Vintage News · Odd history for August 8

What Happened On August 8

Q: What happened on August 8?

1576: The cornerstone of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe's observatory Uraniborg was laid on the island of Hven. 1876: Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph. 1870: The Republic of Ploiești, a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania. 1863: American Civil War: Following his defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (which is refused upon receipt). 1786: Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel-Gabriel Paccard. 1988: A series of marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots, which became known as the 8888 Uprising, began against the one-party state of the Burma Socialist Programme Party. 1918: The Battle of Amiens began in northern France, marking the start of the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive through the German front lines that ultimately led to the end of World War I. 2007: An EF2 tornado touches down in Kings County and Richmond County, New York, the most powerful tornado in New York to date and the first in Brooklyn since 1889. 1946: First flight of the nuclear capable Convair B-36, heaviest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft at the time. 1908: Wilbur Wright makes the Wright Brothers' first public flight, at a racecourse at Le Mans, France.

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10 odd things that happened on August 8

1576 Oddly true
The cornerstone of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe's observatory Uraniborg was laid on the island of Hven.
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Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1876 Oddly true
Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1870 Oddly true
The Republic of Ploiești, a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1863 Oddly true
American Civil War: Following his defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (which is refused upon receipt).
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1786 First ever
Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1988 Oddly true
A series of marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots, which became known as the 8888 Uprising, began against the one-party state of the Burma Socialist Programme Party.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1918 Oddly true
The Battle of Amiens began in northern France, marking the start of the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive through the German front lines that ultimately led to the end of World War I.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2007 First ever
An EF2 tornado touches down in Kings County and Richmond County, New York, the most powerful tornado in New York to date and the first in Brooklyn since 1889.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1946 First ever
First flight of the nuclear capable Convair B-36, heaviest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft at the time.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1908 First ever
Wilbur Wright makes the Wright Brothers' first public flight, at a racecourse at Le Mans, France.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2024Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus takes oath as Chief Adviser to form an interim government in Bangladesh. Wikipedia →
2023Hawaii wildfires: Seventeen thousand acres of land are burned and at least 101 people are killed, with two others missing, when a series of wildfires break out on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Wikipedia →
2022The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executes a search warrant at former president Donald Trump's residence in Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida. Wikipedia →
2019An explosion at the State Central Navy Testing Range in Nyonoksa, Russia, kills five people. Wikipedia →
2016Terrorists attack a government hospital in Quetta, Pakistan with a suicide blast and shooting, killing between 70 and 94 people, and injuring around 130 others. Wikipedia →
2015Eight people are killed in a shooting in Harris County, Texas. Wikipedia →
2013A suicide bombing at a funeral in the Pakistani city of Quetta kills at least 31 people. Wikipedia →
2010China Floods: A mudslide in Zhugqu County, Gansu, China, kills more than 1,400 people. Wikipedia →
2009A Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil and Piper PA-32R collide over the Hudson River, killing nine people. Wikipedia →
2008A EuroCity express train en route from Kraków, Poland to Prague, Czech Republic strikes a part of a motorway bridge that had fallen onto the railroad track near Studénka railway station in the Czech Republic and derails, killing eight people and injuring 64 others. Wikipedia →
2008The 29th modern summer Olympic Games take place in Beijing, China until August 24. Wikipedia →
2007An EF2 tornado touches down in Kings County and Richmond County, New York, the most powerful tornado in New York to date and the first in Brooklyn since 1889. Wikipedia →
2007Space Shuttle program: STS-118 Mission: Endeavour takes off on a mission to the International Space Station. Wikipedia →
2004A tour bus belonging to the Dave Matthews Band dumps approximately 800 pounds of human waste onto a boat full of passengers. Wikipedia →
2001Albanian rebels ambush a convoy of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia near Tetovo, killing 10 soldiers. Wikipedia →
2000Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor and 30 years after its discovery by undersea explorer E. Lee Spence. Wikipedia →
1998The Iranian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, is raided by Taliban, leading to the deaths of ten Iranian diplomats and a journalist. Wikipedia →
1993The 7.8 Mw Guam earthquake shakes the island with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), causing around $250 million in damage and injuring up to 71 people. Wikipedia →
1991The Warsaw radio mast, then the tallest construction ever built, collapses. Wikipedia →
1990Iraq occupies Kuwait and the state is annexed to Iraq. This would lead to the Gulf War shortly afterward. Wikipedia →
1989Space Shuttle program: STS-28 Mission: Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission. Wikipedia →
1988The 8888 Uprising begins in Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar). Led by students, hundreds of thousands join in nationwide protests against the one-party regime. On September 18, the demonstrations end in a military crackdown, killing thousands. Wikipedia →
1988The first night baseball game in the history of Chicago's Wrigley Field (game was rained out in the fourth inning). Wikipedia →
1974President Richard Nixon, in a nationwide television address, announces his resignation from the office of the President of the United States effective noon the next day. Wikipedia →
1973Kim Dae-jung, a South Korean politician and later president of South Korea, is kidnapped. Wikipedia →
1969At a zebra crossing in London, photographer Iain Macmillan takes the iconic photo that becomes the cover image of the Beatles' album Abbey Road. Wikipedia →
1967The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Wikipedia →
1963Great Train Robbery: In England, a gang of 15 train robbers steal £2.6 million in bank notes. Wikipedia →
1963The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), the current ruling party of Zimbabwe, is formed by a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union. Wikipedia →
1956Marcinelle mining disaster in Belgium. 262 coal miners, including a substantial number of Italian migrant workers, are killed in one of the largest mining accidents in Belgian history. Wikipedia →
1946First flight of the nuclear capable Convair B-36, heaviest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft at the time. Wikipedia →
1945The London Charter is signed by France, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States, establishing the laws and procedures for the Nuremberg trials. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: The Soviet Union declares war on Japan. Wikipedia →
1942Quit India Movement is launched in India against the British rule in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for swaraj or complete independence. Wikipedia →
1940The "Aufbau Ost" directive for the mobilization of German forces for the invasion of the Soviet Union is signed by Wilhelm Keitel. Wikipedia →
1929The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight. Wikipedia →
1919The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 is signed. It establishes peaceful relations between Afghanistan and the UK, and confirms the Durand line as the mutual border. In return, the UK is no longer obligated to subsidize the Afghan government. Wikipedia →
1918World War I: The Battle of Amiens begins a string of almost continuous Allied victories with a push through the German front lines (Hundred Days Offensive). Wikipedia →
1908Wilbur Wright makes the Wright Brothers' first public flight, at a racecourse at Le Mans, France. Wikipedia →
1903Black Saturday occurs, killing 12 in a stadium collapse in Philadelphia. Wikipedia →
1897Italian anarchist Michele Angiolillo assassinates Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas del Castillo. Wikipedia →
1876Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph. Wikipedia →
1870The Republic of Ploiești, a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania. Wikipedia →
1863American Civil War: Following his defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (which is refused upon receipt). Wikipedia →
1863Tennessee Military Governor Andrew Johnson frees his personal slaves in Greeneville, Tennessee, despite them being exempt from the Emancipation Proclamation, now commemorated as Emancipation Day in the state. Wikipedia →
1844The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, headed by Brigham Young, is reaffirmed as the leading body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Wikipedia →
1831Four hundred Shawnee people agree to relinquish their lands in Ohio in exchange for land west of the Mississippi River in the Treaty of Wapakoneta. Wikipedia →
1794Joseph Whidbey leads an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage near Juneau, Alaska. Wikipedia →
1786Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel-Gabriel Paccard. Wikipedia →
1709Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrates the lifting power of hot air in an audience before the king of Portugal in Lisbon, Portugal. Wikipedia →
1648Mehmed IV (1648–1687) succeeds Ibrahim I (1640–1648) as Ottoman sultan. Wikipedia →
1647The Irish Confederate Wars and Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Dungan's Hill: English Parliamentary forces defeat Irish forces. Wikipedia →
1588Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines: The naval engagement ends, ending the Spanish Armada's attempt to invade England. Wikipedia →
1585John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in search of the Northwest Passage. Wikipedia →
1576The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on the island of Hven. Wikipedia →
1509Krishnadeva Raya is crowned Emperor of Vijayanagara at Chittoor. Wikipedia →
1503King James IV of Scotland marries Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland. Wikipedia →
1264Mudéjar revolt: Muslim rebel forces take the Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera after defeating the Castilian garrison. Wikipedia →
1220Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Wikipedia →
1164Hassan II of Alamut proclaims the qiyāma, according to which Ismaili practice would change from traditional Islamic practice. Wikipedia →
870Treaty of Meerssen: King Louis the German and his half-brother Charles the Bald partition the Middle Frankish Kingdom into two larger east and west divisions. Wikipedia →
685 BCSpring and Autumn period: Battle of Qianshi: Upon the death of the previous Duke of Qi, Gongsun Wuzhi, Duke Zhuang of Lu sends an army into the Duchy of Qi to install the exiled Qi prince Gongzi Jiu as the new Duke of Qi – but is defeated at Qianshi by Jiu's brother and rival claimant, the newly inaugurated Duke Huan of Qi. Wikipedia →

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.