What happened on August 8? There are more than 309 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About August 8

August 8 In HistoryAugust 8 is the 221st day of the year 2024. There are 145 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday. This day falls under the 32nd week of the year 2024.

On this day in Cumberland, Maryland 21501 sunrise will occur at 06:19 AM and sunset will occur at 08:20 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Leo. The modern birthstone for this month is Peridot while the mystical birthstone is Diamond.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 174 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the March 30 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Historical Events For August 8

  • 1220
    Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula.
  • 1503
    King James IV of Scotland marries Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England at Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, Scotland.
  • 1576
    The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe’s Uraniborg observatory is laid on Hven.
  • 1585
    John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in search of the Northwest Passage.
  • 1588
    Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines – The naval engagement ends, ending the Spanish Armada’s attempt to invade England.
  • 1605
    The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden.
  • 1647
    The Irish Confederate Wars and Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Dungans Hill – English Parliamentary forces defeat Irish forces.
  • 1709
    Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrates the lifting power of hot air in an audience before the King of Portugal in Lisbon
  • 1786
    Mont Blanc on the French – Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
  • 1793
    The insurrection of Lyon occurs during the French Revolution.
  • 1794
    Joseph Whidbey leads an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage near Juneau, Alaska.
  • 1844
    The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, headed by Brigham Young, is reaffirmed as the leading body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
  • 1863
    American Civil War: following his defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (which is refused upon receipt).
  • 1870
    The Republic of Ploieşti, a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania.
  • 1876
    Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph.
  • 1908
    Wilbur Wright makes his first flight at a racecourse at Le Mans, France. It is the Wright Brothers’ first public flight.
  • 1918
    World War I: the Battle of Amiens begins a string of almost continuous victories with a push through the German front lines (Hundred Days Offensive).
  • 1929
    The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight.
  • 1940
    The “Aufbau Ost” directive is signed by Wilhelm Keitel.
  • 1942
    Quit India Movement is launched in India against the British rule in response to Mahatma Gandhi’s call for swaraj or complete independence.
  • 1945
    World War II: The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and begins the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation.
  • 1946
    First flight of the Convair B-36, the world’s first mass-produce nuclear weapon delivery vehicle.
  • 1960
    South Kasai secedes from the Congo.
  • 1963
    Great Train Robbery: in England, a gang of 15 train robbers steal 2.6 million pounds in bank notes.
  • 1967
    The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
  • 1973
    Kim Dae-Jung, a South Korean politician and later president of South Korea, is kidnapped.
  • 1980
    The Central Hotel Fire occurs in Bundoran, Ireland.
  • 1988
    The “8888 Uprising” occurs in Burma.
  • 1989
    Space Shuttle program: STS-28 Mission – Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission.
  • 1990
    Iraq occupies Kuwait and the state is annexed to Iraq. This would lead to the Gulf War shortly afterward.
  • 1991
    The Warsaw radio mast, at one time the tallest construction ever built, collapses.
  • 2000
    Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor and 30 years after its discovery by undersea explorer E. Lee Spence and 5 years after being filmed by a dive team funded by novelist Clive Cussler.
  • 2007
    An EF2 tornado touches down in Kings County and Richmond County, New York State, the most powerful tornado in New York to date and the first in Brooklyn since 1889.
  • 2008
    2008 Summer Olympics took place from the 8th August 2008-24th August 2008. The official opening ceremony started at 8:00pm on 8th August 2008. The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese Culture and here it was a triple eight for the date and one extra for time (close to 08:08:08 pm). There were 28 sports and 302 events at the games. There were 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records set at the 2008 Summer Olympics. An unprecedented 86 countries won at least one medal during the Games.
  • 2010
    2010 China floods: A mudslide in Zhugqu County, Gansu, China, kills more than 1,400 people.
  • 2011
    London Riot 2011. This took place between 6th August 2011 and 10th August 2011. between the 6th and 7th a peaceful march in Tottenham, London was followed by rioting and looting, first in Tottenham.

Who Were Born On August 8?

  • 1079
    Emperor Horikawa of Japan (d. 1107)
  • 1518
    Conrad Lycosthenes, French-born German humanist and encyclopedist (d. 1561)
  • 1605
    Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, British colonial Governor of Maryland (d. 1675)
  • 1646
    Godfrey Kneller, German-born painter (d. 1723)
  • 1673
    John Ker, Scottish spy (d. 1726)
  • 1693
    Laurent Belissen, French composer (d. 1762)
  • 1694
    Francis Hutcheson, Irish philosopher (d. 1746)
  • 1720
    Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish politician (d. 1796)
  • 1790
    Ferenc Kölcsey, Hungarian poet and politician (d. 1838)
  • 1807
    Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish novelist (d. 1892)
  • 1814
    Esther Morris, American jurist (d. 1902)
  • 1824
    Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (d. 1880)
  • 1839
    Nelson Miles, American general (d. 1925)
  • 1857
    Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (d. 1944)
  • 1875
    Artur da Silva Bernardes, President of Brazil (d. 1955)
  • 1879
    Bob Smith, American founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (d. 1950)
  • 1879
    Emiliano Zapata, Mexican revolutionary (d. 1919)
  • 1880
    Earle Page, Australian politician (d. 1961)
  • 1881
    Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist, German field marshal (d. 1954)
  • 1882
    Ladislas Starevich, Polish animator (d. 1965)
  • 1884
    Sara Teasdale, American poet (d. 1933)
  • 1889
    Jack Ryder, Australian cricketer (d. 1977)
  • 1891
    Adolf Busch, German violinist (d. 1952)
  • 1892
    Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, Spanish footballer (d. 1922)
  • 1896
    Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, American author (d. 1953)
  • 1898
    Alexis Minotis, Greek actor (d. 1990)
  • 1901
    Ernest O. Lawrence, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
  • 1902
    Paul Dirac, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
  • 1904
    Achille Varzi, Italian race car driver (d. 1948)
  • 1905
    André Jolivet, French composer (d. 1974)
  • 1907
    Benny Carter, American musician (d. 2003)
  • 1908
    Arthur Goldberg, U.S. Supreme Court justice (d. 1990)
  • 1909
    Bill Voce, England cricketer (d. 1984)
  • 1910
    Sylvia Sidney, American actress (d. 1999)
  • 1911
    Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (d. 2002)
  • 1915
    James “Jumbo” Elliott, American track coach (d. 1981)
  • 1919
    Dino De Laurentiis, Italian film producer (d. 2010)
  • 1920
    Carol Lambrino, son of Carol II of Romania and Zizi Lambrino (d. 2006)
  • 1920
    Jimmy Witherspoon, American singer (d. 1997)
  • 1920
    Leo Chiosso, Italian lyricist (d. 2006)
  • 1921
    Esther Williams, American actress and swimmer
  • 1921
    John Herbert Chapman, British physicist (d. 1979)
  • 1921
    Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, Indian medical scientist (d. 2001)
  • 1921
    Webb Pierce, American singer (d. 1991)
  • 1921
    William Asher, American film producer
  • 1922
    Gertrude Himmelfarb, American historian
  • 1922
    Károly Reich, Hungarian illustrator (d. 1988)
  • 1922
    Rory Calhoun, American actor (d. 1999)
  • 1922
    Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-born fashion designer (d. 1985)
  • 1925
    Alija Izetbegović, Bosniak politician (d. 2003)
  • 1926
    Richard Anderson, American actor
  • 1927
    Johnny Temple, American baseball player (d. 1994)
  • 1928
    Don Burrows, Australian musician
  • 1929
    Larisa Bogoraz, Soviet dissident (d. 2004)
  • 1929
    Ronald Biggs, British criminal
  • 1930
    Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball coach
  • 1930
    Terry Nation, Welsh novelist and screenwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1931
    Sir Roger Penrose, British physicist
  • 1932
    Luis García Meza Tejada, Bolivian dictator
  • 1932
    Mel Tillis, American singer
  • 1933
    Joe Tex, American singer (d. 1982)
  • 1933
    Serena Wilson, American belly dancer (d. 2007)
  • 1935
    Donald P. Bellisario, American television producer
  • 1935
    John Laws, Australia radio personality
  • 1936
    Frank Howard, American baseball player
  • 1936
    Keith Barron, English actor
  • 1937
    Cornelis Vreeswijk, Dutch-Swedish musician (d. 1987)
  • 1937
    Dustin Hoffman, American actor
  • 1938
    Connie Stevens, American singer and actress
  • 1938
    Jacques Hétu, French Canadian composer
  • 1939
    Alexander Watson, American ambassador and diplomat
  • 1939
    Phil Balsley, baritone singer with The Statler Brothers
  • 1940
    Dennis Tito, American businessman and space tourist
  • 1940
    Dilip Sardesai, Indian cricketer (d. 2007)
  • 1943
    Denis Payton, English saxophonist, member of The Dave Clark Five
  • 1944
    Brooke Bundy, American actress
  • 1944
    John Holmes, American pornographic actor (d. 1988)
  • 1944
    John Renbourn, English musician
  • 1944
    Michael Johnson, American pop, country and folk singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1944
    Uli Derickson, TWA Flight 847 survivor
  • 1946
    James W. Lewis, American convicted extortionist
  • 1947
    José Cruz, Puerto Rican baseball player
  • 1947
    Ken Dryden, Canadian ice hockey player and parliamentarian
  • 1947
    Larry Wilcox, American actor
  • 1947
    Terangi Adam, Nauruan politician
  • 1948
    Svetlana Savitskaya, Russian cosmonaut
  • 1949
    Keith Carradine, American actor
  • 1949
    Ricardo Londoño, Colombian racing driver
  • 1950
    Ken Kutaragi, Founder of PlayStation
  • 1950
    Willie Hall, American drummer
  • 1951
    Mamoru Oshii, Japanese film director
  • 1951
    Phil Carlson, Australian cricketer
  • 1951
    Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (d. 1994)
  • 1952
    Anton Fig, South African musician
  • 1952
    Doug Melvin, Canadian Major League Baseball executive
  • 1952
    Jostein Gaarder, Norwegian author
  • 1952
    Robin Quivers, American radio personality
  • 1952
    Sudhakar Rao, Indian cricketer
  • 1953
    Don Most, American actor
  • 1953
    Mark Lazarowicz, British Politician
  • 1953
    Nigel Mansell, English race car driver
  • 1955
    Diddú, Icelandic soprano and songwriter
  • 1955
    Herbert Prohaska, Austrian footballer
  • 1956
    Branscombe Richmond, American actor
  • 1956
    Cecilia Roth, Argentine actress
  • 1956
    Chris Foreman, English guitarist (Madness)
  • 1956
    David Grant, English singer and vocal coach
  • 1957
    Dennis Drew, keyboardist for the band 10,000 Maniacs
  • 1958
    Deborah Norville, American television host
  • 1960
    Ulrich Maly, German politician
  • 1961
    Bruce Matthews, American football player
  • 1961
    Daniel House, American musician and music executive
  • 1961
    Rikki Rockett, American drummer (Poison)
  • 1961
    The Edge, Irish guitarist (U2)
  • 1962
    Kool Moe Dee, American rapper
  • 1962
    Mike Zanier, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1963
    Jon Turteltaub, American director
  • 1963
    Ron Karkovice, American baseball player
  • 1963
    Stephen Walkom, Canadian ice hockey official and executive
  • 1964
    Anastasia Ashman, American writer
  • 1964
    Eddie Trunk, American radio show host and author
  • 1964
    Paul Taylor, England cricketer
  • 1965
    Aaron Abeyta, American musician
  • 1965
    Angus Fraser, England cricketer
  • 1965
    Kate Langbroek, Australian media personality
  • 1966
    Chris Eubank, English boxer
  • 1966
    John Hudek, American baseball player
  • 1967
    Eric Angle, American wrestler
  • 1967
    Lee Unkrich, American director and film editor
  • 1967
    Marcelo Balboa, American soccer player
  • 1967
    Rena Mero, American wrestler
  • 1968
    Abey Kuruvilla, Indian cricketer
  • 1968
    Huey Morgan, American singer / guitarist (Fun Lovin' Criminals)
  • 1969
    Dick Togo, Japanese professional wrestler
  • 1969
    Faye Wong, Hong Kong singer and actress
  • 1969
    Yvie Burnett, British television vocal coach
  • 1970
    Pascal Duquenne, Belgian actor
  • 1970
    Trev Alberts, American football player
  • 1972
    Andrea de Rossi, Italian rugby player and coach
  • 1972
    Axel Merckx, Belgian bicycle racer
  • 1972
    Joely Collins, Canadian actress
  • 1972
    Steven Tweed, Scottish footballer
  • 1973
    Scott Stapp, American singer (Creed)
  • 1973
    Senta Moses, American actress
  • 1973
    Shane Lee, Australian cricketer
  • 1973
    Toby Allen, Australian singer (Human Nature)
  • 1974
    Andy Priaulx, British racing driver
  • 1974
    Brian Harvey, English singer
  • 1974
    Scott D'Amore, Canadian professional wrestler and manager
  • 1976
    Drew Lachey, American singer
  • 1976
    JC Chasez, American singer (*NSYNC)
  • 1976
    Jeff Simmons, American race car driver
  • 1976
    Seung-Yeop Lee, Korean baseball player
  • 1976
    Tawny Cypress, American actress
  • 1977
    Kurt Bernard, Costa Rican footballer
  • 1977
    Lindsay Sloane, American actress
  • 1977
    Mohammad Wasim, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1977
    Nicolas Vogondy, French cyclist
  • 1977
    Rocky Thompson, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1977
    Szilard Nemeth, Slovak footballer
  • 1978
    Alan Maybury, Irish footballer
  • 1978
    Countess Vaughn, American actress and singer
  • 1978
    Louis Saha, French footballer
  • 1978
    Miho Shiraishi, Japanese actress
  • 1979
    Dan Smith, English musician (Noisettes)
  • 1979
    Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson, Icelandic handball player
  • 1979
    Paris Latsis, Greek shipping heir
  • 1979
    Rashard Lewis, American basketball player
  • 1979
    Richard Harwood, British cellist
  • 1980
    Craig Breslow, American baseball player
  • 1980
    Denisse Guerrero, Mexican Singer (Belanova)
  • 1980
    Michael Urie, American actor and director
  • 1980
    Mike Hindert, American musician
  • 1980
    Pat Noonan, American soccer player
  • 1980
    Sabine Klaschka, German tennis player
  • 1981
    Bradley McIntosh, British pop singer
  • 1981
    Harel Skaat, Israeli singer
  • 1981
    Kaori Iida, Japanese singer and actress
  • 1981
    Meagan Good, American actress
  • 1981
    Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player
  • 1981
    Vanessa Amorosi, Australian singer and songwriter
  • 1983
    Guy Burnet, British actor
  • 1984
    Devon McTavish, American soccer player
  • 1984
    Kirk Broadfoot, Scottish footballer
  • 1984
    Martrez Milner, American football player
  • 1984
    Norbert Michelisz, Hungarian car racer
  • 1985
    Brett Ratliff, American football player
  • 1985
    Toby Flood, English Rugby Union player
  • 1986
    Chris Pressley, American football player
  • 1986
    Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukrainian tennis player
  • 1986
    Peyton List, American actress
  • 1986
    Pierre Garçon, American football player
  • 1987
    Katie Leung, Scottish actress
  • 1987
    Pierre Boulanger, French actor
  • 1988
    Danilo Gallinari, Italian basketball player
  • 1988
    Princess Beatrice of York, British royal
  • 1989
    Hannah Miley, British swimmer
  • 1989
    Sesil Karatantcheva, Bulgarian/Kazakhstani tennis player
  • 1993
    Ben Breedlove, American Internet personality
  • 1995
    Malin Reitan, Norwegian singer

Who Died On August 8?

  • 869
    Lothair II of Lotharingia (b. 825)
  • 1445
    Oswald von Wolkenstein, Austrian composer
  • 1553
    Girolamo Fracastoro, Italian physician (b. 1478)
  • 1555
    Oronce Finé, French mathematician (b. 1494)
  • 1588
    Alonso Sánchez Coello, Spanish painter
  • 1604
    Horio Tadauji, Japanese warlord (b. 1578)
  • 1631
    Konstantinas Sirvydas, Lithuanian lexicographer (b. 1579)
  • 1684
    George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer (b. 1622)
  • 1719
    Christoph Ludwig Agricola, German painter (b. 1667)
  • 1747
    Madeleine de Verchères, New France heroine (b. 1678)
  • 1759
    Carl Heinrich Graun, German composer (b. 1704)
  • 1827
    George Canning, British statesman (b. 1770)
  • 1828
    Carl Peter Thunberg, Swedish naturalist (b. 1743)
  • 1863
    Angus MacAskill, British circus performer (b. 1825)
  • 1879
    Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher (b. 1797)
  • 1887
    Alexander William Doniphan, American lawyer and soldier (b. 1808)
  • 1897
    Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss art historian (b. 1818)
  • 1898
    Eugène Boudin, French painter (b. 1824)
  • 1902
    James Tissot, French artist (b. 1836)
  • 1909
    Mary MacKillop, Australian Roman Catholic nun (b. 1842)
  • 1911
    William P. Frye, American politician (b. 1830)
  • 1928
    Stjepan Radić, Croatian politician (b. 1871)
  • 1933
    Adolf Loos, Austrian architect (b. 1870)
  • 1934
    Wilbert Robinson, American baseball player (b. 1863)
  • 1940
    Johnny Dodds, American musician (b. 1892)
  • 1944
    Chaim Soutine, Russian painter (b. 1894)
  • 1944
    Erwin von Witzleben, German field marshal (b. 1881)
  • 1944
    Michael Wittmann, German WWII tank commander (b. 1914)
  • 1947
    Anton Ivanovich Denikin, Russian general (b. 1872)
  • 1950
    Fergus McMaster, Australian businessman (b. 1879)
  • 1961
    Mei Lanfang, Chinese opera performer (b. 1894)
  • 1965
    Shirley Jackson, American author (b. 1916)
  • 1969
    Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, German eugenicist and Nazi physician (b. 1896)
  • 1971
    Freddie Spencer Chapman, British army officer (b. 1907)
  • 1972
    Andrea Feldman, American actor (b. 1948)
  • 1973
    Dean Corll, American serial killer (b. 1939)
  • 1973
    Nikos Zachariadis, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (b. 1903)
  • 1973
    Vilhelm Moberg, Swedish author and historian (b. 1898)
  • 1974
    Baldur von Schirach, Nazi youth leader (b. 1907)
  • 1975
    Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1928)
  • 1977
    Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian, British electrophysiologist; Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1889)
  • 1979
    Nicholas Monsarrat, British novelist (b. 1910)
  • 1980
    Paul Triquet, French Canadian army officer (b. 1910)
  • 1982
    Eric Brandon, British racing driver (b. 1920)
  • 1984
    Ellen Raskin, American author (b. 1928)
  • 1985
    Louise Brooks, American actress (b. 1906)
  • 1987
    Danilo Blanuša, Croatian mathematician (b. 1903)
  • 1988
    Alan Napier, English actor (b. 1903)
  • 1988
    Félix Leclerc, Quebec singer and songwriter (b. 1914)
  • 1991
    James Irwin, astronaut (b. 1930)
  • 1991
    Julissa Gomez, American gymnast (b. 1972)
  • 1992
    Bertalan Papp, Hungarian fencer (b. 1913)
  • 1992
    Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, Iranian religious figure (b. 1899)
  • 1992
    John Kordic, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1965)
  • 1995
    John Adams, American football player (b. 1937)
  • 1996
    Nevill Francis Mott, British physicist; Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1905)
  • 1998
    Mahmoud Saremi, Iranian journalist
  • 2004
    Dimitris Papamichael, Greek actor (b. 1934)
  • 2004
    Fay Wray, American actress (b. 1907)
  • 2005
    Ahmed Deedat, Islamic scholar (b. 1918)
  • 2005
    Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress (b. 1922)
  • 2005
    Dean Rockwell, American wrestling and football coach (b. 1912)
  • 2005
    Gene Mauch, American baseball player (b. 1925)
  • 2005
    Ilse Werner, German actress (b. 1921)
  • 2005
    John H. Johnson, African-American publisher (b. 1918)
  • 2005
    Monica Sjöö, Swedish artist (b. 1938)
  • 2007
    Joybubbles, A notable phone phreak. (b. 1949)
  • 2007
    Ma Lik, Chinese politician (b. 1952)
  • 2007
    Melville Shavelson, American film director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1917)
  • 2008
    Leonard Pagliero, British stationer (b. 1913)
  • 2008
    Orville Moody, American golfer (b. 1933)
  • 2009
    Daniel Jarque, Spanish footballer (b. 1983)
  • 2010
    Patricia Neal, American actress (b. 1926)

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