On this day in History - May 8

• 0535 - Pope John II dies.
• 0589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo
• 0615 - Pope Boniface IV dies.
• 0685 - Pope Benedict II dies.
• 1278 - Emperor Duanzong of China dies (b. 1268)
• 1319 - King Haakon V of Norway dies (b. 1270)
• 1360 - Guerra dos Cem Anos: Assinatura do Tratado de Brétigny
• 1429 - During the Hundred Years' War, the siege of Orléans ends when French troops led by 17-year-old Joan of Arc drive the English from the city.
• 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
• 1460 - Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach was born (d. 1536)
• 1473 - John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire dies (b. 1420). English politician.
• 1521 - During the Diet of Worms, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V signed a secret pact with Pope Leo X to declare war on France.
• 1521 - Petrus Canisius was born (d. 1597). Dutch jesuit.
• 1538 - Edward Fox dies. English bishop.
• 1541 - Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River naming it Río de Espíritu Santo.
• 1587 - Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy was born (d. 1637)
• 1622 - Claes Rålamb was born (d. 1698). Swedish statesman.
• 1629 - Niels Juel was born (d. 1697). Danish admiral.
• 1632 - Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming was born (d. 1706). German field marshal and Governor of Berlin.
• 1653 - Claude-Louis-Hector de Villars was born (d. 1734). Marshall of France.
• 1668 - Alain-René Lesage was born (d. 1747). French writer.
• 1670 - Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans was born (d. 1726). English soldier.
• 1721 - Michelangiolo dei Conti was elected Pope Innocent XIII.
• 1735 - Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland was born (d. 1811). English painter.
• 1737 - Edward Gibbon was born. English historian and author.
• 1738 - Mikhail Kamensky was born (d. 1809). Russian general.
• 1753 - Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Mandarte Villaseñor y Lomelí was born (d. 1811). Mexican revolutionary.
• 1766 - Samuel Chandler dies (b. 1693). English non-conformist minister.
• 1773 - Ali Bey Al-Kabir dies (b. 1728). Mamluk Sultan of Egypt.
• 1781 - Pedro de Sousa Holstein was born (d. 1850). Portuguese politician.
• 1781 - Richard Jago dies (b. 1715). English poet.
• 1782 - Morre em Pombal, para onde tinha sido desterrado, o Marquês de Pombal e Conde de Oeiras, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo (n. 13 Mai 1699). Poderoso ministro do rei D. José I de Portugal, o seu nome fica para sempre ligado ao tenebroso processo dos Távoras e à reconstrução de Lisboa depois do terramoto de 1755.
• 1785 - Étienne François, duc de Choiseul dies (b. 1719). French statesman.
• 1785 - Pietro Longhi dies (b. 1701). Venetian painter.
• 1786 - Jean Vianney was born (d. 1859). French Catholic priest.
• 1788 - Giovanni Antonio Scopoli dies (b. 1723). Italian-born physician and naturalist.
• 1792 - Vicente de Sousa Coutinho dies in Paris. Portuguese diplomat.
• 1794 - Antoine Lavoisier dies guillotined by the revolutionary authorities in Paris (b. 1743). French scientist who is considered the founder of modern chemistry.
• 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.
• 1800 - William Lovett was born (d. 08 Aug 1877).
• 1819 - Kamehameha I dies. King of Hawaii.
• 1821 - Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks in Gravia.
• 1821 - William Henry Vanderbilt was born (d. 1885). Member of the Vanderbilt family.
• 1825 - George Bruce Malleson was born (d. 1898). Indian officer and author.
• 1826 - Miguel Ângelo Lupi was born (d. 1883). Portuguese painter.
• 1828 - Jean Henri Dunant was born (d. 1910). Swiss founder of the Red Cross, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize -1901.
• 1828 - Sharbel Makhluf was born (d. 1898). Lebanese monk.
• 1828 - Mauro Giuliani dies (b. 1781). Italian composer.
• 1829 - Louis Moreau Gottschalk was born (d. 1869). American composer and pianist.
• 1837 - Alexander Balashov dies (b. 1770). Russian general and statesman.
• 1839 - Adolphe-Basile Routhier was born (d. 1920). French Canadian lyricist (O Canada).
• 1842 - Emil Christian Hansen was born (d. 1909). Danish fermentation physiologist.
• 1842 - Jules Dumont d'Urville dies (b. 1790). French explorer.
• 1846 - Mexican-American War: The Battle of Palo Alto - Zachary Taylor defeats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande at Palo Alto, Texas in the first major battle of the war.
• 1850 - Ross Barnes was born (d. 1915). Baseball player.
• 1851 - José Gomes Pinheiro Machado was born (d. 1915). Brazilian politician.
• 1853 - Dan Brouthers was born (d. 1932). Baseball player.
• 1853 - Jan Roothaan dies (b. 1785). Dutch priest.
• 1859 - Johan Jensen was born (d. 1925). Danish mathematician.
• 1861 - American Civil War: Richmond, Virginia is named the capital of the Confederate States of America.
• 1873 - John Stuart Mill dies (b. 1806). English empiricist philosopher.
• 1877 - At Gilmore's Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens (ends May 11).
• 1880 - Gustave Flaubert dies (b. 12 Dec 1821). French novelist.
• 1884 - Harry S. Truman was born (d. 1972). President of the United States.
• 1886 - Pharmacist Dr. John Styth Pemberton invents a carbonated beverage that would later be named "Coca-Cola".
• 1891 - Helena Blavatsky dies (b. 1831). Russian-born author.
• 1893 - Edd Roush dies (b. 1988). Baseball player.
• 1895 - Fulton J. Sheen was born (d. 1979). American bishop and television personality.
• 1895 - Edmund Wilson was born. American author and critic historian.
• 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.
• 1899 - Freidrich A. von Hayek was born in Vienna (d. 1992). Austrian economist, Nobel Prize laureate.
• 1899 - Arthur Q. Bryan dies (b. 1959). American voice actor.
• 1901 - Turkey Stearnes was born (d. 1979). Baseball player.
• 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.
• 1902 - Andre Michael Lwoff was born (d. 1994). French microbiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• 1903 - Fernandel was born (d. 1971). French actor.
• 1904 - John Snagge was born (d. 1996). British radio personality.
• 1905 - Red Nichols was born (d. 1965). American jazz musician.
• 1906 - Roberto Rossellini was born (d. 1977). Italian film director.
• 1907 - Wof Stefan Traugott Graf von Baudissin, was born (d.1993). General.
• 1908 - Sobe ao trono o último rei de Portugal D. Manuel II
• 1911 - Robert Johnson was born (d. 16 Aug 1938). American singer and guitarist, one of the pioneers of the blues.
• 1911 - Robert Johnson was born (d. 1938). American musician.
• 1913 - Bob Clampett was born (d. 1984). American animator.
• 1914 - Romain Gary was born (d. 1980). Polish writer.
• 1914 - Paramount Pictures is formed.
• 1915 - Henry McNeal Turner dies in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Bishop for the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
• 1915 - Baptista Cepelos dies in Rio de Janeiro (b. 10 Dec. 1872). Brazilian poet and writer.
• 1916 - João Havelange was born. Brazilian industrialist and FIFA president
• 1916 - Swami Chinmayananda was born. Spread the teachings of Vedanta
• 1919 - Edward George Honey first proposed the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate The Armistice of World War I, which later resulted in the creation of Remembrance Day.
• 1919 - Lex Barker was born (d. 1973). American actor.
• 1920 - Saul Bass was born (d. 1996). American graphic designer.
• 1920 - Tom of Finland was born (d. 1991). Finnish fetish artis.
• 1920 - Sloan Wilson was born (d. 2003). American author.
• 1925 - Ali Hassan Mwinyi was born. President of Tanzania.
• 1926 - Sir David Attenborough was born. British television presenter and producer.
• 1926 - Don Rickles was born. American comedian.
• 1928 - Theodore Sorenson was born. American political operative, writer.
• 1929 - Claude Castonguay was born. Quebec politician.
• 1930 - Heather Harper was born. Irish soprano.
• 1930 - Gary Snyder was born. American poet
• 1931 - Adelaide Chiozzo was born. Brazilian actress.
• 1932 - Sonny Liston was born (d. 1970). American boxer.
• 1932 - Phyllida Law was born. Scottish actress.
• 1932 - Sonny Liston was born (d. 1970). American boxer.
• 1933 - Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast in protest of British oppression in India.
• 1935 - Jack Charlton was born. English footballer.
• 1936 - Oswald Spengler dies in Munich. German philosopher and historian.
• 1937 - Thomas Pynchon was born. American novelist.
• 1937 - Carlos Gaviria Díaz was born. Colombian politician.
• 1937 - Mike Cuellar was born. Baseball player.
• 1940 - Ricky Nelson was born (d. 1985). American pop singer.
• 1940 - Peter Benchley was born (d. 2006). American author.
• 1940 - Irwin Cotler was born. Canadian politician.
• 1941 - Betty Faria was born. Brasilian actress.
• 1941 - John Fred was born (d. 2005). American singer.
• 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.
• 1942 - World War II: On the night of 8/9 May 1942, gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebelled. Their mutiny was crushed and three of them were executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
• 1942 - Terry Neill was born. Northern Irish footballer and football manager
• 1943 - Toni Tennille was born. American singer.
• 1943 - Paul Samwell-Smith, British bassist (The Yardbirds)
• 1943 - Mordechaj Anielewicz dies (b. 1919). Polish Resistance Fighter.
• 1944 - Gary Glitter was born. English singer.
• 1944 - Captain Dale Dye was born. American actor.
• 1945 - Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre.
• 1945 - End of the Prague uprising, today still celebrated as national holiday in the Czech Republic
• 1945 - World War II: VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) officially goes into effect on the day after Germany surrendered unconditionally to Allied forces / Foi proclamado o Dia da Vitória na Europa, após a rendição da Alemanha Nazi.
• 1945 - Keith Jarrett was born. American musician.
• 1946 - André Boulerice was born. Quebec politician.
• 1947 - H. Robert Horvitz was born. American biologist, Nobel laureate.
• 1947 - Harry Gordon Selfridge dies (b. 1858).American-born founder of Selfridges department store
• 1948 - Felicity Lott was born. English soprano.
• 1948 - Steve Braun was born. Baseball player.
• 1948 - Stephen Stohn was born. Canadian television producer (Degrassi).
• 1948 - U Saw dies (b. 1900). Burmese politician.
• 1950 - Robert Mugge was born. American music documentary film maker
• 1950 - Vital Brazil dies (b. 28 Apr 1865). Brazilian physician and scientist.
• 1951 - Chris Frantz was born. American drummer (Talking Heads)
• 1951 - Philip Bailey was born. American singer (Earth, Wind & Fire)
• 1952 - William Fox dies (b. 1879). Austrian-born American film producer
• 1953 - Alex Van Halen was born. Dutch drummer
• 1953 - Billy Burnette was born. American singer and guitarist (Fleetwood Mac).
• 1954 - David Keith was born. American actor.
• 1957 - Marie Myriam was born. French singer
• 1957 - Bill Cowher was born. American football coach.
• 1959 - Maria Padilha was born. Brazilian actress.
• 1960 - Franco Baresi was born. Italian footballer.
• 1960 - Eric Brittingham was born. American bassist.
• 1960 - J. H. C. Whitehead dies (b. 1904). British mathematician.
• 1963 - A religious crisis began in Vietnam when the Diem government, controlled by a Roman Catholic family, broke up demonstrations in the city of Hue. Buddhists were protesting the government's bans of flags and parades celebrating the birthday of the Buddha. Reports placed the number of deaths at 11.
• 1963 - Helena Blagne Zaman was born. Slovenian singer.
• 1963 - Robin Jarvis was born. British writer.
• 1963 - Izabela Kloc was born. Polish politician.
• 1963 - Sylvain Cossette was born. Quebec singer and songwriter.
• 1964 - Melissa Gilbert was born. American actress and president of the Screen Actors Guild
• 1964 - Bobby Labonte was born. American race car driver.
• 1964 - Dave Rowntree was born. British musician (Blur)
• 1966 - Claudio Taffarel was born. Brazilian footballer (goal-keeper)
• 1967 - The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
• 1967 - World heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali is indicted for refusing to be inducted into the U.S. Army for religious reasons.
• 1967 - LaVerne Andrews dies (b. 1911). American singer (The Andrews Sisters).
• 1968 - Jamie Summers was born. American porn star.
• 1968 - Johan Pehrson was born. Swedish politician.
• 1968 - Nathalie Normandeau was born. Quebec politician.
• 1969 - Akebono Taro was born. Sumo wrestler.
• 1969 - Remington Kellogg, American naturlist (b. 1892)
• 1970 - The Hard Hat riot occurs in the Wall Street area of New York City as blue-collar construction workers clash with anti-war demonstrators protesting the Vietnam War.
• 1970 - Luis Enrique was born. Spanish football player.
• 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.
• 1972 - Darren Hayes was born. Australian singer.
• 1972 - Eduardo Falaschi was born. Singer (Angra (band))
• 1972 - Ray Whitney was born. Canadian ice hockey player
• 1973 - Hiromu Arakawa was born. Japanese artist
• 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.
• 1974 - The Canadian Government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is defeated in the House of Commons.
• 1974 - Jon Tickle was born. English entertainer.
• 1974 - Korey Stringer was born (d. 2001). American football player.
• 1975 - Jussi Markkanen was born. Finnish ice hockey player.
• 1975 - Enrique Iglesias was born. Spanish singer.
• 1975 - Avery Brundage dies (b. 1887). President of the International Olympic Committee.
• 1976 - Martha Wainwright was born. Canadian musician and songwriter.
• 1976 - Ian "H" Watkins was born. Pop singer (Steps)
• 1976 - Jeff Simmons, IRL racing driver
• 1977 - Theodoros Papaloukas, Greek basketball player
• 1978 - Lúcio was born. Brazilian footballer.
• 1978 - Jang Woo Hyuk was born. Korean singer
• 1978 - Josie Maran was born. American model See here Josie Maran beautiful wallpaper
• 1980 - Michelle McManus was born. Scottish singer
• 1980 - Benny Yau was born. Canadian entertainer
• 1981 - The United States Air Force informed Simcha Goldman, an Orthodox Jew, that he was no longer permitted to wear a yarmulke because it violated the military dress code. Goldman challenged this decision in the courts in a case which became known as Goldman v. Weinberger.
• 1981 - Andrea Barzagli was born. Italian footballer.
• 1981 - Björn Dixgård was born. Swedish guitarist.
• 1981 - John Maine was born. American baseball player.
• 1981 - Yasuko Tajima was born. Japanese swimmer.
• 1982 - Gilles Villeneuve dies (b. 1950). Canadian racing driver.
• 1982 - Neil Bogart dies (b. 1943). American record executive.
• 1983 - Matt Willis was born. British singer.
• 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 3 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.
• 1984 - Nadine Chandrawinata was born. 2006 Miss Universe Pageant (Indonesia)
• 1984 - Lila Bell Wallace dies (b. 1890). American magazine publisher (Reader's Digest).
• 1985 - Sarah Vaillancourt was born. Quebec female ice hockey player
• 1985 - Mashio Miyazaki was born. Japanese actress
• 1985 - Theodore Sturgeon dies (b. 19018). American science fiction writer.
• 1985 - Dolph Sweet dies (b. 1920). American actor.
• 1987 - The SAS ambushes and kills the Loughgall Martyrs.
• 1987 - Doris Stokes dies (b. 1920). British psychic medium.
• 1988 - Robert A. Heinlein dies (b. 1907). American science fiction writer.
• 1990 - Luigi Nono dies (b. 1924). Italian composer.
• 1990 - Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich dies (b. 1923). Northern Irish clergyman.
• 1991 - Jean Langlais dies (b. 1907). French composer and pianist.
• 1991 - Rudolf Serkin dies (b. 1903). Austrian pianist.
• 1993 - Avram Davidson dies (b. 1923). Science fiction writer.
• 1994 - George Peppard dies (b. 1928). American actor.
• 1995 - Teresa Teng dies (b. 1953). Asian superstar.
• 1996 - The Constitutional Assembly of South Africa ratifies the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. Considered one of the most liberal Constitutions in the world regarding Human Rights.
• 1996 - Beryl Burton dies (b. 1937). English cyclist.
• 1996 - Dominguín dies (b. 1926). Spanish bullfighter.
• 1996 - Garth Williams dies (b. 1912). American illustrator.
• 1997 - A China Southern Airlines Boeing 737 crashes on approach into Shenzhen's Huangtian Airport, killing 35
• 1998 - Bebe Rebozo dies (b. 1912). American banker and Watergate figure.
• 1999 - Nancy Mace becomes the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel military college.
• 1999 - Dirk Bogarde dies (b. 1921). British actor.
• 1999 - Dana Plato dies (b. 1964). American actress.
• 2000 - Guadalupe "Pita" Amor dies (b. 1918). Mexican poet.
• 2000 - Alexander Chislenko dies (b. 1959). Russian-American transhumanist.
• 2000 - Henry Nicols dies (b. 1973). AIDS activist.
• 2003 - Elvira Pagã dies (b. 1920). Brazilian singer and actress.
• 2004 - António Champalimaud dies (b. 1918). Portuguese industrialist and entrepreneur
• 2005 - The new Canadian War Museum opens, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of V-E Day.
• 2006 - Iain MacMillan dies (b. 1938). Abbey Road photographer.
• 2007 - Since more than 100 years, for the first time, a North Ireland Government is formed by the "old enemies" , the Sinn Fein of Gerry Adams and the DUP of Ian Paisley, Mr. "NO" , which are the military wings of the North Ireland war between the IRA and the U.K.
• World Red Cross Day
• VE Day
• United States Teacher's Day (non-official holiday on the Tuesday of the first full week of May).
• Parents' Day in South Korea
• Gay day in South Africa (observed by the gay community)