What are the important events that happened on February 8? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
February 8: Facts & Myths About This Day
February 8 is the 39th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 327 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is January 26, 2024 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 28,455,840 minutes has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘triacontaenneagon’ day.
Aquarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Amethyst is the modern birthstone for this month. Bloodstone is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 2 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,066 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
Do people and celebrities interest you? Discover all the February 8 famous birthdays who share your special day. Learn some fun facts about your birthday! (Sponsored link)
February 8 Historical Events
- 1250 –Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al Mansurah.
- 1601 –Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Queen Elizabeth I – the revolt is quickly crushed.
- 1693 –The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia is granted a charter by King William III and Queen Mary II.
- 1879 –The England cricket team led by Lord Harris is attacked during a riot during a match in Sydney.
- 1952 –Elizabeth II is proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom.
- 1960 –The first eight brass star plaques are installed in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 1971 –South Vietnamese ground troops launch an incursion into Laos to try to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail and stop communist infiltration.
- 1989 –An Independent Air Boeing 707 crashes into Santa Maria mountain in the Azores, killing 144.
- 1993 –General Motors sues NBC after Dateline NBC allegedly rigs two crashes intended to demonstrate that some GM pickups can easily catch fire if hit in certain places. NBC settles the lawsuit the next day.
- 2035 –New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Wood Rabbit in Chinese astrology.
Who were born on February 8?
- 412 –Proclus, Greek philosopher (d. 485)
- 1820 –William Tecumseh Sherman, American Union general (d. 1891)
- 1888 –Dame Edith Evans, British actress (d. 1976)
- 1911 –Elizabeth Bishop, American poet (d. 1979)
- 1914 –Bill Finger, American comic book writer (d. 1974)
- 1930 –James Deetz, American anthropologist (d. 2000)
- 1949 –Brooke Adams, American actress
- 1965 –Dicky Cheung, Hong Kong actor and singer
- 1966 –Kirk Muller, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1970 –John Filan, Australian footballer
Who died on February 8?
- 1599 –Robert Rollock, Scottish educator (b. 1555)
- 1847 –Theodor Valentin Volkmar, German politician (b. 1781)
- 1960 –John Langshaw Austin, British philosopher (b. 1911)
- 1963 –George Dolenz, American actor, father of Micky Dolenz (b. 1908)
- 1964 –Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist (b. 1888)
- 1972 –Markos Vamvakaris, Greek musician and songwriter (b. 1905)
- 1999 –Iris Murdoch, Irish author (b. 1919)
- 2000 –Bob Collins, American radio broadcaster (b. 1942)
- 2000 –Derrick Thomas, American football player (b. 1967)
- 2002 –Ong Teng Cheong, President of Singapore (b. 1936)
Holy Toledo! Did you know that coffee and word games are an excellent combination to sharpen your vocabulary? Let’s give it a quick spin. Within 30 seconds, how many words can you think of from these letters DUTMUEBOAVBLD? Check your answers here: Word search DUTMUEBOAVBLD. (Sponsored by WordFinder.Cafe)