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June 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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  • 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China.
  • 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
  • 860 – Byzantine–Rus’ War: A fleet of about 200 Rus’ vessels sails into the Bosphorus and starts pillaging the suburbs of the Byzantine capital Constantinople.
  • 1053 – Battle of Civitate: Three thousand horsemen of Norman Count Humphrey rout the troops of Pope Leo IX.
  • 1178 – Five Canterbury monks see what is possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current oscillations of the Moon’s distance from the Earth (on the order of meters) are a result of this collision.
  • 1264 – The Parliament of Ireland meets at Castledermot in County Kildare, the first definitively known meeting of this Irish legislature.
  • 1265 – A draft Byzantine–Venetian treaty is concluded between Venetian envoys and Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, but is not ratified by Doge Reniero Zeno.
  • 1429 – French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay. This turns the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
  • 1633 – Charles I is crowned King of Scots at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh.
  • 1684 – The charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is revoked via a scire facias writ issued by an English court.
  • 1757 – Battle of Kolín between Prussian forces under Frederick the Great and an Austrian army under the command of Field Marshal Count Leopold Joseph von Daun in the Seven Years’ War.
  • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: British troops abandon Philadelphia.
  • 1799 – Action of 18 June 1799: A frigate squadron under Rear-admiral Perrée is captured by the British fleet under Lord Keith.
  • 1812 – The United States declaration of war upon the United Kingdom is signed by President James Madison, beginning the War of 1812.
  • 1815 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher forcing him to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.
  • 1822 – Constantine Kanaris blows up the Ottoman navy’s flagship at Chios, killing the Kapudan Pasha Nasuhzade Ali Pasha.
  • 1858 – Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin’s own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory.
  • 1859 – First ascent of Aletschhorn, second summit of the Bernese Alps.
  • 1873 – Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.
  • 1887 – The Reinsurance Treaty between Germany and Russia is signed.
  • 1900 – Empress Dowager Cixi of China orders all foreigners killed, including foreign diplomats and their families.
  • 1908 – Japanese immigration to Brazil begins when 781 people arrive in Santos aboard the ship Kasato-Maru.
  • 1908 – The University of the Philippines is established.
  • 1923 – Checker Taxi puts its first taxi on the streets.
  • 1928 – Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean (she is a passenger; Wilmer Stultz is the pilot and Lou Gordon the mechanic).
  • 1935 – Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, clash with striking longshoremen, resulting in a total of 60 injuries and 24 arrests.
  • 1940 – Appeal of 18 June by Charles de Gaulle.
  • 1940 – The “Finest Hour” speech is delivered by Winston Churchill.
  • 1945 – William Joyce (“Lord Haw-Haw”) is charged with treason for his pro-German propaganda broadcasting during World War II.
  • 1946 – Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, a Socialist, calls for a Direct Action Day against the Portuguese in Goa.
  • 1948 – Columbia Records introduces the long-playing record album in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
  • 1953 – The Egyptian revolution of 1952 ends with the overthrow of the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the declaration of the Republic of Egypt.
  • 1953 – A United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns near Tachikawa, Japan, killing 129.
  • 1954 – Carlos Castillo Armas leads an invasion force across the Guatemalan border, setting in motion the 1954 Guatemalan coup d’état.
  • 1965 – Vietnam War: The United States uses B-52 bombers to attack National Liberation Front guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam.
  • 1972 – Staines air disaster: One hundred eighteen people are killed when a BEA H.S. Trident crashes two minutes after take off from London’s Heathrow Airport.
  • 1979 – SALT II is signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.
  • 1981 – The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational aircraft initially designed around stealth technology, makes its first flight.
  • 1982 – Italian banker Roberto Calvi’s body is discovered hanging beneath Blackfriars Bridge in London, England.
  • 1983 – Space Shuttle program: STS-7, Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.
  • 1983 – Mona Mahmudnizhad, together with nine other Bahá’í women, is sentenced to death and hanged in Shiraz, Iran over her religious beliefs.
  • 1984 – A major clash between about 5,000 police and a similar number of miners takes place at Orgreave, South Yorkshire, during the 1984–85 UK miners’ strike.
  • 1994 – The Troubles: Members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) attack a crowded pub with assault rifles in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland. Six Catholic civilians are killed and five wounded. It was crowded with people watching the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
  • 2006 – The first Kazakh space satellite, KazSat-1 is launched.
  • 2007 – The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire happened in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine firefighters.
  • 2009 – The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a NASA robotic spacecraft is launched.
  • 2018 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 strikes northern Osaka.

Births on June 18

  • 1269 – Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar (d. 1298)
  • 1318 – Eleanor of Woodstock (d. 1355)
  • 1332 – John V Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1391)
  • 1466 – Ottaviano Petrucci, Italian printer (d. 1539)
  • 1511 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor, designed the Ponte Santa Trinita (d. 1592)
  • 1517 – Emperor Ōgimachi of Japan (d. 1593)
  • 1521 – Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu (d. 1577)
  • 1667 – Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshal (d. 1750)
  • 1673 – Antonio de Literes, Spanish composer (d. 1747)
  • 1677 – Antonio Maria Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1726)
  • 1716 – Joseph-Marie Vien, French painter and educator (d. 1809)
  • 1717 – Johann Stamitz, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1757)
  • 1757 – Ignaz Pleyel, Austrian-French pianist and composer (d. 1831)
  • 1757 – Gervasio Antonio de Posadas, Argentinian lawyer and politician 1st Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (d. 1833)
  • 1769 – Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, Irish-English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1822)
  • 1799 – William Lassell, English astronomer and merchant (d. 1880)
  • 1812 – Ivan Goncharov, Russian journalist and author (d. 1891)
  • 1815 – Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (d. 1881)
  • 1816 – Hélène Napoleone Bonaparte, French daughter of Napoleon (d. 1907)
  • 1816 – Jung Bahadur Rana, Nepali ruler (d. 1877)
  • 1833 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and President (1880-1884) (d. 1893)
  • 1834 – Auguste-Théodore-Paul de Broglie, French philosopher and academic (d. 1895)
  • 1839 – William H. Seward Jr., American general and banker (d. 1920)
  • 1845 – Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, French physician and parasitologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1922)
  • 1850 – Richard Heuberger, Austrian composer and critic (d. 1914)
  • 1854 – E. W. Scripps, American publisher, founded the E. W. Scripps Company (d. 1926)
  • 1857 – Henry Clay Folger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Folger Shakespeare Library (d. 1930)
  • 1858 – Andrew Forsyth, Scottish-English mathematician and academic (d. 1942)
  • 1858 – Hector Rason, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1927)
  • 1862 – Carolyn Wells, American novelist and poet (d. 1942)
  • 1863 – George Essex Evans, English-Australian poet and author (d. 1909)
  • 1868 – Miklós Horthy, Hungarian admiral and politician, Regent of Hungary (d. 1957)
  • 1870 – Édouard Le Roy, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1954)
  • 1877 – James Montgomery Flagg, American painter and illustrator (d. 1960)
  • 1881 – Zoltán Halmay, Hungarian swimmer (d. 1956)
  • 1882 – Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian compositor and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Bulgaria (d. 1949)
  • 1884 – Édouard Daladier, French captain and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1970)
  • 1886 – George Mallory, English lieutenant and mountaineer (d. 1924)
  • 1886 – Alexander Wetmore, American ornithologist and paleontologist (d. 1978)
  • 1887 – Tancrède Labbé, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1956)
  • 1896 – Blanche Sweet, American actress (d. 1986)
  • 1897 – Martti Marttelin, Finnish runner (d. 1940)
  • 1900 – Vlasta Vraz, Czech-American relief worker, editor, and fundraiser (d. 1989)
  • 1901 – Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1918)
  • 1901 – Llewellyn Rees, English actor (d. 1994)
  • 1902 – Louis Alter, American musician (d. 1980)
  • 1902 – Paavo Yrjölä, Finnish decathlete (d. 1980)
  • 1903 – Jeanette MacDonald, American actress and singer (d. 1965)
  • 1903 – Raymond Radiguet, French author and poet (d. 1923)
  • 1904 – Keye Luke, Chinese-American actor (d. 1991)
  • 1904 – Manuel Rosenthal, French conductor and composer (d. 2003)
  • 1905 – Eduard Tubin, Estonian composer and conductor (d. 1982)
  • 1907 – Frithjof Schuon, Swiss-American metaphysicist, philosopher, and author (d. 1998)
  • 1908 – Bud Collyer, American actor and game show host (d. 1969)
  • 1908 – Stanley Knowles, American-Canadian academic and politician (d. 1997)
  • 1908 – Nedra Volz, American actress (d. 2003)
  • 1910 – Dick Foran, American actor and singer (d. 1979)
  • 1910 – Avon Long, American actor and singer (d. 1984)
  • 1910 – Ray McKinley, American singer, drummer, and bandleader (d. 1995)
  • 1912 – Glenn Morris, American decathlete (d. 1974)
  • 1913 – Wilfred Gordon Bigelow, Canadian soldier and surgeon (d. 2005)
  • 1913 – Sammy Cahn, American pianist and composer (d. 1993)
  • 1913 – Sylvia Porter, American economist and journalist (d. 1991)
  • 1913 – Françoise Loranger, Canadian playwright and producer (d. 1995)
  • 1913 – Robert Mondavi, American winemaker and philanthropist (d. 2008)
  • 1913 – Oswald Teichmüller, German mathematician (d. 1943)
  • 1914 – E. G. Marshall, American actor (d. 1998)
  • 1914 – Efraín Huerta, Mexican poet (d.1982)
  • 1915 – Red Adair, American firefighter (d. 2004)
  • 1915 – Robert Kanigher, American author (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Alice T. Schafer, American mathematician (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – Julio César Turbay Ayala, Colombian lawyer and politician, 25th President of Colombia (d. 2005)
  • 1917 – Richard Boone, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1981)
  • 1917 – Jack Karnehm, English snooker player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Erik Ortvad, Danish painter and illustrator (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Alf Francis, West Prussia-born, English motor racing mechanic and race car constructor (d. 1983)
  • 1918 – Jerome Karle, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Franco Modigliani, Italian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)
  • 1919 – Jüri Järvet, Estonian actor and screenwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1920 – Ian Carmichael, English actor and singer (d. 2010)
  • 1920 – Lode Van Den Bergh, Belgian author and academic
  • 1922 – Claude Helffer, French pianist and educator (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – George Mikan, American basketball player and coach (d. 2005)
  • 1925 – Robert Beadell, American composer and educator (d. 1994)
  • 1926 – Philip B. Crosby, American businessman and author (d. 2001)
  • 1926 – Allan Sandage, American astronomer and cosmologist (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – Tom Wicker, American journalist and author (d. 2011)
  • 1927 – Eva Bartok, Hungarian-English actress (d. 1998)
  • 1927 – Paul Eddington, English actor (d. 1995)
  • 1928 – Michael Blakemore, Australian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1928 – David T. Lykken, American geneticist and academic (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Jürgen Habermas, German sociologist and philosopher
  • 1929 – Tibor Rubin, Hungarian-American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Brazilian sociologist, academic, and politician, 34th President of Brazil
  • 1932 – Dudley R. Herschbach, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1932 – Geoffrey Hill, English poet and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1933 – Colin Brumby, Australian composer and conductor (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – Tommy Hunt, American singer
  • 1934 – Brian Kenny, English general (d. 2017)
  • 1934 – Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1936 – Denny Hulme, New Zealand race car driver (d. 1992)
  • 1936 – Barack Obama Sr., Kenyan economist (d. 1982)
  • 1936 – Ronald Venetiaan, Surinamese politician, 6th President of Suriname
  • 1937 – Del Harris, American basketball player and coach
  • 1937 – Jay Rockefeller, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of West Virginia
  • 1937 – Bruce Trigger, Canadian archaeologist, anthropologist and historian (d. 2006)
  • 1937 – Vitaly Zholobov, Ukrainian colonel, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1938 – Kevin Murray, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1939 – Lou Brock, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1939 – Jean-Claude Germain, Canadian historian, author, and journalist
  • 1939 – Brooks Firestone, American businessman and politician
  • 1941 – Roger Lemerre, French footballer and manager
  • 1941 – Paul Mayersberg, English director and screenwriter
  • 1941 – Delia Smith, English chef and author
  • 1942 – John Bellany, Scottish painter and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Roger Ebert, American journalist, critic, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Pat Hutchins, English author and illustrator
  • 1942 – Thabo Mbeki, South African politician, 23rd President of South Africa
  • 1942 – Paul McCartney, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1942 – Richard Perry, American record producer
  • 1942 – Carl Radle, American bass player and producer (d. 1980)
  • 1942 – Nick Tate, Australian actor and director
  • 1942 – Hans Vonk, Dutch conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1943 – Barry Evans, English actor (d. 1997)
  • 1943 – Raffaella Carrà, Italian singer, dancer, and actress
  • 1944 – Bruce DuMont, American broadcaster and political analyst
  • 1944 – Sandy Posey, American pop/country singer
  • 1946 – Russell Ash, English journalist and author (d. 2010)
  • 1946 – Bruiser Brody, American wrestler (d. 1988)
  • 1946 – Fabio Capello, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1946 – Maria Bethânia, Brazilian singer
  • 1947 – Ivonne Coll, Puerto Rican-American model and actress, Miss Puerto Rico 1967
  • 1947 – Bernard Giraudeau, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1947 – Linda Thorson, Canadian actress
  • 1948 – Philip Jackson, English actor
  • 1948 – Éva Marton, Hungarian soprano and actress
  • 1948 – Sherry Turkle, American academic, psychologist, and sociologist
  • 1949 – Chris Van Allsburg, American author and illustrator
  • 1949 – Jarosław Kaczyński, Polish lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Poland
  • 1949 – Lech Kaczyński, Polish lawyer and politician, 4th President of Poland (d. 2010)
  • 1949 – Lincoln Thompson, Jamaican singer-songwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1950 – Rod de’Ath, Welsh drummer and producer (d. 2014)
  • 1950 – Annelie Ehrhardt, German hurdler
  • 1950 – Mike Johanns, American lawyer and politician, 28th United States Secretary of Agriculture
  • 1950 – Jackie Leven, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
  • 1951 – Mohammed Al-Sager, Kuwaiti journalist and politician
  • 1951 – Miriam Flynn, American actress and comedian
  • 1951 – Ian Hargreaves, English-Welsh journalist and academic
  • 1951 – Stephen Hopper, Australian botanist and academic
  • 1951 – Gyula Sax, Hungarian chess player (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – Tiiu Aro, Estonian physician and politician, Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
  • 1952 – Denis Herron, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1952 – Carol Kane, American actress
  • 1952 – Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Lee Soo-man, South Korean singer and businessman, founded S.M. Entertainment
  • 1953 – Peter Donohoe, English pianist and educator
  • 1955 – Ed Fast, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1956 – Brian Benben, American actor and producer
  • 1956 – John Scott, English organist and conductor (d. 2015)
  • 1957 – Miguel Ángel Lotina, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1957 – Richard Powers, American novelist
  • 1958 – Peter Altmaier, German jurist and politician, Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany
  • 1958 – Gary Martin, British voice actor and actor
  • 1959 – Joe Ansolabehere, American animation screenwriter and producer
  • 1960 – Barbara Broccoli, American director and producer
  • 1960 – Steve Murphy, Canadian journalist
  • 1961 – Oz Fox, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1961 – Andrés Galarraga, Venezuelan-American baseball player
  • 1961 – Angela Johnson, American novelist and poet
  • 1961 – Alison Moyet, English singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Lisa Randall, American physicist and academic
  • 1963 – Dizzy Reed, American keyboard player and songwriter
  • 1963 – Bruce Smith, American football player
  • 1964 – Uday Hussein, Iraqi commander (d. 2003)
  • 1964 – Patti Webster, American publicist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1966 – Kurt Browning, Canadian figure skater, choreographer, and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Troy Kemp, Bahamian high jumper
  • 1968 – Frank Müller, German decathlete
  • 1969 – Haki Doku, Albanian cyclist
  • 1969 – Christopher Largen, American journalist and author (d. 2012)
  • 1970 – Katie Derham, English journalist
  • 1970 – Ivan Kozák, Slovak footballer
  • 1970 – Greg Yaitanes, American director and producer
  • 1971 – Kerry Butler, American actress and singer
  • 1971 – Jason McAteer, English-Irish footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Nathan Morris, American soul singer
  • 1972 – Anu Tali, Estonian pianist and conductor
  • 1972 – Wikus du Toit, South African actor, director, and composer
  • 1973 – Julie Depardieu, French actress
  • 1973 – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, American author and music critic
  • 1973 – Ray LaMontagne, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1973 – Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austrian skier
  • 1973 – Matt Parsons, Australian rugby league player
  • 1973 – Gavin Wanganeen Australian footballer and coach
  • 1974 – Vincenzo Montella, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Sergey Sharikov, Russian fencer and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1975 – Marie Gillain, Belgian actress
  • 1975 – Aleksandrs Koļinko, Latvian footballer
  • 1975 – Martin St. Louis, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Blake Shelton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Wang Liqin, Chinese table tennis player
  • 1979 – Yumiko Kobayashi, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1979 – Ivana Wong, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1980 – Antonio Gates, American football player
  • 1980 – Sergey Kirdyapkin, Russian race walker
  • 1980 – Craig Mottram, Australian runner
  • 1980 – Antero Niittymäki, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Tara Platt, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1981 – Clint Newton, American-Australian rugby league player
  • 1981 – Marco Streller, Swiss footballer
  • 1982 – Nadir Belhadj, French-Algerian footballer
  • 1982 – Marco Borriello, Italian footballer
  • 1982 – Nathan Cavaleri, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1983 – Billy Slater, Australian rugby league player
  • 1983 – Cameron Smith, Australian rugby league player
  • 1984 – Nanyak Dala, Canadian rugby player
  • 1985 – Chris Coghlan, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Alex Hirsch, American animator and television producer
  • 1986 – Edgars Eriņš, Latvian decathlete
  • 1986 – Richard Gasquet, French tennis player
  • 1987 – Omar Arellano, Mexican footballer
  • 1987 – Moeen Ali, English cricketer
  • 1988 – Elini Dimoutsos, Greek footballer
  • 1988 – Josh Dun, American musician
  • 1989 – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, French-born Gabonese footballer
  • 1989 – Chris Harris Jr., American football player
  • 1990 – Luke Adam, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Sandra Izbașa, Romanian gymnast
  • 1990 – Derek Stepan, American ice hockey player
  • 1990 – Christian Taylor, American triple jumper
  • 1993 – Dennis Lloyd, Israeli musician, producer, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
  • 1994 – Sean McMahon, Australian rugby player
  • 1994 – Takeoff, American rapper
  • 1995 – Maxim Kovtun, Russian figure skater
  • 1996 – Alen Halilović, Croatian footballer
  • 1996 – Niki Wories, Dutch figure skater
  • 1997 – Katharina Hobgarski, German tennis player
  • 1997 – Latrell Mitchell, Australian rugby league player
  • 1999 – Trippie Redd, American rapper

Deaths on June 18

  • 741 – Leo III the Isaurian, Byzantine emperor (b. 685)
  • 908 – Zhang Hao, general of Yang Wu
  • 1095 – Sophia of Hungary (b. c. 1050)
  • 1164 – Elisabeth of Schönau, German Benedictine visionary (b. c. 1129)
  • 1234 – Emperor Chūkyō of Japan (b. 1218)
  • 1250 – Theresa of Portugal, Queen of León
  • 1291 – Alfonso III of Aragon (b. 1265)
  • 1333 – Henry XV, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1312)
  • 1464 – Rogier van der Weyden, Flemish painter (b. 1400)
  • 1588 – Robert Crowley, English minister and poet (b. 1517)
  • 1629 – Piet Pieterszoon Hein, Dutch admiral (b. 1577)
  • 1650 – Christoph Scheiner, German priest, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1575)
  • 1673 – Jeanne Mance, French-Canadian nurse, founded the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (b. 1606)
  • 1704 – Tom Brown, English author and translator (b. 1662)
  • 1726 – Michel Richard Delalande, French organist and composer (b. 1657)
  • 1742 – John Aislabie, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1670)
  • 1749 – Ambrose Philips, English poet and politician (b. 1674)
  • 1772 – Johann Ulrich von Cramer, German jurist and scholar (b. 1706)
  • 1772 – Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician and reformer (b. 1700)
  • 1788 – Adam Gib, Scottish religious leader (b. 1714)
  • 1794 – François Buzot, French lawyer and politician (b. 1760)
  • 1794 – James Murray, Scottish-English general and politician, 20th Governor of the Province of Quebec (b. 1721)
  • 1815 – Thomas Picton, Welsh-English general and politician (b. 1758)
  • 1833 – Robert Hett Chapman, American minister, missionary, and academic (b. 1771)
  • 1835 – William Cobbett, English farmer and journalist (b. 1763)
  • 1860 – Friedrich Wilhelm von Bismarck, German army officer and writer (b. 1783)
  • 1866 – Prince Sigismund of Prussia (b. 1864)
  • 1902 – Samuel Butler, English novelist, satirist, and critic (b. 1835)
  • 1905 – Carmine Crocco, Italian soldier (b. 1830)
  • 1916 – Max Immelmann, German lieutenant and pilot (b. 1890)
  • 1917 – Titu Maiorescu, Romanian critic and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1840)
  • 1922 – Jacobus Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer and academic (b. 1851)
  • 1928 – Roald Amundsen, Norwegian pilot and explorer (b. 1872)
  • 1936 – Maxim Gorky, Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1868)
  • 1937 – Gaston Doumergue, French politician, 13th President of France (b. 1863)
  • 1942 – Arthur Pryor, American trombonist, bandleader, and politician (b. 1870)
  • 1943 – Elias Degiannis, Greek commander (b. 1912)
  • 1945 – Florence Bascom, American geologist and educator (b. 1862)[10]
  • 1945 – Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., American general (b. 1886)
  • 1947 – Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (b. 1898)
  • 1948 – Edward Brooker, English-Australian politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (b. 1891)
  • 1959 – Ethel Barrymore, American actress (b. 1879)
  • 1963 – Pedro Armendáriz, Mexican-American actor (b. 1912)
  • 1964 – Giorgio Morandi, Italian painter (b. 1890)
  • 1967 – Geki, Italian race car driver (b. 1937)
  • 1967 – Beat Fehr, Swiss race car driver (b. 1942)
  • 1971 – Thomas Gomez, American actor (b. 1905)
  • 1971 – Paul Karrer, Russian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
  • 1974 – Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian mathematician and academic (b. 1896)
  • 1974 – Georgy Zhukov, Russian marshal and politician, Minister of Defence for the Soviet Union (b. 1896)
  • 1975 – Hugo Bergmann, German-Israeli philosopher and author (b. 1883)
  • 1978 – Walter C. Alvarez, American physician and author (b. 1884)
  • 1980 – Terence Fisher, English director and screenwriter (b. 1904)
  • 1980 – André Leducq, French cyclist (b. 1904)
  • 1982 – Djuna Barnes, American novelist, journalist, and playwright (b. 1892)
  • 1982 – John Cheever, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1912)
  • 1982 – Curd Jürgens, German-Austrian actor and director (b. 1915)
  • 1984 – Alan Berg, American lawyer and radio host (b. 1934)
  • 1985 – Paul Colin, French illustrator (b. 1892)
  • 1986 – Frances Scott Fitzgerald, American journalist (b. 1921)
  • 1989 – I. F. Stone, American journalist and author (b. 1907)
  • 1992 – Kofoworola Abeni Pratt, the first black Chief Nursing Officer of Nigeria  (b. 1910)
  • 1992 – Peter Allen, Australian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1944)
  • 1992 – Mordecai Ardon, Polish-Israeli painter and educator (b. 1896)
  • 1993 – Craig Rodwell, American activist, founded the Oscar Wilde Bookshop (b. 1940)
  • 1996 – Endel Puusepp, Estonian-Soviet military pilot and politician (b. 1909)
  • 1997 – Lev Kopelev, Ukrainian-German author and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1998 – Felix Knight, American actor and tenor (b. 1908)
  • 2000 – Nancy Marchand, American actress (b. 1928)
  • 2003 – Larry Doby, American baseball player and manager (b. 1923)
  • 2005 – Mushtaq Ali, Indian cricketer (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – Manuel Sadosky, Argentinian mathematician and academic (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Vincent Sherman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1906)
  • 2006 – Joseph Zobel, Martinique-French author (b. 1915)
  • 2007 – Bernard Manning, English comedian and actor (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Hank Medress, American singer and producer (b. 1938)
  • 2007 – Georges Thurston, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
  • 2008 – Jean Delannoy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 2008 – Tasha Tudor, American author and illustrator (b. 1915)
  • 2008 – Hans Steinbrenner, German sculptor (b. 1928)
  • 2010 – Trent Acid, American wrestler (b. 1980)
  • 2010 – José Saramago, Portuguese novelist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1922)
  • 2010 – Okan Demiriş, Turkish composer (b. 1942)
  • 2011 – Yelena Bonner, Russian activist (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Frederick Chiluba, Zambian politician, 2nd President of Zambia (b. 1943)
  • 2011 – Clarence Clemons, American saxophonist (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Horacio Coppola, Argentinian photographer and director (b. 1906)
  • 2012 – Lina Haag, German author and activist (b. 1907)
  • 2012 – Tom Maynard, Welsh cricketer (b. 1989)
  • 2012 – Luis Edgardo Mercado Jarrín, Peruvian general and politician, 109th Prime Minister of Peru (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Alketas Panagoulias, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – William Van Regenmorter, American businessman and politician (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – Brent F. Anderson, American engineer and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Alastair Donaldson, Scottish bass player (b. 1955)
  • 2013 – Garde Gardom, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Michael Hastings, American journalist and author (b. 1980)
  • 2013 – David Wall, English ballet dancer (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Stephanie Kwolek, American chemist and engineer (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Johnny Mann, American singer-songwriter and conductor (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Claire Martin, Canadian author (b. 1914)
  • 2014 – Vladimir Popovkin, Russian general (b. 1957)
  • 2014 – Horace Silver, American pianist and composer (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Phil Austin, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Ralph J. Roberts, American businessman, co-founded Comcast (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Danny Villanueva, American football player and broadcaster, co-founded Univision (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Allen Weinstein, American historian and academic (b. 1937)
  • 2016 – Jeppiaar, Indian educationist, founder and chancellor of Sathyabama University (b. 1931)
  • 2018 – XXXTentacion, American rapper (b. 1998)
  • 2018 – Big Van Vader (also known as Vader) American professional wrestler (b. 1955)
  • 2018 – Jimmy Wopo, American rapper (b. 1997)
  • 2020 – Vera Lynn, English singer who was the “Forces’ Sweetheart” in World War II (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances on June 18

  • Autistic Pride Day (International)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Bernard Mizeki (Anglican and Episcopal Church)
    • Elisabeth of Schönau
    • Gregorio Barbarigo
    • Leontius, Hypatius and Theodulus
    • Marina the Monk (Maronite Church, Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria)
    • Mark and Marcellian
    • June 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Foundation Day (Benguet)
  • Human Rights Day (Azerbaijan)
  • National Day (Seychelles)
  • Queen Mother’s Birthday (Cambodia)
  • Waterloo Day (United Kingdom)

May 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

by
  • 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.
  • 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.
  • 589 – Reccared I opens the Third Council of Toledo, marking the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church.
  • 1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
  • 1450 – Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
  • 1516 – A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murdered Emperor Lê Tương Dực and fled, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended.
  • 1541 – Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River(then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519).
  • 1788 – King Louis XVI of France attempts to impose the reforms of Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne by abolishing the parlements.
  • 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.
  • 1821 – Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks at the Battle of Gravia Inn.
  • 1842 – A train derails and catches fire in Paris, killing between 52 and 200 people.
  • 1846 – Mexican–American War: American forces led by Zachary Taylor defeat a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
  • 1877 – At Gilmore’s Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens.
  • 1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named “Coca-Cola” as a patent medicine.
  • 1898 – The first games of the Italian football league system are played.
  • 1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play.
  • 1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
  • 1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.
  • 1919 – Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I.
  • 1921 – The creation of the Communist Party of Romania.
  • 1924 – The Klaipėda Convention is signed formally incorporating Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) into Lithuania.
  • 1927 – Attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli disappear after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane.
  • 1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.
  • 1941 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby.
  • 1942 – World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet armies defending the Kerch Peninsula.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 1945 – World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Reims comes into effect.
  • 1945 – End of the Prague uprising, celebrated now as a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
  • 1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre.
  • 1945 – The Halifax riot starts when thousands of civilians and servicemen rampage through Halifax, Nova Scotia.
  • 1946 – Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
  • 1963 – South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
  • 1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
  • 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.
  • 1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.
  • 1976 – The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
  • 1978 – The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
  • 1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
  • 1984 – Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
  • 1984 – The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.
  • 1987 – The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
  • 1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell’s Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the “worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history”.
  • 1997 – China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao’an International Airport, killing 35 people.
  • 2019 – British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.

Births on May 8

  • 1326 – Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (d. 1360)
  • 1427 – John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1470)
  • 1460 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
  • 1492 – Andrea Alciato, Italian jurist and writer (d. 1550)
  • 1508 – Charles Wriothesley, English Officer of Arms (d. 1562)
  • 1521 – Peter Canisius, Dutch-Swiss priest and saint (d. 1597)
  • 1551 – Thomas Drury, English government informer and swindler (d. 1603)
  • 1587 – Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)
  • 1622 – Claes Rålamb, Swedish politician (d. 1698)
  • 1628 – Angelo Italia, Sicilian Jesuit and architect (d. 1700)
  • 1629 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (d. 1697)
  • 1632 – Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German field marshal and politician (d. 1706)
  • 1639 – Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Italian artist (d. 1709)
  • 1641 – Nicolaes Witsen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1717)
  • 1653 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1734)
  • 1670 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1726)
  • 1698 – Henry Baker, English naturalist (d. 1774)
  • 1720 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1764)
  • 1735 – Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter and politician (d. 1811)
  • 1737 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (d. 1794)
  • 1745 – Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (d. 1801)
  • 1753 – Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and rebel leader (d. 1811)
  • 1786 – John Vianney, French priest and saint (d. 1859)
  • 1815 – Edward Tompkins, American lawyer and politician (d. 1872)
  • 1818 – Samuel Leonard Tilley, Canadian pharmacist and politician, 3rd Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1896)
  • 1821 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1885)
  • 1824 – William Walker, American physician, lawyer, journalist and mercenary (d. 1860)
  • 1825 – George Bruce Malleson, English-Indian colonel and author (d. 1898)
  • 1828 – Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
  • 1828 – Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk and saint (d. 1898)
  • 1829 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer (d. 1869)
  • 1835 – Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter and academic (d. 1910)
  • 1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian judge, author, and songwriter (d. 1920)
  • 1842 – Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist and mycologist (d. 1909)
  • 1846 – Oscar Hammerstein I, American businessman and composer (d. 1919)
  • 1850 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1915)
  • 1853 – Dan Brouthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1932)
  • 1856 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. (d. 1952)
  • 1858 – Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer (d. 1924)
  • 1858 – J. Meade Falkner, English author and poet (d. 1932)
  • 1859 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (d. 1925)
  • 1867 – Margarete Böhme, German novelist (d. 1939)
  • 1879 – Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
  • 1884 – Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
  • 1885 – Thomas B. Costain, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1965)
  • 1892 – Adriaan Pelt, Dutch journalist and diplomat (d. 1981)
  • 1893 – Francis Ouimet, American golfer (d. 1967)
  • 1893 – Edd Roush, American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
  • 1893 – Teddy Wakelam, English rugby player and sportscaster (d. 1963)
  • 1895 – James H. Kindelberger, American businessman (d. 1962)
  • 1895 – Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (d. 1979)
  • 1895 – Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (d. 1972)
  • 1898 – Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (d. 1960)
  • 1899 – Arthur Q. Bryan, American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (d. 1959)
  • 1899 – Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
  • 1899 – Jacques Heim, French fashion designer (d. 1967)
  • 1901 – Turkey Stearnes, American baseball player (d. 1979)
  • 1902 – André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
  • 1903 – Fernandel, French actor and singer (d. 1971)
  • 1903 – Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, British politician and educator (d. 1984)
  • 1904 – John Snagge, English journalist (d. 1996)
  • 1905 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1965)
  • 1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1977)
  • 1910 – George Male, English footballer (d. 1998)
  • 1910 – Andrew E. Svenson, American author and publisher (d. 1975)
  • 1910 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
  • 1911 – Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman, Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of The Interior (d. 1997)
  • 1911 – Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1938)
  • 1912 – George Woodcock, Canadian author and poet (d. 1995)
  • 1913 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (d. 1984)
  • 1913 – Sid James, South African-English actor and singer (d. 1976)
  • 1915 – Milton Meltzer, American historian and author (d. 2009)
  • 1916 – João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (d. 2016)
  • 1916 – Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (d. 1993)
  • 1916 – Ramananda Sengupta, Indian cinematographer (d. 2017)
  • 1917 – John Anderson, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Kansas (d. 2014)
  • 1919 – Lex Barker, American actor (d. 1973)
  • 1920 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (d. 1996)
  • 1920 – Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (d. 1991)
  • 1920 – Sloan Wilson, American author and poet (d. 2003)
  • 1920 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (d. 2000)
  • 1922 – Mary Q. Steele, American naturalist and author (d. 1992)
  • 1924 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (d. 1989)
  • 1925 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzanian politician, 2nd President of Tanzania
  • 1926 – David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host
  • 1926 – David Hurst, German actor (d. 2019)
  • 1926 – Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (d. 2017)
  • 1927 – Chumy Chúmez, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1927 – László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Robert Conley, American journalist (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Ethel D. Allen, American physician and politician (d. 1981)
  • 1929 – Girija Devi, Indian classical singer (d. 2017)
  • 1929 – Claude Castonguay, Canadian banker and politician
  • 1929 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – Heather Harper, Northern Irish soprano (d. 2019)
  • 1930 – Doug Atkins, American football player (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – René Maltête, French photographer and poet (d. 2000)
  • 1930 – Gary Snyder, American poet, essayist, and translator
  • 1932 – Julieta Campos, Cuban-Mexican author and translator (d. 2007)
  • 1932 – Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
  • 1932 – Harry Wells, Australian rugby league player
  • 1934 – Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann, South African-English lawyer and judge
  • 1934 – Maurice Norman, English footballer
  • 1934 – David Williamson, Baron Williamson of Horton, English soldier and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland, Scottish politician
  • 1935 – Princess Elisabeth of Denmark (d. 2018)
  • 1935 – Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager
  • 1936 – Kazuo Koike, Japanese author
  • 1936 – Haljand Udam, Estonian orientalist and academic (d. 2005)
  • 1937 – Bernard Cleary, Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
  • 1937 – Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (d. 2010)
  • 1937 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Thomas Pynchon, American novelist
  • 1938 – Javed Burki, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
  • 1938 – Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (d. 2012)
  • 1939 – Paul Drayton, American sprinter (d. 2010)
  • 1940 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1940 – James Blyth, Baron Blyth of Rowington, English businessman and academic
  • 1940 – Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
  • 1940 – Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor, “Sesame Street”
  • 1940 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1985)
  • 1940 – Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1941 – John Fred, American singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1941 – Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
  • 1941 – James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Martin Dobkin, Canadian doctor and politician, 2nd Mayor of Mississauga
  • 1942 – Robin Hobbs, English cricketer
  • 1942 – Norman Lamont, Scottish banker and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • 1942 – Pierre Morency, Canadian poet and playwright
  • 1942 – Terry Neill, Irish footballer and manager
  • 1943 – Pat Barker, English author
  • 1943 – Johnny Greaves, Australian rugby league player
  • 1943 – Jon Mark, English-New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1943 – Paul Samwell-Smith, English bass player and producer
  • 1943 – Danny Whitten, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
  • 1944 – Gary Glitter, English singer-songwriter
  • 1944 – Bill Legend, English drummer
  • 1945 – Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch jurist and politician
  • 1945 – Mike German, Baron German, Welsh educator and politician, Deputy First Minister for Wales
  • 1945 – Janine Haines, Australian politician (d. 2004)
  • 1945 – Keith Jarrett, American pianist and composer
  • 1946 – André Boulerice, Canadian politician
  • 1946 – Jonathan Dancy, English philosopher, author, and academic
  • 1947 – H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1947 – Felicity Lott, English soprano
  • 1947 – John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, Scottish historian and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1948 – Steve Braun, American baseball player and coach
  • 1948 – Stephen Stohn, American-Canadian lawyer and producer
  • 1949 – David Vines, Australian economist and academic
  • 1950 – Robert Mugge, American director and producer
  • 1950 – Lepo Sumera, Estonian composer and educator (d. 2000)
  • 1951 – Philip Bailey, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
  • 1951 – Mike D’Antoni, American basketball player and coach
  • 1951 – Chris Frantz, American drummer and producer
  • 1952 – Peter McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1953 – Billy Burnette, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1953 – Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American drummer
  • 1954 – Pam Arciero, American puppeteer and voice actress
  • 1954 – David Keith, American actor and director
  • 1954 – John Michael Talbot, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1955 – Stephen Furst, American actor and director (d. 2017)
  • 1955 – Mladen Markač, Croatian general
  • 1955 – Keith Osgood, English footballer
  • 1956 – Jeff Wincott, Canadian actor and martial artist
  • 1957 – Bill Cowher, American football player and coach
  • 1957 – Rino Katase, Japanese actress
  • 1957 – Gary Lunn, Canadian lawyer and politician, 6th Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
  • 1958 – Roddy Doyle, Irish novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Simone Kleinsma, Dutch actress and singer
  • 1958 – Brooks Newmark, American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury
  • 1958 – Lovie Smith, American football player and coach
  • 1959 – Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1959 – David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, English politician
  • 1959 – Ikue Sakakibara, Japanese actress and singer
  • 1960 – Franco Baresi, Italian footballer and coach
  • 1960 – Eric Brittingham, American bass player
  • 1961 – Bill de Blasio, American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City
  • 1961 – Gert Kruys, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1961 – Vallo Reimaa, Estonian academic and politician
  • 1961 – David Winning, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Natalia Molchanova, Russian diver (d. 2015)
  • 1962 – David Sole, Scottish rugby player
  • 1963 – Sylvain Cossette, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1963 – Anthony Field, Australian guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1963 – Michel Gondry, French director and screenwriter
  • 1963 – Izabela Kloc, Polish politician
  • 1963 – Aleksandr Kovalenko, Belarusian triple jumper
  • 1963 – Rick Zombo, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1964 – Päivi Alafrantti, Finnish javelin thrower
  • 1964 – Melissa Gilbert, American actress and director
  • 1964 – Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
  • 1964 – Nathalie Roy, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1964 – Dave Rowntree, English drummer and animator
  • 1964 – Metin Tekin, Turkish footballer, manager, and journalist
  • 1966 – Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer and coach
  • 1967 – Viviana Durante, Italian ballerina and actress
  • 1967 – Angus Scott, British sports television presenter
  • 1968 – Teet Kask, Estonian ballet dancer and choreographer
  • 1968 – Nathalie Normandeau, Canadian politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
  • 1968 – Johan Pehrson, Swedish lawyer and politician
  • 1969 – Jonny Searle, English rower
  • 1969 – Akebono Tarō, American-Japanese sumo wrestler, the 64th Yokozuna
  • 1969 – John Timu, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1970 – Michael Bevan, Australian cricketer and coach
  • 1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
  • 1970 – Luis Enrique, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Chuck Huber, American voice actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Candice Night, American singer-songwriter
  • 1972 – Darren Hayes, Australian singer-songwriter
  • 1972 – Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1973 – Hiromu Arakawa, Japanese author and illustrator
  • 1973 – Jesús Arellano, Mexican footballer
  • 1973 – Marcus Brigstocke, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Marge Kõrkjas, Estonian swimmer
  • 1974 – Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
  • 1974 – Christian XXX, American pornographic star
  • 1975 – Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1975 – Jussi Markkanen, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Gastón Mazzacane, Argentinian race car driver
  • 1975 – Dmitri Ustritski, Estonian footballer
  • 1976 – Gonçalo Abecasis, Portuguese-American biochemist and academic
  • 1976 – Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1977 – Joe Bonamassa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1977 – Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (d. 2011)
  • 1977 – Theodoros Papaloukas, Greek basketball player
  • 1977 – Kathrin Bringmann, German mathematician and academic
  • 1978 – Lúcio, Brazilian footballer
  • 1978 – Jang Woo-hyuk, South Korean rapper and dancer
  • 1979 – Ole Morten Vågan, Norwegian bassist
  • 1980 – Keyon Dooling, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Panagiotis Kafkis, Greek basketball player
  • 1980 – Evgeny Lebedev, Russian-English publisher and philanthropist
  • 1980 – Michelle McManus, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1980 – Benny Yau, Hong Kong-Canadian actor and singer
  • 1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor
  • 1981 – Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer
  • 1981 – Tatyana Dektyareva, Russian hurdler
  • 1981 – Björn Dixgård, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1981 – Manny Gamburyan, Armenian-American mixed martial artist
  • 1981 – John Maine, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Buakaw Banchamek, Thai kick-boxer
  • 1982 – Christina Cole, English actress
  • 1982 – Adrián González, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Uğur Yıldırım, Turkish-Dutch footballer
  • 1983 – Juan Martin Goity, Argentinian-German rugby player
  • 1983 – Bershawn Jackson, American hurdler
  • 1983 – Lawrence Vickers, American football player
  • 1983 – Vicky McClure, English actress
  • 1984 – David King, English figure skater
  • 1985 – Tommaso Ciampa, American wrestler
  • 1985 – Silvia Stroescu, Romanian gymnast
  • 1985 – Sarah Vaillancourt, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Usama Young, American football player
  • 1986 – Pemra Özgen, Turkish tennis player
  • 1986 – Galen Rupp, American runner
  • 1986 – Marvell Wynne, American soccer player
  • 1987 – Felix Jones, American football player
  • 1987 – Aarne Nirk, Estonian hurdler
  • 1987 – Mark Noble, English footballer
  • 1987 – Kurt Tippett, Australian footballer
  • 1988 – Tanel Kurbas, Estonian basketball player
  • 1988 – Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer (d. 2014)
  • 1989 – Liam Bridcutt, English footballer
  • 1989 – Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player
  • 1989 – Dinesh Patel, Indian baseball player
  • 1990 – Kemba Walker, American basketball player
  • 1991 – Ethan Gage, Canadian soccer player
  • 1991 – Valentijn Lietmeijer, Dutch basketball player
  • 1991 – Anamaria Tămârjan, Romanian gymnast
  • 1992 – Kevin Hayes, American ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer
  • 1996 – 6ix9ine, American rapper
  • 2001 – Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player
  • 2003 – Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco

Deaths on May 8

  • 535 – Pope John II
  • 615 – Pope Boniface IV (b. 550)
  • 685 – Pope Benedict II
  • 997 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 939)
  • 1157 – Ahmed Sanjar, Seljuk sultan (b. 1086)
  • 1192 – Ottokar IV, duke of Styria (b. 1163)
  • 1220 – Richeza of Denmark, queen of Sweden
  • 1278 – Duan Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1269)
  • 1319 – Haakon V, king of Norway (b. 1270)
  • 1473 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (b. 1420)
  • 1538 – Edward Foxe, English bishop and academic (b. 1496)
  • 1551 – Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (b. 1520)
  • 1668 – Catherine of St. Augustine, French-Canadian nun and saint (b. 1632)
  • 1766 – Samuel Chandler, English minister and author (b. 1693)
  • 1773 – Ali Bey al-Kabir, Egyptian sultan (b. 1728)
  • 1781 – Richard Jago, English priest and poet (b. 1715)
  • 1782 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
  • 1785 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1719)
  • 1785 – Pietro Longhi, Italian painter (b. 1701)
  • 1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1723)
  • 1794 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist (b. 1743)
  • 1819 – Kamehameha I, king of the Hawaiian Islands
  • 1822 – John Stark, American general (b. 1728)
  • 1828 – Mauro Giuliani, Italian guitarist, cellist, and composer (b. 1781)
  • 1837 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (b. 1770)
  • 1842 – Jules Dumont d’Urville, French admiral and explorer (b. 1790)
  • 1853 – Jan Roothaan, Dutch priest, 21st Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1785)
  • 1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
  • 1891 – Helena Blavatsky, Russian-English mystic and author (b. 1831)
  • 1891 – John Robertson, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1816)
  • 1893 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president, 1880–1884 (b. 1833)
  • 1903 – Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
  • 1907 – Edmund G. Ross, American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1826)
  • 1925 – John Beresford, Irish polo player (b. 1847)
  • 1936 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
  • 1941 – Natalie, queen consort of Serbia (b. 1859)
  • 1941 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (b. 1858)
  • 1942 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1890)
  • 1943 – Mordechai Anielewicz, Polish commander (b. 1919)
  • 1944 – Themistoklis Diakidis, Greek high jumper (b. 1882)
  • 1945 – Frank Bourne, British soldier, last survivor of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift (b. 1854)
  • 1945 – Wilhelm Rediess, German SS officer (b. 1900)
  • 1945 – Bernhard Rust, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1883)
  • 1945 – Josef Terboven, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1898)
  • 1947 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (b. 1858)
  • 1948 – U Saw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1900)
  • 1950 – Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician and immunologist (b. 1865)
  • 1952 – William Fox, Austrian businessman, founded Fox Theatres (b. 1879)
  • 1959 – John Fraser, Canadian soccer player (b. 1881)
  • 1960 – J. H. C. Whitehead, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1904)
  • 1965 – Wally Hardinge, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1886)
  • 1969 – Remington Kellogg, American zoologist and paleontologist (b. 1892)
  • 1972 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (b. 1880)
  • 1972 – Beatrice Helen Worsley, Mexican-Canadian computer scientist (b. 1921)
  • 1975 – Avery Brundage, American businessman and art collector (b. 1887)
  • 1980 – Geoffrey Baker, English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (b. 1920)
  • 1981 – Uri Zvi Greenberg, Israeli poet and journalist (b. 1896)
  • 1982 – Neil Bogart, American record producer, co-founded Casablanca Records (b. 1943)
  • 1982 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
  • 1983 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (b. 1909)
  • 1984 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader’s Digest (b. 1890)
  • 1984 – Gino Bianco, Italian-Brazilian race car driver (b. 1916)
  • 1985 – Karl Marx, German conductor and composer (b. 1897)
  • 1985 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (b. 1918)
  • 1985 – Dolph Sweet, American actor (b. 1920)
  • 1986 – Ernle Bradford, English historian and author (b. 1922)
  • 1987 – Doris Stokes, English psychic and author (b. 1920)
  • 1988 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 1990 – Luigi Nono, Italian composer and educator (b. 1924)
  • 1991 – Jean Langlais, French pianist and composer (b. 1907)
  • 1991 – Rudolf Serkin, Czech-Austrian pianist and educator (b. 1903)
  • 1992 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (b. 1933)
  • 1993 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (b. 1923)
  • 1994 – George Peppard, American actor and producer (b. 1928)
  • 1995 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (b. 1953)
  • 1996 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (b. 1937)
  • 1996 – Luis Miguel Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
  • 1996 – Larry Levis, American poet, author, and critic (b. 1946)
  • 1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (b. 1912)
  • 1998 – Johannes Kotkas, Estonian wrestler (b. 1915)
  • 1998 – Charles Rebozo, American banker and businessman (b. 1912)
  • 1999 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 1999 – Ed Gilbert, American actor (b. 1931)
  • 1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (b. 1964)
  • 1999 – Soeman Hs, Indonesian author and educator (b. 1904)
  • 2000 – Pita Amor, Mexican poet and author (b. 1918)
  • 2000 – Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
  • 2000 – Henry Nicols, American activist (b. 1973)
  • 2003 – Elvira Pagã, Brazilian vedette, singer, and artist (b. 1920)
  • 2005 – Jean Carrière, French author (b. 1928)
  • 2005 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1981)
  • 2006 – Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer and author (b. 1938)
  • 2007 – Philip R. Craig, American author and poet (b. 1933)
  • 2007 – Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
  • 2008 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (b. 1982)
  • 2009 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (b. 1917)
  • 2009 – Bud Shrake, American journalist and author (b. 1931)
  • 2011 – Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (b. 1948)
  • 2012 – Everett Lilly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Jerry McMorris, American businessman (b. 1941)
  • 2012 – Stacy Robinson, American football player (b. 1962)
  • 2012 – Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Ampon Tangnoppakul, Thai criminal (b. 1948)
  • 2012 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (b. 1911)
  • 2013 – Jeanne Cooper, American actress (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Bryan Forbes, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (b. 1950)
  • 2013 – Hugh J. Silverman, American philosopher and theorist (b. 1945)
  • 2013 – Ken Whaley, Austrian-English bass player (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Nancy Malone, American actress, director, and producer (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Yago Lamela, Spanish long jumper (b. 1977)
  • 2014 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – R. Douglas Stuart Jr., American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway (b. 1916)
  • 2014 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Zeki Alasya, Turkish actor and director (b. 1943)
  • 2015 – Mwepu Ilunga, Congolese footballer (b. 1949)
  • 2015 – Menashe Kadishman, Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Juan Schwanner, Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Atanas Semerdzhiev, Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (b. 1924)
  • 2016 – Tom M. Apostol, American analytic number theorist (b. 1923)
  • 2016 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (b. 1922)
  • 2018 – Big Bully Busick, American professional wrestler (b. 1954)
  • 2018 – Anne V. Coates, British film editor (Lawrence of Arabia, The Elephant Man, Erin Brockovich), Oscar winner (1963) (b. 1925)
  • 2019 – Sprent Dabwido, President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (b. 1972)

Holidays and observances on May 8

  • Christian feast day:
    • Amato Ronconi
    • Apparition of Saint Michael
    • Arsenius the Great
    • Desideratus
    • Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine
    • Julian of Norwich (Anglican, Lutheran)
    • Magdalene of Canossa
    • Our Lady of Luján
    • Peter of Tarentaise
    • Blessed Teresa Demjanovich (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
    • May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Father’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Romania)
  • Earliest day on which Mother’s Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (United States and others)
  • Earliest day on which State Flag and State Emblem Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (Belarus)
  • Earliest day on which World Fair Trade Day can fall, while May 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday of May (site of the WFTO) (International)
  • Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi)
  • Furry Dance (Helston, UK)
  • Liberation Day (Czech Republic)
  • Miguel Hidalgo’s birthday (Mexico)
  • Parents’ Day (South Korea)
  • Truman Day (Missouri)
  • Veterans Day (Norway)
  • 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
  • White Lotus Day (Theosophy)
  • World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (International)