On this day in history - September 22

What Happened On This Day – September 22

• 1980 Iran-Iraq War begins with Iraq invading Iran

  It is thought to be one of the 20th century's deadliest and longest conventional war. It ended 7 years later with no decisive victory and massive losses, both in terms of human lives and in terms of economy to both sides.

• 1979 The American-run Vela satellite detects a series of bright flashes over the Indian Ocean

  The flashes were thought to be associated with atmospheric nuclear explosions. Some experts theorized that they were caused by joint Israeli and South African nuclear exercises. The governments of both countries denied this and to date it hasn't been confirmed whether the flashes were indeed nuclear explosions, and who was responsible for them.

• 1975 Assassination attempt on US President Gerald Ford is foiled

  FBI informant Sara Jane Moore's attempt to assassinate the president in San Francisco failed due to a faulty gun and the efforts of ex-FBI agent Oliver Sipple who tackled her.

• 1960 Mali Federation becomes Mali

  In August 1960, Senegal opted out of the Mali Federation allowing the federation to take on the name of Mali.

• 1869 Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold or The Rhine Gold is heard for the first time

  The first of 4 musical works of art that constitute Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, Das Rheingold was played at the National Theatre in Munich. The other three music dramas are Die Walküre or The Valkyrie, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung or Twilight of the Gods.