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On This Day in History — November 8
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Highlights of November 8
- 2020 — Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijani forces defeated the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh in the Battle of Shusha, reclaiming the town after 28 years. Read more
- 2017 — The Louvre Abu Dhabi was inaugurated by the French president Emmanuel Macron and then-crown prince of Abu Dhabi Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Read more
- 2013 — Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Visayas region of the Philippines, killing at least 6,300 people, making it the deadliest Philippine typhoon recorded in modern history. Read more
- 1999 — German newspaper Der Spiegel publishes a report by the Federal Intelligence Service accusing figures in Liechtenstein of cooperating with organized crime. Read more
- 1987 — A Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb exploded during a Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, killing 12 people and injuring 63 others. Read more
- 1974 — British peer Lord Lucan disappeared without a trace, a day after allegedly murdering Sandra Rivett, his children's nanny. Read more
- 1971 — English rock group Led Zeppelin released their fourth album, which became one of the best-selling albums worldwide. Read more
- 1966 — Former Massachusetts attorney general Edward Brooke became the first African American elected to the United States Senate since Reconstruction. Read more
- 1965 — Vietnam War: In the Battle of Gang Toi, one of the earliest battles between the two sides, Viet Cong forces repelled an Australian attack. Read more
- 1957 — En route from San Francisco to Honolulu, Pan Am Flight 7 crashed into the Pacific Ocean due to unknown causes, killing all 44 people on board. Read more
- 1940 — The Italian invasion of Greece failed as outnumbered Greek units repulsed the Italians at the Battle of Elaia–Kalamas. Read more
- 1932 — The Australian military withdrew from their "war against emus" in Western Australia, due to negative press coverage of the operation. Read more
- 1644 — The Shunzhi Emperor (portrait shown), the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, was enthroned in Beijing after the collapse of the Ming dynasty as the first Qing emperor to rule over China. Read more
- 1520 — After his coronation as king of Sweden, Christian II (pictured) gave the order to execute nearly 100 people, mostly noblemen, despite promises of general amnesty. Read more
- 1291 — A law was passed that confined most of Venice's glassmaking industry to nearby Murano. Read more
- 1278 — Trần Thánh Tông, the second emperor of Vietnam's Trần dynasty, took up the title of retired emperor, but continued to co-rule with his son Nhân Tông for eleven more years. Read more
- 960 — Arab–Byzantine wars: Having been the target of many raids by the Emirate of Aleppo, Byzantine forces led by Leo Phokas the Younger ambushed the Hamdanids and annihilated their army. Read more
Events
- 2020 — Myanmar holds the 2020 general election, re-electing a government led by the National League for Democracy, which is deposed by the Burmese military the following February during the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. Read more
- 2017 — The Louvre Abu Dhabi was inaugurated by the French president Emmanuel Macron and then-crown prince of Abu Dhabi Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Read more
- 2016 — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly announces the withdrawal of ₹500 and ₹1000 denomination banknotes. Read more
- 2016 — Donald Trump is elected the 45th President of the United States, defeating Hillary Clinton, the first woman ever to receive a major party's nomination. Read more
- 2013 — Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, strikes the Visayas region of the Philippines; the storm left at least 6,340 people dead with over 1,000 still missing, and caused $2.86 billion (2013 USD; equivalent to $3.95 billion in 2025) in damage. Read more
- 2011 — The potentially hazardous asteroid 2005 YU55 passes 0.85 lunar distances from Earth (about 324,600 kilometres or 201,700 miles), the closest known approach by an asteroid of its brightness since 2010 XC15 in 1976. Read more
- 2006 — Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Israeli Defense Force kill 19 Palestinian civilians in their homes during the shelling of Beit Hanoun. Read more
- 2004 — Iraq War: More than 10,000 U.S. troops and a small number of Iraqi army units participate in a siege on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah. Read more
- 2002 — Iraq disarmament crisis: UN Security Council Resolution 1441: The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves a resolution on Iraq, forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face "serious consequences". Read more
- 1999 — Bruce Miller is killed at his junkyard near Flint, Michigan. His wife Sharee Miller, who convinced her online lover Jerry Cassaday to kill him (before later killing himself) was convicted of the crime, in what became the world's first Internet murder. Read more
- 1997 — Eritrea adopts the nakfa as its official currency. Read more
- 1994 — Republican Revolution: On the night of the 1994 United States midterm elections, Republicans make historic electoral gains by securing massive majorities in both houses of Congress (54 seats in the House and eight seats in the Senate, additionally), thus bringing to a close four decades of Democratic domination. Read more
- 1988 — U.S. Vice President George H. W. Bush is elected as the 41st president. Read more
- 1987 — Remembrance Day bombing: A Provisional IRA bomb explodes in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland during a ceremony honouring those who had died in wars involving British forces. Twelve people are killed and sixty-three wounded. Read more
- 1983 — TAAG Angola Airlines Flight 462 crashes after takeoff from Lubango Airport killing all 130 people on board. UNITA claims to have shot down the aircraft, though this is disputed. Read more
- 1981 — Aeroméxico Flight 110 crashes near Zihuatanejo, Mexico, killing all 18 people on board. Read more
- 1977 — Manolis Andronikos, a Greek archaeologist and professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, discovers the tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Vergina. Read more
- 1973 — The right ear of John Paul Getty III is delivered to a newspaper outlet along with a ransom note, convincing his father to pay US$2.9 million. Read more
- 1972 — American pay television network Home Box Office (HBO) launches. Read more
- 1968 — The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic is signed to facilitate international road traffic and to increase road safety by standardising the uniform traffic rules among the signatories. Read more
- 1966 — Former Massachusetts Attorney General Edward Brooke becomes the first African American elected to the United States Senate since Reconstruction. Read more
- 1966 — U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law an antitrust exemption allowing the National Football League to merge with the upstart American Football League. Read more
- 1965 — The British Indian Ocean Territory is created, consisting of Chagos Archipelago, Aldabra, Farquhar and Des Roches islands. Read more
- 1965 — The Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965 is given Royal Assent, formally abolishing the death penalty in the United Kingdom for almost all crimes. Read more
- 1965 — The 173rd Airborne is ambushed by over 1,200 Viet Cong in Operation Hump during the Vietnam War, while the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment fight one of the first set-piece engagements of the war between Australian forces and the Viet Cong at the Battle of Gang Toi. Read more
- 1965 — American Airlines Flight 383 crashes in Constance, Kentucky, killing 58. Read more
- 1963 — Finnair's Aero Flight 217 crashes near Mariehamn Airport in Jomala, Åland, killing 22 people. Read more
- 1960 — John F. Kennedy is elected as the 35th President of the United States, defeating incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon, who would later be elected president in 1968 and 1972. Read more
- 1957 — Pan Am Flight 7 disappears between San Francisco and Honolulu. Wreckage and bodies are discovered a week later. Read more
- 1957 — Operation Grapple X, Round C1: The United Kingdom conducts its first successful hydrogen bomb test over Kiritimati in the Pacific. Read more
- 1950 — Korean War: United States Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown, while piloting an F-80 Shooting Star, shoots down two North Korean MiG-15s in the first jet aircraft-to-jet aircraft dogfight in history. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: French Resistance coup in Algiers, in which 400 civilian French patriots neutralize Vichyist XIXth Army Corps after 15 hours of fighting, and arrest several Vichyist generals, allowing the immediate success of Operation Torch in Algiers. Read more
- 1940 — Greco-Italian War: The Italian invasion of Greece fails as outnumbered Greek units repulse the Italians in the Battle of Elaia–Kalamas. Read more
- 1939 — Venlo Incident: Two British agents of SIS are captured by the Germans. Read more
- 1939 — In Munich, Adolf Hitler narrowly escapes the assassination attempt of Georg Elser while celebrating the 16th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch. Read more
- 1937 — The Nazi exhibition Der ewige Jude ("The Eternal Jew") opens in Munich. Read more
- 1936 — Spanish Civil War: Francoist troops fail in their effort to capture Madrid, but begin the three-year Siege of Madrid afterwards. Read more
- 1933 — Great Depression: New Deal: US President Franklin D. Roosevelt unveils the Civil Works Administration, an organization designed to create jobs for more than four million unemployed. Read more
- 1932 — Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected as the 32nd President of the United States, defeating incumbent president Herbert Hoover. Read more
- 1923 — Beer Hall Putsch: In Munich, Adolf Hitler leads the Nazis in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government. Read more
- 1920 — Rupert Bear, illustrated by Mary Tourtel makes his first appearance in print. Read more
- 1919 — Eichenfeld massacre: Members of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine murder 136 Mennonite colonists at Jaskyowo, initiating a series of massacres that resulted in the deaths of 827 Ukrainian Mennonites. Read more
- 1917 — The first Council of People's Commissars is formed, including Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. Read more
- 1901 — Gospel riots: Bloody clashes take place in Athens following the translation of the Gospels into demotic Greek. Read more
- 1895 — While experimenting with electricity, Wilhelm Röntgen discovers the X-ray. Read more
- 1892 — The New Orleans general strike begins, uniting black and white American trade unionists in a successful four-day general strike action for the first time. Read more
- 1892 — The Carmaux-Bons Enfants bombing marks the start of Émile Henry's attacks into the Ère des attentats (1892–1894). Read more
- 1889 — Montana is admitted as the 41st U.S. state. Read more
- 1861 — American Civil War: The "Trent Affair": The USS San Jacinto stops the British mail ship Trent and arrests two Confederate envoys, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the UK and US. Read more
- 1837 — Mary Lyon founds Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, which later becomes Mount Holyoke College. Read more
- 1745 — Charles Edward Stuart invades England with an army of approximately 5,000 that would later participate in the Battle of Culloden. Read more
- 1644 — The Shunzhi Emperor, the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, is enthroned in Beijing after the collapse of the Ming dynasty as the first Qing emperor to rule over China. Read more
- 1620 — The Battle of White Mountain takes place near Prague, ending in a decisive Catholic victory in only two hours. Read more
- 1614 — Japanese daimyō Dom Justo Takayama is exiled to the Philippines by shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu for being Christian. Read more
- 1605 — Robert Catesby, ringleader of the Gunpowder Plotters, is killed. Read more
- 1602 — The Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford is opened to the public. Read more
- 1576 — Eighty Years' War: Pacification of Ghent: The States General of the Netherlands meet and unite to oppose Spanish occupation. Read more
- 1520 — After being crowned king of Sweden, Christian II gave the order to execute nearly 100 people, mostly noblemen, despite promises of general amnesty. Read more
- 1519 — Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with a great celebration. Read more
- 1291 — The Republic of Venice enacts a law confining most of Venice's glassmaking industry to the "island of Murano". Read more
Born on November 8
- 2004 — Ilyas Ansah, German footballer Read more
- 2000 — Jade Pettyjohn, American actress Read more
- 2000 — Jasmine Thompson, English singer Read more
- 1999 — Isaac Bonga, German basketball player Read more
- 1999 — Katherine Uchida, Canadian rhythmic gymnast Read more
- 1997 — Leonardo Fernández, Uruguayan footballer Read more
- 1997 — Akram Tawfik, Egyptian footballer Read more
- 1996 — Jens Stage, Danish footballer Read more
- 1994 — Lauren Alaina, American singer and songwriter Read more
- 1993 — Przemek Karnowski, Polish basketball player Read more
- 1993 — Fraser Mullen, Scottish footballer Read more
- 1992 — Christophe Vincent, French footballer Read more
- 1991 — Aaron Fotheringham, American wheelchair athlete Read more
- 1991 — Jack Littlejohn, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1991 — Riker Lynch, American actor and singer Read more
- 1991 — DanTDM, English YouTube personality and pro gamer Read more
- 1990 — Flavinha, Brazilian politician Read more
- 1990 — Ingrid Puusta, Estonian sailor Read more
- 1989 — Morgan Schneiderlin, French footballer Read more
- 1989 — Giancarlo Stanton, American baseball player Read more
- 1989 — SZA, American singer-songwriter Read more
- 1988 — Yasmani Grandal, Cuban-American baseball player Read more
- 1988 — Jessica Lowndes, Canadian actress and singer Read more
- 1988 — Lucia Slaničková, Slovak heptathlete Read more
- 1988 — Malcolm Thomas, American basketball player Read more
- 1987 — Édgar Benítez, Paraguayan footballer Read more
- 1987 — Sam Bradford, American football player Read more
- 1987 — Mohd Faiz Subri, Malaysian footballer Read more
- 1986 — Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, Austrian tennis player Read more
- 1986 — Jamie Roberts, Welsh rugby player Read more
- 1986 — Aaron Swartz, American computer programmer and activist (died 2013) Read more
- 1985 — Magda Apanowicz, Canadian actress Read more
- 1985 — Míchel, Spanish footballer Read more
- 1985 — Jack Osbourne, English-American television personality Read more
- 1984 — Kuntal Chandra, Bangladeshi cricketer (died 2012) Read more
- 1984 — Keith Lee, American wrestler Read more
- 1984 — Yoko Mitsuya, Japanese model and actress Read more
- 1984 — Steven Webb, English actor Read more
- 1983 — Danielle Valore Evans, American short story writer Read more
- 1983 — Sinan Güler, Turkish basketball player Read more
Died on November 8
- 2025 — Graham Richardson, Australian politician (born 1949) Read more
- 2024 — Elizabeth Nunez, American novelist (born 1944) Read more
- 2024 — June Spencer, English actress (born 1919) Read more
- 2024 — Trevor Sorbie, Scottish hairdresser (born 1949) Read more
- 2020 — Alex Trebek, Canadian-American television personality and longtime host of Jeopardy! (born 1940) Read more
- 2018 — Dennis Wrong, Canadian-born American sociologist (born 1923) Read more
- 2015 — Rhea Chiles, American philanthropist, founded the Polk Museum of Art (born 1930) Read more
- 2015 — Joseph Cure, American ice hockey player and actor (born 1984) Read more
- 2015 — Rod Davies, Australian-English astronomer and academic (born 1930) Read more
- 2015 — Om Prakash Mehra, Indian air marshal and politician (born 1919) Read more
- 2015 — Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero, Sri Lankan monk and activist (born 1942) Read more
- 2014 — Phil Crane, American academic and politician (born 1930) Read more
- 2014 — Luigi Gorrini, Italian soldier and pilot (born 1917) Read more
- 2014 — Don Paul, American football player and sportscaster (born 1925) Read more
- 2014 — Hugo Sánchez Portugal, Spanish-Mexican footballer and sportscaster (born 1984) Read more
- 2014 — Ernie Vandeweghe, Canadian-American basketball player and physician (born 1928) Read more
- 2013 — William C. Davidon, American physicist, mathematician, and academic (born 1927) Read more
- 2013 — Penn Kimball, American journalist and academic (born 1915) Read more
- 2013 — Arnold Rosner, American composer (born 1945) Read more
- 2013 — Chiyoko Shimakura, Japanese singer and actress (born 1938) Read more
- 2013 — Amanchi Venkata Subrahmanyam, Indian journalist and actor (born 1957) Read more
- 2012 — Lee MacPhail, American businessman (born 1917) Read more
- 2012 — Pete Namlook, German composer and producer (born 1960) Read more
- 2012 — Peggy Vaughan, American author (born 1936) Read more
- 2011 — Heavy D, Jamaican-American rapper, producer, and actor (born 1967) Read more
- 2011 — Bil Keane, American cartoonist (born 1922) Read more
- 2010 — Quintin Dailey, American basketball player (born 1961) Read more
- 2010 — Jack Levine, American soldier and painter (born 1915) Read more
- 2010 — Emilio Eduardo Massera, Argentinian admiral (born 1925) Read more
- 2009 — Vitaly Ginzburg, Russian physicist and astrophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916) Read more
- 2007 — Aad Nuis, Dutch journalist, poet, and politician (born 1933) Read more
- 2007 — Dulce Saguisag, Filipino politician, 10th Filipino Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (born 1943) Read more
- 2007 — Chad Varah, English priest, founded The Samaritans (born 1911) Read more
- 2006 — Basil Poledouris, American composer and conductor (born 1945) Read more
- 2006 — Hannspeter Winter, Austrian physicist and academic (born 1941) Read more
- 2005 — Alekos Alexandrakis, Greek actor and director (born 1928) Read more
- 2005 — David Westheimer, American soldier and author (born 1917) Read more
- 2004 — Peter Mathers, English-Australian author and playwright (born 1931) Read more
- 2003 — Bob Grant, English actor and screenwriter (born 1932) Read more
- 2003 — C.Z. Guest, American actress, fashion designer, and author (born 1920) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day:
Four Crowned Martyrs; Christian feast day:
Godfrey of Amiens; Christian feast day:
Johann von Staupitz (Lutheran); Christian feast day:
Blessed John Duns Scotus; Christian feast day:
Saints and Martyrs of England (Church of England); Christian feast day:
Tysilio; Christian feast day:
Willehad of Bremen; Christian feast day:
November 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Intersex Day of Remembrance (New South Wales, Australia); International Day of Radiology (European Society of Radiology); National Aboriginal Veterans Day (Canada); Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the other Bodiless Powers of Heaven (Eastern Orthodox Church); World Urbanism Day; Victory Day (Azerbaijan)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “November 8”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.