July 8
Events
Pre-1600
- 1167 - The Byzantines defeat the Hungarian army decisively at Sirmium, forcing the Hungarians to sue for peace.
- 1283 - Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese fleet, defeats an Angevin fleet sent to put down a rebellion on Malta.
- 1497 - Vasco da Gama sets sail on the first direct European voyage to India.
- 1579 - Our Lady of Kazan, a holy icon of the Russian Orthodox Church, is discovered underground in the city of Kazan, Tatarstan.
1601–1900
- 1663 - Charles II of England grants John Clarke a Royal charter to Rhode Island.
- 1709 - Peter I of Russia defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava, thus effectively ending Sweden's status as a major power in Europe.
- 1716 - The Battle of Dynekilen forces Sweden to abandon its invasion of Norway.
- 1730 - An estimated magnitude 8.7 earthquake causes a tsunami that damages more than of Chile's coastline.
- 1741 - Reverend Jonathan Edwards preaches to his congregation in Enfield, Connecticut his most famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"; an influence for the First Great Awakening.
- 1758 - French forces hold Fort Carillon against the British at Ticonderoga, New York.
- 1760 - British forces defeat French forces in the last naval battle in New France.
- 1775 - The Olive Branch Petition is signed by the Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies of North America.
- 1776 - Church bells are rung after John Nixon delivers the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
- 1822 - Chippewas turn over a huge tract of land in Ontario to the United Kingdom.
- 1853 - The Perry Expedition arrives in Edo Bay with a treaty requesting trade.
- 1859 - King Charles XV & IV accedes to the throne of Sweden–Norway.
- 1864 - Ikedaya Incident: The Choshu Han shishis planned Shinsengumi sabotage on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya.
- 1874 - The Mounties begin their March West.
- 1876 - The Hamburg massacre prior to the 1876 United States presidential election results in the deaths of six African-Americans of the Republican Party, along with one white assailant.
- 1879 - Sailing ship departs San Francisco carrying an ill-fated expedition to the North Pole.
- 1889 - The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published.
- 1892 - St. John's, Newfoundland is devastated in the Great Fire of 1892.
- 1898 - The death of crime boss Soapy Smith, killed in the Shootout on Juneau Wharf, releases Skagway, Alaska from his iron grip.
1901–present
- 1912 - Henrique Mitchell de Paiva Couceiro leads an unsuccessful royalist attack against the First Portuguese Republic in Chaves.
- 1932 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level of the Great Depression, closing at 41.22.
- 1933 - The first rugby union test match between the Wallabies of Australia and the Springboks of South Africa is played at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
- 1937 - Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan sign the Treaty of Saadabad.
- 1947 - Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident.
- 1948 - The United States Air Force accepts its first female recruits into a program called the Women's Air Force.
- 1960 - Francis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union.
- 1962 - Ne Win besieges and blows up the Rangoon University Student Union building to crush the Student Movement.
- 1965 - Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21 is destroyed by a bomb near 100 Mile House, Canada, killing 52.
- 1966 - King Mwambutsa IV Bangiriceng of Burundi is deposed by his son Prince Charles Ndizi.
- 1968 - The Chrysler wildcat strike begins in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1970 - Richard Nixon delivers a special congressional message enunciating Native American self-determination as official US Indian policy, leading to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.
- 1972 - Israeli Mossad assassinate Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani.
- 1980 - The inaugural 1980 State of Origin game is won by Queensland who defeat New South Wales 20–10 at Lang Park.
- 1980 - Aeroflot Flight 4225 crashes near Almaty International Airport in the then Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic killing all 166 people on board.
- 1982 - A failed assassination attempt against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein results in the Dujail Massacre over the next several months.
- 1988 - The Island Express train travelling from Bangalore to Kanyakumari derails on the Peruman bridge and falls into Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala in India killing 105 passengers and injuring over 200 more.
- 1990 - West Germany win the FIFA World Cup final against defending champions Argentina, with Andreas Brehme scoring the game's only goal.
- 1994 - Kim Jong Il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il Sung.
- 1994 - Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on an international science mission.
- 2003 - Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashes near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117 people on board.
- 2011 - Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program.
- 2014 - Israel launches an offensive on Gaza amid rising tensions following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers.
- 2014 - The Brazil national football team suffers its joint-worst defeat, losing 7–1 to Germany in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup, in a match dubbed the Mineiraço.
- 2022 - Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is shot and killed with an improvised firearm due to resentment against the Unification Church.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1478 - Gian Giorgio Trissino, Italian linguist, poet, and playwright
- 1528 - Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
- 1538 - Alberto Bolognetti, Roman Catholic cardinal
- 1545 - Carlos, Prince of Asturias
- 1593 - Artemisia Gentileschi, Italian painter
1601–1900
- 1621 - Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet
- 1760 - Christian Kramp, French mathematician and academic
- 1766 - Dominique Jean Larrey, French surgeon
- 1779 - Giorgio Pullicino, Maltese painter and architect
- 1819 - Francis Leopold McClintock, Irish admiral and explorer
- 1830 - Frederick W. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Assistant Secretary of State
- 1831 - John Pemberton, American chemist and pharmacist, invented Coca-Cola
- 1836 - Joseph Chamberlain, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies
- 1838 - Eli Lilly, American soldier, chemist, and businessman, founded Eli Lilly and Company
- 1838 - Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and businessman, founded the Zeppelin Airship Company
- 1839 - John D. Rockefeller, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company
- 1851 - Arthur Evans, English archaeologist and academic
- 1851 - John Murray, Australian politician, 23rd Premier of Victoria
- 1857 - Alfred Binet, French psychologist and graphologist
- 1867 - Käthe Kollwitz, German painter and sculptor
- 1876 - Alexandros Papanastasiou, Greek sociologist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece
- 1882 - Percy Grainger, Australian-American pianist and composer
- 1885 - Ernst Bloch, German philosopher, author, and academic
- 1885 - Hugo Boss, German fashion designer, founded Hugo Boss
- 1890 - Stanton Macdonald-Wright, American painter
- 1892 - Richard Aldington, English author and poet
- 1892 - Pavel Korin, Russian painter
- 1893 - R. Carlyle Buley, American historian and author
- 1894 - Pyotr Kapitsa, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1895 - Igor Tamm, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1898 - Melville Ruick, American actor
- 1900 - George Antheil, American pianist, composer, and author
1901–present
- 1904 - Henri Cartan, French mathematician and academic
- 1905 - Leonid Amalrik, Russian animator and director
- 1906 - Philip Johnson, American architect, designed the IDS Center and PPG Place
- 1907 - George W. Romney, American businessman and politician, 43rd Governor of Michigan
- 1908 - Louis Jordan, American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and actor
- 1908 - Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States
- 1908 - V. K. R. Varadaraja Rao, Indian economist, politician, professor and educator
- 1909 - Alan Brown, English soldier
- 1909 - Ike Petersen, American football player
- 1910 - Carlos Betances Ramírez, Puerto Rican general
- 1911 - Ken Farnes, English cricketer
- 1913 - Alejandra Soler, Spanish politician
- 1914 - Jyoti Basu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of West Bengal
- 1914 - Billy Eckstine, American singer and trumpet player
- 1915 - Neil D. Van Sickle, American Air Force major general
- 1915 - Lowell English, United States Marine Corps general
- 1916 - Jean Rouverol, American author, actress and screenwriter
- 1917 - Pamela Brown, English actress
- 1917 - Faye Emerson, American actress
- 1917 - J. F. Powers, American novelist and short story writer
- 1918 - Paul B. Fay, American businessman, soldier, and diplomat, 12th United States Secretary of the Navy
- 1918 - Irwin Hasen, American illustrator
- 1918 - Oluf Reed-Olsen, Norwegian resistance member and pilot
- 1918 - Julia Pirie, British spy working for MI5
- 1918 - Edward B. Giller, American Air Force major general
- 1918 - Craig Stevens, American actor
- 1919 - Walter Scheel, German soldier and politician, 4th President of West Germany
- 1920 - Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman
- 1921 - John Money, New Zealand psychologist and sexologist, known for his research on gender identity, and responsible for controversial involuntary sex reassignment of David Reimer
- 1923 - Harrison Dillard, American sprinter and hurdler
- 1923 - Val Bettin, American actor
- 1924 - Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter
- 1924 - Charles C. Droz, American politician
- 1925 - Marco Cé, Italian cardinal
- 1925 - Arthur Imperatore Sr., Italian-American businessman
- 1925 - Bill Mackrides, American football quarterback
- 1925 - Dominique Nohain, French actor, screenwriter and director
- 1926 - David Malet Armstrong, Australian philosopher and author
- 1926 - John Dingell, American lieutenant and politician
- 1926 - Martin Riesen, Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender
- 1926 - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist and author
- 1927 - Maurice Hayes, Irish educator and politician
- 1927 - Khensur Lungri Namgyel, Tibetan religious leader
- 1927 - Bob Beckham, American country singer
- 1928 - Balakh Sher Mazari, former prime minister of Pakistan
- 1930 - Jerry Vale, American singer
- 1933 - Antonio Lamer, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Chief Justice of Canada
- 1934 - Raquel Correa, Chilean journalist
- 1934 - Edward D. DiPrete, American politician, 70th Governor of Rhode Island
- 1934 - Marty Feldman, English actor and screenwriter
- 1935 - John David Crow, American football player and coach
- 1935 - Steve Lawrence, American actor and singer
- 1935 - Vitaly Sevastyanov, Russian engineer and cosmonaut
- 1938 - Diane Clare, English actress
- 1939 - Ed Lumley, Canadian businessman and politician, 8th Canadian Minister of Communications
- 1940 - Joe B. Mauldin, American bass player and songwriter
- 1941 - Dario Gradi, Italian-English footballer, coach, and manager
- 1942 - Phil Gramm, American economist and politician
- 1944 - Jaimoe, American drummer
- 1944 - Jeffrey Tambor, American actor and singer
- 1945 - Micheline Calmy-Rey, Swiss politician, 91st President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1947 - Kim Darby, American actress
- 1947 - Jenny Diski, English author and screenwriter
- 1947 - Luis Fernando Figari, Peruvian religious leader, founded the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae
- 1948 - Raffi, Egyptian-Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1948 - Ruby Sales, American civil-rights activist
- 1949 - Wolfgang Puck, Austrian-American chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur
- 1949 - Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
- 1951 - Alan Ashby, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster
- 1951 - Anjelica Huston, American actress and director
- 1952 - Larry Garner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1952 - Jack Lambert, American football player and sportscaster
- 1952 - Marianne Williamson, American author and activist
- 1956 - Terry Puhl, Canadian baseball player and coach
- 1957 - Carlos Cavazo, Mexican-American guitarist and songwriter
- 1957 - Aleksandr Gurnov, Russian journalist and author
- 1958 - Kevin Bacon, American actor and musician
- 1958 - Andreas Carlgren, Swedish educator and politician, 8th Swedish Minister for the Environment
- 1958 - Tzipi Livni, Israeli lawyer and politician, 18th Justice Minister of Israel
- 1959 - Pauline Quirke, English actress
- 1960 - Mal Meninga, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1961 - Ces Drilon, Filipino journalist
- 1961 - Andrew Fletcher, English keyboard player
- 1961 - Toby Keith, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1961 - Karl Seglem, Norwegian saxophonist and record producer
- 1962 - Joan Osborne, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1963 - Mark Christopher, American director and screenwriter
- 1964 - Alexei Gusarov, Russian ice hockey player and manager
- 1965 - Dan Levinson, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and bandleader
- 1966 - Ralf Altmeyer, German-Chinese virologist and academic
- 1966 - Shadlog Bernicke, Nauruan politician
- 1967 - Jordan Chan, Hong Kong actor and singer
- 1967 - Charlie Cardona, Colombian singer
- 1968 - Billy Crudup, American actor
- 1968 - Shane Howarth, New Zealand rugby player and coach
- 1969 - Sugizo, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
- 1970 - Beck, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1970 - Mark Butler, Australian politician
- 1970 - Sylvain Gaudreault, Canadian educator and politician
- 1970 - Todd Martin, American tennis player and coach
- 1971 - Neil Jenkins, Welsh rugby player and coach
- 1972 - Karl Dykhuis, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Sourav Ganguly, Indian cricketer
- 1972 - Shōsuke Tanihara, Japanese actor
- 1973 - Kathleen Robertson, Canadian actress and writer
- 1974 - Hu Liang, Chinese field hockey player
- 1976 - Talal El Karkouri, Moroccan footballer
- 1976 - Ellen MacArthur, English sailor
- 1977 - Christian Abbiati, Italian footballer
- 1977 - Paolo Tiralongo, Italian cyclist
- 1977 - Milo Ventimiglia, American actor, director, and producer
- 1977 - Wang Zhizhi, Chinese basketball player
- 1978 - Urmas Rooba, Estonian footballer
- 1979 - Mat McBriar, American football player
- 1979 - Ben Jelen, Scottish-American singer-songwriter
- 1980 - Eric Chouinard, American-Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 - Robbie Keane, Irish footballer
- 1981 - Wolfram Müller, German runner
- 1981 - Anastasia Myskina, Russian tennis player
- 1982 - Shonette Azore-Bruce, Barbadian netball player
- 1982 - Sophia Bush, American actress and director
- 1982 - Hakim Warrick, American basketball player
- 1983 - John Bowker, American baseball player
- 1983 - Rich Peverley, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 - Renata Costa, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 - Josh Harrison, American baseball player
- 1988 - Miki Roqué, Spanish footballer
- 1988 - Jesse Sergent, New Zealand cyclist
- 1989 - Yarden Gerbi, Israeli Judo champion
- 1989 - Tor Marius Gromstad, Norwegian footballer
- 1990 - Kevin Trapp, German footballer
- 1991 - Virgil van Dijk, Dutch footballer
- 1992 - Ariel Camacho, Mexican singer-songwriter
- 1992 - Son Heung-min, Korean footballer
- 1993 - David Corenswet, American actor
- 1996 - Marlon Humphrey, American football player
- 1997 - Bryce Love, American football player
- 1998 - Maya Hawke, American actress
- 1998 - Jaden Smith, American actor and rapper
- 1999 - İpek Öz, Turkish tennis player