May 8
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Events
- 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
- 1541 - Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River and names it Río de Espíritu Santo.
- 1794 - Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror by revolutionists, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme Générale, was tried, convicted, and guillotined all on one day in Paris.
- 1846 - Mexican-American War: The Battle of Palo Alto – Zachary Taylor defeats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Richmond, Virginia, is named the capital of the Confederate States of America.
- 1877 - At Gilmore's Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens (ends May 11).
- 1886 - Pharmacist Dr. John Styth Pemberton invents a carbonated beverage that would later be named "Coca-Cola".
- 1898 - The first games of the Italian Football League are played.
- 1899 - The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin opens.
- 1902 - In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of St. Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
- 1914 - Paramount Pictures is formed.
- 1919 - Edward George Honey first proposed the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate The Armistice of World War I, which later resulted in the creation of Remembrance Day.
- 1933 - Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast in protest of British oppression in India.
- 1942 - World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end. This is the first time in the naval history where two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.
- 1942 - World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebelled in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny was crushed and three of them were executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
- 1945 - World War II: VE Day. German forces agree to an unconditional surrender.
- 1945 - Thousands of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Setif massacre.
- 1967 - The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
- 1970 - The Hard Hat riot occurs in the Wall Street area of New York City as blue-collar construction workers clash with anti-war demonstrators protesting the Vietnam War.
- 1972 - Vietnam War – U.S. President Richard M. Nixon announces his order to place mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
- 1973 - A 71-day standoff, between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, ends with the surrender of the militants.
- 1984 - The Soviet Union announces that it will boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
- 1984 - Cpl. Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three and wounding 13. René Jalbert, sergeant-at-arms of the assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
- 1987 - The SAS ambushes and kills the Loughgall Martyrs.
- 1996 - The Constitutional Assembly of South Africa ratifies the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. Considered one of the most liberal Constitutions in the world regarding Human Rights.
- 1997 - A China Southern Airlines Boeing 737 crashes on approach into Shenzhen's Huangtian Airport, killing 35 people.
- 1999 - Nancy Mace becomes the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel military college.
- 2005 - The new Canadian War Museum opens, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of V-E Day.
- 2006 - Sony, Humiliated in press conference at E3 2006
Births
- 1460 - Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
- 1521 - Petrus Canisius, Dutch Jesuit (d. 1597)
- 1587 - Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)
- 1622 - Claes Rålamb, Swedish statesman (d. 1698)
- 1629 - Niels Juel, Danish admiral (d. 1697)
- 1632 - Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German marshal (d. 1706)
- 1653 - Claude-Louis-Hector de Villars, Marshall of France (d. 1734)
- 1668 - Alain-René Lesage, French writer (d. 1747)
- 1670 - Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier (d. 1726)
- 1735 - Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter (d. 1811)
- 1737 - Edward Gibbon, English historian (d. 1794)
- 1738 - Mikhail Kamensky, Russian general (d. 1809)
- 1753 - Miguel Hidalgo Mexican revolutionary (d. 1811)
- 1825 - George Bruce Malleson, Indian officer (d. 1898)
- 1828 - Jean Henri Dunant, Founder of the Red Cross movement, Nobel laureate (d. 1910)
- 1829 - Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American musician (d. 1869)
- 1842 - Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist (d. 1909)
- 1850 - Ross Barnes, baseball player (d. 1915)
- 1884 - Harry S. Truman, President of the United States (d. 1972)
- 1895 - Fulton J. Sheen, American bishop (d. 1979)
- 1899 - Arthur Q. Bryan, American voice actor (d. 1959)
- 1899 - Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1992)
- 1902 - Andre Michael Lwoff, French microbiologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
- 1903 - Fernandel, French actor (d. 1971)
- 1905 - Red Nichols, American musician(d. 1965)
- 1906 - Roberto Rossellini, Italian director (d. 1977)
- 1911 - Robert Johnson, American musician (d. 1938)
- 1913 - Bob Clampett, American animator (d. 1984)
- 1914 - Romain Gary, Polish writer (d. 1980)
- 1916 - João Havelange, Brazilian industrialist
- 1916 - Swami Chinmayananda, Indian spiritualist (d. 1993)
- 1917 - Papa John Creach, American musician (Jefferson Airplane) (d. 1994)
- 1919 - Lex Barker, American actor (d. 1973)
- 1920 - Saul Bass, American graphic designer (d. 1996)
- 1925 - Ali Hassan Mwinyi, President of Tanzania
- 1926 - Sir David Attenborough, British producer
- 1926 - Don Rickles, American comedian
- 1928 - Theodore Sorenson, American writer
- 1930 - Heather Harper, Irish singer
- 1930 - Gary Snyder, American poet
- 1932 - Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
- 1932 - Sonny Liston, American boxer (d. 1970)
- 1935 - Jack Charlton, English footballer
- 1937 - Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian politician
- 1937 - Thomas Pynchon, American novelist
- 1940 - Peter Benchley, American author (d. 2006)
- 1940 - Ricky Nelson, American singer (d. 1985)
- 1942 - Terry Neill, Northern Irish footballer
- 1943 - Toni Tennille, American singer
- 1944 - Captain Dale Dye, American actor
- 1944 - Gary Glitter, English singer
- 1945 - Keith Jarrett, American musician
- 1947 - H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist, Nobel laureate
- 1948 - Felicity Lott, English singer
- 1951 - Philip Bailey, American singer (Earth, Wind & Fire)
- 1951 - Chris Frantz, American musician (Talking Heads)
- 1953 - Alex Van Halen, Dutch drummer
- 1954 - David Keith, American actor
- 1957 - Bill Cowher, American football coach
- 1957 - Marie Myriam, French singer
- 1963 - Robin Jarvis, British writer
- 1964 - Melissa Gilbert, American actress
- 1964 - Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
- 1964 - Dave Rowntree, British musician (Blur)
- 1966 - Claudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer
- 1968 - Jamie Summers, American porn star
- 1970 - Luis Enrique, Spanish football player
- 1972 - Darren Hayes, Australian singer
- 1972 - Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 - Hiromu Arakawa, Japanese artist
- 1974 - Jon Tickle, English entertainer
- 1974 - Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
- 1975 - Enrique Iglesias, Spanish singer
- 1976 - Martha Wainwright, Canadian musician and songwriter
- 1976 - Ian "H" Watkins, pop singer (Steps)
- 1978 - Lúcio, Brazilian footballer
- 1980 - Michelle McManus, Scottish singer
- 1980 - Benny Yau, Canadian entertainer
- 1981 - Björn Dixgård, Swedish guitarist
- 1985 - Mashio Miyazaki, Japanese actress
Deaths
- 535 - Pope John II
- 1278 - Emperor Duanzong of China (b. 1268)
- 1319 - King Haakon V of Norway (b. 1270)
- 1473 - John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (b. 1420)
- 1538 - Edward Fox, English bishop
- 1766 - Samuel Chandler, English non-conformist minister (b. 1693)
- 1773 - Ali Bey Al-Kabir, Mamluk Sultan of Egypt (b. 1728)
- 1781 - Richard Jago, English poet (b. 1715)
- 1785 - Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French statesman (b. 1719)
- 1785 - Pietro Longhi, Venetian painter (b. 1701)
- 1788 - Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian-born physician and naturalist (b. 1723)
- 1794 - Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist (executed) (b. 1743)
- 1819 - Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii
- 1828 - Mauro Giuliani, Italian composer (b. 1781)
- 1837 - Alexander Balashov, Russian general and statesman (b. 1770)
- 1842 - Jules Dumont d'Urville, French explorer (b. 1790)
- 1873 - John Stuart Mill, English philosopher (b. 1806)
- 1880 - Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
- 1891 - Helena Blavatsky, Russian-born author (b. 1831)
- 1936 - Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
- 1943 - Mordechaj Anielewicz, Polish Resistance Fighter (b. 1919)
- 1947 - Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-born department store founder (b. 1858)
- 1950 - Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician (b. 1865)
- 1952 - William Fox, Austrian-born film producer (b. 1879)
- 1960 - J. H. C. Whitehead, British mathematician (b. 1904)
- 1975 - Avery Brundage, President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1887)
- 1982 - Neil Bogart, American record executive (b. 1943)
- 1982 - Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
- 1984 - Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader's Digest) (b. 1890)
- 1985 - Theodore Sturgeon, American science fiction writer (b. 1918)
- 1985 - Dolph Sweet, American actor (b. 1920)
- 1988 - Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer (b. 1907)
- 1990 - Luigi Nono, Italian composer (b. 1924)
- 1990 - Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich, Northern Irish clergyman (b. 1923)
- 1991 - Jean Langlais, French composer and pianist (b. 1907)
- 1991 - Rudolf Serkin, Austrian pianist (b. 1903)
- 1993 - Avram Davidson, writer (b. 1923)
- 1994 - George Peppard, American actor (b. 1928)
- 1995 - Teresa Teng, Asian superstar (b. 1953)
- 1996 - Beryl Burton, English cyclist (b. 1937)
- 1996 - Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
- 1996 - Garth Williams, American illustrator (b. 1912)
- 1998 - Bebe Rebozo, American banker and Watergate figure (b. 1912)
- 1999 - Dirk Bogarde, British actor (b. 1921)
- 1999 - Dana Plato, American actress (b. 1964)
- 2000 - Guadalupe "Pita" Amor, Mexican poet (b. 1918)
- 2006 - Iain MacMillan, Abbey Road Photographer (b. 1938)
Holidays and observances
- World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
- VE Day
- Iris feast of the Region of Brussels capital (in Belgium)
- Parents' Day in South Korea
Liturgical feasts
- Saint Macharius of Ghent (died 1012)
- Saints Wiro, Plechelmus and Otger
- Saint Ida of Nivelles
External links
May 7 - May 9 - April 8 - June 8 – listing of all days
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