What Day Is August 22? The Haitian Revolution Begins (1791)
August 22 is the 234th day of the year and the last day of Leo. In 1791, the Haitian Revolution started at Bois Caïman, launching the only successful slave revolt in history. The Catholic Church celebrates the Queenship of Mary.
About August 22
August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in a leap year). There are 131 days remaining. It is the last day of Leo; Virgo begins on August 23.
The significance of August 22
On the night of August 22, 1791, hundreds of enslaved people gathered at Bois Caïman, a forest clearing in the mountains of northern Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti). Led by Dutty Boukman, the ceremony ended with a pact to revolt. Within days, the colony’s plantations were ablaze. What followed was thirteen years of fighting against Spanish, British, and finally Napoleonic French forces. The people who started it at Bois Caïman founded the first Black republic in the world in 1804. The UN designates August 22 as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition because of this date. The Catholic Church observes the feast of the Queenship of Mary on August 22.
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On This Day in History
- 1791The Haitian Revolution began at Bois Caïman, a forest clearing in northern Saint-Domingue, where enslaved people gathered for a ceremony led by Dutty Boukman. Within days, sugar and coffee plantations across the colony were burning.
- 1922Michael Collins, commander-in-chief of the Irish National Army and one of the architects of Irish independence, was killed in an ambush at Béal na Bláth, County Cork. He was 31.
Baby Names for This Day
August 22 is the last day of Leo and the Queenship of Mary. Names connected to this date:
- ToussaintBoy
Toussaint Louverture, the former slave who became the military genius of the Haitian Revolution; 'Toussaint' is French for 'All Saints'.
- HaïtiGirl
The Taino name for the island, meaning 'mountainous land'; used as a name rarely, but worth knowing.
- ReginaGirl
'Queen' in Latin; the Queenship of Mary is celebrated on August 22 in the Catholic calendar.
- MichaelBoy
Michael Collins, killed August 22, 1922, at 31; one of the principal founders of the Irish state.
- LeonBoy
Latin for lion; August 22 is the last day of Leo.
- DuttyBoy
Dutty Boukman, who led the ceremony at Bois Caïman on August 22, 1791, that started the revolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What day is August 22?add
August 22 is the day the Haitian Revolution began (1791), the only successful slave revolt in history. Michael Collins was killed in 1922. The Catholic feast of the Queenship of Mary. Last day of Leo. The 234th day of the year.
What number day of the year is August 22?add
August 22 is the 234th day of the year, or the 235th in a leap year, with 131 days remaining.
What zodiac sign is August 22?add
August 22 is the last day of Leo. Virgo begins on August 23.