October 8
Events
Pre-1600
- 316 - Constantine I defeats Licinius, who loses his European territories.
- 451 - The first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins.
- 876 - Frankish forces led by Louis the Younger prevent a West Frankish invasion and defeat emperor Charles II.
- 1075 - Dmitar Zvonimir is crowned King of Croatia.
- 1200 - Isabella of Angoulême is crowned Queen consort of England.
- 1322 - Mladen II Šubić of Bribir is deposed as the Croatian Ban after the Battle of Bliska.
- 1480 - The Great Stand on the Ugra River puts an end to Tatar rule over Moscow
- 1573 - The Spanish siege of Alkmaar ends with the first Dutch victory in the Eighty Years' War.
1601–1900
- 1645 - Jeanne Mance opens the first lay hospital of North America in Montreal.
- 1813 - The Treaty of Ried is signed between Bavaria and Austria.
- 1821 - The Peruvian Navy is established during the War of Independence.
- 1829 - Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill Trials.
- 1856 - The Second Opium War between several western powers and China begins with the Arrow Incident.
- 1862 - American Civil War: The Confederate invasion of Kentucky is halted at the Battle of Perryville.
- 1871 - Slash-and-burn land management, months of drought, and the passage of a strong cold front cause the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire and the Great Michigan Fires to break out.
- 1879 - War of the Pacific: The Chilean Navy defeats the Peruvian Navy in the Battle of Angamos.
- 1895 - Korean Empress Myeongseong is assassinated by Japanese infiltrators.
1901–present
- 1912 - The First Balkan War begins when Montenegro declares war against the Ottoman Empire.
- 1918 - World War I: Corporal Alvin C. York kills 28 German soldiers and captures 132, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
- 1921 - KDKA in Pittsburgh's Forbes Field conducts the first live broadcast of a football game.
- 1939 - World War II: Germany annexes western Poland.
- 1941 - World War II: During the preliminaries of the Battle of Rostov, German forces reach the Sea of Azov with the capture of Mariupol.
- 1943 - World War II: Around 30 civilians are executed by Friedrich Schubert's paramilitary group in Kallikratis, Crete.
- 1944 - World War II: Captain Bobbie Brown earns a Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Crucifix Hill, just outside Aachen.
- 1952 - The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash in England kills 112 people.
- 1956 - The New York Yankees's Don Larsen pitches the only perfect game in a World Series.
- 1962 - Der Spiegel publishes an article disclosing the sorry state of the Bundeswehr, leading to accusations of treason.
- 1967 - Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia. Guevara would be executed the next day.
- 1969 - The opening rally of the Days of Rage occurs, organized by the Weather Underground in Chicago.
- 1970 - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize in literature.
- 1973 - Yom Kippur War: Israel loses more than 150 tanks in a failed attack on Egyptian-occupied positions.
- 1973 - Spyros Markezinis begins his 48-day term as prime minister in an abortive attempt to lead Greece to parliamentary rule.
- 1974 - Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it is the largest bank failure in the history of the United States.
- 1978 - Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 275.97 knots at Blowering Dam, Australia.
- 1982 - Poland bans Solidarity and all other trade unions.
- 1986 - An explosion occurred at the Cipel-Marco fur factory in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong, killing 14 and injuring 10.
- 1990 - First Intifada: Israeli police kill 17 Palestinians and wound over 100 near the Dome of the Rock.
- 1991 - Upon the expiration of the Brioni Agreement, Croatia and Slovenia sever all official relations with Yugoslavia.
- 2001 - A twin engine Cessna and a Scandinavian Airlines System jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people.
- 2001 - U.S. president George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.
- 2005 - The 7.6 Kashmir earthquake leaves 86,000–87,351 people dead, 69,000–75,266 injured, and 2.8 million homeless.
- 2014 - Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with Ebola, dies.
- 2016 - In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the death toll rises to nearly 900.
- 2019 - About 200 Extinction Rebellion activists block the gates of Leinster House in the Republic of Ireland.
- 2020 - Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan twice deliberately targeted the Church of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots of Shusha.
Births
Pre-1600
- 319 BC - Pyrrhus of Epirus
- 1150 - Narapatisithu, king of Burma
- 1515 - Margaret Douglas, daughter of Archibald Douglas
- 1551 - Giulio Caccini, Italian composer
- 1553 - Jacques Auguste de Thou, French historian
- 1585 - Heinrich Schütz, German organist and composer
1601–1900
- 1609 - John Clarke, English physician
- 1676 - Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro, Spanish monk and scholar
- 1713 - Yechezkel Landau, Polish rabbi and author
- 1715 - Michel Benoist, French scientist and missionary
- 1747 - Jean-François Rewbell, French lawyer and politician
- 1753 - Princess Sophia Albertina of Sweden
- 1765 - Harman Blennerhassett, English-Irish lawyer and politician
- 1789 - John Ruggles, American lawyer and politician
- 1789 - William Swainson, English-New Zealand ornithologist and entomologist
- 1807 - Harriet Taylor Mill, English philosopher and activist
- 1818 - John Henninger Reagan, American judge and politician, 3rd Confederate States Secretary of the Treasury
- 1834 - Walter Kittredge, American violinist and composer
- 1845 - Salomon Kalischer, German pianist, composer, and physicist
- 1847 - Rose Scott, Australian activist
- 1848 - Pierre De Geyter, Belgian composer
- 1850 - Henry Louis Le Châtelier, French chemist and academic
- 1860 - John D. Batten, British painter, printmaker and illustrator
- 1863 - Edythe Chapman, American actress
- 1864 - Ozias Leduc, Canadian painter and educator
- 1870 - Louis Vierne, French organist and composer
- 1872 - Mary Engle Pennington, American bacteriological chemist and refrigeration engineer
- 1873 - Ejnar Hertzsprung, Danish chemist and astronomer
- 1873 - Alexey Shchusev, Russian architect and academic, designed Lenin's Mausoleum
- 1875 - Laurence Doherty, English tennis player and golfer
- 1876 - Frederick Montague, 1st Baron Amwell, English lieutenant and politician
- 1877 - Hans Heysen, German-Australian painter
- 1879 - Huntley Gordon, Canadian-American actor
- 1882 - Harry McClintock, American singer-songwriter and poet
- 1883 - Dick Burnett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1883 - Otto Heinrich Warburg, German physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1884 - Walther von Reichenau, German field marshal
- 1887 - Ping Bodie, American baseball player
- 1887 - Donie Bush, American baseball player, manager, and team owner
- 1888 - Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist and author
- 1889 - R. Fraser Armstrong, Canadian engineer
- 1889 - Collett E. Woolman, American businessman, co-founded Delta Air Lines
- 1890 - Snuffy Browne, Barbadian cricketer
- 1890 - Eddie Rickenbacker, American soldier and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient
- 1890 - Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist
- 1892 - Marina Tsvetaeva, Russian poet and author
- 1893 - Clarence Williams, American pianist and composer
- 1895 - Zog I of Albania
- 1895 - Juan Perón, Argentinian general and politician, 29th President of Argentina
- 1896 - Julien Duvivier, French director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1897 - Rouben Mamoulian, Georgian-American director and screenwriter
- 1897 - Marcel Herrand, French actor
1901–present
- 1901 - Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer and theorist
- 1901 - Mark Oliphant, Australian physicist, humanitarian and politician, Governor of South Australia
- 1903 - Georgy Geshev, Bulgarian chess player
- 1904 - Yves Giraud-Cabantous, French race car driver
- 1907 - Richard Sharpe Shaver, American author and illustrator
- 1908 - Ezekias Papaioannou, Greek-Cypriot politician
- 1910 - Kirk Alyn, American actor
- 1910 - Paulette Dubost, French actress
- 1910 - Gus Hall, American soldier and politician
- 1910 - Helmut Kallmeyer, German chemist and soldier
- 1910 - Ray Lewis, Canadian runner
- 1913 - Robert R. Gilruth, American pilot and engineer
- 1913 - Marios Makrionitis, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Athens
- 1917 - Billy Conn, American boxer
- 1917 - Walter Lord, American historian and author
- 1917 - Danny Murtaugh, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1917 - Rodney Robert Porter, English biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1918 - Halfdan Hegtun, Norwegian radio host and politician
- 1918 - Jens Christian Skou, Danish chemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1919 - Jack McGrath, American race car driver
- 1919 - Kiichi Miyazawa, Japanese politician, 78th Prime Minister of Japan
- 1920 - Frank Herbert, American journalist, photographer, and author
- 1921 - Abraham Sarmiento, Filipino lawyer and jurist
- 1922 - Nils Liedholm, Swedish footballer, coach, and manager
- 1922 - Herbert B. Leonard, American production manager and producer
- 1924 - Alphons Egli, Swiss lawyer and politician, 77th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1924 - Aloísio Lorscheider, Brazilian cardinal
- 1924 - Thirunalloor Karunakaran, Indian poet and scholar
- 1924 - John Nelder, English mathematician and statistician
- 1925 - Álvaro Magaña, Salvadoran economist and politician, President of El Salvador
- 1926 - Raaj Kumar, Indian police officer and actor
- 1927 - Jim Elliot, American missionary and translator
- 1927 - César Milstein, Argentinian-English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1928 - Didi, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1928 - M. Russell Ballard, American lieutenant and religious leader
- 1928 - Neil Harvey, Australian cricketer
- 1928 - Bill Maynard, English actor
- 1929 - Betty Boothroyd, English politician, British Speaker of the House of Commons
- 1930 - Pepper Adams, American saxophonist and composer
- 1930 - Alasdair Milne, Indian-English director and producer
- 1930 - Faith Ringgold, American painter and activist
- 1930 - Toru Takemitsu, Japanese composer and theorist
- 1931 - Bill Brown, Scottish footballer
- 1932 - Ray Reardon, Welsh snooker player and police officer
- 1934 - Kader Asmal, South African academic and politician
- 1934 - Gerry Hitchens, English footballer and manager
- 1934 - James Holshouser, American lawyer and politician, 68th Governor of North Carolina
- 1935 - Albert Roux, French-English chef
- 1936 - Rona Barrett, American journalist and businesswoman
- 1937 - Merle Park, British ballerina and educator
- 1937 - Paul Schell, American lawyer and politician, 50th Mayor of Seattle
- 1938 - William Corlett, English author and playwright
- 1938 - Walter Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey coach and author
- 1938 - Bronislovas Lubys, Lithuanian businessman and politician, Prime Minister of Lithuania
- 1938 - Fred Stolle, Australian-American tennis player and sportscaster
- 1939 - Paul Hogan, Australian actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1939 - Elvīra Ozoliņa, Latvian javelin thrower
- 1939 - Harvey Pekar, American author and critic
- 1939 - Lynne Stewart, American lawyer and criminal
- 1940 - Fred Cash, American singer
- 1941 - George Bellamy, English singer, guitarist, and producer
- 1941 - Jesse Jackson, American minister and activist
- 1941 - Shane Stevens, American author
- 1942 - Stanley Bates, English actor and screenwriter
- 1943 - Chevy Chase, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1943 - R. L. Stine, American author, screenwriter, and producer
- 1944 - Ed Kirkpatrick, American baseball player
- 1944 - Susan Raye, American singer
- 1946 - Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian scholar, activist, and politician
- 1946 - Jean-Jacques Beineix, French director and producer
- 1946 - Dennis Kucinich, American journalist and politician, 53rd Mayor of Cleveland
- 1946 - Bel Mooney, English journalist and author
- 1946 - Jon Ekerold, South African motorcycle racer
- 1947 - Richard Morris, English archaeologist, historian, and author
- 1947 - Emiel Puttemans, Belgian runner
- 1947 - Stephen Shore, American photographer and educator
- 1947 - Bill Zorn, folk musician
- 1947 - Hansa Yogendra, Indian yoga guru
- 1948 - Benjamin Cheever, American journalist and author
- 1948 - Claude Jade, French actress
- 1948 - Johnny Ramone, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1949 - Hamish Stuart, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1949 - Sigourney Weaver, American actress and producer
- 1950 - Robert "Kool" Bell, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1950 - Blake Morrison, English poet, author, and academic
- 1951 - Jack O'Connell, American educator and politician
- 1951 - Timo Salonen, Finnish race car driver
- 1951 - Shannon C. Stimson, American philosopher, historian, and theorist
- 1951 - Adrian Palmer, 4th Baron Palmer, British aristocrat and landowner
- 1952 - Takis Koroneos, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1952 - Jan Marijnissen, Dutch journalist and politician
- 1952 - Edward Zwick, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1953 - Robert Saxton, English composer and educator
- 1954 - Michael Dudikoff, American actor
- 1954 - Huub Rothengatter, Dutch race car driver and manager
- 1955 - Bill Elliott, American race car driver
- 1955 - Alain Ferté, French race car driver
- 1955 - Darrell Hammond, American comedian and actor
- 1955 - Paul Lennon, Australian politician, 42nd Premier of Tasmania
- 1955 - Lonnie Pitchford, American singer and guitarist
- 1956 - Jeff Lahti, American baseball player
- 1956 - Janice E. Voss, American engineer and astronaut
- 1956 - Stephanie Zimbalist, American actress
- 1957 - Antonio Cabrini, Italian footballer and manager
- 1958 - Steve Coll, American journalist and author
- 1958 - Bret Lott, American journalist, author, and academic
- 1958 - Ruffin McNeill, American football player and coach
- 1958 - Ursula von der Leyen, Belgian-German physician and politician, Defense Minister of Germany, President of the European Commission
- 1959 - Gavin Friday, Irish singer-songwriter, actor, and producer
- 1959 - Erik Gundersen, Danish motorcycle racer
- 1959 - Peter Horrocks, English journalist and producer
- 1959 - Mike Morgan, American baseball player and coach
- 1959 - Carlos I. Noriega, Peruvian-American colonel and astronaut
- 1960 - Andrea Anastasi, Italian volleyball player and coach
- 1960 - Bryndís Hlöðversdóttir, Icelandic politician
- 1960 - Reed Hastings, American businessman, co-founded Netflix
- 1960 - Rano Karno, Indonesian actor and politician
- 1960 - Ralf Minge, German footballer and manager
- 1960 - François Pérusse, Canadian singer-songwriter and comedian
- 1960 - Mike Teague, English rugby player
- 1961 - Jon Stevens, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter
- 1961 - Simon Burke, Australian actor and producer
- 1961 - Kim Wayans, American actress and comedian
- 1962 - Bruno Thiry, Belgian race car driver
- 1962 - Chen Xiaoxia, Chinese diver
- 1964 - Jakob Arjouni, German author
- 1964 - CeCe Winans, American singer-songwriter
- 1965 - Matt Biondi, American swimmer and coach
- 1965 - Ardal O'Hanlon, Irish comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1965 - Harri Koskela, Finnish wrestler
- 1965 - C. J. Ramone, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1966 - Art Barr, American wrestler
- 1966 - Karyn Parsons, American actress and producer
- 1967 - Teddy Riley, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1968 - Zvonimir Boban, Croatian footballer and sportscaster
- 1968 - Emily Procter, American actress
- 1970 - Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, Congolese colonel
- 1970 - Matt Damon, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1970 - Anne-Marie Duff, English actress
- 1970 - Sadiq Khan, English lawyer and politician, Minister of State for Transport, Mayor of London
- 1970 - Tetsuya Nomura, Japanese video game designer and director
- 1971 - Marc Ellis, New Zealand rugby player and television host
- 1971 - David Gauke, English lawyer and politician
- 1971 - Pınar Selek, Turkish sociologist, author, and academic
- 1971 - Monty Williams, American basketball player and coach
- 1972 - Terry Balsamo, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1972 - Stanislav Varga, Slovak footballer and manager
- 1973 - Jim Fairchild, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1973 - Kari Korhonen, Finnish cartoonist
- 1974 - Kevyn Adams, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1974 - Fredrik Modin, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1974 - Koji Murofushi, Japanese hammer thrower
- 1976 - Karina Bacchi, Brazilian model and actress
- 1976 - Jinnih Beels, Belgian politician
- 1976 - Renate Groenewold, Dutch speed skater and cyclist
- 1977 - Anne-Caroline Chausson, French cyclist
- 1977 - Jamie Marchi, American voice actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1979 - Paul Burchill, English wrestler
- 1979 - Kristanna Loken, American actress
- 1980 - Nick Cannon, American actor, rapper, and producer
- 1980 - The Miz, American wrestler, actor, and television personality
- 1980 - J. R. Ramirez, Cuban-American actor
- 1981 - Raffi Torres, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 - Miloš Pavlović, Serbian race car driver
- 1982 - Annemiek van Vleuten, Dutch cyclist
- 1983 - Travis Pastrana, American motorcycle racer
- 1984 - Domenik Hixon, American football player
- 1985 - Bruno Mars, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1986 - Camilla Herrem, Norwegian handball player
- 1987 - Aya Hirano, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1987 - Hassan Maatouk, Lebanese footballer
- 1990 - Rachel Klamer, Zimbabwean-Dutch triathlete
- 1991 - Jordan McLean, Australian rugby league player
- 1992 - Chelsea Gray, American basketball player
- 1993 - Angus T. Jones, American actor
- 1993 - Garbiñe Muguruza, Spanish tennis player
- 1993 - Molly Quinn, American actress and producer
- 1993 - Bubba Wallace, American race car driver
- 1995 - Grayson Allen, American basketball player
- 1995 - G Herbo, American rapper
- 1996 - Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spanish tennis player
- 1996 - Sara Takanashi, Japanese ski jumper
- 1997 - Bella Thorne, American actress
- 1999 - Putthipong Assaratanakul, Thai actor and singer
- 1999 - Camila Rossi, Brazilian rhythmic gymnast
- 2002 - Brian Thomas Jr., American football player
- 2002 - Zheng Qinwen, Chinese tennis player
- 2003 - Ángela Aguilar, Mexican-American singer