August 8 facts for kids

August 8 is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 145 days remain until the end of the year. Every day is special, and August 8th is no exception! Throughout history, many important things have happened on this date, from big battles and new inventions to the birthdays of famous people. Let's explore some of the exciting events, notable births, and significant deaths that have occurred on August 8th. You'll also discover some of the special holidays and observances celebrated around the world on this day.

Events

Important Moments in History

• 685 BC – In ancient China, during the Spring and Autumn period, a battle called the Battle of Qianshi took place. It was a fight for control of the Duchy of Qi.
• 870 – The Treaty of Meerssen was signed. This treaty divided the Middle Frankish Kingdom into two main parts, which would later become parts of France and Germany.
• 1220 – Sweden faced a defeat by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula.
• 1264 – During the Mudéjar revolt, Muslim rebel forces took over the Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera after beating the Castilian army.
• 1503 – King James IV of Scotland married Margaret Tudor, who was the daughter of King Henry VII of England. Their wedding happened at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• 1509 – Krishnadeva Raya became the Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire in Chittoor.
• 1576 – The first stone was laid for Tycho Brahe's famous Uraniborg observatory on the island of Hven.
• 1585 – Explorer John Davis sailed into Cumberland Sound, looking for the Northwest Passage.
• 1588 – The Anglo-Spanish War saw the end of the Battle of Gravelines. This naval fight stopped the Spanish Armada's plan to invade England.

Key Happenings from 1601 to 1900

• 1647 – In the Irish Confederate Wars, English Parliament forces defeated Irish forces at the Battle of Dungan's Hill.
• 1648 – Mehmed IV became the new Ottoman sultan, taking over from Ibrahim I.
• 1709 – Bartolomeu de Gusmão showed how hot air can lift things in front of the king of Portugal in Lisbon.
• 1786 – Mont Blanc, a huge mountain on the French-Italian border, was climbed for the very first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
• 1794 – Joseph Whidbey led a trip to find the Northwest Passage near Juneau, Alaska.
• 1831 – Four hundred Shawnee people agreed to give up their lands in Ohio in exchange for new land west of the Mississippi River. This was part of the Treaty of Wapakoneta.
• 1844 – The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, led by Brigham Young, was confirmed as the main leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• 1863 – During the American Civil War, General Robert E. Lee offered to resign after his defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg, but his resignation was not accepted.
• 1863 – Tennessee Military Governor Andrew Johnson freed his personal slaves in Greeneville, Tennessee. This day is now remembered as Emancipation Day in the state.
• 1870 – The Republic of Ploiești, a failed uprising against Domnitor Carol of Romania, took place.
• 1876 – Thomas Edison received a patent for his mimeograph, a machine used for making copies.

Modern Milestones (1901–Present)

• 1908 – Wilbur Wright made his first public flight at a racecourse in Le Mans, France. This was a big moment for the Wright Brothers.
• 1918 – During World War I, the Battle of Amiens began. This battle started a series of victories for the Allied forces.
• 1919 – The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 was signed, creating peaceful relations between Afghanistan and the UK.
• 1929 – The German airship Graf Zeppelin started its journey around the world.
• 1940 – The "Aufbau Ost" directive was signed by Wilhelm Keitel.
• 1942 – The Quit India Movement began in India. It was a major protest against British rule, inspired by Mohandas Gandhi's call for complete independence.
• 1945 – The London Charter was signed by France, the UK, the Soviet Union, and the United States. This document set up the rules for the Nuremberg trials, which held important figures accountable after World War II.
• 1946 – The Convair B-36 had its first flight. It was the world's first mass-produced aircraft designed to carry nuclear weapons.
• 1956 – A terrible Marcinelle mining disaster happened in Belgium. Many coal miners, including Italian workers, lost their lives.
• 1963 – In England, a group of 15 people carried out a very large train robbery, stealing a huge amount of money.
• 1963 – The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), which is now the ruling party in Zimbabwe, was formed.
• 1967 – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
• 1969 – Photographer Iain Macmillan took the famous picture of the Beatles crossing a zebra crossing in London. This photo became the cover of their Abbey Road album.
• 1973 – Kim Dae-jung, a South Korean politician who later became president, was kidnapped.
• 1974 – President Richard Nixon announced his resignation from the office of the President of the United States in a television address.
• 1988 – The 8888 Uprising began in Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar). Students led huge protests against the government.
• 1988 – The first night baseball game was played at Chicago's Wrigley Field, though it was stopped early due to rain.
• 1989 – Space Shuttle program: STS-28 Mission: Space Shuttle Columbia launched on a secret military mission.
• 1990 – Iraq occupied Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War soon after.
• 1991 – The Warsaw radio mast, which was once the tallest structure ever built, collapsed.
• 1993 – The Guam earthquake shook the island, causing damage and injuries.
• 1998 – The Iranian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan was attacked by the Taliban, resulting in the deaths of diplomats and a journalist.
• 2000 – The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley was brought to the surface after being on the ocean floor for 136 years.
• 2007 – A powerful tornado touched down in Kings County and Richmond County, New York.
• 2008 – A train in the Czech Republic crashed into a fallen bridge part near Studénka railway station, killing eight people.
• 2008 – The 29th modern summer Olympic Games officially began in Beijing, China.
• 2010 – During the 2010 China floods, a huge mudslide in Zhugqu County, Gansu, China, killed more than 1,400 people.
• 2019 – An explosion at a testing range in Nyonoksa, Russia, killed five people.
• 2022 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched former president Donald Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida.
• 2023 – The 2023 Hawaii wildfires caused widespread destruction on the island of Maui in Hawaii, burning thousands of acres and leading to many deaths.

Famous Birthdays

Born Before 1900

• 422 – Casper, a ruler of the ancient Maya city of Palenque.
• 1079 – Emperor Horikawa of Japan.
• 1170 – Saint Dominic, who founded the Dominican religious order.
• 1306 – Rudolf II, Duke of Bavaria.
• 1492 – Matteo Tafuri, an Italian alchemist.
• 1518 – Conrad Lycosthenes, a French-German scholar and author.
• 1558 – George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, an English noble.
• 1605 – Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, an English lawyer and politician who was Governor of Newfoundland.
• 1640 – Amalia Catharina, a German poet and composer.
• 1646 – Godfrey Kneller, a German-English painter.
• 1694 – Francis Hutcheson, an Irish philosopher.
• 1754 – Hipólito Ruiz López, a Spanish botanist.
• 1790 – Ferenc Kölcsey, a Hungarian poet and critic.
• 1814 – Esther Hobart Morris, an American who fought for women's right to vote and became a judge.
• 1839 – Nelson A. Miles, an American general.
• 1851 – George Turner, an Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria.
• 1857 – Cécile Chaminade, a French pianist and composer.
• 1863 – Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, an American painter.
• 1866 – Matthew Henson, an American explorer.
• 1879 – Bob Smith, an American doctor who helped start Alcoholics Anonymous.
• 1879 – Emiliano Zapata, a Mexican general and politician.
• 1880 – Earle Page, an Australian politician who was Prime Minister of Australia.
• 1884 – Sara Teasdale, an American poet.
• 1896 – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, an American author.

Born After 1900

• 1901 – Ernest Lawrence, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1902 – Paul Dirac, an English-American physicist who also won the Nobel Prize.
• 1907 – Benny Carter, an American jazz musician.
• 1908 – Arthur Goldberg, an American politician and diplomat.
• 1910 – Sylvia Sidney, an American actress.
• 1919 – Dino De Laurentiis, an Italian film producer.
• 1921 – Esther Williams, an American swimmer and actress.
• 1925 – Alija Izetbegović, the first President of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• 1926 – Richard Anderson, an American actor.
• 1929 – Ronnie Biggs, an English criminal.
• 1931 – Roger Penrose, an English physicist and mathematician who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1932 – Mel Tillis, an American country singer.
• 1937 – Dustin Hoffman, a famous American actor.
• 1947 – Ken Dryden, a Canadian ice hockey player and politician.
• 1948 – Svetlana Savitskaya, a Russian engineer and astronaut.
• 1949 – Keith Carradine, an American actor.
• 1950 – Ken Kutaragi, a Japanese businessman who created the PlayStation.
• 1951 – Mohamed Morsi, the fifth President of Egypt.
• 1953 – Nigel Mansell, an English racing driver.
• 1956 – Cecilia Roth, an Argentinian actress.
• 1958 – Deborah Norville, an American journalist.
• 1961 – The Edge, a British-Irish musician from the band U2.
• 1962 – Kool Moe Dee, an American musician and actor.
• 1964 – Giuseppe Conte, a former Prime Minister of Italy.
• 1966 – Chris Eubank, an English boxer.
• 1968 – Huey Morgan, an American singer and guitarist.
• 1969 – Faye Wong, a Chinese singer and actress.
• 1973 – Scott Stapp, an American singer.
• 1976 – JC Chasez and Drew Lachey, American singers.
• 1977 – Lindsay Sloane, an American actress.
• 1978 – Louis Saha, a French footballer.
• 1979 – Rashard Lewis, an American basketball player.
• 1980 – Shayna Baszler, an American mixed martial artist and wrestler.
• 1981 – Roger Federer, a famous Swiss tennis player.
• 1981 – Meagan Good, an American actress.
• 1983 – Guy Burnet, an English actor.
• 1985 – Toby Flood, an English rugby player.
• 1986 – Jackie Cruz, a Dominican-American actress and singer.
• 1987 – Katie Leung, a Scottish actress.
• 1988 – Princess Beatrice, a British royal.
• 1988 – Danilo Gallinari, an Italian basketball player.
• 1990 – Kane Williamson, a New Zealand cricket captain.
• 1991 – Joël Matip, a Cameroonian footballer.
• 1998 – Ryan Garcia, an American boxer.
• 1998 – Shawn Mendes, a Canadian singer-songwriter.
• 2000 – Félix Auger-Aliassime, a Canadian tennis player.

Notable Deaths

Passed Away Before 1900

• 117 – Trajan, a Roman emperor.
• 753 – Hildegar, a bishop of Cologne.
• 869 – Lothair II, a Frankish king.
• 998 – Seo Hui, a Korean politician and diplomat.
• 1002 – Almanzor, a powerful minister in Córdoba.
• 1171 – Henry of Blois, a bishop of Winchester.
• 1303 – Henry of Castile the Senator, a Spanish nobleman.
• 1533 – Lucas van Leyden, a Dutch artist.
• 1555 – Oronce Finé, a French mathematician.
• 1588 – Alonso Sánchez Coello, a Spanish painter.
• 1604 – Horio Tadauji, a Japanese daimyō.
• 1616 – Cornelis Ketel, a Dutch painter.
• 1631 – Konstantinas Sirvydas, a Lithuanian priest and scholar.
• 1684 – George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer, an English politician.
• 1724 – Christoph Ludwig Agricola, a German painter.
• 1747 – Madeleine de Verchères, a Canadian raid leader.
• 1759 – Carl Heinrich Graun, a German tenor and composer.
• 1827 – George Canning, an English politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1828 – Carl Peter Thunberg, a Swedish botanist.
• 1858 – Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur, a Haitian Empress.
• 1863 – Angus MacAskill, a Scottish-Canadian giant.
• 1879 – Immanuel Hermann Fichte, a German philosopher.
• 1897 – Jacob Burckhardt, a Swiss historian.
• 1898 – Eugène Boudin, a French painter.

Passed Away After 1900

• 1902 – James Tissot, a French painter.
• 1909 – Mary MacKillop, an Australian nun and saint.
• 1921 – Juhani Aho, a Finnish journalist and author.
• 1928 – Stjepan Radić, a Croatian politician.
• 1934 – Wilbert Robinson, an American baseball player and manager.
• 1940 – Johnny Dodds, an American jazz musician.
• 1944 – Erwin von Witzleben, a German field marshal.
• 1950 – Fergus McMaster, an Australian businessman who founded Qantas airline.
• 1959 – Albert Namatjira, an Australian painter.
• 1965 – Shirley Jackson, an American novelist.
• 1973 – Vilhelm Moberg, a Swedish historian and author.
• 1974 – Elisabeth Abegg, a German anti-Nazi resistance fighter.
• 1975 – Cannonball Adderley, an American saxophonist.
• 1979 – Nicholas Monsarrat, an English author.
• 1981 – Thomas McElwee, an Irish republican.
• 1984 – Ellen Raskin, an American author and illustrator.
• 1985 – Louise Brooks, an American actress.
• 1988 – Félix Leclerc, a Canadian singer-songwriter.
• 1991 – James Irwin, an American astronaut.
• 1996 – Nevill Francis Mott, an English physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1998 – Mahmoud Saremi, an Iranian journalist.
• 2004 – Fay Wray, a Canadian-American actress.
• 2005 – Barbara Bel Geddes, an American actress.
• 2005 – John H. Johnson, an American publisher.
• 2009 – Daniel Jarque, a Spanish footballer.
• 2010 – Patricia Neal, an American actress.
• 2013 – Karen Black, an American actress.
• 2014 – Menahem Golan, an Israeli director and producer.
• 2015 – Sean Price, an American rapper.
• 2017 – Glen Campbell, an American singer-songwriter and actor.
• 2018 – Nicholas Bett, a Kenyan athlete.
• 2020 – Alfredo Lim, a Philippine politician.
• 2021 – Bill Davis, a Canadian politician.
• 2022 – Olivia Newton-John, a famous English-Australian singer and actress.
• 2023 – Rodriguez, an American singer and songwriter.

Special Days

• Ceasefire Day (end of Iran–Iraq War) (Iraqi Kurdistan)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Altmann of Passau
  • Cyriacus
  • Dominic de Guzmán, founder of the Dominican Order.
  • Four Crowned Martyrs
  • Mary MacKillop
• Father's Day or Bā bā Day (爸爸節), which means "father" and "8-8" in Mandarin. (Mongolia, Taiwan)
• Happiness Happens Day
• International Cat Day
• Namesday of the Queen (Sweden)
• Nane Nane Day (Tanzania)
• Signal Troops Day (Ukraine)

See also

In Spanish: 8 de agosto para niños