May 8 is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 237 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Friday or Sunday (58 in 400 years each) than on Wednesday or Thursday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Monday or Saturday (56).
453 BC – Spring and Autumn period : The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang , a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin .
413 – Emperor Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia , Campania , Picenum , Samnium , Apulia , Lucania and Calabria , which were plundered by the Visigoths .
589 – Reccared I summons the Third Council of Toledo .
1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans , turning the tide of the Hundred Years' War .
1450 – Jack Cade 's Rebellion: Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI .
1516 – Trần Cảo Rebellion : A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murdered Emperor Lê Tương Dực and fled, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended.
1541 – Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River and names it Río de Espíritu Santo .
1788 – The French Parlement is suspended to be replaced by the creation of forty-seven new courts.
1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror by revolutionists , French chemist Antoine Lavoisier , who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale , is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris.
1821 – Greek War of Independence : The Greeks defeat the Turks at the Battle of Gravia Inn .
1842 – A train derails and catches fire in Paris, killing between 52 and 200 people.
1846 – Mexican–American War : The Battle of Palo Alto : Zachary Taylor defeats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
1861 – American Civil War : Richmond, Virginia is named the capital of the Confederate States of America .
1877 – At Gilmore's Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens.
1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named "Coca-Cola " as a patent medicine .
1898 – The first games of the Italian football league system are played.
1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play.
1901 – The Australian Labor Party is established.
1902 – In Martinique , Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.
1919 – Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I.
1924 – The Klaipėda Convention is signed formally incorporating Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) into Lithuania .
1927 – Attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli disappear after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane.
1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.
1941 – The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby
1942 – World War II : The Battle of the Kerch Peninsula : The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet Armies (44th, 47th, and 51st) defending the Kerch Peninsula , in the eastern part of the Crimea .
1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington . The battle marks the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.
1942 – World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny . Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre .
1945 – World War II: V-E Day , combat ends in Europe. German forces agree in Reims , France, to an unconditional surrender .
1945 – End of the Prague uprising , celebrated now as a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
1945 – The Halifax riot starts when thousands of civilians and servicemen rampage through Halifax .
1946 – Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which stood in front of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn .
1962 – The Rabindra Bharati University , a prominent University in India, was founded.
1963 – South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak , killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis .
1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte , Davao del Sur , and Davao Oriental .
1972 – Vietnam War : U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.
1976 – The rollercoaster The New Revolution , the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain .
1978 – The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler .
1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox .
1984 – Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert , Sergeant-at-Arms of the assembly , succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour .
1984 – The Thames Barrier is officially opened.
1987 – The Loughgall ambush : The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall , Northern Ireland .
1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell 's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history".
1997 – A China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao'an International Airport , killing 35 people.
1326 – Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (d. 1360)
1427 – John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester , Lord High Treasurer (d. 1470)
1460 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
1492 – Andrea Alciato , Italian jurist and writer (d. 1550)
1508 – Charles Wriothesley , English Officer of Arms (d. 1562)
1521 – Peter Canisius , Dutch-Swiss priest and saint (d. 1597)
1587 – Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)
1622 – Claes Rålamb , Swedish politician (d. 1698)
1628 – Angelo Italia , Italian architect and urban planner (d. 1700)
1629 – Niels Juel , Norwegian-Danish admiral (d. 1697)
1632 – Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming , German field marshal and politician (d. 1706)
1653 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars , French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1734)
1670 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans , English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1726)
1720 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire , English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1764)
1735 – Nathaniel Dance-Holland , English painter and politician (d. 1811)
1745 – Carl Stamitz , German violinist and composer (d. 1801)
1753 – Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Mexican priest and rebel leader (d. 1811)
1786 – John Vianney , French priest and saint (d. 1859)
1815 – Edward Tompkins , American lawyer and politician (d. 1872)
1818 – Samuel Leonard Tilley , Canadian pharmacist and politician, 3rd Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1896)
1821 – William Henry Vanderbilt , American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1885)
1824 – William Walker , American physician, lawyer, journalist and mercenary (d. 1860)
1825 – George Bruce Malleson , English-Indian colonel and author (d. 1898)
1828 – Henry Dunant , Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross , Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
1828 – Charbel Makhluf , Lebanese monk and saint (d. 1898)
1829 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk , American pianist and composer (d. 1869)
1835 – Bertalan Székely , Hungarian painter and academic (d. 1910)
1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier , Canadian judge, author, and songwriter (d. 1920)
1842 – Emil Christian Hansen , Danish physiologist and mycologist (d. 1909)
1847 – Oscar Hammerstein I , American businessman and composer (d. 1919)
1850 – Ross Barnes , American baseball player and manager (d. 1915)
1853 – Dan Brouthers , American baseball player and manager (d. 1932)
1858 – Heinrich Berté , Slovak-Austrian composer (d. 1924)
1858 – J. Meade Falkner , English author and poet (d. 1932)
1859 – Johan Jensen , Danish mathematician and engineer (d. 1925)
1879 – Wesley Coe , American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
1884 – Harry S. Truman , American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
1885 – Thomas B. Costain , Canadian journalist and author (d. 1965)
1892 – Adriaan Pelt , Dutch journalist and diplomat (d. 1981)
1893 – Francis Ouimet , American golfer (d. 1967)
1893 – Edd Roush , American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
1893 – Teddy Wakelam , English rugby player and sportscaster (d. 1963)
1895 – James H. Kindelberger , American businessman (d. 1962)
1895 – Fulton J. Sheen , American archbishop (d. 1979)
1895 – Edmund Wilson , American critic, essayist, and editor (d. 1972)
1898 – Aloysius Stepinac , Croatian cardinal (d. 1960)
1899 – Arthur Q. Bryan , American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (d. 1959)
1899 – Friedrich Hayek , Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
1899 – Jacques Heim , French fashion designer (d. 1967)
1901 – Turkey Stearnes , American baseball player (d. 1979)
1902 – André Michel Lwoff , French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
1903 – Fernandel , French actor and singer (d. 1971)
1904 – John Snagge , English journalist (d. 1996)
1905 – Red Nichols , American cornet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1965)
1906 – Roberto Rossellini , Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1977)
1910 – George Male , English footballer (d. 1998)
1910 – Andrew E. Svenson , American author and publisher (d. 1975)
1910 – Mary Lou Williams , American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
1911 – Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman , Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of The Interior (d. 1997)
1911 – Robert Johnson , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1938)
1912 – George Woodcock , Canadian author and poet (d. 1995)
1913 – Bob Clampett , American animator, director, and producer (d. 1984)
1913 – Sid James , South African-English actor and singer (d. 1976)
1915 – Milton Meltzer , American historian and author (d. 2009)
1916 – João Havelange , Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (d. 2016)
1916 – Chinmayananda Saraswati , Indian spiritual leader and educator (d. 1993)
1917 – John Anderson, Jr. , American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Kansas (d. 2014)
1919 – Lex Barker , American actor (d. 1973)
1920 – Saul Bass , American graphic designer and director (d. 1996)
1920 – Tom of Finland , Finnish illustrator (d. 1991)
1920 – Sloan Wilson , American author and poet (d. 2003)
1920 – Gordon McClymont , Australian ecologist and academic (d. 2000)
1922 – Mary Q. Steele , American naturalist and author (d. 1992)
1924 – S. Vithiananthan , Sri Lankan author and academic (d. 1989)
1925 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi , Tanzanian politician, 2nd President of Tanzania
1926 – David Attenborough , English environmentalist and television host
1926 – Don Rickles , American comedian and actor
1927 – Chumy Chúmez , Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
1927 – László Paskai , Hungarian cardinal (d. 2015)
1928 – Robert Conley , American journalist (d. 2013)
1928 – Ted Sorensen , American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (d. 2010)
1929 – Claude Castonguay , Canadian banker and politician
1929 – Miyoshi Umeki , Japanese-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
1930 – Heather Harper , Northern Irish soprano
1930 – Doug Atkins , American football player (d. 2015)
1930 – René Maltête , French photographer and poet (d. 2000)
1930 – Gary Snyder , American poet, essayist, and translator
1932 – Julieta Campos , Cuban-Mexican author and translator (d. 2007)
1932 – Phyllida Law , Scottish actress
1934 – Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann , South African-English lawyer and judge
1934 – Maurice Norman , English footballer
1934 – David Williamson, Baron Williamson of Horton , English soldier and politician
1935 – Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland , Scottish politician
1935 – Jack Charlton , English footballer and manager
1936 – Kazuo Koike , Japanese author
1936 – Haljand Udam , Estonian orientalist and academic (d. 2005)
1937 – Bernard Cleary , Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
1937 – Mike Cuellar , Cuban-American baseball player (d. 2010)
1937 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz , Colombian lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
1937 – Thomas Pynchon , American novelist
1938 – Javed Burki , Indian-Pakistani cricketer
1938 – Jean Giraud , French author and illustrator (d. 2012)
1939 – Paul Drayton , American sprinter (d. 2010)
1940 – Peter Benchley , American author and screenwriter (d. 2006)
1940 – James Blyth, Baron Blyth of Rowington , English businessman and academic
1940 – Irwin Cotler , Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
1940 – Ricky Nelson , American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1985)
1940 – Toni Tennille , American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
1941 – John Fred , American singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
1941 – Bill Lockyer , American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
1941 – James Traficant , American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
1942 – Martin Dobkin , Canadian doctor and politician, 2nd Mayor of Mississauga
1942 – Robin Hobbs , English cricketer
1942 – Norman Lamont , Scottish banker and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
1942 – Pierre Morency , Canadian poet and playwright
1942 – Terry Neill , Irish footballer and manager
1943 – Pat Barker , English author
1943 – Jon Mark , English-New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist
1943 – Paul Samwell-Smith , English bass player and producer
1943 – Danny Whitten , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
1944 – Gary Glitter , English singer-songwriter
1944 – Bill Legend , English drummer
1945 – Arthur Docters van Leeuwen , Dutch jurist and politician
1945 – Mike German, Baron German , Welsh educator and politician, Deputy First Minister for Wales
1945 – Janine Haines , Australian politician (d. 2004)
1945 – Keith Jarrett , American pianist and composer
1946 – André Boulerice , Canadian politician
1946 – Jonathan Dancy , English philosopher, author, and academic
1947 – H. Robert Horvitz , American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1947 – Felicity Lott , English soprano
1947 – David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland , English politician
1947 – John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan , Scottish historian and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
1948 – Steve Braun , American baseball player and coach
1948 – Stephen Stohn , American-Canadian lawyer and producer
1949 – David Vines , Australian economist and academic
1950 – Robert Mugge , American director and producer
1950 – Lepo Sumera , Estonian composer and educator (d. 2000)
1951 – Philip Bailey , American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
1951 – Mike D'Antoni , American basketball player and coach
1951 – Chris Frantz , American drummer and producer
1952 – Peter McNab , Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
1953 – Billy Burnette , American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
1953 – Alex Van Halen , Dutch-American drummer
1954 – Pam Arciero , American puppeteer and voice actress
1954 – David Keith , American actor and director
1954 – John Michael Talbot , American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1955 – Stephen Furst , American actor and director
1955 – Mladen Markač , Croatian general
1955 – Meles Zenawi , Ethiopian politician, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (d. 2012)
1956 – Jeff Wincott , Canadian actor and martial artist
1957 – Bill Cowher , American football player and coach
1957 – Rino Katase , Japanese actress
1957 – Gary Lunn , Canadian lawyer and politician, 6th Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
1958 – Roddy Doyle , Irish novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
1958 – Simone Kleinsma , Dutch actress and singer
1958 – Brooks Newmark , American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury
1958 – Lovie Smith , American football player and coach
1959 – Ronnie Lott , American football player and sportscaster
1959 – Ikue Sakakibara , Japanese actress and singer
1960 – Franco Baresi , Italian footballer and coach
1960 – Eric Brittingham , American bass player
1961 – Bill de Blasio , American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City
1961 – Gert Kruys , Dutch footballer and manager
1961 – Vallo Reimaa , Estonian academic and politician
1961 – David Winning , Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
1962 – Natalia Molchanova , Russian diver (d. 2015)
1962 – David Sole , Scottish rugby player
1962 – Masaki Terasoma , Japanese actor and voice actor
1963 – Sylvain Cossette , Canadian singer-songwriter
1963 – Anthony Field , Australian guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor
1963 – Michel Gondry , French director and screenwriter
1963 – Izabela Kloc , Polish politician
1963 – Aleksandr Kovalenko , Belarusian triple jumper
1963 – Rick Zombo , American ice hockey player and coach
1964 – Päivi Alafrantti , Finnish javelin thrower
1964 – Melissa Gilbert , American actress and director
1964 – Bobby Labonte , American race car driver
1964 – Nathalie Roy , Canadian lawyer and politician
1964 – Dave Rowntree , English drummer and animator
1964 – Metin Tekin , Turkish footballer, manager, and journalist
1966 – Cláudio Taffarel , Brazilian footballer and coach
1967 – Viviana Durante , Italian ballerina and actress
1968 – Teet Kask , Estonian ballet dancer and choreographer
1968 – Chris Lighty , American talent manager, co-founded Violator Entertainment (d. 2012)
1968 – Nathalie Normandeau , Canadian politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
1968 – Johan Pehrson , Swedish lawyer and politician
1968 – Peng Zhaoqin , Chinese Dutch chess player
1969 – Jonny Searle , English rower
1969 – Akebono Tarō , American-Japanese sumo wrestler, the 64th Yokozuna
1969 – John Timu , New Zealand rugby player
1970 – Michael Bevan , Australian cricketer and coach
1970 – Naomi Klein , Canadian author and activist
1970 – Luis Enrique Martínez García , Spanish footballer and manager
1971 – Chuck Huber , American voice actor, director, and screenwriter
1971 – Candice Night , American singer-songwriter
1972 – Darren Hayes , Australian singer-songwriter
1972 – Ray Whitney , Canadian ice hockey player
1973 – Hiromu Arakawa , Japanese author and illustrator
1973 – Jesús Arellano , Mexican footballer
1973 – Marcus Brigstocke , English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
1974 – Marge Kõrkjas , Estonian swimmer
1974 – Korey Stringer , American football player (d. 2001)
1974 – Jon Tickle , English television host
1975 – Enrique Iglesias , Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
1975 – Jussi Markkanen , Finnish ice hockey player
1975 – Gastón Mazzacane , Argentinian race car driver
1975 – Dmitri Ustritski , Estonian footballer
1976 – Gonçalo Abecasis , Portuguese-American biochemist and academic
1976 – Martha Wainwright , Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1976 – Ian "H" Watkins , Welsh singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
1977 – Joe Bonamassa , American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1977 – Bad News Brown , Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (d. 2011)
1977 – Theodoros Papaloukas , Greek basketball player
1977 – Kathrin Bringmann , German mathematician and academic
1978 – Lúcio , Brazilian footballer
1978 – Jang Woo-hyuk , South Korean rapper and dancer
1979 – Ole Morten Vågan , Norwegian bassist
1980 – Keyon Dooling , American basketball player
1980 – Panagiotis Kafkis , Greek basketball player
1980 – Evgeny Lebedev , Russian-English publisher and philanthropist
1980 – Michelle McManus , Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
1980 – Benny Yau , Hong Kong-Canadian actor and singer
1981 – Andrea Barzagli , Italian footballer
1981 – Tatyana Dektyareva , Russian hurdler
1981 – Björn Dixgård , Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1981 – Mich Dulce , Filipino actress, vocalist, milliner, and fashion designer
1981 – Manny Gamburyan , Armenian-American mixed martial artist
1981 – John Maine , American baseball player
1982 – Buakaw Banchamek , Thai kick-boxer
1982 – Christina Cole , English actress
1982 – Adrian Gonzalez , American baseball player
1983 – Elyes Gabel , English actor
1983 – Juan Martin Goity , Argentinian-German rugby player
1983 – Bershawn Jackson , American hurdler
1983 – Lawrence Vickers , American football player
1983 – Roberto Vitiello , Italian footballer
1983 – Matt Willis , English singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
1984 – Nadine Chandrawinata , German-Indonesian model and actress
1984 – David King , English figure skater
1985 – Tommaso Ciampa , American wrestler
1985 – Devon Soltendieck , Canadian journalist and game show host
1985 – Silvia Stroescu , Romanian gymnast
1985 – Sarah Vaillancourt , Canadian ice hockey player
1985 – Usama Young , American football player
1986 – Pemra Özgen , Turkish tennis player
1986 – Galen Rupp , American runner
1986 – Marvell Wynne , American soccer player
1987 – Aneurin Barnard , Welsh actor and singer
1987 – Felix Jones , American football player
1987 – Aarne Nirk , Estonian hurdler
1987 – Mark Noble , English footballer
1987 – Kurt Tippett , Australian footballer
1988 – Tanel Kurbas , Estonian basketball player
1988 – Maicon Pereira de Oliveira , Brazilian footballer (d. 2014)
1988 – David Aleksander Sjølie , Norwegian guitarist
1989 – Liam Bridcutt , English footballer
1989 – Lars Eller , Danish ice hockey player
1989 – Dinesh Patel , Indian baseball player
1990 – Kemba Walker , American basketball player
1991 – Ethan Gage , Canadian soccer player
1991 – Valentijn Lietmeijer , Dutch basketball player
1991 – Anamaria Tămârjan , Romanian gymnast
1992 – Kevin Hayes , American ice hockey player
1992 – Ana Mulvoy-Ten , English-American actress
1993 – Pat Cummins , Australian cricketer
535 – Pope John II (b. 470)
685 – Pope Benedict II (b. 635)
1157 – Ahmed Sanjar , Great Seljuk Sultan (b. 1084 or 1086)
1192 – Ottokar IV, Duke of Styria (b. 1163)
1278 – Emperor Duanzong of Song (b. 1268)
1319 – Haakon V of Norway (b. 1270)
1473 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire , English politician (b. 1420)
1538 – Edward Foxe , English bishop and academic (b. 1496)
1668 – Catherine of St. Augustine , French-Canadian nun and saint (b. 1632)
1766 – Samuel Chandler , English minister and author (b. 1693)
1773 – Ali Bey al-Kabir , Egyptian sultan (b. 1728)
1781 – Richard Jago , English priest and poet (b. 1715)
1782 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal , Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
1785 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul , French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1719)
1785 – Pietro Longhi , Italian painter (b. 1701)
1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli , Italian physician and botanist (b. 1723)
1794 – Antoine Lavoisier , French chemist and biologist (b. 1743)
1819 – Kamehameha I of Hawaii (b. 1758)
1822 – John Stark , American general (b. 1728)
1828 – Mauro Giuliani , Italian guitarist, cellist, and composer (b. 1781)
1837 – Alexander Balashov , Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (b. 1770)
1842 – Jules Dumont d'Urville , French admiral and explorer (b. 1790)
1853 – Jan Roothaan , Dutch priest, 21st Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1785)
1873 – John Stuart Mill , English economist and civil servant (b. 1806)
1880 – Gustave Flaubert , French novelist (b. 1821)
1891 – Helena Blavatsky , Russian-English mystic and author (b. 1831)
1903 – Paul Gauguin , French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
1907 – Edmund G. Ross , American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1826)
1925 – John Beresford , Irish polo player (b. 1847)
1936 – Oswald Spengler , German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
1941 – Natalie of Serbia (b. 1859)
1941 – Tore Svennberg , Swedish actor and director (b. 1858)
1942 – Nikolai Reek , Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1890)
1943 – Mordechai Anielewicz , Polish commander (b. 1919)
1944 – Themistoklis Diakidis , Greek high jumper (b. 1882)
1945 – Wilhelm Rediess , German SS officer (b. 1900)
1945 – Bernhard Rust , German lieutenant and politician (b. 1883)
1945 – Josef Terboven , German lieutenant and politician (b. 1898)
1947 – Harry Gordon Selfridge , American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (b. 1858)
1948 – U Saw , Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1900)
1950 – Vital Brazil , Brazilian physician and immunologist (b. 1865)
1952 – William Fox , Austrian businessman, founded Fox Theatres (b. 1879)
1959 – John Fraser , Canadian soccer player (b. 1881)
1960 – J. H. C. Whitehead , Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1904)
1965 – Wally Hardinge , English cricketer and footballer (b. 1886)
1969 – Remington Kellogg , American zoologist and paleontologist (b. 1892)
1972 – Pandurang Vaman Kane , Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (b. 1880)
1972 – Beatrice Helen Worsley , Mexican-Canadian computer scientist (b. 1921)
1975 – Avery Brundage , American businessman and art collector (b. 1887)
1980 – Geoffrey Baker , English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (b. 1920)
1981 – Uri Zvi Greenberg , Israeli poet and journalist (b. 1896)
1982 – Neil Bogart , American record producer, co-founded Casablanca Records (b. 1943)
1982 – Gilles Villeneuve , Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
1983 – John Fante , American author and acreenwriter (b. 1909)
1984 – Lila Bell Wallace , American publisher, co-founded Reader's Digest (b. 1890)
1984 – Gino Bianco , Italian-Brazilian race car driver (b. 1916)
1985 – Karl Marx , German conductor and composer (b. 1897)
1985 – Theodore Sturgeon , American author and critic (b. 1918)
1985 – Dolph Sweet , American actor (b. 1920)
1986 – Ernle Bradford , English historian and author (b. 1922)
1987 – Doris Stokes , English psychic and author (b. 1920)
1988 – Robert A. Heinlein , American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1907)
1990 – Luigi Nono , Italian composer and educator (b. 1924)
1991 – Jean Langlais , French pianist and composer (b. 1907)
1991 – Rudolf Serkin , Czech-Austrian pianist and educator (b. 1903)
1992 – Joyce Ricketts , American baseball player (b. 1933)
1993 – Avram Davidson , American soldier and author (b. 1923)
1994 – George Peppard , American actor and producer (b. 1928)
1995 – Teresa Teng , Taiwanese singer (b. 1953)
1996 – Beryl Burton , English cyclist (b. 1937)
1996 – Luis Miguel Dominguín , Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
1996 – Larry Levis , American poet, author, and critic (b. 1946)
1996 – Garth Williams , American illustrator (b. 1912)
1998 – Johannes Kotkas , Estonian wrestler (b. 1915)
1998 – Charles Rebozo , American banker and businessman (b. 1912)
1999 – Dirk Bogarde , English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
1999 – Ed Gilbert , American actor (b. 1931)
1999 – Dana Plato , American actress (b. 1964)
1999 – Soeman Hs , Indonesian author and educator (b. 1904)
2000 – Pita Amor , Mexican poet and author (b. 1918)
2000 – Dédé Fortin , Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
2000 – Henry Nicols , American activist (b. 1973)
2003 – Elvira Pagã , Brazilian vedette , singer, and artist (b. 1920)
2005 – Jean Carrière , French author (b. 1928)
2005 – Nicolás Vuyovich , Argentinian race car driver (b. 1981)
2006 – Iain Macmillan , Scottish photographer and author (b. 1938)
2007 – Philip R. Craig , American author and poet (b. 1933)
2007 – Carson Whitsett , American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
2008 – Eddy Arnold , American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1918)
2008 – François Sterchele , Belgian footballer (b. 1982)
2009 – Dom DiMaggio , American baseball player (b. 1917)
2009 – Bud Shrake , American journalist and author (b. 1931)
2011 – Lionel Rose , Australian boxer (b. 1948)
2012 – Everett Lilly , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1924)
2012 – Jerry McMorris , American businessman (b. 1941)
2012 – Stacy Robinson , American football player (b. 1962)
2012 – Maurice Sendak , American author and illustrator (b. 1928)
2012 – Ampon Tangnoppakul , Thai criminal (b. 1948)
2012 – Roman Totenberg , Polish-American violinist and educator (b. 1911)
2013 – Jeanne Cooper , American actress (b. 1928)
2013 – Bryan Forbes , English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
2013 – Juan José Muñoz , Argentinian businessman (b. 1950)
2013 – Hugh J. Silverman , American philosopher and theorist (b. 1945)
2013 – Ken Whaley , Austrian-English bass player (b. 1946)
2014 – Roger L. Easton , American scientist, co-invented the GPS (b. 1921)
2014 – Nancy Malone , American actress, director, and producer (b. 1935)
2014 – Yago Lamela , Spanish long jumper (b. 1977)
2014 – Jair Rodrigues , Brazilian singer (b. 1939)
2014 – R. Douglas Stuart Jr. , American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway (b. 1916)
2014 – Joseph P. Teasdale , American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (b. 1936)
2015 – Zeki Alasya , Turkish actor and director (b. 1943)
2015 – Mwepu Ilunga , Congolese footballer (b. 1949)
2015 – Menashe Kadishman , Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1932)
2015 – Juan Schwanner , Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (b. 1921)
2015 – Atanas Semerdzhiev , Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (b. 1924)
2016 – Tom M. Apostol , American analytic number theorist (b. 1923)
2016 – William Schallert , American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (b. 1922)
Holidays and observances [ edit ]
External links [ edit ]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to May 8 .