February 22, 1943

1943Terry Eagleton, English philosopher and critic^[†]

Terence Francis Eagleton is an English literary theorist, critic, and public intellectual. He is currently Distinguished Professor of English Literature at Lancaster University.

1943Horst Köhler, Polish-German economist and politician, 9th President of Germany (died 2025)^[†]

Horst Köhler was a German politician who served as President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties and also candidate of the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Convention on 23 May 2004 and was subsequently inaugurated on 1 July 2004. He was reelected to a second term on 23 May 2009. Just a year later, on 31 May 2010, he resigned from his office in a controversy over a comment on the role of the German Armed Forces in light of a visit to the troops in Afghanistan. During his tenure as president, whose office is mostly concerned with ceremonial matters, Köhler was a highly popular politician, with approval rates above those of both Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and later Chancellor Angela Merkel.

1943Dick Van Arsdale, American basketball player (died 2024)^[†]

Richard Albert Van Arsdale was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star selection, his No. 5 was retired by the Phoenix Suns.

1943Tom Van Arsdale, American basketball player^[†]

Thomas Arthur Van Arsdale is an American former professional basketball player. A graduate of Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis, the 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) guard played collegiately at Indiana University under longtime head coach Branch McCracken.

1943Christoph Probst, German activist (born 1919)^[†]

Christoph Ananda Probst (6 November 1919 – 22 February 1943) was a German medical student and member of the anti-Nazi resistance group White Rose. Although less publicly known than Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl, Probst played a key intellectual role in the group’s efforts to oppose the Nazi regime through nonviolent means.

1943Hans Scholl, German activist (born 1918)^[†]

Hans Fritz Scholl was, along with Alexander Schmorell, one of the two founding members of the White Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany. The principal author of the resistance movement's literature, he was found guilty of high treason for distributing anti-Nazi material and was executed by the Nazi regime in 1943 during World War II.

1943World War II: Members of the White Rose resistance, Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst are executed in Nazi Germany.^[†]

The White Rose was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students and one professor at the University of Munich: Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl. The group conducted an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign that called for active opposition to the Nazi regime. Their activities started in Munich on 27 June 1942; they ended with the arrest of the core group by the Gestapo on 18 February 1943. They, as well as other members and supporters of the group who carried on distributing the pamphlets, faced show trials by the Nazi People's Court ; many of them were imprisoned and executed.

1943Yankee Clipper crashes while landing on the Tagus in Lisbon, killing 24.^[†]

The Yankee Clipper was an American Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat, best known for on 20 May 1939 beginning the first scheduled airmail service between the United States and Europe. It crashed on 22 February 1943 while attempting to land on the River Tagus in Lisbon, Portugal, killing 24 of the 39 people on board. Among the dead were writer and war correspondent Ben Robertson and singer Tamara Drasin.