What happened in 1922?

Howard Carter finds the tomb of Tutankhamun

On 4 November 1922, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, workers for the archaeologist Howard Carter found a step cut into the rock. It led to the tomb of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun, hidden for more than 3,000 years. Inside were more than 5,000 objects, including his famous gold mask, now in the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Insulin is first given to a patient

On 11 January 1922, in Toronto, 14-year-old Leonard Thompson became the first person with diabetes to receive an insulin injection. After the extract was purified, his health improved dramatically. Insulin turned diabetes from a fatal disease into a manageable one, and Frederick Banting and John Macleod won the 1923 Nobel Prize.

The British Broadcasting Company is formed

On 18 October 1922, the British Broadcasting Company was formed by radio manufacturers. It began daily radio broadcasts in November and became the publicly funded British Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC, in 1927. It is now one of the world's largest broadcasters.

Howard Carter sees 'wonderful things' in Tutankhamun's tomb

On 26 November 1922, the archaeologist Howard Carter made a small hole in a sealed doorway in Egypt's Valley of the Kings and looked in by candlelight. Asked if he could see anything, he replied: 'Yes, wonderful things.' The nearly untouched tomb of Tutankhamun became the most famous archaeological find.

The Soviet Union is formed

On 30 December 1922, delegates in Moscow approved a treaty creating the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR, from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republic. It became one of the world's largest states and lasted until its dissolution in December 1991.

The first step of the tomb is found

Carter looks into the tomb

Insulin first used; Tutankhamun's tomb found