On This Day, Aug. 22: IRA founder Michael Collins assassinated

On Aug. 22, 1922, Michael Collins, a founder of the Irish Republican Army and a key figure in Ireland's independence movement, was assassinated by political opponents. File Photo courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica
On Aug. 22, 1922, Michael Collins, a founder of the Irish Republican Army and a key figure in Ireland's independence movement, was assassinated by political opponents. File Photo courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1851, the U.S.-built schooner America outran a fleet of Britain's finest ships around England's Isle of Wight in an international race that became known as the America's Cup.

In 1881, American humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons founded the National Red Cross.

In 1922, Michael Collins, a founder of the Irish Republican Army and a key figure in Ireland's independence movement, was assassinated by political opponents.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI arrived in Colombia, becoming the first pontiff to visit South America.

The $120 million memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. opened to the public August 22, 2011, in Washington, D.C. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
The $120 million memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. opened to the public August 22, 2011, in Washington, D.C. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

In 1986, Kerr-McGee Corp. agreed to pay the estate of nuclear industry worker Karen Silkwood more than $1 million, ending a 10-year legal battle waged by her family over her exposure to radioactive materials at the company's Oklahoma plant.

In 2004, two masked robbers stole Edvard Munch's The Scream and another painting from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway. They were found about two years later and put back on display in 2008. The Scream had been stolen once before, 10 years earlier, but was recovered within three months.

A tapestry of Pope Paul VI is unveiled during a beatification ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City near Rome on October 19, 2014. On Aug. 22, 1968, Pope Paul VI arrived in Colombia, becoming the first pontiff to visit South America. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI
A tapestry of Pope Paul VI is unveiled during a beatification ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City near Rome on October 19, 2014. On Aug. 22, 1968, Pope Paul VI arrived in Colombia, becoming the first pontiff to visit South America. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI
File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

In 2005, the last Jewish settlers moved peacefully out of the Gaza Strip after carrying Torah scrolls down the main street of Netzarim, last of 21 settlements to be evacuated.

Israeli heavy equipment destroys a house in the Jewish settlement of Morag, southern Gaza Strip, August 22, 2005. Israeli troops marched unopposed into the Gaza Strip's last Jewish settlement of Netzarim on Monday to complete the evacuation of the territory after nearly four decades of occupation. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI
Israeli heavy equipment destroys a house in the Jewish settlement of Morag, southern Gaza Strip, August 22, 2005. Israeli troops marched unopposed into the Gaza Strip's last Jewish settlement of Netzarim on Monday to complete the evacuation of the territory after nearly four decades of occupation. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI

In 2006, Pulkovo Airlines Flight 612 crashed near the Russian border in Ukraine, killing 171 people.

In 2011, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington opened to the public. The $120 million memorial, 25 years in the making, is on a four-acre site on the National Mall.

In 2017, India's Supreme Court declared the "instant divorce" practice among the nation's Muslim population to be unconstitutional.

In 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Singapore, her first visit to Asia as VP, to discuss issues of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain concerns with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Shien Loong.

Vice President Kamala Harris gives a statement with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Vice President's Ceremonial Office in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2022.  File Photo by Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg
Vice President Kamala Harris gives a statement with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Vice President's Ceremonial Office in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2022. File Photo by Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg