Happy Birthday December 22

Spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher Guru Gobind Singh was born on December 22, 1666. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded in 1675, Gobind Singh was formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs at the age of nine. Sikhism took on a distinct identity in 1699, when Guru Gobind Singh founded the Sikh warrior community called Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singh's other notable contributions to Sikhism also include introducing the Five Ks, the five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times.

Italian composer Giacomo Puccini was born on December 22, 1858, in Lucca, Tuscany, one of nine children. The heads of his family for four generations had been professional musicians and Giacomo was chosen to carry on the Puccini musical tradition. Considered second only to Giuseppe Verdi as an Italian opera composer in his day. Puccini's most renowned works are La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), Madama Butterfly (1904) and Turandot (1924).

Giacomo Puccini

A baby gorilla named Colo entered the world at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio on December 22, 1956 becoming the first-ever gorilla born in captivity. Her name was a combination of Columbus and Ohio. Weighing in at approximately 4 pounds, Colo, a western lowland gorilla, was the daughter of Millie and Mac, two gorillas captured in French Cameroon, who were brought to the Columbus Zoo in 1951.

For more December 22 anniversaries, including Fred Astaire's first big screen dance with Ginger Rogers, the opening of the Lincoln Tunnel and the marriage of Madonna to film director Guy Ritchie check out OnThatDay