What Happened on December 8 in World History?
Early Centuries – December 8 Historic Events – Before 1700
1. December 8, 1326 – Daito Kokushi founded the temple of Daitokuji, Rinzai line, in Kyoto
2. December 8, 1609 – the inauguration of the second reading room for the public by Biblioteca Ambrosiana, a historic library in Italy
3. December 8, 1659 – Fray Garcia de San Francisco discovered the city of Ciudad Juarez, a border town in Mexico
18th Century – What Happened on December 8 – The 1700s
4. December 8, 1710 – French and Spanish forces detain British General James Stanhope during the war of Brihugega in the War of the Spanish Succession
5. December 8, 1776 – the receding army guided by George Washington crosses the Delaware River from NJ
6. December 8, 1777 – Captain James Cook departs from Society Islands
7. December 8, 1792 – The cremation of Henry Laurens was the first formal cremation in the US
8. December 8, 1794 – first print of Herald of Rutland, VT issued
19th Century – December 8 This Day That Year – The 1800s
9. December 8, 1813 – debut performance of the 7th musical concert in A scale by Ludwig van Beethoven in Vienna and conducted by Beethoven
10. December 8, 1846 – first performance of “La Damnation de Faust” by Hector Berlioz
11. December 8, 1849 – debut of “Die Journalisten” by Gustav Freytag n Breslau
12. December 8, 1854 – the Original Sin attributed to Mary was nullified by the proclamation of “Immaculate Conception” by Pope Pius IX
13. December 8, 1857 – making of the melodrama, “Poor of New York” by Dion Boucicault
14. December 8, 1863 – inferno at the Jesuit Church of La Compania, Santiago, Chile leaves 2500 dead
15. December 8, 1863 – Abraham Lincoln proclaims his Amnesty Proclamation and proposal for Reconstruction of the South
16. December 8, 1864 – issue of a circular letter by Pope Pius IX on Quanta cura (“Syllabus error”)
17. December 8, 1864 – The inauguration of the Clifton Suspension Bridge modeled by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in Bristol, England five years after his demise
18. December 8, 1869 – a meeting of the 20th Roman Catholic delegates from the Catholic church in Vatican I, in Rome
19. December 8, 1869 – establishment of T. Eaton Co. Ltd by Timothy Eaton in Toronto, Canada
20. December 8, 1874 – train robbery at Muncie Kansas by Jesse James and his associates
21. December 8, 1875 – debut show of “Volji I Ovsty” by Aleksandr Ostrovsky in St Petersburg
22. December 8, 1876 – enforced education for those between 7-12 years in Suriname
23. December 8, 1880 – assembly of 5000 armed Boers in Paardekraal, South Africa
24. December 8, 1881 – inferno demolishes the Ring Theater in Vienna and 640-850 lost their life
25. December 8, 1886 – Samuel Gompers was elected as President of the American Foundation of Labor (AFL) established by the 26 unions of the skilled workers union
26. December 8, 1895 – General Baratieri of Italy was driven out by Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia during the war at Amba Alagi
27. December 8, 1896 – commencement of the “Adventure of Missing 3 Quarters” by Sherlock Holmes
20th Century – Important Events On This Day December 8 – The 1900s
28. December 8, 1902 – appointment of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of America
29. December 8, 1907 – King Gustaf V ascends the Swedish throne
30. December 8, 1909 – formation of Bird banding Society
31. December 8, 1912 – proposal by Wilhelm II of Germany for the creation of an advisory committee, War Council
32. December 8, 1913 – commencement of the construction work on the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco
33. December 8, 1914 – A German war regiment was wrecked by the British Royal Navy during the war of the Falkland Island
34. December 8, 1914 – debut performance of the musical “Watch Your Step” in NYC
35. December 8, 1914 – there were many downfalls to Boers who rebelled against the British; one of the leaders of Boers. General Beyers, the leader of the Boers died in an accidental drowning that day
36. December 8, 1915 – debut performance of the 5th musical concert on E scale by Jean Sibelius
37. December 8, 1915 – publication of the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae in “Punch” in secret
38. December 8, 1921 – The Anglo-Irish agreement of peace was disclaimed by Eamon de Valera in the open
39. December 8, 1923 – execution of German-US friendship agreement
40. December 8, 1923 – Labors achieve majority in the British parliament
41. December 8, 1923 – Germany imposes an embargo on Salary and price of a commodity
42. December 8, 1930 – the inauguration of the Broadway Theater at 1681, Broadway, NYC
43. December 8, 1930 – debut performance of the musical “NYcers” by Colle Porter in NYC
44. December 8, 1931 – copyright granted for Coaxial cable
45. December 8, 1934 – Debut performance of “Professor Mamlock” by Friedrich Wolf in Zurich
46. December 8, 1935 – the spiritual group Oomoto was oppressed by the Japanese military constabulary by attacking the religious strongholds in Ayabe and Kameoka in Kyoto Prefecture and detention of their chief Onisaburo Deguchi
47. December 8, 1936 – appointment by voting of Anastasio Somoza Garcia as President of Nicaragua
48. December 8, 1936 – NAACP adopts a legal recourse to make equal the wages of black and white teachers
49. December 8, 1938 – maximum temperature for December in the US documented in La Mesa Calif
50. December 8, 1938 – shadowing of Nikolai Jezjov by LP Beria as chief of the Russian Secret Agency
51. December 8, 1940 – Chicago Bears defeat Washington Redskins in a one-sided victory in the history of the NFL, 73-0; the game was aired on radio for the first time, during the NFL Championship, Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC
52. December 8, 1941 – camps to murder or kill Jews were operated in Chelmno, 50 km from Lodz, Poland
53. December 8, 1941 – Dutch administration in refuge in London wages war on Japan
54. December 8, 1941 – the 16th division of the Soviet army regains Krijukovo
55. December 8, 1941 – the outdoor lighting was switched off for the first time in San Francisco at 6.15 p.m.
56. December 8, 1941 – The Governments of the US and Britain commence war on Japan; the US joins WWII
57. December 8, 1941 – An address by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt entitled “Day of Infamy” to the US Congress the next day of the Pearl Harbor destruction by bombardment
58. December 8, 1942 – Frank Sinkwich, Georgia (HB) was awarded the 8th Heisman Trophy
59. December 8, 1943 – debut performance of “Voice of the Turtle” by John Van Druten in NYC
60. December 8, 1946 – First XS-1 powered US aircraft flight carrying rockets
61. December 8, 1947 – premiere of “Caribbean Carnival” at International Theater NYC to give 11 presentations
62. December 8, 1948 – concluding show of “Marinka” at Winter Garden Theater, NYC after 168 shows
63. December 8, 1948 – Doak Walker, SMU (HB) awarded the 14th Heisman Trophy
64. December 8, 1948 – Arabic Palestine taken over by Jordan
65. December 8, 1949 – premiere of “Gentleman Prefer Blondes” by Jule Styne at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 740 shows
66. December 8, 1949 – shifting of the Chinese Nationalist administration from the Chinese mainland to Formosa
67. December 8, 1949 – a movie based on the theme of the Broadway musical, “On the Town” featuring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller, and Vera-Ellen is opened for the show
68. December 8, 1951 – concluding show of “Tree Grows in Brooklyn” at Alvin Theater NYC after 267 shows
69. December 8, 1951 – NL’s suspended play rule was implemented by AL to change its limitations on night plays; prohibition on lights for plays on Sundays raised
70. December 8, 1952 – I Love Lucy was the first acknowledgment on Television of the pregnancy
71. December 8, 1952 – 50 people lost their lives in a shootout with protestors at Casablanca by the French army
72. December 8, 1952 – appointment through voting of Isaak Ben-Zwi as president of Israel
73. December 8, 1953 – John Lattner, Notre Dame (HB) awarded the 19th Heisman Trophy
74. December 8, 1953 – Lecture on the use of “Atoms for Peace” by Dwight D. Eisenhower at the United Nations in New York
75. December 8, 1954 – debut show of “Bad Seed” by Maxwell Anderson in NYC
76. December 8, 1954 -TV transmission channel 5 in Plattsburgh, NY commences airing on NBC
77. December 8, 1955 – Howard Cassady, Ohio State (HB) was awarded the 21st Heisman Trophy
78. December 8, 1955 – MVP Award for the 3rd time to Brooklyn catcher Roy Campanella
79. December 8, 1955 – Menderes heads the Turkish government
80. December 8, 1955 -humorous show “The Lady Killers” by Black Ealing, guided by Alexander Mackendrick and featuring Alec Guinness shown in the UK
81. December 8, 1956 – trial launching of Vanguard missile program, TV-0
82. December 8, 1956 – a musical, single “Singing the Blues” by Guy Mitchell reaches #1 in 10 weeks
83. December 8, 1956 – Athletes created a convention by socializing as they went on a procession into and around the stadium for an appearance to close the Melbourne Games even though there were international stresses
84. December 8, 1959 – A plea for freedom for Malta made by Dom Mintoff
85. December 8, 1959 – The test cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at Karachi witnessed by President Eisenhower
86. December 8, 1960 – A team newly added – LA Angels enter into a contract for four years to use the Dodger Stadium
87. December 8, 1961 – a new district under the bishop – Antwerp Belgium – was founded
88. December 8, 1961 – Larry Costello achieved 32 successive points without missing even one (NBA record)
89. December 8, 1961 – South African cricket players, Eddie Barlow & Peter Pollock play their debut match Vs New Zealand in Durban
90. December 8, 1961 – NBA Legend Wilt Chamberlain achieves 78, 2nd maximum total in NBA
91. December 8, 1962 – concluding show of “I Can Get It For You Wholesale” at Shubert NYC after 300 shows
92. December 8, 1962 – a daily newspaper stops work for 114 days from this day in New York
93. December 8, 1962 – a military rebellion endeavored in Brunei under the control of Britain
94. December 8, 1962 – cremation of Queen Wilhelmina of Holland (New Kerk, Delft)
95. December 8, 1963 – premiere of “Girl Who Came to Supper” at Broadway Theater NYC for 112 shows
96. December 8, 1963 – Frank Sinatra Jr was hijacked
97. December 8, 1963 – in an accident involving Pan Am Flight 214 outside Elkton, Maryland, 81 people lost their life
98. December 8, 1965 – debut show of “Cactus Flower” by Abe Burrows in NYC
99. December 8, 1965 – Nikolai Podgorny replaces Mikojan as president of the USSR
100. December 8, 1965 – 2nd Vatican Assembly approved by Pope Paul VI
101. December 8, 1966 – Roger Maris of Yankee exchanged for Card’s Charlie Smith
102. December 8, 1966 – an agreement between US and USSR to ban atomic armaments in outer space
103. December 8, 1967 – a collection of music, “Magical Mystery Tour” by Beatles announced in the UK
104. December 8, 1967 – change of name of NHL California Seals to Oakland Seals
105. December 8, 1969 –a cyclone at Athens causes the Greek aircraft DC-6B accidents causing the death of 93 people
106. December 8, 1969 –unexpected Police assault on Black Panthers in LA
107. December 8, 1970 – publication of a news brochure on separation in education by the chief of the Catholic Church in Ireland Cardinal William Conway
108. December 8, 1972 – in an air accident involving United Airlines at Chicago’s Midway Airport, 45 people lost their life
109. December 8, 1973 – concluding show of “Seesaw” at Uris Theater NYC after 296 presentations
110. December 8, 1973 – John Cappelletti, Penn State (RB) awarded the39th Heisman Trophy
111. December 8, 1973 – Romanian tennis legend IIie Nastase earns his 3rd successive ATP Masters Grand Prix defeating Dutchman Tom Okker, 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in Boston, Massachusetts
112. December 8, 1974 – a plebiscite in Greece refuses a kind of administration with a monarch as its head
113. December 8, 1974 – establishment of the Irish Republican Socialist Party
114. December 8, 1974 – safe return of spacecraft Soyuz 16 to Earth
115. December 8, 1975 – concluding show of “Raisin” at46th St Theater NYC after 847 shows
116. December 8, 1976 – Kurt Waldheim was elected as Secretary General for the 2nd term by the United Nations General Assembly
117. December 8, 1976 – Atomic test by US at Nevada Test site
118. December 8, 1977 -Earl Campbell, Texas (RB) was awarded the 43rd Heisman Trophy
119. December 8, 1978 – 1st day/night World Series Cricket super test at VFL Part started at Melbourne
120. December 8, 1978 – the movie “The Deer Hunter” funded by Michael Cimino and featuring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep debuts in Los Angeles (Academy Awards Best Picture 1979)
121. December 8, 1980 – “Bravo” debuts on Cable TV
122. December 8, 1980 – The last personnel to take a professional photo-shot of John Lennon, before his death was Annie Leibovitz
123. December 8, 1981 – atomic test by France
124. December 8, 1982 – premiere of “Herman Van Veen: All of Him” at Ambassador NYC for 6 shows
125. December 8, 1982 – unsuccessful 7th Islander penalty shot by Clark Gilles
126. December 8, 1982 – Army leader Bouterse in Suriname kills 15 people who opposed him
127. December 8, 1982 – The Washington Monument built in honor of George Washington was held captive by Norman Mayer demanding the banning of atomic armaments but killed by constabulary after 10 hours (he had no explosives)
128. December 8, 1982 – The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Gabriel Garcia Marquez of Columbia
129. December 8, 1982 – Based on the theme of the novel by William Styron 1979, “Sophie’s Choice” premieres and is guided by Alan J. Pakula and featured by Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline (Academy Awards Best Actress 1983)
130. December 8, 1983 – spacecraft, 9th in the series, Columbia safe lands at Edward AFB
131. December 8, 1983 – Richard Baker, Zen teacher resigns as head of a monastery of San Francisco Zen Centre
132. December 8, 1984 – agreement on the Lome III treaty signed by Europe and 64 developing countries
133. December 8, 1984 – Drummer of Beatles, Ringo Stars performs on “Saturday Night Live”
134. December 8, 1984 – Tennis legend Chris Evert-Lloyd defeats Helena Sukova, 6-7, 6-1, 6-3 at the Australian Open Women’s Tennis; maintains the progress of achieving at least 1 major per year since 1973
135. December 8, 1985 – Ken O’Brien threw a 96-yard TD pass to Wesley Walker
136. December 8, 1985 – Stefan Edberg achieves his first professional Grand Slam single by defeating Mats Wilander of Sweden and current title holder, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 at the Australian Open Men’s Tennis
137. December 8, 1985 – “Final Jeopardy”, a suspense movie, featuring Richard Thomas and Mary Crosby debuts on NBC
138. December 8, 1986 –The House of Democrats nominates the majority leader Jim Wright as the 48th speaker
139. December 8, 1986 – the miniseries “Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna” (Part 2) debuts on NBC
140. December 8, 1987 – Goalie Ron Hextall becomes the first goaltender to achieve a goal for the NHL
141. December 8, 1987 – Palestinians in the occupied territory commence “intifadah” (rebellion) against Israel
142. December 8, 1987 – an agreement between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to eradicate medium-range atomic weaponry
143. December 8, 1987 – The Peruvian airliner chartered by The Alianza Lima soccer club plunged into sea just before the destination
144. December 8, 1988 – Knick achieved a maximum best for the NBA by scoring 113 points against the Bucks, 113-109
145. December 8, 1989 – Atomic test by Great Britain
146. December 8, 1990 – Spacecraft Galileo Earth orbit near the earth
147. December 8, 1990 – Indians consent to rent the new ballpark in Gateway (Jacobs Field)
148. December 8, 1991 – concluding show of “Homecoming” at Criterion Theater NYC after 49 shows
149. December 8, 1991 – premiere of “Nick & Nora” at Marquis Theater NYC to give 9 shows
150. December 8, 1991 – establishment of Commonwealth of Independent States consisting of Russia, Belorussia, and Ukraine
151. December 8, 1991 – The Constitution of Romania approved by a plebiscite
152. December 8, 1992 – Spacecraft Galileo fly at a distance of 303 km from Jupiter
153. December 8, 1992 – NBC stops airing “Cheers” in May 1993 as announced
154. December 8, 1993 –During a spiritual demonstration in Algeria, 30 people lost their lives
155. December 8, 1993 – The Bodyguard Soundtrack album by Whitney Houston, won the 4th Billboard Music Awards
156. December 8, 1993 – Dow-Jones reaches a maximum of 3734.53 points
157. December 8, 1993 – 11 people killed in England when a cyclone strokes western Europe
158. December 8, 1994 – premiere of “What’s Wrong With This Picture?” at Circle in Sq NYC for 12 shows
159. December 8, 1994 – Darryl Strawberry accused on charges of tax fudging
160. December 8, 1994 – inferno in a theater in Karamay China takes the lives of 310 people
161. December 8, 1996 – concluding show of “God Said, Ha!” at Lyceum Theater NYC after 22 shows
162. December 8, 1997 – LeAnn Rimes & Spice Girls achieved the 8th Billboard Music Award
163. December 8, 1998 – In Algeria armed groups kill 81 people – Tadjena massacre
21st Century – December 8 This Day In History – The 2000s
164. December 8, 2002 – The date for ‘CARICM-CUBA DAY’ was announced at the meeting of the officials of The Caribbean Community and the Government of Cuba to commemorate the ambassadorial relations between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba
165. December 8, 2004 – creation of the South American Community of Nations by signing the Cuzco Declaration in Cuzco, Peru
166. December 8, 2005 – detention of Ante Gotovina, Croatian army chief blamed for war-related offenses, in the Playa de las Americas, Tenerife by the Spanish constabulary
167. December 8, 2007 – Tim Tebow of Florida (QB) was awarded the 73rd Heisman Trophy
168. December 8, 2008 – Kirsty Williams becomes the first female head of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in Wales
169. December 8, 2009 – Baghdad in Iraq bombarded killing 127 and wounding 448
170. December 8, 2010 – SpaceX Dragon spacecraft sent into orbit. SpaceX was the first private company to send spacecraft into orbit and also to get back the spacecraft
171. December 8, 2012- the Kyoto Protocol was agreed to be made applicable till 2020 by the UN climate conference delegates
172. December 8, 2018 – It was made public by US President Trump that John Kelly, Chief of Staff of the White House, would resign at the end of the year
See Also: