compareyourlife

On May 8

5 indexed birthdays · 14 historic events

Born today

Historic events

  • 2025-05-08Conflict
    Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV (pictured), making him the first pope born in the United States, the first to hold either U.S. or Peruvian citizenship, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second from the Americas after his immediate predecessor, Pope Francis.
  • 1987-05-08Conflict
    A British Special Air Service unit ambushed a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit in Loughgall, Northern Ireland, killing eight IRA members and one civilian.
  • 1972-05-08Conflict
    Four members of Black September hijacked Sabena Flight 571 to demand the release of 315 Palestinians convicted on terrorism charges.
  • 1970-05-08Conflict
    Construction workers attacked students and others who were protesting the Vietnam War in New York City.
  • 1963-05-08Conflict
    In Huế, South Vietnam, soldiers opened fire into a crowd of Buddhists protesting against a government ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Phật Đản, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
  • 1957-05-08Conflict
    South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm began a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor.
  • 1950-05-08Disaster
    The Tollund Man (pictured), a naturally mummified corpse, was discovered in a peat bog near Silkeborg, Denmark.
  • 1945-05-08Conflict
    A parade in Sétif, French Algeria, celebrating the end of World War II in Europe became a riot and was followed by reprisals, carried out by colonial authorities over the following weeks, that killed thousands.
  • 1942-05-08Conflict
    World War II: The Axis launched a major counteroffensive, turning the tide of the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula.
  • 1927-05-08Science & Tech
    French aviators Charles Nungesser and François Coli aboard the biplane L'Oiseau Blanc took off from Paris, attempting to make the first non-stop flight to New York, only to disappear before arrival.
  • 1924-05-08Geopolitics
    Lithuania signed the Klaipėda Convention, making the Klaipėda Region (taken from East Prussia) into an autonomous region under Lithuanian rule.
  • 1842-05-08Disaster
    A train derailed and caught fire near Versailles, France, killing at least 52 people.
  • 1821-05-08Conflict
    Greek War of Independence: At the Battle of Gravia Inn, a 120-man Greek force led by Odysseas Androutsos repulsed an Ottoman army of 8,000 soldiers.
  • 1643-05-08Conflict
    First English Civil War: The first siege of Wardour Castle ended after six days with the surrender of the Royalist garrison under Lady Blanche Arundell
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