1. On May 22, 1761, the first recorded tornado in South Carolina's history occurred in Charleston. The tornado caused widespread damage and was believed to have been an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

2. In 1860, on May 22, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union leading to the Civil War. Six more states followed suit and joined the Confederacy.

3. On May 22, 1912, the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh made his first solo flight in South Carolina. He flew from Charleston to Columbia in just over an hour.

4. The USS Laffey, a U.S. Navy destroyer, was commissioned on May 22, 1944. The ship served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Cold War. It is now preserved as a museum ship at Patriot's Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston.

5. On May 22, 1994, the South Carolina Gamecocks won their first SEC baseball tournament. The team went on to play in the College World Series, where they finished in second place.