# On this day: June 8

June 8 is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years), with 206 days left until the end of the year.

## June 8 in one line

Headline entries for June 8, from Wikipedia: in 1949, Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian political novel by the English writer George Orwell about life under a fictional totalitarian government, was published; born 1867: Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, designed the Price Tower and Fallingwater (died 1959); died 632: Muhammad, the central figure of Islam. (born 570/571). In 2026 it is a Monday, in 2027 a Tuesday.

## Events on June 8

- 218 Led by the inexperienced Gannys, Elagabalus's legions defeated the forces of Roman emperor Macrinus at the Battle of Antioch. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Antioch_(218))
- 452 Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern provinces as he heads for Rome. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila)
- 536 Election of pope Silverius following the death of pope Agapetus I earlier that year. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Agapetus_I)
- 1042 Edward the Confessor becomes King of England – the country's penultimate Anglo-Saxon king. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor)
- 1191 English forces under King Richard I arrive in Acre, joining the already arrived French and German forces of the Third Crusade. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Crusade)
- 1776 American Revolutionary War: British forces defeated the Continental Army at the Battle of Trois-Rivières, the last battle of the American invasion of Quebec. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trois-Rivi%C3%A8res)
- 1783 Laki, a volcanic fissure in Iceland, began an eight-month eruption, triggering a major famine and causing widespread fluoride poisoning. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laki)
- 1826 In York, Upper Canada, members of the Family Compact destroyed William Lyon Mackenzie's printing press in the Types Riot after Mackenzie accused them of corruption. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_Riot)
- 1862 American Civil War: The Confederate Army won a resounding victory at the Battle of Cross Keys, one of the two decisive battles in Jackson's Valley campaign. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cross_Keys)
- 1867 Coronation of Franz Joseph as King of Hungary following the Austro-Hungarian compromise (Ausgleich). [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_Compromise_of_1867)
- 1929 Margaret Bondfield became the first female member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom when she was named Minister of Labour by Ramsay MacDonald. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Bondfield)
- 1941 World War II: The Allies commenced the Syria–Lebanon campaign against Vichy French possessions in the Levant. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria%E2%80%93Lebanon_campaign)
- 1949 Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian political novel by the English writer George Orwell about life under a fictional totalitarian government, was published. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four)
- 1950 Thomas Blamey became the only Australian to attain the rank of field marshal. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blamey)
- 1953 An F5 tornado struck Flint and Beecher, Michigan, causing 116 fatalities, 844 injuries and $19 million in damage during a larger tornado outbreak sequence. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_outbreak_of_June_7%E2%80%939%2C_1953)
- 1967 The Israeli Air Force attacked the U.S. Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty in international waters, killing 34 people and wounding 171 others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident)
- 1968 James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. is arrested at London Heathrow Airport. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King_Jr.)
- 1972 Vietnam War: Associated Press photographer Nick Ut took a Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph of a naked nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc fleeing after being burned by napalm. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Thi_Kim_Phuc)
- 1982 Falklands War: The Argentine Air Force attacked the neutral oil tanker Hercules while she was traversing the South Atlantic. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(1970_ship))
- 1982 Falklands War: The Argentine Air Force attacked British transport ships while unloading supplies off Bluff Cove in the Falkland Islands, killing 56 British servicemen and wounding 150 others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluff_Cove_air_attacks)
- 1984 Homosexuality is decriminalized in the Australian state of New South Wales. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales)
- 1992 The first World Oceans Day is celebrated, coinciding with the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Summit)
- 2007 A major storm caused the bulk carrier Pasha Bulker to run aground in New South Wales, Australia. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasha_Bulker)
- 2007 Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-117 carrying two truss segments and solar arrays to the International Space Station. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-117)
- 2008 Seven people were killed and 10 others were injured in a vehicle and knife attack in Tokyo, Japan. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara_massacre)
- 2009 Two American journalists, having been arrested for illegal entry into North Korea, were sentenced to twelve years hard labor before being pardoned two months later. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_imprisonment_of_American_journalists_by_North_Korea)

## Born on June 8

- 1625 Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Italian-French mathematician and astronomer (died 1712) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Domenico_Cassini)
- 1651 William Dampier, explorer, navigator and buccaneer (died 1715) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dampier)
- 1671 Tomaso Albinoni, Italian violinist and composer (died 1751) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomaso_Albinoni)
- 1810 Robert Schumann, German composer and critic (died 1856) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Schumann)
- 1829 John Everett Millais, English painter and illustrator (died 1896) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Everett_Millais)
- 1867 Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, designed the Price Tower and Fallingwater (died 1959) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright)
- 1895 Santiago Bernabéu, Spanish footballer and manager (died 1978) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_Bernab%C3%A9u)
- 1903 Marguerite Yourcenar, Belgian-French author and poet (died 1987) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_Yourcenar)
- 1916 Francis Crick, English biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2004) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Crick)
- 1921 Suharto, Indonesian soldier and politician, 2nd President of Indonesia (died 2008) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suharto)
- 1925 Barbara Bush, American wife of George H. W. Bush, 41st First Lady of the United States (died 2018) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Bush)
- 1930 Robert Aumann, German-American mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Aumann)
- 1933 Joan Rivers, American comedian, actress, and television host (died 2014) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Rivers)
- 1936 Kenneth G. Wilson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2013) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_G._Wilson)
- 1940 Nancy Sinatra, American singer and actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Sinatra)
- 1951 Bonnie Tyler, Welsh singer-songwriter (died 2026) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_Tyler)
- 1953 Ivo Sanader, Croatian historian and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Croatia [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivo_Sanader)
- 1955 Tim Berners-Lee, English computer scientist, invented the World Wide Web [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee)
- 1976 Lindsay Davenport, American tennis player [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsay_Davenport)
- 1977 Kanye West, American rapper, producer, director, and fashion designer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West)
- 1983 Kim Clijsters, Belgian tennis player; winner of six Grand Slam tournament titles. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Clijsters)
- 1984 Javier Mascherano, Argentine footballer and manager [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Mascherano)

## Died on June 8

- 632 Muhammad, the central figure of Islam. (born 570/571) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad)
- 1042 Harthacnut, English-Danish king (born 1018) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harthacnut)
- 1376 Edward, the Black Prince, English son of Edward III of England (born 1330) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Black_Prince)
- 1714 Sophia of Hanover, German nobility, ancestress of all British Monarchs since 1714 (born 1630) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_of_Hanover)
- 1768 Johann Joachim Winckelmann, German archaeologist and scholar (born 1717) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Joachim_Winckelmann)
- 1795 Louis XVII of France (born 1785) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVII)
- 1809 Thomas Paine, English-American theorist and author (born 1737) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine)
- 1831 Sarah Siddons, Welsh actress (born 1755) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Siddons)
- 1845 Andrew Jackson, American general, judge, and politician, 7th President of the United States (born 1767) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson)
- 1876 George Sand, French author and playwright (born 1804) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sand)
- 1970 Abraham Maslow, American psychologist and academic (born 1908) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Maslow)
- 1998 Sani Abacha, Nigerian general and politician, 10th President of Nigeria (born 1943) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sani_Abacha)
- 2009 Omar Bongo, Gabonese captain and politician, President of Gabon (born 1935) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Bongo)
- 2018 Anthony Bourdain, American chef and travel documentarian (born 1956) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Bourdain)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian feast day: Chlodulf of Metz [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlodulf_of_Metz)
- Christian feast day: Jacques Berthieu, S.J. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Berthieu)
- Christian feast day: Jadwiga (Hedwig) of Poland [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jadwiga_of_Poland)
- Christian feast day: Mariam Thresia Chiramel [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariam_Thresia_Chiramel)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart (Droste zu Vischering) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_the_Divine_Heart)
- Christian feast day: Medard [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medardus)
- Christian feast day: Melania the Elder [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melania_the_Elder)
- Christian feast day: Roland Allen (Episcopal Church (USA)) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Allen)
- Christian feast day: Thomas Ken (Church of England) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Ken)
- Christian feast day: William of York [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_of_York)
- Christian feast day: June 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_8_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- First Indochina War day (France) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Indochina_War)
- Bounty Day (Norfolk Island) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bounty_Day)
- Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV.gov)
- Engineer's Day (Peru) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer's_Day)
- Primož Trubar Day (Slovenia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primo%C5%BE_Trubar)
- World Brain Tumor Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Brain_Tumour_Association)
- World Oceans Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Oceans_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “June 8”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_8) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/June 8”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/June_8) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“June 8”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_8) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_8?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for June 8 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## June 8 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Monday | 2026-W24 | 🌗 Last Quarter |
| 2027 | Tuesday | 2027-W23 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2028 | Thursday | 2028-W23 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2029 | Friday | 2029-W23 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2030 | Saturday | 2030-W23 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on June 8

- [🇨🇴 Colombia](https://whathappen.today/holidays/colombia/): Corpus Christi (2026)

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← June 7](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/june-7/) · [June 9 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/june-9/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

---

Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/june-8/