October 22

1746: Princeton University, in New Jersey, received its charter. 1797: French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of 3,200 feet. 1819: The first ship passed through Erie Canal going from Rome to Utica, NY. 1905: American physicist Karl Jansky, the "Father of Radio Astronomy" who discovered the cosmic background radiation, was born. 1934: Famous bank robber Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd assumed room temperature during a run-in with the FBI.  1938: Xerography (dry writing) was demonstrated by Chester Carlson, thereby demonstrating the process for which Xerox owns a trademark. 1962: President John Kennedy addressed the nation on TV about the Russian missile bases in Cuba, marking the beginning of the Bay of Pigs Cuban Missile Crisis. 1968: Apollo 7 splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean after orbiting the Earth 163 times. 1981: The U.S. national debt reached 1 trillion dollars (now $8.5T).