April 8 in history — What Happened Today in History
Welcome to April 8 in history! Here you can discover what happened on April 8, including the major events, the famous people born on April 8 and the notable deaths on April 8, with the newest story starting in 2026.
On this page, April 8 in history is arranged as a timeline of major events in reverse order, with birthdays and deaths in their own sections, plus a short FAQ about April 8 in history at the bottom.
Major Events on April 8 in History 29
- 2026
Operation Eternal Darkness: Hours after a ceasefire to the Iran war, Israeli attacks on Lebanon kill at least 357 and injures more than 1200 people in the largest airstrikes of the Lebanon war.
- 2024
Solar eclipse: A total solar eclipse takes place at the Moon's ascending node, visible across North America.
- 2020
Bernie Sanders ends his presidential campaign, leaving Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee.
- 2014
Windows XP reaches its standard End Of Life and is no longer supported.
- 2010
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the New START Treaty.
- 2005
A solar eclipse occurs, visible over areas of the Pacific Ocean and Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.
- 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.
- 1993
The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on mission STS-56.
- 1990
The conservative New Democracy party of Constantine Mitsotakis is elected in the Greek parliamentary election.
- 1975
Voyageurs National Park is established by the U.S. Congress.
- 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.
- 1970
Bahr El-Baqar primary school bombing: Israeli bombers strike an Egyptian school. Forty-six children are killed.
All entries for April 8（+17）
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1933
The Australian state of Western Australia votes to secede from the federation in a non-binding referendum, although efforts to implement the result prove unsuccessful.
- 1904
The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the Entente cordiale.
- 1895
In Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional.
- 1886
William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
- 1866
Austro-Prussian War: Italy and Prussia sign a secret alliance against the Austrian Empire.
- 1832
Black Hawk War: Around 300 United States 6th Infantry troops leave St. Louis, Missouri to fight the Sauk Native Americans.
- 1820
The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
- 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.
- 1730
Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in continental North America, is dedicated.
- 1605
The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden.
Famous Birthdays on April 8 in History 25
- 2013
Big Justice, American social media personality
- 2005
Zaccharie Risacher, French basketball player
- 2002
Jamie Drysdale, Canadian ice hockey player
- 2002
Viktória Forster, Slovak track and field athlete
- 2002
Skai Jackson, American actress
- 1999
CeeDee Lamb, American football player
- 1998
Lavinia Valbonesi, Ecuadorian nutritionist, businesswoman and First Lady of Ecuador
- 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
All entries for April 8（+13）
- 1996
Anna Korakaki, Greek Olympic shooter
- 1995
Forrest Frank, American singer-songwriter
- 1995
Cedi Osman, Turkish professional basketball player
- 1994
Josh Chudleigh, Australian rugby league player
- 1993
Viktor Arvidsson, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1993
TBJZL, English YouTuber
- 1992
Jeff McNeil, American baseball player
- 1990
Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer (died 2017)
- 1989
Matty Healy, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1988
Jenni Asserholt, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1987
Royston Drenthe, Dutch footballer
- 1987
Jeremy Hellickson, American baseball player
- 1987
Elton John, Trinidadian footballer
Notable Deaths on April 8 in History 25
- 2025
Nelsy Cruz, Dominican politician, governor of Monte Cristi (born 1982)
- 2024
Keith Barnes, Welsh-Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1934)
- 2024
Peter Higgs, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1929)
- 2024
Ralph Puckett, American Army officer, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1926)
- 2022
Mimi Reinhardt, Jewish Austrian secretary (born 1915)
- 2020
Rick May, American-Canadian voice actor (born 1940)
- 2020
Abdul Momin Imambari, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar (born 1930)
- 2019
Josine Ianco-Starrels, Romanian-born American art curator (born 1926)
- 2015
Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (born 1934)
- 2015
Rayson Huang, Hong Kong chemist and academic (born 1920)
- 2015
Sergei Lashchenko, Ukrainian kick-boxer (born 1987)
- 2015
David Laventhol, American journalist and publisher (born 1933)
All entries for April 8（+13）
- 2015
Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (born 1936)
- 2014
Emmanuel III Delly, Iraqi patriarch (born 1927)
- 2014
Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (born 1924)
- 2014
Ivan Mercep, New Zealand architect, designed the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum (born 1930)
- 2013
Mikhail Beketov, Russian journalist (born 1958)
- 2013
Annette Funicello, American actress and singer (born 1942)
- 2013
Sara Montiel, Spanish-Mexican actress and singer (born 1928)
- 2013
José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (born 1917)
- 2013
Margaret Thatcher, English politician, first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1925)
- 2012
Blair Kiel, American football player and coach (born 1961)
- 2012
Jack Tramiel, Polish-American businessman, founded Commodore International (born 1928)
- 2012
Janusz K. Zawodny, Polish-American soldier, historian, and political scientist (born 1921)
- 2011
Hedda Sterne, Romanian-American painter and photographer (born 1910)
That is the story of April 8 in history. Bookmark this page and come back next year on April 8 to relive these world-changing moments — or take a random trip through time and see what happened on another day in history.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What happened on April 8 in history?
The biggest event on April 8 in history is: 2026 — Operation Eternal Darkness: Hours after a ceasefire to the Iran war, Israeli attacks on Lebanon kill at least 357 and injures more than 1200 people in the largest airstrikes of the Lebanon war.. In total, 29 major events are recorded for this day.
Who was born on April 8?
25 famous people were born on April 8 in history, the best known being 2013 — Big Justice, American social media personality.
Who died on April 8?
25 notable people died on April 8 in history, including 2025 — Nelsy Cruz, Dominican politician, governor of Monte Cristi (born 1982).
Why should I read about April 8 in history?
Exploring April 8 in history helps you grasp the day's place in history in just a few minutes: events, birthdays and deaths in one read — perfect for students, teachers and curious minds.
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