On this day: May 8

Events on May 8

• 413 Emperor Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia, Campania, Picenum, Samnium, Apulia, Lucania and Calabria, which were plundered by the Visigoths. Wikipedia
• 589 Reccared I opens the Third Council of Toledo, marking the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church. Wikipedia
• 1360 The Hundred Years War: the Treaty of Brétigny is drafted between King Edward III of England and King John II of France (the Good). Wikipedia
• 1429 The Hundred Years War: Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the war Wikipedia
• 1516 A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murder Emperor Lê Tương Dực and flee, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended. Wikipedia
• 1721 In the Papal States, Cardinal Michelangelo dei Conti is elected Pope, and takes the name Innocent XIII. Wikipedia
• 1794 Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale, is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris. Wikipedia
• 1821 Greek War of Independence: At the Battle of Gravia Inn, a 120-man Greek force led by Odysseas Androutsos repulsed an Ottoman army of 8,000 soldiers. Wikipedia
• 1842 A train derailed and caught fire near Versailles, France, killing at least 52 people. Wikipedia
• 1886 Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named "Coca-Cola" as a patent medicine. Wikipedia
• 1933 Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement. Wikipedia
• 1941 World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby. Wikipedia
• 1942 World War II: The Axis launched a major counteroffensive, turning the tide of the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula. Wikipedia
• 1942 World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War. Wikipedia
• 1942 World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington. Wikipedia
• 1957 South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm began a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor. Wikipedia
• 1963 In Huế, South Vietnam, soldiers opened fire into a crowd of Buddhists protesting against a government ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Phật Đản, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis. Wikipedia
• 1970 The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album Let It Be. Wikipedia
• 1972 Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation. Wikipedia
• 1978 The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler. Wikipedia
• 1980 The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox. Wikipedia
• 1984 The Soviet Union announces a boycott upon the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles, later joined by 14 other countries. Wikipedia
• 1984 The Soviet Union announced the boycott of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, citing security concerns. Wikipedia
• 2021 A car bomb explodes in front of a school in Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan killing at least 55 people and wounding over 150. Wikipedia
• 2025 Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV, making him the first pope born in the United States, the first to hold either U.S. or Peruvian citizenship, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second from the Americas after his immediate predecessor, Pope Francis. Wikipedia
• 2025 The 2025 papal conclave elects Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, taking the name Leo XIV as the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church. Wikipedia

Born on May 8

• 1720 William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1764) Wikipedia
• 1737 Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (died 1794) Wikipedia
• 1753 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and rebel leader (died 1811) Wikipedia
• 1828 Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1910) Wikipedia
• 1879 Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (died 1926) Wikipedia
• 1884 Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (died 1972) Wikipedia
• 1899 Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1992) Wikipedia
• 1902 André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1994) Wikipedia
• 1903 Fernandel, French actor and singer (died 1971) Wikipedia
• 1906 Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (died 1977) Wikipedia
• 1911 Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1938) Wikipedia
• 1916 João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (died 2016) Wikipedia
• 1926 David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host Wikipedia
• 1926 Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (died 2017) Wikipedia
• 1937 Thomas Pynchon, American novelist Wikipedia
• 1947 H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia
• 1960 Franco Baresi, Italian footballer and coach (died 2026) Wikipedia
• 1961 Bill de Blasio, American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City Wikipedia
• 1970 Luis Enrique, Spanish footballer and manager Wikipedia
• 1970 Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist Wikipedia
• 1975 Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor Wikipedia
• 1981 Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer Wikipedia

Died on May 8

• 535 Pope John II Wikipedia
• 615 Pope Boniface IV (born 550) Wikipedia
• 685 Pope Benedict II Wikipedia
• 1794 Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist (born 1743) Wikipedia
• 1880 Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (born 1821) Wikipedia
• 1891 Helena Blavatsky, Russian-English mystic and author (born 1831) Wikipedia
• 1903 Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (born 1848) Wikipedia
• 1936 Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (born 1880) Wikipedia
• 1945 Wilhelm Rediess, German SS officer (born 1900) Wikipedia
• 1988 Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (born 1907) Wikipedia
• 1995 Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (born 1953) Wikipedia
• 2014 Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (born 1921) Wikipedia
• 2018 Anne V. Coates, British film editor (Lawrence of Arabia, The Elephant Man, Erin Brockovich), Oscar winner (1963) (born 1925) Wikipedia
• 2019 Sprent Dabwido, President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (born 1972) Wikipedia

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day: Amato Ronconi Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Pope Boniface IV Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Apparition of Saint Michael Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Arsenius the Great Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Desideratus Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Julian of Norwich (Anglican, Lutheran) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Magdalene of Canossa Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Our Lady of Luján Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Peter II of Tarentaise Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Blessed Teresa Demjanovich (Ruthenian Catholic Church) Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: Blessed Ulrika Nisch Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: 19 Martyrs of Algeria Wikipedia
• Christian feast day: May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Wikipedia
• Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi) Wikipedia
• Furry Dance (Helston, UK) Wikipedia
• Liberation Day (Czech Republic) Wikipedia
• Miguel Hidalgo's birthday (Mexico) Wikipedia
• Parents' Day (South Korea) Wikipedia
• Truman Day (Missouri) Wikipedia
• Veterans Day (Norway) Wikipedia
• Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe): Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, continues to May 9 Wikipedia
• Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe): Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II 1939 – 1945 (Ukraine) Wikipedia
• White Lotus Day (Theosophy) Wikipedia

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article “May 8” and the articles it links to (authors and history), retrieved 2026-10-09 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; this selection is shared under the same licence. We picked the 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths with the widest coverage across Wikipedia's language editions (counted from Wikidata) and sorted them by year; the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures.