What happened on February 8? There are more than 280 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 February 8
February 8 is the 39th day of the year 2024. There are 327 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday. This day falls under the 6th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Groveland, California 95321 sunrise occured at 06:56 AM and sunset occured at 05:32 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Aquarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Amethyst while the mystical birthstone is Bloodstone.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 2 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (February 10, 2024).
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 21 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For February 8
- 421Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
- 1238The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.
- 1250Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al Mansurah.
- 1575Universiteit Leiden is founded, and given the motto Praesidium Libertatis.
- 1587Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
- 1601Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Queen Elizabeth I – the revolt is quickly crushed.
- 1693The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia is granted a charter by King William III and Queen Mary II.
- 1726The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia.
- 1807Battle of Eylau – Napoleon defeats Russians under General Benigssen.
- 1817Las Heras crosses the Andes with an army to join San Martín and liberate Chile from Spain.
- 1837Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate.
- 1855The Devil’s Footprints mysteriously appear in southern Devon.
- 1856Barbu Dimitrie Ştirbei abolishes slavery in Wallachia.
- 1865In the United States, Delaware voters reject the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and vote to continue the practice of slavery. (Delaware finally ratifies the amendment on February 12, 1901.)
- 1879Sandford Fleming first proposes adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute.
- 1879The England cricket team led by Lord Harris is attacked during a riot during a match in Sydney.
- 1887The Dawes Act authorizes the President of the United States to survey Native American tribal land and divide it into individual allotments.
- 1902New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Water Tiger in Chinese astrology.
- 1904Battle of Port Arthur: A surprise torpedo attack by the Japanese at Port Arthur, China starts the Russo-Japanese War.
- 1910The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce.
- 1915D.W. Griffith’s controversial film The Birth of a Nation premieres in Los Angeles.
- 1922President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House.
- 1924Capital punishment: The first state execution in the United States by gas chamber takes place in Nevada.
- 1942World War II: Japan invades Singapore.
- 1945World War II: The United Kingdom and Canada commence Operation Veritable to occupy the west bank of the Rhine.
- 1946The first portion of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the first serious challenge to the popularity of the Authorized King James Version, is published.
- 1948The formal creation of the Korean People’s Army of North Korea is announced.
- 1949Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary is sentenced for treason.
- 1952Elizabeth II is proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom.
- 1955The Government of Sindh abolishes the Jagirdari system in the province. One million acres (4000 km²) of land thus acquired is to be distributed among the landless peasants.
- 1960Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issues an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name “Mountbatten-Windsor”.
- 1960The first eight brass star plaques are installed in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 1962Charonne massacre. Nine trade unionists are killed by French police at the instigation of Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, then chief of the Paris Prefecture of Police.
- 1963The regime of Prime Minister of Iraq, Brigadier General Abdul-Karim Qassem is overthrown by the Ba'ath Party.
- 1963Travel, financial and commercial transactions by United States citizens to Cuba are made illegal by the John F. Kennedy administration.
- 1965After taking evasive maneuvers to avoid a mid-air collision immediately after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean and explodes, killing everyone aboard.
- 1968American civil rights movement: The Orangeburg massacre: An attack on black students from South Carolina State University who are protesting racial segregation at the town’s only bowling alley, leaves three or four dead in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
- 1969Allende meteorite falls near Pueblito de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico.
- 1971South Vietnamese ground troops launch an incursion into Laos to try to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail and stop communist infiltration.
- 1971The NASDAQ stock market index opens for the first time.
- 1974After 84 days in space, the crew of Skylab 4, the last crew to visit American space station Skylab, returns to Earth.
- 1974Military coup in Upper Volta.
- 1978Proceedings of the United States Senate are broadcast on radio for the first time.
- 1979Denis Sassou-Nguesso becomes the President of the Republic of the Congo for the first time.
- 1981Twenty-one association football spectators are trampled to death at Karaiskakis Stadium in Neo Faliro, Greece, after a football match between Olympiacos F.C. and AEK Athens FC.
- 1983The Melbourne dust storm hits Australia’s second largest city. The result of the worst drought on record and a day of severe weather conditions, a 320 m deep dust cloud envelops the city, turning day to night.
- 1989An Independent Air Boeing 707 crashes into Santa Maria mountain in the Azores, killing 144.
- 1993General Motors sues NBC after Dateline NBC allegedly rigs two crashes intended to demonstrate that some GM pickups can easily catch fire if hit in certain places. NBC settles the lawsuit the next day.
- 1996The U.S. Congress passes the Communications Decency Act.
- 1996The massive Internet collaboration “24 Hours in Cyberspace” takes place.
- 2001Disney California Adventure Park opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
- 2010A freak storm in the Hindukush mountains of Afghanistan triggers a series of at least 36 avalanches, burying over two miles of road, killing at least 172 people and trapping over 2,000 travellers.
Who Were Born On February 8?
- 120Vettius Valens, Greek astrologer (d. 175)
- 412Proclus, Greek philosopher (d. 485)
- 1191Yaroslav II of Russia (d. 1246)
- 1291King Afonso IV of Portugal (d. 1357)
- 1405Constantine XI Palaiologos, last Byzantine Emperor (d. 1453)
- 1487Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1550)
- 1552Agrippa d'Aubigné, French poet and soldier (d. 1630)
- 1577Robert Burton, English cleric and writer (d. 1640)
- 1586Jacob Praetorius, German composer (d. 1651)
- 1612Samuel Butler, English poet (d. 1680)
- 1649Gabriel Daniel, French Jesuit historian (d. 1728)
- 1677Jacques Cassini, French astronomer (d. 1756)
- 1685Charles-Jean-François Hénault, French historian (d. 1770)
- 1700Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-born mathematician (d. 1782)
- 1720Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (d. 1750)
- 1762Emperor Gia Long the founded the Nguyễn Dynasty, the last of the Vietnamese dynasties (d. 1820)
- 1792Queen Caroline Augusta of Bavaria of Hungary and Bohemia (d. 1873)
- 1798Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia, Russian Grand Duke (d. 1849)
- 1804Richard Lemon Lander, British explorer (d. 1834)
- 1807Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, English sculptor and naturalist (d. 1889)
- 1819John Ruskin, English author (d. 1900)
- 1820William Tecumseh Sherman, American Union general (d. 1891)
- 1822Maxime Du Camp, French photographer and journalist (d. 1894)
- 1825Henry Walter Bates, English naturalist and explorer (d. 1892)
- 1828Jules Verne, French author (d. 1905)
- 1834Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist (d. 1907)
- 1847Hugh Price Hughes, English social reformer (d. 1902)
- 1850Kate Chopin, American author (d. 1904)
- 1866Moses Gomberg, Russian-born American chemist (d. 1947)
- 1878Martin Buber, Austrian-born Israeli philosopher (d. 1965)
- 1880Franz Marc, German painter (d. 1916)
- 1882Thomas Etholen Selfridge, American military officer and airplane crash victim (d. 1908)
- 1883Joseph Schumpeter, Austrian economist (d. 1950)
- 1884Reginald Baker, Australian athlete and actor (d. 1953)
- 1886Charles Ruggles, American actor (d. 1970)
- 1888Dame Edith Evans, British actress (d. 1976)
- 1890Claro M. Recto, Filipino nationalist (d. 1960)
- 1893Ba Maw, Burmese politician (d. 1977)
- 1894King Vidor, American film director (d. 1982)
- 1894Ludwig Marcuse, German author and philosopher (d. 1971)
- 1900Ivan Ivanov-Vano Soviet animator and Russian animation director (d. 1987)
- 1902Demchugdongrub, Mongolian politician (d. 1966)
- 1903Aleksander Mitt, Estonian speed skater (d. 1942)
- 1903Greta Keller, Austrian-born cabaret singer and actress (d. 1977)
- 1906Chester Carlson, American physicist and inventor (d. 1968)
- 1911Elizabeth Bishop, American poet (d. 1979)
- 1913Betty Field, American actress (d. 1973)
- 1914Bill Finger, American comic book writer (d. 1974)
- 1918Fred Blassie, American professional wrestler (d. 2003)
- 1920Herbert Siegert, German football manager
- 1921Lana Turner, American actress (d. 1995)
- 1922Audrey Meadows, American actress (d. 1996)
- 1925Jack Lemmon, American actor and film director (d. 2001)
- 1926Neal Cassady, American writer (d. 1968)
- 1928Gene Lees, Canadian biographer and lyricist (d. 2010)
- 1930Alejandro Rey, Argentine actor (d. 1987)
- 1930James Deetz, American anthropologist (d. 2000)
- 1931James Dean, American actor (d. 1955)
- 1932Cliff Allison, British racing driver (d. 2005)
- 1932Jean Saunders née Jean Innes, English writer
- 1932John Williams, American composer and conductor
- 1933Elly Ameling, Dutch soprano
- 1933Jack Larson, American actor
- 1936Larry Verne, American singer
- 1937Joe Raposo, American composer (d. 1989)
- 1937Manfred Krug, German actor
- 1939José Maria Sison, Filipino communist
- 1939Ken Iman, American football player (d. 2010)
- 1940Ted Koppel, American journalist
- 1941Nick Nolte, American actor
- 1941Tom Rush, American singer and songwriter
- 1942Bob Munden, American shooting competitor
- 1942Robert Klein, American comedian
- 1942Terry Melcher, American musician and record producer (d. 2004)
- 1943Creed Bratton, American actor and musician
- 1943Pirzada Qasim, Pakistani poet and academic
- 1944Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor
- 1944Sebastião Salgado, Brazilian documentary photographer
- 1948Dan Seals, American singer (d. 2009)
- 1948Lynda Lyon Block, American convicted murderer (d. 2002)
- 1948Ron Tyson, American singer (The Temptations)
- 1949Brooke Adams, American actress
- 1950Cristina Ferrare, American former supermodel and actress
- 1951Z'EV, American text/sound artist
- 1953Mary Steenburgen, American actress
- 1953Roger Clavet, Québécois politician
- 1955John Grisham, American writer
- 1955Nancy Oliver, American playwright and television writer
- 1956Dave Meros, American bassist (Spock’s Beard)
- 1956Marques Johnson, American basketball player
- 1958Sherri Martel, American professional wrestler (d. 2007)
- 1959Damir Maričić, Croatian footballer
- 1960Benigno Aquino III, Philippine President
- 1960Dino Ciccarelli, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1960Stuart Hamm, American bassist (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai)
- 1961Bruce Timm, TV Producer (DC Animated Universe)
- 1961Vince Neil, American singer (Mötley Crüe)
- 1963Joshua Kadison, American pianist and songwriter
- 1963Mohammad Azharuddin, Indian cricketer
- 1964Robert Nebřenský, Czech actor and musician
- 1964Trinny Woodall, British fashion guru
- 1965Dicky Cheung, Hong Kong actor and singer
- 1966Bruno Labbadia, German footballer
- 1966Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1966Kirk Muller, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger, German author
- 1968Claudette Pace, Maltese singer
- 1968Gary Coleman, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1968Nasos Thanopoulos, Greek businessman
- 1969Mary McCormack, American actress
- 1969Shiva Rose, American actress
- 1970Alonzo Mourning, American basketball player
- 1970John Filan, Australian footballer
- 1971Andre El Haddad, Lebannon football referee
- 1971Andrus Veerpalu, Estonian cross-country skier
- 1971Mika Karppinen, Finnish drummer (HIM)
- 1972Paul Wight, American professional wrestler
- 1973Keith McDonald, American baseball player
- 1974Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, French disc jockey (Daft Punk)
- 1974Kimbo Slice, American mixed martial artist
- 1974Seth Green, American actor
- 1974Ulises de la Cruz, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1976Abi Titmuss, English glamour model
- 1976Adam Piatt, American baseball player
- 1976Khaled Mashud, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1976Nicolas Vouilloz, French rally driver
- 1977Barry Hall, Australian footballer
- 1977Bridgette Kerkove, American actress
- 1977Mathieu Turcotte, Canadian short-track speed skater
- 1977Yucef Merhi, Venezuelan artist
- 1979Aaron Cook, American baseball player
- 1979Josh Keaton, American actor and singer
- 1980Cameron Muncey, Australian guitarist (Jet)
- 1980Ralf Little, English actor and comedian
- 1980Stephen Wright, English footballer
- 1981Myriam Montemayor Cruz, Mexican singer
- 1982Danny Tamberelli, American actor
- 1982Sousuke Takaoka, Japanese actor
- 1983Cory Jane, New Zealand rugby player
- 1983Jermaine Anderson, Canadian basketball player
- 1983Jim Verraros, American singer
- 1984Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Greek basketball player
- 1985Ben Anderson, New Zealand basketball player
- 1985Thomas Gardner, American basketball player
- 1987Carolina Kostner, Italian figure skater
- 1988Keegan Meth, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1988Rucha Hasabnis, Indian TV actress
- 1988Ryan Pinkston, American actor
- 1989Courtney Vandersloot, American basketball player
- 1989Dani Harmer, English actress
- 1989JaJuan Johnson, American basketball player
- 1989Zac Guildford, New Zealand rugby player
- 1990Bethany Hamilton, American surfer and shark attack survivor
- 1990Tran Thuy Dzung, Miss Vietnam 2008
- 1991Abdisalam Ibrahim, Somali/Norwegian footballer
- 1991Roberto Soriano, Italian footballer
- 1992Carl Jenkinson, English/Finnish footballer
- 1994Nikki Yanofsky, Canadian artist and singer
- 1998Šarlote Lēnmane, Latvian singer
Who Died On February 8?
- 1204Alexius IV Angelus, deposed Eastern Roman Emperor (b. c. 1182)
- 1250Robert I of Artois, French crusader (b. 1216)
- 1250Sir William II Longespee (b. 1212)
- 1265Hulagu Khan, Mongol ruler (b. 1217)
- 1296King Przemysł II of Poland (b. 1257)
- 1587Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1542)
- 1599Robert Rollock, Scottish educator (b. 1555)
- 1623Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English politician (b. 1546)
- 1696Tsar Ivan V of Russia (b. 1666)
- 1709Giuseppe Torelli, Italian composer (b. 1658)
- 1725Tsar Peter I of Russia (b. 1672)
- 1749Jan van Huysum, Dutch painter (b. 1682)
- 1750Aaron Hill, English writer (b. 1685)
- 1768George Dance the Elder, English architect (b. 1695)
- 1772Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Princess of Wales (b. 1719)
- 1847Theodor Valentin Volkmar, German politician (b. 1781)
- 1849François Antoine Habeneck, French violinist (b. 1781)
- 1849France Prešeren, Slovenian poet (b. 1800)
- 1856Agostino Bassi, Italian entomologist (b. 1773)
- 1907Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom, Dutch chemist (b. 1854)
- 1910Hans Jæger, Norwegian writer and political activist (b. 1854)
- 1921Barrett Wendell, American academic and author (b. 1855)
- 1921George Formby, Sr., English entertainer (b. 1876)
- 1921Peter Kropotkin, Russian anarchist (b. 1842)
- 1924Gee Jon, First man in U.S. to be executed by lethal gas. (b. 1895)
- 1932Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll, New York City gangster from County Donegal in Ireland (b. 1908)
- 1932Yordan Milanov, Bulgarian architect (b. 1867)
- 1936Charles Curtis, 1st American-Indian Vice-President of the USA (b. 1860)
- 1956Connie Mack, American baseball manager and executive (b. 1862)
- 1957John von Neumann, Hungarian-born mathematician and physicist (b. 1903)
- 1957Walther Bothe, German physicist and inventor, Nobel laureate (b. 1891)
- 1960Giles Gilbert Scott, British architect (b. 1880)
- 1960John Langshaw Austin, British philosopher (b. 1911)
- 1963George Dolenz, American actor, father of Micky Dolenz (b. 1908)
- 1964Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist (b. 1888)
- 1972Markos Vamvakaris, Greek musician and songwriter (b. 1905)
- 1975Sir Robert Robinson, British chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1886)
- 1977Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer and ethnomusicologist (b. 1901)
- 1980Nikos Xilouris, Greek singer (b. 1936)
- 1982John Hay Whitney, American financier (b. 1904)
- 1984Karel Miljon, Dutch boxer (b. 1903)
- 1985William Lyons, British automobile manufacturer (b. 1901)
- 1987Harriet E. MacGibbon, American actress (b. 1905)
- 1990Del Shannon, American entertainer (suicide) (b. 1934)
- 1992Denny Wright, British jazz guitarist (b. 1924)
- 1993N. Shanmugathasan, Sri Lankan communist leader (b. 1920)
- 1994Raymond Scott, American composer (b. 1908)
- 1996Del Ennis, American baseball player (b. 1925)
- 1998Enoch Powell, British politician (b. 1912)
- 1998Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author, Nobel laureate (b. 1902)
- 1998Julian Lincoln Simon, American economist and author (b. 1932)
- 1999Iris Murdoch, Irish author (b. 1919)
- 2000Bob Collins, American radio broadcaster (b. 1942)
- 2000Derrick Thomas, American football player (b. 1967)
- 2000Sid Abel, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1918)
- 2001Ivo Caprino, Norwegian animated film director (b. 1920)
- 2002Joachim Hoffmann, German historian (b. 1930)
- 2002Ong Teng Cheong, President of Singapore (b. 1936)
- 2004Julius Schwartz, American comic book and science fiction editor (b. 1915)
- 2005Jimmy Smith, American jazz musician (b. 1925)
- 2005Keith Knudsen, American drummer, vocalist and songwriter (The Doobie Brothers) (b. 1948)
- 2006Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer (b. 1914)
- 2006Elton Dean, English musician (Soft Machine) (b. 1945)
- 2007Anna Nicole Smith, American model, actress, and entertainer (b. 1967)
- 2007Ian Stevenson, Canadian-American professor and reincarnation researcher (b. 1918)
- 2008Chua Ek Kay, Singaporean painter (b. 1947)
- 2008Frank J. Dixon, American immunologist (b. 1920)
- 2009Marian Cozma, Romanian handball player (b. 1982)
- 2010John Murtha, American politician (b. 1932)
- 2011Tony Malinosky, American baseball player (b. 1909)
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