1. In 1977, a deadly flash flood hit Nashville and surrounding areas. Heavy rains caused the Cumberland River to swell, resulting in massive flooding that killed 22 people and caused millions of dollars in property damage.

2. On June 22, 1868, Republican candidate William G. "Parson" Brownlow was elected governor of Tennessee, defeating his Democratic opponent in a hotly contested election. Brownlow, a former Unionist who had been a fierce critic of the Confederacy during the Civil War, served as governor until 1870.

3. June 22, 1959 saw the opening of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park covers more than 500,000 acres of forest, rivers, and mountains in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, making it one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States.

4. In 1965, civil rights activist James Meredith began a march from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi to protest racial segregation and discrimination. On June 22, after several days of walking, Meredith was shot and wounded by a white man who opposed his efforts. Despite his injuries, Meredith continued the march and completed his journey to Jackson a few weeks later.

5. June 22, 1897 was the birth date of one of Tennessee's most famous sons, Leroy "Satchel" Paige. Paige was a legendary baseball pitcher who played in both the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball, earning a reputation as one of the greatest hurlers of all time. He was the first African-American pitcher to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.