January 8 facts for kids

January 8 is the eighth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 357 days remain until the end of the year (358 in leap years).

January 8th is a special day filled with many interesting events throughout history! From ancient battles to important inventions and the birthdays of famous people, this date has seen a lot happen. Let's explore some of the key moments and notable figures connected to January 8th.

Historic Events

Early Times (Before 1600)

• 307 – Sima Chi became the new emperor of the Jin dynasty in ancient China.
• 871 – In England, King Æthelred I and Alfred the Great led an army from West Saxon to fight off Viking invaders in the Battle of Ashdown.
• 1297 – François Grimaldi, dressed as a monk, captured the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco. This started his family's rule over Monaco.
• 1454 – A special paper from the Pope, called Romanus Pontifex, gave Portugal the only rights to trade and start colonies in all of Africa south of Cape Bojador.
• 1499 – Louis XII of France married Anne of Brittany, following a rule set by the previous king.
• 1547 – The very first book written in the Lithuanian language, called the Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas, was printed in Königsberg.

Later Years (1601–1900)

• 1735 – The opera Ariodante by George Frideric Handel was first performed at the Royal Opera House in London.
• 1746 – During a Scottish uprising, Bonnie Prince Charlie took control of Stirling.
• 1790 – George Washington gave the first ever "State of the Union address" in New York City. This is a speech where the president talks about the country's situation.
• 1806 – The Dutch Cape Colony in southern Africa became the British Cape Colony after the Battle of Blaauwberg.
• 1811 – Charles Deslondes led a large, but unsuccessful, slave revolt in Louisiana, North America.
• 1815 – In the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson led American forces to a big victory over the British in the Battle of New Orleans.
• 1828 – The Democratic Party in the United States was officially formed.
• 1835 – US President Andrew Jackson announced that the United States national debt had been paid off completely, which has only happened once!
• 1863 – During the American Civil War, the Second Battle of Springfield took place.
• 1867 – The United States Congress passed a law allowing African American men to vote in Washington, D.C.
• 1877 – The famous Native American leader Crazy Horse and his warriors fought their last battle against the US Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana.
• 1889 – Herman Hollerith received a US patent for his "Art of Applying Statistics," which was a calculator using punched cards.
• 1900 – President William McKinley put Alaska under military rule.

Modern Era (1901–Present)

• 1912 – The African National Congress (ANC) was founded in South Africa. It was originally called the South African Native National Congress (SANNC).
• 1918 – US President Woodrow Wilson announced his "Fourteen Points," which were ideas for ending World War I and creating lasting peace.
• 1926 – Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuỵ was crowned the last emperor of Vietnam, known as Bảo Đại.
• 1936 – A law called Kashf-e hijab was put in place in Iran, banning Islamic veils in public.
• 1940 – During World War II, Britain started food rationing to make sure everyone had enough.
• 1945 – In World War II, Philippine troops attacked Japanese forces in Northern Luzon.
• 1956 – Five US missionaries were killed by the Huaorani people in Ecuador shortly after they first met.
• 1959 – Charles de Gaulle became the first President of the French Fifth Republic.
• 1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson announced a "War on Poverty" in the United States to help people in need.
• 1972 – President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto released Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison. Rahman had declared the independence of Bangladesh.
• 1973 – The Soviet space mission Luna 21 was launched.
• 1975 – Ella T. Grasso became Governor of Connecticut. She was the first woman in the US to become a governor without taking over from her husband.
• 1977 – Three bombs exploded in Moscow, Russia, killing seven people.
• 1981 – A farmer in Trans-en-Provence, France, reported seeing a UFO. This sighting is considered one of the most well-documented.
• 1982 – AT&T agreed to split into many smaller companies in the United States.
• 1989 – The Kegworth air disaster occurred when a Boeing 737-400 plane crashed in England, killing 47 people.
• 1994 – Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov went to the Mir space station. He stayed there for a record 437 days.
• 1996 – An Antonov An-32 cargo plane crashed into a busy market in Kinshasa, Zaire, killing many people on the ground.
• 2002 – US President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law, aiming to improve education.
• 2003 – Turkish Airlines Flight 634 crashed in Turkey, killing most people on board.
• 2003 – Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashed in Charlotte, killing all 21 people on board.
• 2004 – The RMS Queen Mary 2, a very large ocean liner, was officially named by Queen Elizabeth II.
• 2009 – A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake in northern Costa Rica killed 15 people.
• 2020 – Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed shortly after takeoff in Iran, killing all 176 people. The plane was shot down by a missile.
• 2023 – Supporters of former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the Brazilian Congress.

Famous Birthdays

Many interesting people were born on January 8th! Here are a few:

• 1037 – Su Dongpo, a famous Chinese writer and artist.
• 1587 – Johannes Fabricius, a German astronomer who studied the sun.
• 1642 – Galileo Galilei, an Italian scientist who made huge discoveries in physics and astronomy (died on this day in 1642).
• 1735 – John Carroll, who founded Georgetown University in the United States.
• 1823 – Alfred Russel Wallace, a Welsh scientist who helped develop the idea of evolution.
• 1824 – Wilkie Collins, an English novelist known for mystery stories.
• 1843 – Frederick Abberline, a famous English police officer.
• 1859 – Fanny Bullock Workman, an American explorer and mountain climber.
• 1867 – Emily Greene Balch, an American economist and writer who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1885 – John Curtin, who became the 14th Prime Minister of Australia.
• 1891 – Walther Bothe, a German physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1902 – Carl Rogers, an American psychologist.
• 1908 – William Hartnell, an English actor, famous for playing the First Doctor in Doctor Who.
• 1912 – José Ferrer, a Puerto Rican-American actor and director.
• 1935 – Elvis Presley, a legendary American singer and actor, often called the "King of Rock and Roll."
• 1937 – Shirley Bassey, a famous Welsh singer.
• 1941 – Graham Chapman, an English actor and writer, known for Monty Python.
• 1942 – Stephen Hawking, a brilliant English physicist and author.
• 1947 – David Bowie, an iconic English singer-songwriter and actor.
• 1958 – Betsy DeVos, an American businesswoman and politician.
• 1967 – R. Kelly, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1979 – Sarah Polley, a Canadian actress and director.
• 1982 – Kim Jong-un, the current leader of North Korea.
• 1987 – Cynthia Erivo, an English actress and singer-songwriter.
• 2000 – Noah Cyrus, an American singer and actress.

Notable Deaths

Some important people also passed away on January 8th:

• 307 – Hui of Jin, a Chinese emperor.
• 1337 – Giotto, a famous Italian painter and architect.
• 1642 – Galileo Galilei, the Italian physicist and astronomer (born on this day in 1564).
• 1713 – Arcangelo Corelli, an Italian violinist and composer.
• 1775 – John Baskerville, an English printer and type designer.
• 1825 – Eli Whitney, an American engineer who invented the cotton gin.
• 1878 – Nikolay Nekrasov, a Russian poet.
• 1941 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, an English general who founded the Scout movement.
• 1950 – Joseph Schumpeter, an important economist.
• 1976 – Zhou Enlai, the first Premier of the People's Republic of China.
• 1980 – John Mauchly, an American physicist who helped create early computers.
• 1996 – François Mitterrand, who was the 21st President of France.
• 1997 – Melvin Calvin, an American chemist who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 2002 – Dave Thomas, the American businessman who founded Wendy's restaurants.
• 2018 – Stephen Hawking, the brilliant English physicist and author (born on this day in 1942).
• 2024 – Adan Canto, a Mexican actor.

Holidays and Observances

• Babinden (celebrated in Belarus and Russia)
• Christian feast day for several saints, including Severinus of Noricum.
• Commonwealth Day (Northern Mariana Islands)
• Children's Day in Thailand (celebrated on the second Saturday in January).
• Typing Day (International observance)