February 8

February 8 is the

Events

• 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
• 1575 – Universiteit Leiden is founded, and given the motto Praesidium Libertatis.
• 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
• 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Queen Elizabeth I – the revolt is quickly crushed.
• 1622 – King James I of England disbands the English Parliament.
• 1692 – A doctor in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony suggests that two girls in the family of the village minister may be suffering from bewitchment, leading to the Salem witch trials.
• 1693 – The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia is granted a charter by King William III and Queen Mary II.
• 1726 – The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia.
• 1807 – Battle of Eylau – Napoleon defeats Russians under General Benigssen.
• 1817 – Las Heras crosses the Andes with an army to join San Martín and liberate Chile from Spain.
• 1837 – Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate.
• 1855 – The Devil's Footprints mysteriously appear in southern Devon.
• 1856 – Barbu Dimitrie Ştirbei abolishes slavery in Wallachia.
• 1865 – In the United States, Delaware voters reject the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and vote to continue the practice of slavery. (Delaware finally ratifies the amendment on February 12, 1901.)
• 1867 – The Ausgleich results in the establishment of the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary.
• 1879 – Sandford Fleming first proposes adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute.
• 1879 – The England cricket team led by Lord Harris is attacked during a riot during a match in Sydney.
• 1887 – The Dawes Act authorizes the President of the United States to survey Native American tribal land and divide it into individual allotments.
• 1900 – British troops are defeated by Boers at Ladysmith, South Africa.
• 1904 – Battle of Port Arthur: A surprise torpedo attack by the Japanese at Port Arthur, China starts the Russo-Japanese War.
• 1910 – The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce.
• 1915 – D.W. Griffith's controversial film The Birth of a Nation premieres in Los Angeles.
• 1918 – The Stars and Stripes newspaper is published for the first time.
• 1922 – President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House.
• 1924 – Capital punishment: The first state execution in the United States by gas chamber takes place in Nevada.
• 1949 – Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary is sentenced for treason.
• 1952 – Elizabeth II is proclaimed Queen of the UK.
• 1955 – The Government of Sindh abolished Jagirdari system in the province. One million acres (4000 km²) of land thus acquired is to be distributed among the landless peasants.
• 1960 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issues an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name "Mountbatten-Windsor".
• 1962 – Charonne massacre. Nine trade unionists are killed by French police at the instigation of Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, then chief of the Paris Prefecture of Police.
• 1963 – Travel, financial and commercial transactions by United States citizens to Cuba are made illegal by the John F. Kennedy administration.
• 1966 – The National Hockey League awards Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania a second NHL franchise, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• 1968 – American civil rights movement: The Orangeburg massacre, an attack that left three or four dead in Orangeburg, South Carolina on black students from South Carolina State University who were protesting racial segregation at the town's only bowling alley.
• 1969 – Allende meteorite falls near Pueblito de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico.
• 1971 – The NASDAQ stock market index opens for the first time.
• 1971 – South Vietnamese ground troops launches an incursion into Laos to try and cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail and stop communist infiltration.
• 1974 – After 84 days in space, the crew of the first American space station Skylab returns to Earth.
• 1974 – Military coup in Upper Volta.
• 1978 – Proceedings of the United States Senate are broadcast on radio for the first time.
• 1979 – Denis Sassou-Nguesso becomes the President of the Republic of the Congo for the first time.
• 1983 – The Melbourne dust storm hits Australia's second largest city. The result of the worst drought on record and a day of severe weather conditions, a deep dust cloud envelops the city, turning day to night.
• 1989 – An Independent Air Boeing 707 crashes into Santa Maria mountain in Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal, killing 144.
• 1993 – General Motors sues NBC after Dateline NBC allegedly rigs two crashes intended to demonstrate that some GM pickups can easily catch fire if hit in certain places. NBC settles the lawsuit the next day.
• 1996 – The U.S. Congress passes the Communications Decency Act.
• 1996 – The massive Internet collaboration "24 Hours in Cyberspace" takes place.

Births

• 120 – Vettius Valens, Greek astrologer (d. 175)
• 412 – Proclus, Greek philosopher (d. 487)
• 1191 – Yaroslav II of Russia (d. 1246)
• 1291 – King Afonso IV of Portugal (d. 1357)
• 1405 – Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos of the Byzantine Empire (d. 1453)
• 1487 – Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1550)
• 1552 – Agrippa d'Aubigné, French poet and soldier (d. 1630)
• 1577 – Robert Burton, English cleric and writer (d. 1640)
• 1586 – Jacob Praetorius, German composer (d. 1651)
• 1612 – Samuel Butler, English poet (d. 1680)
• 1649 – Gabriel Daniel, French Jesuit historian (d. 1728)
• 1677 – Jacques Cassini, French astronomer (d. 1756)
• 1685 – Charles-Jean-François Hénault, French historian (d. 1770)
• 1700 – Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-born mathematician (d. 1782)
• 1720 – Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (d. 1750)
• 1792 – Queen Caroline Augusta of Bavaria of Hungary and Bohemia (d. 1873)
• 1798 – Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia, Russian Grand Duke (d. 1849)
• 1804 – Richard Lemon Lander, British explorer (d. 1834)
• 1807 – Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, English sculptor and naturalist (d. 1889)
• 1819 – John Ruskin, English author (d. 1900)
• 1820 – William Tecumseh Sherman, American Union general (d. 1891)
• 1822 – Maxime Du Camp, French photographer and journalist (d. 1894)
• 1828 – Jules Verne, French author (d. 1905)
• 1834 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist (d. 1907)
• 1847 – Hugh Price Hughes, English social reformer (d. 1902)
• 1850 – Kate Chopin, American author (d. 1904)
• 1866 – Moses Gomberg, Russian-born American chemist (d. 1947)
• 1878 – Martin Buber, Austrian-born Israeli philosopher (d. 1965)
• 1880 – Franz Marc, German painter (d. 1916)
• 1882 – Thomas Etholen Selfridge, American military officer and airplane crash victim (d. 1908)
• 1883 – Joseph Alois Schumpeter, Austrian economist (d. 1950)
• 1884 – Reginald Baker, Australian athlete and actor (d. 1953)
• 1886 – Charles Ruggles, American actor (d. 1970)
• 1888 – Dame Edith Evans, British actress (d. 1976)
• 1890 – Claro M. Recto, Filipino nationalist (d. 1960)
• 1893 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician (d. 1977)
• 1894 – Ludwig Marcuse, German author and philosopher (d. 1971)
• 1894 – King Vidor, American film director (d. 1982)
• 1900 – Ivan Ivanov-Vano Soviet animator and Russian animation director (d. 1987)
• 1902 – Demchugdongrub, Mongolian politician (d. 1966)
• 1903 – Greta Keller, Austrian-born cabaret singer and actress (d. 1977)
• 1906 – Chester Carlson, American physicist and inventor (d. 1968)
• 1911 – Elizabeth Bishop, American poet (d. 1979)
• 1913 – Betty Field, American actress (d. 1973)
• 1918 – Fred Blassie, American professional wrestler (d. 2003)
• 1921 – Lana Turner, American actress (d. 1995)
• 1922 – Audrey Meadows, American actress (d. 1996)
• 1925 – Jack Lemmon, American actor and film director (d. 2001)
• 1926 – Neal Cassady, American writer (d. 1968)
• 1928 – Gene Lees, Canadian biographer and lyricist
• 1930 – James Deetz, American anthropologist (d. 2000)
• 1930 – Alejandro Rey, Argentine actor (d. 1987)
• 1931 – James Dean, American actor (d. 1955)
• 1932 – Cliff Allison, British racing driver (d. 2005)
• 1932 – John Williams, American composer and conductor
• 1933 – Elly Ameling, Dutch soprano
• 1933 – Jack Larson, American actor
• 1936 – Larry Verne, American singer
• 1937 – Manfred Krug, German actor
• 1937 – Joe Raposo, American composer (d. 1989)
• 1939 – José Maria Sison, Filipino communist
• 1939 – Ken Iman, American football player (d. 2010)
• 1940 – Ted Koppel, American journalist
• 1941 – Nick Nolte, American actor
• 1941 – Tom Rush, American singer and songwriter
• 1942 – Robert Klein, American comedian
• 1942 – Terry Melcher, American musician and record producer (d. 2004)
• 1942 – Bob Munden, American shooting competitor
• 1943 – Creed Bratton, American actor and musician
• 1943 – Pirzada Qasim, Pakistani poet and academic
• 1944 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor
• 1944 – Sebastião Salgado, Brazilian documentary photographer
• 1948 – Lynda Lyon Block, American convicted murderer (d. 2002)
• 1948 – Dan Seals, American singer (d. 2009)
• 1948 – Ron Tyson, American singer (The Temptations)
• 1949 – Brooke Adams, American actress
• 1950 – Cristina Ferrare, American former supermodel and actress
• 1951 – Z'EV, American text/sound artist
• 1953 – Roger Clavet, Québécois politician
• 1953 – Mary Steenburgen, American actress
• 1955 – John Grisham, American writer
• 1955 – Nancy Oliver, American playwright and television writer
• 1956 – Dave Meros, American bassist (Spock's Beard)
• 1958 – Sherri Martel, American professional wrestler (d. 2007)
• 1959 – Damir Maričić, Croatian footballer
• 1960 – Benigno Aquino III, Philippine President
• 1960 – Dino Ciccarelli, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1961 – Vince Neil, American singer (Mötley Crüe)
• 1961 – Bruce Timm,TV Producer (DC Animated Universe)
• 1963 – Mohammad Azharuddin, Indian cricketer
• 1963 – Joshua Kadison, American pianist and songwriter
• 1964 – Trinny Woodall, British fashion guru
• 1964 – Robert Nebřenský, Czech actor and musician
• 1965 – Dicky Cheung, Hong Kong Actor and Singer
• 1966 – Bruno Labbadia, German footballer
• 1966 – Kirk Muller, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1966 – Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian footballer
• 1968 – Gary Coleman, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1968 – Claudette Pace, Maltese singer
• 1968 – Nasos Thanopoulos, Greek businessman
• 1969 – Mary McCormack, American actress
• 1969 – Shiva Rose, American actress
• 1970 – John Filan, Australian footballer
• 1970 – Alonzo Mourning, American basketball player
• 1971 – Mika Karppinen, Finnish drummer (HIM)
• 1971 – Andrus Veerpalu, Estonian cross-country skier
• 1972 – Paul Wight, American professional wrestler
• 1973 – Keith McDonald, American baseball player
• 1974 – Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, French disc jockey (Daft Punk)
• 1974 – Ulises de la Cruz, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1974 – Seth Green, American actor
• 1974 – Kimbo Slice, American mixed martial artist
• 1976 – Abi Titmuss, British glamour model
• 1976 – Khaled Mashud, Bangladeshi cricketer
• 1976 – Adam Piatt, American baseball player
• 1976 – Nicolas Vouilloz, French rally driver
• 1977 – Barry Hall, Australian rules footballer
• 1977 – Bridgette Kerkove, American actress
• 1977 – Yucef Merhi, Venezuelan artist
• 1977 – Mathieu Turcotte, Canadian short-track speed skater
• 1979 – Aaron Cook, American baseball player
• 1979 – Josh Keaton, American actor and singer
• 1980 – Ralf Little, English actor/comedian
• 1980 – Cameron Muncey, Australian guitarist (Jet)
• 1980 – Stephen Wright, English footballer
• 1981 – Myriam Montemayor Cruz, Mexican singer
• 1982 – Satomi Kōrogi, Japanese voice actress
• 1982 – Sousuke Takaoka, Japanese actor
• 1982 – Danny Tamberelli, American actor
• 1983 – Jim Verraros, American singer
• 1983 – Cory Jane, New Zealand All Black rugby player
• 1984 – Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Greek basketball player
• 1984 – Robert Becker, American bassist [Poor Boy Tango]
• 1987 – Carolina Kostner, Italian European champion figure skater
• 1988 – Keegan Meth, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1988 – Ryan Pinkston, American actor
• 1989 – Dani Harmer, English actor
• 1989 – JaJuan Johnson, American basketball player
• 1989 – Zac Guildford, New Zealand All Black rugby player
• 1991 – Abdisalam Ibrahim, Somali-Norwegian footballer
• 1991 – Roberto Soriano, Italian footballer
• 1994 – Nikki Yanofsky, Canadian artist

Deaths

• 1204 – Alexius IV Angelus, deposed Eastern Roman Emperor (b. c. 1182)
• 1250 – Robert I of Artois, French crusader (b. 1216)
• 1250 – Sir William II Longespee (b. 1212)
• 1265 – Hulagu Khan, Mongol ruler (b. 1217)
• 1296 – King Przemysł II of Poland (b. 1257)
• 1529 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian writer and diplomat (b. 1478)
• 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1542)
• 1599 – Robert Rollock, Scottish educator (b. 1555)
• 1623 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English politician (b. 1546)
• 1696 – Tsar Ivan V of Russia (b. 1666)
• 1709 – Giuseppe Torelli, Italian composer (b. 1658)
• 1725 – Tsar Peter I of Russia (b. 1672)
• 1749 – Jan van Huysum, Dutch painter (b. 1682)
• 1750 – Aaron Hill, English writer (b. 1685)
• 1768 – George Dance the Elder, English architect (b. 1695)
• 1772 – Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Princess of Wales (b. 1719)
• 1847 – Theodor Valentin Volkmar, German politician (b. 1781)
• 1849 – France Prešeren, Slovenian poet (b. 1800)
• 1849 – François Antoine Habeneck, French violinist (b. 1781)
• 1856 – Agostino Bassi, Italian entomologist (b. 1773)
• 1907 – Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom, Dutch chemist (b. 1854)
• 1910 – Hans Jæger, Norwegian writer and political activist (b. 1854)
• 1921 – Peter Kropotkin, Russian anarchist (b. 1842)
• 1921 – George Formby, Sr., English entertainer (b. 1876)
• 1921 – Barrett Wendell, American academic and author (b. 1855)
• 1924 – Gee Jon First man in U.S. to be executed by lethal gas. (b. 1895)
• 1929 – Maria Christina, Queen Regent of Spain (b. 1858)
• 1932 – Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll, New York City gangster from County Donegal in Ireland (b. 1908)
• 1936 – Charles Curtis, 1st American-Indian Vice-President USA (b. 1860)
• 1956 – Connie Mack, American baseball manager and executive (b. 1862)
• 1957 – Walther Bothe, German physicist and inventor, Nobel laureate (b. 1891)
• 1957 – John von Neumann, Hungarian-born mathematician and physicist (b. 1903)
• 1960 – Giles Gilbert Scott, British architect (b. 1880)
• 1960 – John Langshaw Austin, British philosopher, (b. 1911)
• 1963 – George Dolenz, American actor, father of Micky Dolenz (b. 1908)
• 1964 – Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist (b. 1888)
• 1972 – Markos Vamvakaris, Greek musician and songwriter (b. 1905)
• 1975 – Robert Robinson, British chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1886)
• 1977 – Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer and ethnomusicologist (b. 1901)
• 1980 – Nikos Xilouris, Greek singer (b. 1936)
• 1982 – John Hay Whitney, American financier (b. 1904)
• 1984 – Karel Miljon, Dutch boxer (b. 1903)
• 1985 – William Lyons, British automobile manufacturer (b. 1901)
• 1987 – Harriet E. MacGibbon, American actress (b. 1905)
• 1990 – Del Shannon, American entertainer (suicide) (b. 1934)
• 1992 – Denny Wright, British jazz guitarist (b. 1924)
• 1993 – N. Shanmugathasan, Sri Lankan communist leader (b. 1920)
• 1994 – Raymond Scott, American composer (b. 1908)
• 1996 – Del Ennis, American baseball player (b. 1925)
• 1998 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author, Nobel laureate (b. 1902)
• 1998 – Julian Lincoln Simon, American economist and author (b. 1932)
• 1998 – Enoch Powell, British politician (b. 1912)
• 1999 – Iris Murdoch, Irish author (b. 1919)
• 2000 – Sid Abel, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1918)
• 2000 – Bob Collins, American radio broadcaster (b. 1942)
• 2000 – Derrick Thomas, American football player (b. 1967)
• 2001 – Ivo Caprino, Norwegian animated film director (b. 1920)
• 2002 – Joachim Hoffmann, German historian (b. 1930)
• 2002 – Ong Teng Cheong, President of Singapore (b. 1936)
• 2004 – Julius Schwartz, American comic book and science fiction editor (b. 1915)
• 2005 – Jimmy Smith, American jazz musician (b. 1925)
• 2005 – Keith Knudsen, American drummer, vocalist and songwriter (The Doobie Brothers) (b. 1948)
• 2006 – Elton Dean, English musician (Soft Machine) (b. 1945)
• 2006 – Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer (b. 1914)
• 2007 – Anna Nicole Smith, American model, actress, and entertainer (b. 1967)
• 2007 – Ian Stevenson, Canadian-American professor and reincarnation expert (b. 1918)
• 2008 – Frank J. Dixon, American immunologist (b. 1920)
• 2008 – Chua Ek Kay, Singaporean painter (b. 1947)
• 2009 – Marian Cozma, Romanian handball player (b. 1982)
• 2010 – John Murtha, American politician (b. 1932)