1. In 1796, the first Catholic bishop in Louisiana, Luis Peñalver y Cardenas, arrived in New Orleans to take up his post. The Spanish bishop would go on to play an important role in the establishment of the Catholic Church in Louisiana.

2. On July 22, 1862, Union troops under General Benjamin F. Butler occupied Baton Rouge, marking the beginning of Federal control of the city during the Civil War.

3. In 1906, a race riot erupted in New Orleans on July 22 after a dispute between a black man and a white police officer. The violence resulted in the death of 10 African Americans and one white person, and hundreds of people were injured.

4. On this date in 1934, notorious bank robber, John Dillinger, was shot and killed in Chicago. While Dillinger never visited Louisiana, his gang was known to have robbed banks in the state, including one in Gretna in 1933.

5. Louisiana native, Britney Spears, was born on July 22, 1981. The pop star was raised in Kentwood, Louisiana and got her start in music by performing at local talent shows before skyrocketing to fame with hits like "Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again."