of the Woods” and the source of all wisdom. In Celtic tree mythology, it was called the “tree of wishes.” If a beech branch fell, it was seen as an invitation from the wishing fairies to write on the branch and push the stick into the earth where the wish would be taken to the underworld for the Fairy Queen to read.^[7]

3 Slinningsbalet

Alesund is a municipality in Norway’s Western Fjord County, stretching across several islands and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. This makes it the perfect location for the world’s tallest man-made bonfire.

The event, called Slinningsbalet, is held on the Saturday closest to June 23. Traditionally, bonfires have been lit all over Norway at the summer solstice—to signify the sinking flames of the sun.

Locals build a tower made from wooden crates and pallets stacked on top of each other, sometimes as high as 40 meters (131 feet). It takes up to 30 people working day and night to finish the structure, and crowds then gather to watch as volunteers climb to the top. There, they light a fuse placed inside a barrel at the highest point and carefully make their way back down as the flames take hold.

Hundreds of people arrive in boats and on foot to watch the tower burn for hours until it collapses into the ocean, marking the start of midsummer in Norway.^[8]

2 Midsommar

Midsommar in Sweden is one long party. The outdoor festival of food, drink, and dancing begins on the weekend nearest to June 21. A large green maypole “majstang” is at the center of celebrations, a custom that originated in 17th-century Germany.

Pickled herring and nypotatis—potatoes with dill—are served at picnics, followed by drinking songs and dancing around the maypole.

The holiday is a time of magic and superstition in Sweden, as folklore dictates that if a young woman picks seven different flowers in silence on midsummer eve and places them under her pillow, she will dream of her future love.

Romance is in the air—an old Swedish verse reads:^[9]

“Midsummer night is not long, but it sets many cradles to rock.”

1 Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a world-famous stone circle in Wiltshire, UK. Sarsen stones were placed in the center of a stone circle around 2500 BC to align with the movements of the sun.

On the summer solstice, if you stand in the center of the circle, the sun will spectacularly rise to the left of an upright stone known as the Heel Stone. The people of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages who built Stonehenge were farmers and herdsmen, so the changing seasons were vital to their survival.

Today, Stonehenge is a magnet for Druids and pagans who regard it as their temple, along with Wiccans and nature lovers everywhere.

The atmosphere at Stonehenge has not always been so tranquil. In June 1985, a community called the “Peace Convoy” arrived to stage a festival. Police had set up roadblocks, and when the convoy broke through them, 1,200 police officers arrived at the scene to break up the party. This became known as the Battle of the Bean Field, resulting in the largest mass arrest of civilians since World War Two.^[10]

Many inventions and discoveries perceived to be modern phenomena have been with us for a very long time. One sometimes stands in awe at how innovative, creative, and brilliant those who came before us had been—with limited knowledge and fewer resources.

Already well into the twentieth century, the year 1922 saw great people entering and exiting our world and brought us wonderful discoveries and inventions of notable value. Many that still have an influence a century later. Luxury developments from 1922 have paved the way for modern variants throughout the decades, while books and movies enjoyed then still draw attention today—with some films being made and remade many, many times (because is there any originality left in Hollywood?).

When pausing a moment from the constant expectation of new things to come, we find that there are quite a few big 100th anniversaries to be celebrated in 2022.

Related: Top 10 Bizarre Celebrations Of Love Around The World

10 Deaths

Even when gone, some people have left legacies worth remembering, and their death dates are still being celebrated today. Legendary people who died in 1922 include Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach, chocolate mogul George Cadbury, South African Boer-General Christiaan de Wet, and Pope Benedict XV.

Irish-born Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, died just short of his 48th birthday on January 5, during his fourth attempt to reach the South Pole. Also, Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish inventor and discoverer to whom the invention of the telephone and the metal detector was accredited, died on August 2—from diabetes-related complications.

Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, born in 1858 as Eliezer Perlman, was a lexicographer known for his work toward the phenomenal revival of the then-not-spoken-anymore Hebrew language. He died in Jerusalem on April 23 at age 64 from tuberculosis. On November 18, Parisian novelist and poet Marcel Proust died of pneumonia at age 51. He was an influential French writer famous for writing excessively long sentences—with his longest one being 958 words—which is by far not the longest sentence in a publication!^[1]

9 Births

The world was collectively holding its breath to see if she was going to make it, but unfortunately, everyone’s favorite Golden Girl, Betty White, died on December 31, 2021, just 17 days shy of her 100th birthday. Incidentally, her co-star in the series, Bea Arthur, who died in 2009, was also born in 1922. Iconic American actor Christopher Lee, the most prolific actor of all time, cast in more than 244 films and TV movies, was born on May 27.

Among other famous over-achievers born this year a century ago was Professor Christiaan Barnard (November 8), the South African cardiac surgeon responsible for the world’s first heart transplant in December 1967. Yitzhak Rabin, army general and later the 5th Prime Minister of Israel, who was assassinated in 1995, was born on March 1. On April 13, Tanzanian anti-colonial activist and politician Julius Nyerere was born.^[2]

8 Inventions

Some of the most useful inventions that are still in use today originated in 1922. The “upward-acting” garage door by C.G. Johnson and the electric blender, for which Stephen J. Poplawski is accredited, are two such inventions. These remain in everyday use in many households worldwide.

Raymond DeWalt invented the radial arm saw, an efficient power tool used for crosscuts of longboards and a standard tool still used today. And on a sweet note, Christian Kent Nelson receives a patent for the Eskimo Pie.

With his brother pulling him with a boat at 20 mph, the favorite vacation pastime and now popular water sport of waterskiing was created by Ralph Samuelson in mid-1922. Having experimented with two wooden boards and a clothesline as a towrope, Samuelson initially struggled to get on his feet in the water. He spent the next 15 years trying to perfect the skill of waterskiing—which he later taught others to enjoy.^[3]

7 Discoveries of Different Kinds

1922 saw the discovery of Vitamin E by Herbert McLean Evans and Katharine Scott Bishop. Also in 1922, Vitamin D was discovered by Elmer McCollum and other researchers while doing research on children with rickets. The condition—also known as English Disease—is an illness causing weak bones in children, which is now known to be triggered by a lack of Vitamin D.

After a long history filled with disputes and controversies, insulin was intravenously injected on January 11, 1922. Although it was an initial failure, this experiment has paved the way for successful insulin treatment for diabetes ever since.

On November 4, British archaeologist Howard Carter and his team found the entrance to King Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor in Egypt.^[4]

6 World Events

Egypt gained its independency in 1922 from the British Empire, although the Brits kept control over the Suez Canal in partnership with France. In 1956, after a tug of war between Egypt and the two European countries, the USA convinced the latter to surrender its control of the Suez Canal.

As a result of the 1917 Revolution, the U.S.S.R (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), also known as the Soviet Union, was established on December 30, 1922. The U.S.S.R. consisted of the Russian and Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republics, together with the Ukrainian and the (then-called) Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republics. It officially lasted until the Soviet flag was lowered for the last time on Christmas Day 1991 when countries previously absorbed into the union became independent again. An interesting celebration against the background of current events in the area.

Also, on July 24, 1922, the then League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine, which the Brits ruled from 1920 to 1948, whereafter the State of Israel was established.

The Japanese aircraft carrier, Hōshō (meaning: phoenix flying), became the first purpose-designed aircraft carrier to be commissioned. The Hōshō, different from later UK and U.S. aircraft carriers, was used during World War II. The design was used for the later Japanese fleet carriers—the Akagi, the Kaga, and the Ryūjō.^[5]

5 Movies Released

Various movies based on popular literature from the era were first released in 1922. A few films from that year that are still popular today include Robin Hood, Oliver Twist, Sherlock Holmes, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Rob Roy, Othello, With Stanley in Africa (the story of Dr. Stanley Livingstone), and David Copperfield.

Most of these films had seen remakes and remakes of remakes throughout the century. Yes, Hollywood knows how to redo. Take Robin Hood, for example. This 1922 film was just the beginning as we have seen numerous versions. Some of these include The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Robin and Marian (1976), Robin Hood (1991), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Robin Hood (2010), and Robin Hood (2018). Oh and we can’t forget everyone’s favoriteRobin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). And that doesn’t even account for the many foreign, cartoon, or adult versions made. Sheesh.^[6]

4 Books Published

Many books and educational publications by writers whose work still has an influence today appeared in 1922. Albert Einstein’s The Meaning of Relativity: Four Lectures Delivered at Princeton University, May 1921, was published by Princeton University Press. And on February 2, James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses (containing a 4,391-word sentence), was published in Paris in time for his 40th birthday. And that’s still not the longest sentence in literature.

1922 was a good year for F. Scott Fitzgerald, writer of The Great Gatsby—as both his novel The Beautiful and Damned was published on March 4, while his short story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was run in Collier’s Weekly magazine on May 27. Adaptations of Fitzgerald’s titles, including these two, found their way onto the stage and the silver screen through the last century.

Other well-known publications celebrating its centenary this year include The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot, England My England by D. H. Lawrence, and Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting.^[7]

3 Automotive Firsts

Launched in 1922, the Lancia Lambda introduced many world’s firsts—the first monocoque chassis, the first independent (front) suspension, the first V4 engine, the first production aluminum engine block, and the first four-wheel brakes.

This year also saw dramatic increases in automobile production. September established a new monthly production record, with a total of 206,000 motor vehicles turned out of the factories. The Willys-Overland Company made a record during July, August, and September when it produced 37,000 vehicles.

The convertible made its appearance in the early 1920s, with the first practical retractable hardtop prototype, created by American Ben P. Ellerbeck, being introduced in ‘22.^[8]

2 Fashionable Trends

Not surprisingly, 1922 wasn’t only known as the year in which John and Mary were the most popular baby names in the U.S.—and probably in most other countries where English is spoken—but also brought along new fashion trends.

The years after World War I (ending in 1918) saw a huge change in society, and fashion didn’t escape this transformation. The pre-war extravagance and war modesty (and the scarcity of everything) were slowly being replaced by more androgynous (male and female neutral) trends that still influence the fashion industry today. Under the influence of designer Coco Chanel and suddenly freer to express themselves, women started wearing less jewelry, shorter hair, and more unisex clothes—with dress suits and even trousers and ties finding their way into everyday wear.

1922 was also the year Coco Chanel’s iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume—still a favorite today—was launched.^[9]

1 Sporty Moments

Mickey “Toy Bulldog” Walker defeated Jack Britton for the welterweight boxing title in 1922. It is believed that Ernest Hemingway based his short story, “Fifty Grand,” on the fight, as the plot and even the names of the main characters are quite close to the real event and the boxers’ names.

Slalom skiing, which would become an Olympic sport in 1948, celebrated competing with official rules in place for a century this year. Olympic swimmer, Johnny Weissmuller, broke the one-minute barrier in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 58.6 seconds. He would eventually become famous (again) as the actor playing Tarzan in Tarzan, The Ape Man. The current record (Oct 2021) is held by Australia’s Kyle Chalmers with 44.84 seconds.

1922 was a big year for the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (popularly known as Wimbledon or the All England Club). It moved from its first home on Worple Road to where it is today on Church Street, London. Australian Gerald Patterson and Suzanne Lenglen from France won the first singles titles on this famous piece of lawn. It was also the first year that saw previous champions defending their titles from Round 1 on Day 1. Until then, champions only started competing after the main draw had been decided.^[10]