This Day in History
08 Feb 1575
University Leiden founded and given the motto Praesidium Libertatis
08 Feb 1600
Vatican convicts scholar Giordano Bruno to death
08 Feb 1601
Earl Robert Devereux of Essex armies draws into London
08 Feb 1690
French and Native American troops set Schenectady settlement New York on fire
More History
First execution by lethal gas
The first execution by lethal gas in American history is carried out in Carson City Nevada. The executed man was Tong Lee a member of a Chinese gang who was c...
The Russo-Japanese War begins
Following the Russian rejection of a Japanese plan to divide Manchuria and Korea into spheres of influence Japan launches a surprise naval attack against Port ...
Peter the Great dies
On February 8 1725 Peter the Great emperor of Russia dies and is succeeded by his wife Catherine.The reign of Peter who became sole czar in 1696 was char...
Mary Queen of Scots beheaded
After 19 years of imprisonment Mary Queen of Scots is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England for her complicity in a plot to murder Queen Elizabeth I.In 15...
D.W. Griffiths Birth of A Nation Opens, Glorifying the KKK
On February 8 1915 D.W. Griffiths Birth of a Nation a landmark film in the history of cinema premieres at Clunes Auditorium in Los Angeles. ...
Jaguar founder dies
On February 8 1985 Sir William Lyons the founder of the British luxury automaker Jaguar dies at the age of 84 in Warwickshire England.Lyons was born in Bla...
Americans secure Guadalcanal
On this day in 1943 Japanese troops evacuate Guadalcanal leaving the island in Allied possession after a prolonged campaign. The American victory paved the wa...
Operation Lam Son 719 begins
South Vietnamese army forces invade southern Laos. Dubbed Operation Lam Son 719 the mission goal was to disrupt the communist supply and infiltration network ...
MACV established
The Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) headed by Gen. Paul D. Harkins former U.S. Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific is installed in Saigo...
Spud Webb wins dunk contest
On February 8 1986 Spud Webb who at 57 was one of the shortest players in the history of professional basketball wins the NBA slam dunk conte...
Cleveland signs the Dawes Severalty Act
In a well-meaning but ultimately flawed attempt to assimilate Native Americans President Grover Cleveland signs an act to end tribal control of reservations an...
Del Shannon dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound
Born Charles Westover in Grand Rapids Michigan in 1934 the singersongwriter known as Del Shannon committed suicide on this day in 1990. In a period when the...
Jack Nicholson smashes windshield in episode of road rage
Years later he would play a therapist counseling Adam Sandler in the black comedy Anger Management (2003) but on February 8 1994 it was the Oscar-winning ac...
New England digs out after blizzard
A classic Noreaster storm that brought a severe blizzard to New England finally subsides on this day in 1978 and the region begins to dig...
Irish race horse stolen
Gunmen steal the champion Irish race horse Shergar from a stud farm owned by the Aga Khan in County Kildare Ireland. The five-year-old thoroughbred stallion n...
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