What happened on December 8? There are more than 293 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 December 8
December 8 is the 343rd day of the year 2024. There are 23 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday. This day falls under the 49th week of the year 2024.
On this day in San Diego, California 92195 sunrise will occur at 06:37 AM and sunset will occur at 04:42 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Sagittarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Turquoise while the mystical birthstone is Onyx.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 52 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 28 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For December 8
- 1432The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the Lithuanian Civil War.
- 1660A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare’s play Othello.
- 1854In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin.
- 1907King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.
- 1912Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out.
- 1914A squadron of Britain’s Royal Navy defeats an inferior squadron of the Imperial German High Seas Fleet in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
- 1927The Brookings Institution, one of the United States’ oldest think tanks, is founded through the merger of three organizations that had been created by philanthropist Robert S. Brookings.
- 1941Japanese forces simultaneously invade Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong and the Philippines. These happen concurrently with the Attack on Pearl Harbor, which was on December 7 in the United States.
- 1941United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be “a date which will live in infamy”, after which the U.S. and the Republic of China declare war against Japan.
- 1949United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is established to provide aid to Palestinian refugees who left their homes during the 1948 Palestinian exodus.
- 1953United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his “Atoms for Peace” speech, and the U.S. launches its “Atoms for Peace” program that supplied equipment and information to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.
- 1962Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.
- 1963Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, United States, killing all 81 people on board.
- 1966The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.
- 1971Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.
- 1972United Airlines Flight 553 crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45.
- 1974A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.
- 1980John Lennon, an English musician (former member of The Beatles), and peace activist, is murdered by Mark David Chapman, a mentally unstable fan, in front of The Dakota apartment building in New York City.
- 1982In Suriname, several opponents of the military government are killed.
- 1987An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border, sparking the First Intifada.
- 1987Frank Vitkovic shoots and kills eight people at the Australia Post building in Melbourne, before jumping to his death.
- 1987The Alianza Lima air disaster occurs.
- 1987The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed.
- 1988A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany, killing 5 people and injuring 50 others.
- 1991The Romanian Constitution is adopted in a referendum.
- 1991The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
- 1993The North American Free Trade Agreement is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton.
- 1998Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.
- 1998The Australian Cricket Board’s cover-up of Shane Warne and Mark Waugh’s involvement with bookmakers is revealed.
- 2002The Caribbean Community Heads of Government meet with the Government of Cuba and declare the date to be “CARICOM-Cuba Day”—to celebrate diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba.
- 2004The Cuzco Declaration is signed in Cuzco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.
- 2007Benazir Bhutto, first and only female former Prime Minister of Pakistan, had her PPP Office stormed by unidentified gunmen. Three supporters are killed.
- 2009Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq kill 127 and injure 448.
- 2010With the second launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 and the first launch of the SpaceX Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first privately held company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.
Who Were Born On December 8?
- 65 BCHorace, Roman poet (d. 8 BC)
- 1542Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1587)
- 1574Maria Anna of Bavaria, consort of Ferdinand II (d. 1616)
- 1626Queen Christina of Sweden (d. 1689)
- 1678Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole of Wolterton, English diplomat (d. 1757)
- 1699Queen Maria Josepha of Poland (d. 1757)
- 1708Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1765)
- 1730Jan Ingenhousz, Dutch physician, physiologist and botanist (d. 1799)
- 1756Archduke Maximilian Franz of Austria (d. 1801)
- 1765Eli Whitney, American inventor (d. 1825)
- 1795Peter Andreas Hansen, Danish astronomer (d. 1874)
- 1815Adolph Menzel, German painter and graphic artist (d. 1905)
- 1816August Belmont, Sr., Prussian-born American financier (d. 1890)
- 1817Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish nobleman and politician (d. 1896)
- 1818Charles III, Prince of Monaco, founder of the Monte Carlo casino (d. 1889)
- 1822Jakov Ignjatović, Serbian novelist and prose writer (d. 1889)
- 1832Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian author and Nobel laureate (d. 1910)
- 1860Amanda McKittrick Ros, Irish novelist and poet (d. 1939)
- 1861Aristide Maillol, French sculptor (d. 1944)
- 1861Georges Méliès, French filmmaker (d. 1938)
- 1861William C. Durant, American automobile executive (d. 1947)
- 1862Georges Feydeau, French playwright (d. 1921)
- 1864Camille Claudel, French graphic artist and sculptor (d. 1943)
- 1865Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician (d. 1963)
- 1865Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer (d. 1957)
- 1874Ernst Moro, Austrian physician (d. 1951)
- 1886Diego Rivera, Mexican painter (d. 1957)
- 1890Bohuslav Martinů, Czech composer (d. 1959)
- 1894E.C. Segar, American cartoonist (Popeye) (d. 1938)
- 1894James Thurber, American humorist and cartoonist (d. 1961)
- 1899John Qualen, Canadian actor (d. 1987)
- 1900Sun Li-jen, Chinese general (d. 1990)
- 1902Wifredo Lam, Cuban artist (d. 1982)
- 1908John A. Volpe, American politician and 2nd United States Secretary of Transportation (d. 1994)
- 1909Gratien Gélinas, French-Canadian playwright and producer (d. 1999)
- 1909Lesslie Newbigin, English theologian and bishop (d. 1998)
- 1911Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and lyricist (d. 1992)
- 1913Delmore Schwartz, American poet (d. 1966)
- 1915Ernest Lehman, American screenwriter (d. 2005)
- 1916Richard Fleischer, American film director (d. 2006)
- 1918Gérard Souzay, French baritone (d. 2004)
- 1919Peter Tali Coleman, American politician and 43rd, 51st and 53rd Governor of American Samoa (d. 1997)
- 1922Jean Ritchie, American folk singer
- 1922Lucian Freud, English painter (d. 2011)
- 1923Rudolph Pariser, Chinese-born American chemist
- 1925Carmen Martín Gaite, Spanish author (d. 2000)
- 1925Jimmy Smith, American jazz organist (d. 2005)
- 1925Nasir Kazmi, renowned Urdu poet of Pakistan (d. 1972)
- 1925Sammy Davis Jr., American actor and singer (d. 1990)
- 1927Ferdie Pacheco, American boxing trainer
- 1927Vladimir Shatalov, Soviet cosmonaut
- 1928Bill Hewitt, Canadian sportscaster (d. 1996)
- 1928Ulric Neisser, American cognitive psychologist
- 1930Julian Critchley, British politician (d. 2000)
- 1930Maximilian Schell, Austrian-born Swiss actor and film director
- 1931Bob Arum, American boxing promoter
- 1933Flip Wilson, American comedian (d. 1998)
- 1935Dharmendra, Indian actor
- 1935Tatiana Zatulovskaya, Israeli chess player
- 1936David Carradine, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1937Arne Næss Jr., Norwegian mountaineer and businessman (d. 2004)
- 1937James MacArthur, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1939Jerry “The Iceman” Butler, American soul singer
- 1939Red Berenson, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1939Sir James Galway, Northern Irish flautist
- 1939Soko Richardson, American rhythm and blues drummer (d. 2004)
- 1940Brant Alyea, American baseball player
- 1941Bob Brown, American football player
- 1941Bobby Elliott, English musician (Drummer for The Hollies)
- 1941Ed Brinkman, American baseball player
- 1941Randall Cunningham, First Navy Vietnam Ace, American politician
- 1941Sir Geoff Hurst, English footballer
- 1943Bodo Tümmler, German middle-distance runner
- 1943Jim Morrison, American singer (The Doors) (d. 1971)
- 1943Ken Johnson, American professional wrestling manager
- 1943Mary Woronov, American actress
- 1944George Baker, Dutch singer and songwriter
- 1945John Banville, Irish novelist and journalist
- 1946John Rubinstein, American actor, composer, director
- 1946Sharmila Tagore, Indian Actress
- 1947Chava Alberstein, Israeli singer, lyricist, composer, and musical arranger
- 1947Gérard Blanc, French singer
- 1947Gregg Allman, American musician (The Allman Brothers Band)
- 1947Kati-Claudia Fofonoff, Finnish author
- 1947Thomas R. Cech, American chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1948Luis Caffarelli, Argentine-born American mathematician
- 1949Mary Gordon, American writer
- 1949Nancy Meyers, American film director, producer and screenwriter
- 1949Ray Shulman, English musician
- 1949Robert Sternberg, American psychologist and psychometrician
- 1950Dan Hartman, American musician (Edgar Winter Group) (d. 1994)
- 1950Rick Baker, American film makeup artist
- 1950Tim Foli, American baseball player
- 1951Bill Bryson, American author
- 1951Jan Eggum, Norwegian singer and songwriter
- 1952Khaw Boon Wan, Singapore Health Minister
- 1953Kim Basinger, American actress
- 1953Norman Finkelstein, American professor
- 1953Roy Firestone, American sports announcer
- 1953Sam Kinison, American comedian (d. 1992)
- 1954Frits Pirard, Dutch road bicycle racer
- 1954Gadowar Singh Sahota, Indian professional wrestler
- 1954Harold Hongju Koh, American lawyer and Obama Administration advisor
- 1955Milenko Zablaćanski, Serbian actor, director, and playwright (d. 2008)
- 1956Andrew Edge English musician
- 1956Warren Cuccurullo, American musician
- 1957Phil Collen, English guitarist (Def Leppard)
- 1958Bird McIntyre, Thai pop singer, musician
- 1958Rob Curling, British television presenter
- 1959Mark Steyn, Canadian writer and cultural critic
- 1959Stephen Jefferies, South African cricketer
- 1960Lim Guan Eng, Malaysian statesman
- 1961Ann Coulter, American political commentator
- 1961Mikey Robins, Australian comedian
- 1962Berry van Aerle, Dutch footballer
- 1962Marty Friedman, American guitarist
- 1962Nikos Karageorgiou, Greek footballer
- 1962Steve Elkington, Australian golfer
- 1962Wendell Pierce, American actor
- 1963Greg Howe, Americal guitarist
- 1963Toshiaki Kawada, Japanese wrestler
- 1964Chigusa Nagayo, Japanese wrestler
- 1964James Blundell, Australian country singer
- 1964Teri Hatcher, American actress
- 1965Carina Lau, Hong Kong actress
- 1965David Harewood, British actor
- 1965Theo Maassen, Dutch comedian and actor
- 1966Sinéad O'Connor, Irish musician
- 1967Andy Kapp, German curler
- 1967Darren Sheridan, English footballer and manager
- 1967Jeff George, American football player
- 1967Junkie XL, Dutch musician
- 1967Kotono Mitsuishi, Japanese seiyu (voice actress)
- 1968Michael Cole, American professional wrestling commentator
- 1968Mike Mussina, American baseball player
- 1969Steve Van Wormer, American actor
- 1970Me Phi Me, American rapper and author
- 1972Frank Shamrock, American mixed martial artist
- 1972Marco Abreu, Angolan footballer
- 1973Corey Taylor, American singer (Slipknot, Stone Sour)
- 1973Doron Bell Jr., Canadian actor
- 1974Cristian Castro, Mexican singer
- 1974Nick Zinner, American guitarist (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
- 1974Tony Simmons, American football player
- 1975Jerrelle Clark, American wrestler
- 1975Kevin Harvick, American racing driver
- 1976Brettina Robinson, singer and songwriter
- 1976Dominic Monaghan, English actor
- 1976Joshua Butler, Celebrity Chef
- 1976Naimee Coleman, Irish singer and songwriter
- 1976Reed Johnson, American baseball player
- 1977Elsa Benítez, Mexican supermodel
- 1977Ryan Newman, American racing driver
- 1977Sébastien Chabal, French rugby union footballer
- 1978Anwar Siraj, Ethiopian footballer
- 1978Frédéric Piquionne, France footballer
- 1978Ian Somerhalder, American actor
- 1978John Oster, Welsh footballer
- 1978Park Kyung-lim, South Korean entertainer
- 1978Vernon Wells, American baseball player
- 1979Christian Wilhelmsson, Swedish footballer
- 1979Daniel Fitzhenry, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1979Ingrid Michaelson, American indie-pop singer-songwriter
- 1979Johan Forssell, Swedish politician
- 1979José Peña, Venezuelan track and field athlete
- 1979Raymond Lam, Hong Kong actor and singer
- 1980Lisa Kelly, American reality television personality
- 1981Jeremy Accardo, American baseball player
- 1981Philip Rivers, American football player
- 1982Alfredo Aceves, American baseball player
- 1982DeeDee Trotter, American athlete
- 1982Halil Altıntop, Turkish footballer
- 1982Hamit Altıntop, Turkish footballer
- 1982Jimmy Rave, American wrestler
- 1982Nicki Minaj, rapper and singer-songwriter
- 1982Noelle Pikus-Pace, American skeleton racer
- 1983Liu Song, Chinese snooker player
- 1983Neel Jani, Swiss racing driver
- 1984Badr Hari, Dutch kickboxer
- 1984Greg Halford, English footballer
- 1985Dwight Howard, American basketball player
- 1985Meagan Duhamel, Canadian figure skater
- 1985Oleksiy Pecherov, Ukrainian basketball player
- 1986Amir Khan, English boxer
- 1986Kate Voegele, American musician
- 1989Drew Doughty, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989Jen Ledger, English drummer “Skillet”
- 1993AnnaSophia Robb, American actress and singer
- 1994Raheem Sterling, English footballer
Who Died On December 8?
- 899Arnulf of Carinthia (b. 850)
- 1626John Davies, English poet (b. 1569)
- 1632Philippe van Lansberge, Flemish astronomer (b. 1561)
- 1638Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet (b. 1589)
- 1643John Pym, English statesman (b. 1583)
- 1649Noël Chabanel, French Jesuit missionary (b. 1613)
- 1680Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, English politician (b. 1606)
- 1691Richard Baxter, English clergyman (b. 1615)
- 1695Barthélemy d'Herbelot de Molainville, French orientalist (b. 1625)
- 1709Thomas Corneille, French dramatist (b. 1625)
- 1722Liselotte von der Pfalz, Duchess of Orléans (b. 1652)
- 1744Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle duchess de Châteauroux, mistress of King Louis XV of France (b. 1717)
- 1745Etienne Fourmont, French orientalist (b. 1683)
- 1746Charles Radclyffe, British politician (b. 1693)
- 1756William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, British statesman and diplomat (b. 1690)
- 1768Jean Denis Attiret, French Jesuit missionary (b. 1702)
- 1779Nathan Alcock, English physician (b. 1707)
- 1793Madame du Barry, last royal mistress of France, guillotined (b. 1743)
- 1811Eliza Poe, English-born American actress and the mother of the American author Edgar Allan Poe (b. 1787)
- 1830Benjamin Constant, Swiss writer (b. 1767)
- 1859Thomas De Quincey, English author (b. 1785)
- 1864George Boole, British inventor of Boolean algebra (b. 1815)
- 1869Narcisa de Jesús Martillo, Ecuadorian saint (b. 1832)
- 1885William Henry Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1821)
- 1894Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician (b. 1821)
- 1907Oscar II of Sweden (b. 1829)
- 1914Maximilian von Spee, German naval officer, in the Battle of the Falkland Islands (b. 1861)
- 1917Mendele Moykher Sforim, Russian writer (b. 1836)
- 1938Friedrich Glauser, Swiss writer (b. 1896)
- 1940George Lloyd (bishop of Saskatchewan), Anglican Bishop and theologian (b. 1861)
- 1952Charles Lightoller, English second officer on the Titanic (b. 1874)
- 1954Gladys George, American stage and screen actress
- 1954Joseph B. Keenan, American political figure (b. 1888)
- 1958Tris Speaker, American baseball player (b. 1888)
- 1963Sarit Dhanarajata, Thai politician (b. 1908)
- 1966Ward Morehouse, American theater critic and newspaper columnist (b. 1899)
- 1967John Mills, Sr., American singer (Mills Brothers) (b. 1889)
- 1971Eleni Ourani, Greek writer (b. 1896)
- 1975Gary Thain, New Zealand bassist (Uriah Heep) (b. 1948)
- 1978Golda Meir, Russian-born Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898)
- 1980John Lennon, English musician (The Beatles) (b. 1940)
- 1982Bram Behr, Surinamese journalist (b. 1951)
- 1982Marty Robbins, American singer (b. 1925)
- 1983Slim Pickens, American actor (b. 1919)
- 1984Luther Adler, American actor (b. 1903)
- 1984Razzle, English musician and drummer (Hanoi Rocks) (b. 1960)
- 1984Robert Jay Mathews, White Nationalist (b. 1953)
- 1991Buck Clayton, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1911)
- 1991Kimberly Bergalis, claimed to have contracted HIV from her dentist (b. 1968)
- 1992William Shawn, American magazine editor (b. 1917)
- 1993Yevgeni Minaev, Soviet (Russian) weightlifter (b. 1933)
- 1994Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian composer and arranger (b. 1927)
- 1996Howard Rollins, American actor (b. 1950)
- 1996Kashiwado Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 47th Yokozuna (b. 1938)
- 1997Bob Bell, played Bozo the Clown (b. 1922)
- 1998Michael Craze, British Actor (b.1942)
- 1999Péter Kuczka, Hungarian writer (b. 1923)
- 2000Milić od Mačve, Serbian painter and artist (b. 1934)
- 2001Don Tennant, American advertising executive (b. 1922)
- 2001Mirza Delibašić, Bosnian basketball player (b. 1954)
- 2003Rubén González, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club) (b. 1919)
- 2004Dimebag Darrell (Darrell Abbott), American guitarist (Pantera, Damageplan) (b. 1966)
- 2005Georgiy Zhzhonov, Russian actor and author (b. 1915)
- 2006José Uribe, Dominican baseball player (b. 1959)
- 2006Martha Tilton, American singer (b. 1915)
- 2007Gerardo García Pimentel, Mexican journalist (b. 1983)
- 2008Kerryn McCann, Australian athlete (b. 1967)
- 2008Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer and writer. (b. 1925)
- 2008Robert Prosky, American actor (b. 1930).
- 2009Kenneth Biros, American murderer (b. 1958)
- 2009Luis Días, Dominican Composer (b. 1952).
Did you know that coffee and word games are an excellent combination to sharpen your vocabulary? Try this! Within 30 seconds, how many words can you think of from these letters GTJUXEOFQV? Check your answers here: Word solver GTJUXEOFQV. (Sponsored by WordFinder.Cafe)