May 8
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May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). There are 237 days remaining.
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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".
- 1896 - Against Warwickshire, Yorkshire sets a still-standing County Championship record when they accumulate an innings total of 887.
- 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.
- 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 fought without visual contact between warring ships.
- 1945 - World War II: VE Day. German forces agree to an unconditional surrender.
- 1967 - The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
- 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 Loughall Martyrs.
- 1997 - A China Southern Airlines Boeing 737 crashes on approach into Shenzhen's Huangtian Airport, killing 35
- 1999 - Nancy Mace becomes the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel military college.
- 2005 - The new Canadian War Museum first opens to commemorate the 60th anniversary of V-E Day.
Births
- 1521 - Petrus Canisius, Jesuit (d. 1597)
- 1653 - Claude-Louis-Hector de Villars, Marshall of France (d. 1734)
- 1735 - Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, painter (d. 1811)
- 1825 - George Bruce Malleson, Indian officer and author (d. 1898)
- 1828 - Jean Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1910)
- 1829 - Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American composer and pianist (d. 1869)
- 1842 - Emil Christian Hansen, fermentation 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, bishop and television personality (d. 1979)
- 1903 - Fernandel, actor (d. 1971)
- 1905 - Red Nichols, jazz musician (d. 1965)
- 1906 - Roberto Rossellini, director (d. 1977)
- 1907 - Wof Stefan Traugott Graf von Baudissin, general (d. 1993)
- 1911 - Robert Johnson, blues singer and guitarist (d. 1938)
- 1914 - Romain Gary, writer (d. 1980)
- 1916 - João Havelange, industrialist and FIFA president
- 1919 - Lex Barker, actor (d. 1973)
- 1925 - Ali Hassan Mwinyi, President of Tanzania
- 1926 - Sir David Attenborough, British television presenter and producer
- 1926 - Don Rickles, comedian
- 1928 - Theodore Sorenson, political operative, writer
- 1930 - Heather Harper, Irish soprano
- 1932 - Phyllida Law, actress
- 1932 - Sonny Liston, American boxer (d. 1970)
- 1935 - Jack Charlton, footballer
- 1937 - Thomas Pynchon, novelist
- 1940 - Ricky Nelson, pop singer, (d. 1985)
- 1943 - Toni Tennille, singer
- 1944 - Gary Glitter, singer
- 1945 - Keith Jarrett, jazz musician
- 1948 - Felicity Lott, English soprano
- 1951 - Chris Frantz, drummer (Talking Heads)
- 1953 - Alex Van Halen, drummer of Van Halen rock band
- 1954 - David Keith, actor
- 1963 - Helena Blagne Zaman, Slovenian singer
- 1964 - Melissa Gilbert, actress and president of the Screen Actors Guild
- 1964 - Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
- 1966 - Claudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer
- 1972 - Darren Hayes, singer
- 1972 - Eduardo Falaschi, singer (Angra (band))
- 1974 - Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
- 1975 - Enrique Iglesias, singer
- 1976 - Martha Wainwright, musician and songwriter
Deaths
- 1794 - Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist (executed) (b. 1743)
- 1828 - Mauro Giuliani, Italian composer (b. 1781)
- 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)
- 1947 - Harry Gordon Selfridge, department store founder (b. 1858)
- 1952 - William Fox, Austro-Hungarian-born American 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 - Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
- 1985 - Theodore Sturgeon, science fiction writer (b. 1918)
- 1988 - Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer (b. 1907)
- 1991 - Jean Langlais, French composer and pianist (b. 1907)
- 1991 - Rudolf Serkin, Austrian pianist (b. 1903)
- 1993 - Avram Davidson, science fiction writer (b. 1923)
- 1994 - George Peppard, actor (b. 1928)
- 1999 - Dirk Bogarde, American actor (b. 1921)
- 1999 - Dana Plato, actress (b. 1964)
Holidays and observances
- Roman Empire - festival in honour of Mens
- Mother's Day - 1988, 1994, 2005, 2011
- World Red Cross Day
- VE Day
Recorded this day
- 1906 - "It Takes The Irish To Beat The Dutch" by Billy Murray
- 1941 - "Let Me Off Uptown" by Anita O'Day & Roy Eldridge with Gene Krupa & his Orchestra
External links
- BBC: On This Day (http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/8)
- Today in History: May 8 (http://www.tnl.net/when/5/8)
May 7 - May 9 - April 8 - June 8 – listing of all days
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