December
8
Events
1432
– The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila
and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town
of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active
phase of the Lithuanian Civil War.
1660 – A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall)
appears on an English public stage for the first
time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of
Shakespeare's play Othello.
1854 – In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis
Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition
of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin
Mary was born free of original sin.
1907 – King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish
throne.
1912 – Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial
War Council to discuss the possibility that war
might break out.
1914 – A squadron of Britain's Royal Navy defeats
an inferior squadron of the Imperial German High
Seas Fleet in the Battle of the Falkland Islands
in the South Atlantic.
1927 – The Brookings Institution, one of the United
States' oldest think tanks, is founded through the
merger of three organizations that had been created
by philanthropist Robert S. Brookings.
1941 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt
declares December 7 to be "a date which will
live in infamy", after which the U.S. and the
Republic of China declare war against Japan.
1941 – Japanese forces simultaneously invade Malaya,
Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch
East Indies. These happen concurrently with the
Attack on Pearl Harbor, which was on December 7
in the United States.
1949 – United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East is established
to provide aid to Palestinian refugees who left
their homes during the 1948 Palestinian exodus.
1953 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower
delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech,
and the U.S. launches its "Atoms for Peace"
program that supplied equipment and information
to schools, hospitals, and research institutions
around the world.
1962 – Workers at four New York City newspapers
(this later increases to nine) go on strike for
114 days.
1963 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck
by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland,
United States, killing all 81 people on board.
1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm
in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.
1971 – Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches
an attack on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi.
1972 – United Airlines Flight 553 crashes after
aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International
Airport, killing 45.
1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of
monarchy in Greece.
1980 – John Lennon, an English musician (former
member of The Beatles), and peace activist, is murdered
by Mark David Chapman, a mentally unstable fan,
in front of The Dakota apartment building in New
York City.
1982 – In Suriname, several opponents of the military
government are killed.
1987 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
is signed.
1987 – Frank Vitkovic shoots and kills eight people
at the Australia Post building in Melbourne, before
jumping to his death.
1987 – The Alianza Lima air disaster occurs.
1987 – An Israeli army tank transporter kills four
Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during
a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza
Strip border, sparking the First Intifada.
1988 – A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt
II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid,
Germany, killing 5 people and injuring 50 others.
1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine
sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and
establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
1991 – The Romanian Constitution is adopted in a
referendum.
1993 – The North American Free Trade Agreement is
signed into law by US President Bill Clinton.
1998 – Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups
in Algeria.
1998 – The Australian Cricket Board's cover-up of
Shane Warne and Mark Waugh's involvement with bookmakers
is revealed.
2002 – The Caribbean Community Heads of Government
meet with the Government of Cuba and declare the
date to be "CARICOM-Cuba Day"—to celebrate
diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) and Cuba.
2004 – The Cuzco Declaration is signed in Cuzco,
Peru, establishing the South American Community
of Nations.
2007 – Benazir Bhutto, first and only female former
Prime Minister of Pakistan, had her PPP Office stormed
by unidentified gunmen. Three supporters are killed.
2009 – Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq kill 127 and injure
448.
2010 – With the second launch of the SpaceX Falcon
9 and the first launch of the SpaceX Dragon, SpaceX
becomes the first privately held company to successfully
launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.
2010 – The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS
passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800
km.
Holidays
and observances
Bodhi
Day (Japan)
CARICOM-Cuba Day (the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
and Cuba)
Christian Feast Day:
Clement of Ohrid (Julian Calendar)
Eucharius
Richard Baxter (US Episcopal Church)
Romaric
Constitution Day (Romania)
Constitution Day (Uzbekistan)
Feast of the Immaculate Conception (public holidays
in several countries, a Holy Day of Obligation in
the United States and the Philippines), and its
related observances:
Christmas on Campus (University of Dayton)
Festa da Conceição da Praia, celebrating Yemanjá,
Queen of the Ocean (Salvador, Bahia)
Festival of Lights (Lyon)
Mother's Day (Panama)
National Youth Day (Albania)
For details, contact Datacentre
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