April 8
Events
Pre-1600
- 217 - Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus.
- 876 - The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids.
- 1139 - Roger II of Sicily is excommunicated by Innocent II for supporting Anacletus II as pope for seven years, even though Roger had already publicly recognized Innocent's claim to the papacy.
- 1232 - Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols begin their siege on Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty.
- 1250 - Seventh Crusade: Ayyubids of Egypt capture King Louis IX of France in the Battle of Fariskur.
- 1271 - In Syria, sultan Baibars conquers the Krak des Chevaliers.
1601–1900
- 1605 - The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden.
- 1730 - Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in continental North America, is dedicated.
- 1812 - Czar Alexander I, the Russian Emperor and the Grand Duke of Finland, officially announces the transfer of the status of the Finnish capital from Turku to Helsinki.
- 1820 - The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
- 1832 - Black Hawk War: Around 300 United States 6th Infantry troops leave St. Louis, Missouri to fight the Sauk Native Americans.
- 1866 - Austro-Prussian War: Italy and Prussia sign a secret alliance against the Austrian Empire.
- 1886 - William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
- 1895 - In Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional.
1901–present
- 1904 - The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the Entente cordiale.
- 1940 - The Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party elects Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal as General Secretary, marking the beginning of his 44-year-long tenure as de facto leader of Mongolia.
- 1954 - A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 37 people.
- 1954 - South African Airways Flight 201: A de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 crashes into the sea during night killing 21 people.
- 1959 - A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.
- 1959 - The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.
- 1960 - The Netherlands and West Germany sign an agreement to negotiate the return of German land annexed by the Dutch in return for 280 million German marks as Wiedergutmachung.
- 1968 - BOAC Flight 712 catches fire shortly after takeoff. As a result of her actions in the accident, Barbara Jane Harrison is awarded a posthumous George Cross, the only GC awarded to a woman in peacetime.
- 1970 - Bahr El-Baqar primary school bombing: Israeli bombers strike an Egyptian school. Forty-six children are killed.
- 1974 - Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth as the all-time leader in career home runs by hitting his 715th home run off of Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
- 1990 - The conservative New Democracy party of Constantine Mitsotakis is elected in the Greek parliamentary election.
- 1993 - The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on mission STS-56.
- 2002 - The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-110, carrying the S0 truss to the International Space Station. Astronaut Jerry L. Ross also becomes the first person to fly on seven spaceflights.
- 2005 - A solar eclipse occurs, visible over areas of the Pacific Ocean and Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.
- 2010 - U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the New START Treaty.
- 2014 - Windows XP reaches its standard End Of Life and is no longer supported.
- 2020 - Bernie Sanders ends his presidential campaign, leaving Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee.
- 2024 - Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024: A total solar eclipse takes place at the Moon's ascending node, visible across North America.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1320 - Peter I of Portugal
- 1408 - Jadwiga of Lithuania, Polish princess
- 1435 - John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford, English noble
- 1533 - Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer
- 1536 - Barbara of Hesse
- 1541 - Michele Mercati, Italian physician and archaeologist
- 1580 - William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, English noble, courtier and patron of the arts
- 1596 - Juan van der Hamen, Spanish artist
1601–1900
- 1605 - Philip IV of Spain
- 1605 - Mary Stuart, English-Scottish princess
- 1641 - Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department
- 1692 - Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer
- 1726 - Lewis Morris, American judge and politician
- 1732 - David Rittenhouse, American astronomer and mathematician
- 1761 - William Joseph Chaminade, French priest, founded the Society of Mary
- 1770 - John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian banker and politician
- 1798 - Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet and author
- 1818 - Christian IX of Denmark
- 1818 - August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic
- 1826 - Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican soldier
- 1827 - Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican ophthalmologist, journalist, and politician
- 1842 - Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author and educator
- 1859 - Edmund Husserl, German Jewish-Austrian mathematician and philosopher
- 1864 - Carlos Deltour, French rower and rugby player
- 1867 - Allen Butler Talcott, American painter and educator
- 1869 - Harvey Cushing, American surgeon and academic
- 1871 - Clarence Hudson White, American photographer and educator
- 1874 - Manuel Díaz, Cuban fencer
- 1874 - Stanisław Taczak, Polish general
- 1875 - Albert I of Belgium
- 1882 - Dmytro Doroshenko, Lithuanian-Ukrainian historian and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Ukraine
- 1883 - R. P. Keigwin, English cricketer and academic
- 1883 - Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
- 1885 - Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier, composer, and educator
- 1886 - Margaret Ayer Barnes, American author and playwright
- 1888 - Dennis Chávez, American journalist and politician
- 1889 - Adrian Boult, English conductor
- 1892 - Richard Neutra, Austrian-American architect, designer of the Los Angeles County Hall of Records
- 1892 - Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of United Artists
- 1896 - Yip Harburg, American composer
- 1900 - Marie Byles, Australian solicitor
1901–present
- 1902 - Andrew Irvine, English mountaineer and explorer
- 1902 - Maria Maksakova Sr., Russian soprano
- 1904 - John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1904 - Hirsch Jacobs, American horse trainer
- 1905 - Joachim Büchner, German sprinter and graphic designer
- 1905 - Helen Joseph, English-South African activist
- 1905 - Erwin Keller, German field hockey player
- 1906 - Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator
- 1908 - Hugo Fregonese, Argentinian director and screenwriter
- 1909 - John Fante, American author and screenwriter
- 1910 - George Musso, American football player and police officer
- 1911 - Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1911 - Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and academic
- 1912 - Alois Brunner, Austrian-German SS officer
- 1912 - Sonja Henie, Norwegian-American figure skater and actress
- 1914 - María Félix, Yaqui/Basque-Mexican actress
- 1915 - Ivan Supek, Croatian physicist, philosopher and writer
- 1917 - Winifred Asprey, American mathematician and computer scientist
- 1917 - Lloyd Bott, Australian public servant
- 1917 - Hubertus Ernst, Dutch bishop
- 1917 - Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer
- 1918 - Betty Ford, American wife of Gerald Ford, 40th First Lady of the United States
- 1918 - Glendon Swarthout, American author and academic
- 1919 - Ian Smith, Zimbabwean lieutenant and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Rhodesia
- 1921 - Franco Corelli, Italian tenor and actor
- 1920 - Carmen McRae, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress
- 1921 - Jan Novák, Czech composer
- 1921 - Herman van Raalte, Dutch footballer
- 1923 - George Fisher, American cartoonist
- 1923 - Edward Mulhare, Irish-American actor
- 1924 - Frédéric Back, German-Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter
- 1924 - Anthony Farrar-Hockley, English general and historian
- 1924 - Kumar Gandharva, Hindustani classical singer
- 1924 - Sara Northrup Hollister, American occultist
- 1926 - Henry N. Cobb, American architect and academic, co-founded Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
- 1926 - Shecky Greene, American comedian
- 1926 - Jürgen Moltmann, German theologian and academic
- 1927 - Tilly Armstrong, English author
- 1927 - Ollie Mitchell, American trumpet player and bandleader
- 1928 - Fred Ebb, American lyricist
- 1929 - Jacques Brel, Belgian singer-songwriter and actor
- 1929 - Renzo De Felice, Italian historian and author
- 1930 - Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma
- 1931 - John Gavin, American actor and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Mexico
- 1931 - Jack Le Goff, French equestrian
- 1932 - Iskandar of Johor
- 1933 - James Lockhart, American scholar of colonial Latin America, especially Nahua peoples
- 1934 - Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower and Singapore Flyer
- 1935 - Oscar Zeta Acosta, American lawyer and politician
- 1935 - Albert Bustamante, American soldier, educator, and politician
- 1936 - Ghassan Kanafani, Palestinian author and politician
- 1937 - Tony Barton, English footballer and manager
- 1937 - Seymour Hersh, American journalist and author
- 1937 - Momo Kapor, Serbian author and painter
- 1938 - Kofi Annan, Ghanaian economist and diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations
- 1938 - John Hamm, Canadian physician and politician, 25th Premier of Nova Scotia
- 1938 - Mary W. Gray, American mathematician, statistician, and lawyer
- 1939 - Manolis Angelopoulos, Greek singer, composer and songwriter
- 1939 - John Arbuthnott, Scottish microbiologist and academic
- 1939 - Trina Schart Hyman, American author and illustrator
- 1939 - Martin J. Schreiber, American politician, 39th Governor of Wisconsin
- 1940 - John Havlicek, American basketball player
- 1941 - Vivienne Westwood, English fashion designer
- 1942 - Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
- 1942 - Roger Chapman, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1942 - Douglas Trumbull, American director, producer, and special effects artist
- 1943 - Michael Bennett, American dancer, choreographer, and director
- 1943 - Miller Farr, American football player
- 1943 - James Herbert, English author and illustrator
- 1943 - Chris Orr, English painter and illustrator
- 1944 - Hywel Bennett, Welsh actor
- 1944 - Odd Nerdrum, Swedish-Norwegian painter and illustrator
- 1945 - Derrick Walker, Scottish businessman
- 1945 - Jang Yong, South Korean actor
- 1946 - Catfish Hunter, American baseball player
- 1946 - Tim Thomerson, American actor and producer
- 1947 - Tom DeLay, American lawyer and politician
- 1947 - Steve Howe, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1947 - Pascal Lamy, French businessman and politician, European Commissioner for Trade
- 1947 - Larry Norman, American singer-songwriter, and producer
- 1948 - Barbara Young, Baroness Young of Old Scone, Scottish academic and politician
- 1949 - K. C. Kamalasabayson, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 39th Attorney General of Sri Lanka
- 1949 - John Madden, English director and producer
- 1949 - Brenda Russell, African-American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1949 - John Scott, English sociologist and academic
- 1950 - Grzegorz Lato, Polish footballer and coach
- 1951 - Gerd Andres, German politician
- 1951 - Geir Haarde, Icelandic economist, journalist, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Iceland
- 1951 - Mel Schacher, American bass player
- 1951 - Joan Sebastian, Mexican singer-songwriter and actor
- 1951 - Phil Schaap, American jazz disc jockey and historian
- 1952 - Ahmet Piriştina, Turkish politician
- 1954 - Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach
- 1954 - Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco
- 1954 - G.V. Loganathan, Indian-American engineer and academic
- 1955 - Gerrie Coetzee, South African boxer
- 1955 - Ron Johnson, American businessman and politician
- 1955 - Barbara Kingsolver, American novelist, essayist and poet
- 1955 - David Wu, Taiwanese-American lawyer and politician
- 1956 - Michael Benton, Scottish-English paleontologist and academic
- 1956 - Christine Boisson, French actress
- 1956 - Roman Dragoun, Czech singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1958 - Detlef Bruckhoff, German footballer
- 1958 - Tom Petranoff, American javelin thrower and coach
- 1959 - Alain Bondue, French cyclist
- 1960 - John Schneider, American actor and country singer
- 1961 - Richard Hatch, American reality contestant
- 1961 - Brian McDermott, English footballer and manager
- 1962 - Paddy Lowe, English engineer
- 1962 - Izzy Stradlin, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1963 - Tine Asmundsen, Norwegian bassist
- 1963 - Julian Lennon, English singer-songwriter
- 1963 - Dean Norris, American actor
- 1963 - Terry Porter, American basketball player and coach
- 1963 - Donita Sparks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1963 - Alec Stewart, English cricketer
- 1964 - Biz Markie, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1964 - John McGinlay, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1965 - Steven Blaney, Canadian businessman and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of Public Safety
- 1965 - Michael Jones, New Zealand rugby player and coach
- 1966 - Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress
- 1966 - Mark Blundell, English race car driver
- 1966 - Andy Currier, English rugby league player
- 1966 - Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand-Australian television host
- 1966 - Dalton Grant, English high jumper
- 1966 - Mazinho, Brazilian footballer, coach, and manager
- 1966 - Harri Rovanperä, Finnish race car driver
- 1966 - Evripidis Stylianidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister for the Interior
- 1966 - Robin Wright, American actress, director, producer
- 1967 - Kenny Benjamin, Antiguan cricketer
- 1968 - Patricia Arquette, American actress and director
- 1968 - Patricia Girard, French runner and hurdler
- 1968 - Tracy Grammer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1971 - Darren Jessee, American singer-songwriter and drummer
- 1972 - Paul Gray, American bass player and songwriter
- 1972 - Sergei Magnitsky, Russian lawyer and accountant
- 1973 - Khaled Badra, Tunisian footballer
- 1973 - Emma Caulfield, American actress
- 1973 - Christof May, German theologian
- 1974 - Toutai Kefu, Tongan-Australian rugby player
- 1974 - Chris Kyle, American sniper and memoirist
- 1974 - Nnedi Okorafor, Nigerian-American author and educator
- 1974 - Nayden Todorov, Bulgarian conductor and culture minister
- 1975 - Anouk, Dutch singer
- 1975 - Francesco Flachi, Italian footballer
- 1975 - Timo Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1975 - Funda Arar, Turkish singer
- 1977 - Ana de la Reguera, Mexican actress
- 1977 - Mehran Ghassemi, Iranian journalist and author
- 1977 - Mark Spencer, American computer programmer and engineer
- 1978 - Daigo, Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, and voice actor
- 1978 - Bernt Haas, Austrian-Swiss footballer
- 1978 - Rachel Roberts, Canadian model and actress
- 1978 - Jocelyn Robichaud, Canadian tennis player and coach
- 1978 - Evans Rutto, Kenyan runner
- 1979 - Alexi Laiho, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 - Amit Trivedi, Indian singer-songwriter
- 1980 - Manuel Ortega, Austrian singer
- 1980 - Katee Sackhoff, American actress
- 1980 - Mariko Seyama, Japanese announcer, photographer, and model
- 1981 - Frédérick Bousquet, French swimmer
- 1981 - Taylor Kitsch, Canadian actor and model
- 1981 - Ofer Shechter, Israeli model, actor, and screenwriter
- 1982 - Gennady Golovkin, Kazakhstani boxer
- 1982 - Brett White, Australian rugby league player
- 1982 - Allu Arjun, Indian actor
- 1983 - Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova, Russian runner
- 1984 - Michelle Donelan, British politician
- 1984 - Ezra Koenig, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1984 - Pablo Portillo, Mexican singer and actor
- 1984 - Taran Noah Smith, American actor
- 1985 - Patrick Schliwa, German rugby player
- 1985 - Yemane Tsegay, Ethiopian runner
- 1986 - Igor Akinfeev, Russian footballer
- 1986 - Félix Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1986 - Carlos Santana, Dominican baseball player
- 1987 - Royston Drenthe, Dutch footballer
- 1987 - Jeremy Hellickson, American baseball player
- 1987 - Elton John, Trinidadian footballer
- 1987 - Sam Rapira, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1988 - Jenni Asserholt, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1989 - Matty Healy, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1990 - Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer
- 1992 - Jeff McNeil, American baseball player
- 1993 - Viktor Arvidsson, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1993 - TBJZL, English YouTuber
- 1994 - Josh Chudleigh, Australian rugby league player
- 1995 - Forrest Frank, American singer-songwriter
- 1995 - Cedi Osman, Turkish professional basketball player
- 1996 - Anna Korakaki, Greek Olympic shooter
- 1997 - Kim Woo-jin, South Korean singer
- 1997 - Saygrace, Australian singer and songwriter
- 1997 - Roquan Smith, American football player
- 1997 - Arno Verschueren, Belgian footballer
- 1997 - Keira Walsh, English footballer
- 1998 - Lavinia Valbonesi, Ecuadorian nutritionist, businesswoman and First Lady of Ecuador
- 1999 - CeeDee Lamb, American football player
- 2002 - Jamie Drysdale, Canadian ice hockey player
- 2002 - Viktória Forster, Slovak track and field athlete
- 2002 - Skai Jackson, American actress
- 2005 - Zaccharie Risacher, French basketball player
- 2013 - Big Justice, American social media personality