Historical Events on May 8

Events 1 - 200 of 202

• 535 John II's reign as Catholic Pope ends
• 589 Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo
• 615 St Boniface IV's reign as Catholic Pope ends
• 685 St Benedict II's reign as Catholic Pope ends
• 1360 Treaty of Brétigny signed by English & French, ending the first phase of the Hundred Years' War
• 1450 Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI

• 1624 Hungarian King Bethlen Gabor & Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II sign Treaty of Vienna
• 1639 William Coddington founds Newport, Rhode Island

• 1721 Michelangiolo dei Conti succeeds Pope Clement XI, as Innocent XIII
• 1741 France & Bavaria sign Covenant of Nymphenburg
• 1784 Only known deaths by hailstones in US (Winnsborough, South Carolina)
• 1792 British Captain George Vancouver sights and names Mt Rainier, Washington
• 1792 US establishes the military draft


• 1821 Greek War of Independence: Greeks defeat the Turks in Gravia
• 1823 "Home! Sweet Home!" by John Howard Payne is 1st sung in London
• 1834 Prussia, Austria and Russia sign classified accord about Belgium

• 1840 Alexander Wolcott patents Photographic Process
• 1842 Versailles to Paris train catches fire; 50 die
• 1846 1st major battle of Mexican War fought at Palo Alto, Texas
• 1847 Scot Robert Thompson patents rubber tyre

• 1861 Richmond, Virginia, is named the capital of the Confederacy
• 1862 Valley Campaign: Federals repulsed at Battle of McDowell, Virginia
• 1863 Confederación Granadina becomes Estados Unidos de Colombia
• 1864 Actions at Stony Creek/Nottoway bridge, Virginia (Drewry's Bluff)
• 1864 Atlanta Campaign: Severe fighting near Dalton
• 1864 Battle of Spotsylvania Court House begins
• 1871 British-US treaty ends Alabama dispute
• 1877 1st Westminster Dog Show held
• 1878 1st unassisted triple play in organized baseball, by Paul Hines

• 1879 George Selden files for 1st patent for a gasoline-driven automobile

• 1882 David Belasco's "La Belle Russe" premieres in NYC
• 1885 Sarah Ann Henley survives 76-m jump from Clifton Bridge in Bristol, England
• 1886 Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta sells the first Coca-Cola (contained cocaine)
• 1895 China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki


• 1896 Yorkshire Cricket all out for 887 against Warwickshire
• 1897 22nd Preakness: T Thorpe aboard Paul Kauvar wins in 1:51¼
• 1898 The first games of the Italian Football League are played
• 1899 The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin opens

• 1900 John McGraw & Wilbert Robinson sign with Cardinals
• 1901 In their long-delayed AL home opener, Boston defeats Philadelphia 12-4
• 1901 A British appointed commission estimates today that some 1,250,000 Indians have died after a severe drought, lasting since 1899
• 1902 Mount Pelée on the French overseas island of Martinique erupts, wiping out the city of Saint-Pierre, killing 30,000 and leaving only two survivors
• 1905 Union of Unions organizes In Russia under the chairmanship of Paul Miliukov and joins liberal groups demanding parliamentary government and universal suffrage
• 1906 Philadelphia A's pitcher Chief Benders plays outfield & hits 2 HRs
• 1907 Boston's Big Jeff Pfeffer no-hits Cincinnati Reds, 6-0

• 1909 Albert Raines runs world record marathon (2:46:04.6)
• 1909 Frederick Barrett runs world record marathon (2:42:31)
• 1912 Film and television production and distribution studio Paramount Pictures is founded
• 1915 41st Kentucky Derby: Joe Notter aboard Regret wins in 2:05.4
• 1916 German munitions bunker in Fort Douaumont explodes killing 679 German soldiers
• 1916 Irishmen Eamon Kent, Michael Mallin, Con Colbert and Sean Houston are executed by British authorities following the Easter Rising at Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin
• 1919 1st transatlantic flight take-off by a navy seaplane
• 1919 Appingedam soccer team forms

• 1920 46th Kentucky Derby: Ted Rice aboard Paul Jones wins in 2:09
• 1921 Sweden abolishes capital punishment
• 1923 Hobbs scores his 100th 100, 116* v Somerset at Bath
• 1924 Arthur Honegger's "Pacifica 231" premieres
• 1924 Memel territories given to Lithuania
• 1924 Workers at Werkspoor in Amsterdam strike against 3rd wage cut
• 1925 50th Preakness: Clarence Kummer aboard Coventry wins in 1:59
• 1925 French colonial army beats Rifkabylen in Morocco
• 1926 A Philip Randolph organizes Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
• 1926 Fire breaks out in Fenway Park, home of Boston Red Socks baseball team
• 1929 Jan Mayen island, 500 km NNE of Iceland, incorporated into Norway
• 1929 NY Giant Carl Hubbell no-hits Pittsburgh Pirates, 11-0

• 1931 Operette "Land of Smiles" premieres in London

• 1935 Cincinnati Red Ernie Lombardi doubles in 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th beat Phils 15-4
• 1936 Jockey Ralph Neves unexpectedly revived after being declared dead after a fall. His wife faints when he returned to track
• 1937 63rd Kentucky Derby: Charley Kurtsinger on War Admiral wins 2:03.2
• 1938 Stravinsky's "Dumbarton Oaks" premieres in Washington, D.C.
• 1941 German Q-ship Pinguin sinks in Indian Ocean
• 1942 Aircraft carrier USS Lexington sunk by Japanese air attack in Coral Sea
• 1942 German summer offensive opens in Crimea
• 1942 1st twilight game in 24 years, the Dodgers top Giants 7-6 raising $60,000 for Navy Relief Fund
• 1943 68th Preakness: Johnny Longden aboard Count Fleet wins in 1:57.4
• 1943 Admiral Cunningham of British fleet: "Sink, burn & destroy; let nothing pass"
• 1944 33 communist resistance fighter sentenced to death
• 1945 Canadian troops move into Amsterdam
• 1945 Chinese counter attack at Tsjangte, supports by 14th air fleet

• 1945 V-E Day: WWII ends in Europe after Germany signs an unconditional surrender
• 1946 Red Sox Johnny Pesky scores 6 runs in 1 game
• 1946 Estonian school girls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial that preceded the Bronze Soldier in Tallinn

• 1949 West German constitution approved

• 1951 Dacron men's suits introduced
• 1951 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak
• 1952 "Of Thee I Sing" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 72 performances
• 1952 "Shuffle Along" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 4 performances
• 1952 5th British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAS): "La Ronde" Best Film
• 1953 WIPB TV channel 49 in Muncie, IN (PBS) begins broadcasting
• 1954 1st shot-put over 60' (18.29 m)-Parry O'Brien, Los Angeles, CA
• 1956 John Osborne's "Look Back in Anger" premieres in London

• 1959 3-deck Nile excursion steamer springs a leak panicking passengers who capsized ship. 200 drown just yards from shore
• 1960 USSR & Cuba resume diplomatic relations
• 1961 1st practical sea water conversion plant-Freeport, Texas
• 1961 Alan Shepard receives NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Washington
• 1962 "Funny Thing Happened" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 965 performances
• 1962 1st Atlas Centaur Launch
• 1962 London trolley buses (electrically powered buses using overhead supply) go out of service
• 1963 "Dr No" premieres in US

• 1965 1st shut put over 70' (Randy Matson 70' 7")
• 1966 Last game at old Busch stadium, St Louis Card lose 10-5 to San Francisco
• 1966 Only HR ever hit out of Baltimore's Memorial Park by Frank Robinson

• 1967 The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental
• 1968 Jim (Catfish) Hunter of Oakland pitches perfect game vs Twins (4-0)
• 1968 Pulitzer prize awarded to William Styron (Confessions of Nat Turner)
• 1969 Cambodia recognizes German DR
• 1969 Pope Paul VI publishes constitution Sacra Ritum Congregation
• 1970 Beatles release "Let it Be" album
• 1970 Construction workers break up an anti-war rally in NYC's Wall Street
• 1970 NBA championship: Knicks beat Lakers, 113-99
• 1970 Thousands of students protest against the Vietnam War following the Kent State shootings in Ohio
• 1971 "Earl of Ruston" closes at Billy Rose Theater NYC after 5 performances
• 1972 Sabena aircraft at Lod International Airport, Tel Aviv, captured by Palestinians

• 1973 Indians holding South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for 10 weeks surrender
• 1974 50 MPH speed limit in Britain lifted

• 1974 FC Magdenburg of East Germany win 14th European Cup Winner's Cup against AC Milan of Italy 2-0 in Rotterdam
• 1976 "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" closes at Mark Hellinger NYC after 7 performances
• 1976 The rollercoaster Revolution (roller coaster), the first steel coaster with a vertical flip, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain
• 1978 ABC TV airs "Stars Salute Israel at 30"
• 1978 Jan Stephenson wins LPGA Women's International Golf Tournament
• 1979 Radio Shack releases TRSDOS 2.3

• 1980 Sabres take only 15 shots, Islanders 22, in a playoff game
• 1980 World Health Organization announces smallpox has been eradicated
• 1980 1st non-stop trans-North American balloon flight departs Fort Baker, California. Maxie Anderson and son Kristian pilot the Kitty Hawk for five days.
• 1981 Ron Davis pitches 10th consecutive strike out, 1 short of record


• 1983 Janet Coles wins LPGA Lady Michelob Golf Tournament
• 1984 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll

• 1984 Thames Barrier to stop flooding in London officially completed
• 1984 USSR announces it will not participate in Los Angeles Summer Olympics
• 1985 20th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama, George Strait, and Reba McEntire win
• 1985 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
• 1987 Gary Hart quits US democratic presidential race due to affair with Donna Rice
• 1987 The Loughgall ambush: The SAS kill 8 IRA members and 1 civilian, in Loughgall, Northern Ireland
• 1988 "Oba Oba" closes at Ambassador Theater NYC after 46 performances

• 1988 Juli Inkster wins LPGA Crestar Golf Classic

• 1988 Amateur referees work NJ Devil-Boston Bruin playoff games, as NHL referees walk-off, due to a restraining order brought by Devils

• 1989 US space shuttle STS-30 lands
• 1990 Cuyahoga County voters approve sin tax to build Cleveland Gateway
• 1990 Reindependence Day of Estonia
• 1991 CIA director William H. Webster resigns
• 1993 ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Phil Ware

• 1993 16 year old Keron Thomas disguises himself as a motorman & takes NYC subway train and 2,000 passengers on a 3 hour ride
• 1994 "Rise & Fall of Little Voice" closes at Neil Simon NYC after 9 performances
• 1994 500th commentary by Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes
• 1994 Colorado Silver Bullets (all-female pro baseball team) 1st game
• 1994 Ernesto Perez Balladares elected president of Panama
• 1994 Jose Maria Figueres becomes president of Costa Rica
• 1994 Laura Davies wins LPGA Sara Lee Golf Classic

• 1994 Erling Kagge becomes the first person to complete the Three Poles Challenge.
• 1996 NY Yankee Dwight Gooden wins his 1st AL game beating Tigers 10-3
• 1996 South Africa's Constitutional Assembly adopts permanent post-apartheid constitution
• 1996 Paris Saint-Germain of France win 36th European Cup Winner's Cup against Rapid Wien of Austria 1-0 in Brussels
• 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.
• 2007 A new Northern Ireland Executive is formed with Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party) as First Minister and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) as Deputy First Minister

• 2010 Last piece of Yankee Stadium falls in the Bronx, New York, marking the end of the two year demolition process
• 2010 Barrow AFC wins English FA Trophy at Wembley, makes them only team to win it at both Old & New Wembley stadiums

• 2013 33 people are killed after an overloaded bus falls into a river in Himachal Pradesh, India
• 2013 Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi receives a four year prison sentence for fraud
• 2013 Sir Alex Ferguson announces his retirement as Manchester United's manager at the end of the season
• 2014 NFL Draft: South Carolina outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney first pick by Houston Texans
• 2016 Sadiq Khan (L) is elected Mayor of London, - 1st Muslim mayor of a major Western city

• 2018 Ebola outbreak declared in north-west Democratic Republic of Congo with 2 confirmed cases and 17 deaths
• 2018 Paris St-Germain seals the French domestic football treble with a 2-0 win over 3rd Div Les Herbiers in the French Cup Final at the Stade de France

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