Year 2022: Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 2022. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, computer and Internet history, famous deaths, retail prices, entertainment trivia, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. President of the United States: Joe Biden (D-Delaware)
2. Vice President: Kamala Harris (D-California)
3. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: John Roberts (Maryland)
4. Speaker of the House of Representatives: Nancy Pelosi (D-California)
5. Senate Majority Leader: Chuck Schumer (D-New York)
6. The 117th U.S. Congress was in session.
7. Inflation rate: 8.00%
8. Consumer price index (CPI): 292.656
9. U.S. unemployment rate: 3.6%
10. $100.00 in 2022 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $113.79 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 3.28% per year” between 2022 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 13.79%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 87.881% of what it could purchase back in 2022.
11. It’s worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost about 12% of its value since 2022.
12. On January 3, Apple became the first publicly traded U.S. company to reach a $3 trillion market valuation.
13. On January 10, the U.S. Mint began shipping the Maya Angelou quarter.
14. On February 6, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, “marking seventy years on the throne.”
15. On February 20, Britain's 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for COVID-19.
16. On February 24, calling it a “special military operation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin “launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, capping decades of rising tensions between the neighboring states and former Soviet republics. The invasion, which Russia expected would result in a speedy victory, evolved into the largest ground war in Europe since World War II.”
17. On March 27, at the 94th Academy Awards, CODA received an Oscar for Best Picture, and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) received an Oscar for Best Director.
18. In May, COVID-19 deaths in the United States surpassed one million.
19. On July 17, the stock market closed above 41,000 for the first time.
20. On September 8, Queen Elizabeth II—the longest-reigning monarch in British history—died at age 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The crown passed to her eldest son, now King Charles III.
21. On September 12, at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and Succession (HBO) won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.
22. On November 30, OpenAI released the generative artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT to the public.
23. In 2022, a California court ruled that a bumblebee “is a fish under California law and thus should be protected by the state’s endangered species ordinances.”
24. Most popular websites: Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Wikipedia, Baidu, Yahoo!, Yandex, and WhatsApp
25. Google processed over 50,000 search queries every second.
26. The average internet user spent over six hours online each day, “allocating roughly one-third of that time to social media.”
27. Most popular TV programs: NFL Sunday Night Football (NBC), Yellowstone (Paramount Network), NFL Monday Night Football (ESPN), NCIS (CBS), FBI (CBS), NFL Thursday Night Football (Amazon), Young Sheldon (CBS), Chicago Fire (NBC), Blue Bloods (CBS), and Ghosts (CBS).
28. Highest-grossing movie: Avatar: The Way of Water
29. Most-watched YouTube video: The NFL Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar
30. Most popular Billboard Hot 100 song: Glass Animals' Heat Waves
31. America’s favorite fiction book: Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us
32. Miss America: Emma Broyles (Alaska) was crowned Miss America 2022 on December 16, 2021.
33. Popular baby names for the year were Liam, Jackson, Noah, Aiden, Grayson, Sophia, Olivia, Emma, Ava, and Aria.
34. Notable people who died in 2022 included Barbara Walters (journalist), Bill Russell (basketball player), Estelle Harris (movie actress), Olivia Newton-John (pop singer), and Queen Elizabeth II (the longest reigning monarch in British history).
35. In 2022 as well, the words “quiet quit,” “quiet quitter,” “quiet quitting,” and “Utah curls” all appeared in print for the first time.
36. Indianapolis 500 winner: Marcus Ericsson
37. Kentucky Derby winner: Rich Strike
38. NBA champions: Golden State Warriors
39. NFL champs: Kansas City Chiefs
40. Orange Bowl winner: Tennessee Volunteers
41. Rose Bowl winner: Ohio State Buckeyes
42. Stanley Cup champs: Colorado Avalanche
43. Sugar Bowl winner (January 1, 2022): Baylor Bears
44. Sugar Bowl winner (December 31, 2022): Alabama Crimson Tide
45. Super Bowl LVI winner: Los Angeles Rams
46. World Series champions: Houston Astros
47. A 12-pack of soda: About $4.68
48. A dozen eggs: Prices surged to $4.25 per dozen by the end of the year.
49. A large bag of potato chips: Around $3.96
50. A loaf of white bread: About $1.88
51. American cheese: Around 99 cents a pound
52. A pound of butter: About $3.49
53. Bacon: Around $3.99 for a one-pound package
54. Bananas: About 61 cents a pound
55. Bread (Maier's Italian, 20-ounce loaf): Around $3.98
56. Chocolate chip cookies: About $5.05 for a one-pound package
57. Ground chuck: Around $4.78 a pound
58. Ground coffee (Melitta, 12-ounce can): About $2.99
59. Spiral sliced ham: Around $1.29 a pound
60. Steak (porterhouse or T-bone): About $4.99 a pound
61. Whole fresh chicken: Around $1.91 per pound
62. Whole milk: About $4.29 a gallon
63. 2022 Ford F-150: $33,315
64. 2022 Toyota RAV4: $28,310
65. Daily newspaper: $3.00
66. Gourmia air fryer: $79.99
67. Keurig coffee maker: $229.99
68. NutriBullet juicer: $89.99
69. Ring Camera: $99.99
70. Shark UltraLight vacuum: $290

References:

1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2026/05/15/heres-how-a-typical-bag-of-groceries-in-2022-costs-over-50-more-today/
2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/2022
3. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/deceased/2022.html
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_in_the_United_States
5. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/2022
6. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-2020.
7. html
8. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/2022https://www.mclib.info/Research/Morris-County-Library-Reference-Guides/Historic-Prices/Historic-Prices-2020s/Historic-Prices-2022
9. https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/2022
10. https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/most-popular-tv-shows-highest-rated-2022-2023-season-yellowstone-football-1235623612/

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor