Historical Events on May 8
1429
Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years' War.
Continue reading1846
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.
Continue reading1861
American Civil War: Richmond, Virginia is named the capital of the Confederate States of America.
Continue reading1933
Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.
Continue reading1942
World War II: The Battle of the Kerch Peninsula: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet Armies (44th, 47th, and 51st) defending the Kerch Peninsula, in the eastern part of the Crimea.
Continue reading1946
Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which stood in front of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
Continue reading1967
The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
Continue reading1972
Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard 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.
Continue reading1978
The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
Continue reading
Famous Birthdays on May 8
- 1884
Harry S. Truman
- 1898
Aloysius Stepinac
- 1926
David Attenborough
- 1938
Jean Giraud
Famous Deaths on May 8
- 1891
Helena Blavatsky
- 1903
Paul Gauguin
- 1975
Avery Brundage
- 1988
Robert A. Heinlein