What happened today in history
What happened on February 8
On February 8 history recorded 41 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 99 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 41events
- 160births
- 99deaths
- 13observances
Highlights
Highlights
Honorius declared Constantius III to be his co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
Honorius was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. After the death of Theodosius in 395, Honorius, under the regency of Stilicho, ruled the western half of the empire while his brother
Seventh Crusade: The Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt defeated and captured King Louis IX of France at the Battle of Fariskur.
The Seventh Crusade (1248–1254) was the first of the two Crusades led by Louis IX of France. Also known as the Crusade of Louis IX to the Holy Land, it aimed to reclaim the Holy Land by attacking Egypt, the main Islamic power in the Near East. The Crusade was
William of Orange founded Leiden University, the oldest university in the Netherlands.
William the Silent or William the Taciturn, more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange and in the Dutch national anthem as William of Nassau, was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs that set off the Eighty Years' War (
February 8
On this day
V century
- 421
421Constantius III becomes co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
XIII century
XIV century
XVI century
XVII century
XIX century
- 1807
1807Napoleon defeats the coalition forces of Russian General Bennigsen and Prussian General L'Estocq at the Battle of Eylau. - 1817
1817An army led by Grand Marshal Las Heras crosses the Andes to join San Martín in the liberation of Chile from Spain. - 1837
1837Richard Johnson becomes the first and only Vice President of the United States chosen by the Senate. - 1865
1865Delaware refuses to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, delaying the criminalization of slavery until the amendment's national adoption on December 6, 1865. The amendment is ultimately ratified by Delaware on February 12, 1901, the 92nd anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. - 1879
1879Sandford Fleming first proposes the adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute. - 1879
1879England's cricket team, led by Lord Harris, is attacked in a riot during a match in Sydney. - 1885
1885The first Japanese immigrants arrive in Hawaii. - 1887
1887The Dawes Act is enacted, authorizing the U.S. President to divide Native American tribal land into individual allotments.
XX century
- 1904
1904Japanese forces launch a surprise attack against Russian-controlled Port Arthur, marking the start of the Russo-Japanese war. - 1904
1904The Dutch Colonial Army's Marechaussee regiment led by General G.C.E. van Daalen launch a military campaign in the Dutch East Indies' Northern Sumatra region, leading to the deaths of thousands of civilians. - 1910
1910The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce. - 1924
1924The first state execution in the United States by gas chamber takes place in Nevada. - 1937
1937Spanish Civil War: Republican forces establish the Interprovincial Council of Santander, Palencia and Burgos in Cantabria. - 1942
1942World War II: Japan invades Singapore. - 1945
1945World War II: British and Canadian forces commence Operation Veritable to occupy land between the Maas and Rhine rivers. - 1945
1945World War II: Mikhail Devyataev escapes with nine other Soviet POWs from a Nazi concentration camp in Peenemünde, Usedom. - 1946
1946The People's Republic of Korea is dissolved in the North and replaced by the communist-controlled Provisional People's Committee of North Korea. - 1950
1950The Stasi, the secret police of East Germany, is established. - 1960
1960Queen Elizabeth II issues an Order-in-Council, proclaiming the House of Windsor and declaring that her descendants will take the name Mountbatten-Windsor. - 1962
1962Nine protestors are killed at Charonne station, Paris, by French police under the command of ex-Vichy official and Parisian Prefect of Police Maurice Papon. - 1963
1963The regime of Prime Minister of Iraq Abd al-Karim Qasim is overthrown by the Ba'ath Party. - 1965
1965Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean and explodes, killing all 84 people on board. - 1968
1968American civil rights movement: An attack on Black students from South Carolina State University who are protesting racial segregation leaves three dead and 28 injured in Orangeburg, South Carolina. - 1971
1971South Vietnamese ground troops launch an incursion into Laos to try to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail and stop communist infiltration into the country. - 1974
1974The crew of Skylab 4, the last mission to visit the American space station Skylab, returns to Earth after 84 days in space. - 1983
1983A dust storm hits Melbourne, resulting in the worst drought on record and severe weather conditions in the city. - 1986
1986Twenty-three people are killed when a VIA Rail passenger train collides with a Canadian National freight train near the town of Hinton, Alberta, making it one of the worst rail accidents in Canada. - 1989
1989Independent Air Flight 1851 strikes Pico Alto mountain while on approach to Santa Maria Airport in the Azores, killing all 144 passengers on board. - 1993
1993An Iran Air Tours Tupolev Tu-154 and an Iranian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 collide mid-air near Qods, Iran, killing all 133 people on board both aircraft.
XXI century
- 2010
2010Over 2 miles (3.2 km) of road are buried after a storm in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan triggers a series of avalanches, killing at least 172 people and trapping over 2,000 others. - 2013
2013A blizzard kills at least 18 and leaves hundreds of thousands of people without electricity in the northeastern United States and parts of Canada. - 2014
2014A hotel fire in Medina, Saudi Arabia, kills 15 Egyptian pilgrims with 130 others injured. - 2020
2020A soldier opens fire in a military camp and a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, killing 29 people and injuring 58 others before being shot dead by police the next day. It is considered the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history. - 2023
2023Two children are killed and six others are injured when a bus crashes into a daycare centre in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The driver is arrested and charged with homicide and dangerous driving.
Best known
Born on February 8
Daniel Bernoulli
Swiss mathematician and physicist
Emperor Sakuramachi
Emperor of Japan from 1735 to 1747
André Grétry
Composer from present-day Belgium
Gia Long
Founding emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty (r. 1802–04)
Caroline Augusta of Bavaria
Empress of Austria from 1816 to 1835
Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia
Russian grand duke
Best known
Died on February 8
Severus of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch from 512 to 538
Robert I of Artois
Count of Artois
William Longespée the Younger
English crusader
Hulegu Khan
Western Asian Mongol ruler (c. 1217–1265)
Przemysł II
King of Poland from 1295 to 1296
Saint Helen of Serbia
Queen consort of Serbia (c. 1235–1314)
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day: Cuthmann of Steyning
- Christian feast day: Elffled of Whitby
- Christian feast day: Elisabetta Martinez
- Christian feast day: Gerolamo Emiliani
- Christian feast day: Josephine Bakhita
- Christian feast day: Juventius of Pavia
- Christian feast day: Mengold of Huy
- Christian feast day: Stephen of Muret
- Christian feast day: February 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Parinirvana Day (some Mahayana Buddhism traditions; most celebrate on February 15)
- Prešeren Day (Slovenia)
- Propose Day (India)
- Military Foundation Day (North Korea)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on February 8?
41 documented historical events happened on February 8, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Honorius declared Constantius III to be his co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire. On the same day, in another year: Seventh Crusade: The Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt defeated and captured King Louis IX of France at the Battle of Fariskur. 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.
Who was born on February 8?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on February 8, including Daniel Bernoulli, Emperor Sakuramachi, André Grétry. 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.
Who died on February 8?
99 people with a Wikipedia article died on February 8, including Severus of Antioch, Robert I of Artois, William Longespée the Younger. 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.
What is celebrated on February 8?
13 observances are celebrated on February 8 around the world: Christian feast day: Cuthmann of Steyning, Christian feast day: Elffled of Whitby, Christian feast day: Elisabetta Martinez, Christian feast day: Gerolamo Emiliani, Christian feast day: Josephine Bakhita, Christian feast day: Juventius of Pavia. 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.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar