What happened on April 8

36 documented historical events happened on April 8, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Roman emperor Caracalla (pictured) was assassinated near Harran and succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect Macrinus. On the same day, in another year: Abbasid forces decisively defeated the Saffarid emir Ya'qub ibn Laith, forcing the latter to halt his advance into Iraq. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.

160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on April 8, including Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, John Gavin, Oscar Zeta Acosta. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.

102 people with a Wikipedia article died on April 8, including Caracalla, Prince Shōtoku, Charibert II. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.

12 observances are celebrated on April 8 around the world: Buddha's Birthday, also known as Hana Matsuri, "Flower Festival" (Japan), Christian feast day: Anne Ayres (Episcopal Church (USA)), Christian feast day: Blessed August Czartoryski, Christian feast day: Constantina, Christian feast day: Pope Dionysius of Alexandria, Christian feast day: Julie Billiart of Namur. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.