What are the important events that happened on December 8? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

December 8: Facts & Myths About This Day

December 8 is the 342^nd day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 23 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is November 25, 2025 – a Monday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,765,152,000 seconds 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 ‘trihectatetracontadigon’ day.

Sagittarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Turquoise is the modern birthstone for this month. Onyx is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 71 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 4,735 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

December 8 Historical Events

• 1912 –
  Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out.
• 1914 –
  A squadron of Britain’s Royal Navy defeats an inferior squadron of the Imperial German High Seas Fleet in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
• 1927 –
  The Brookings Institution, one of the United States’ oldest think tanks, is founded through the merger of three organizations that had been created by philanthropist Robert S. Brookings.
• 1941 –
  United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be “a date which will live in infamy”, after which the U.S. and the Republic of China declare war against Japan.
• 1962 –
  Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.
• 1980 –
  John Lennon, an English musician (former member of The Beatles), and peace activist, is murdered by Mark David Chapman, a mentally unstable fan, in front of The Dakota apartment building in New York City.
• 1982 –
  In Suriname, several opponents of the military government are killed.
• 1991 –
  The Romanian Constitution is adopted in a referendum.
• 1993 –
  The North American Free Trade Agreement is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton.
• 2009 –
  Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq kill 127 and injure 448.

Who were born on December 8?

• 1626 –
  Queen Christina of Sweden (d. 1689)
• 1861 –
  Georges Méliès, French filmmaker (d. 1938)
• 1913 –
  Delmore Schwartz, American poet (d. 1966)
• 1922 –
  Lucian Freud, English painter (d. 2011)
• 1947 –
  Gregg Allman, American musician (The Allman Brothers Band)
• 1959 –
  Mark Steyn, Canadian writer and cultural critic
• 1972 –
  Marco Abreu, Angolan footballer
• 1976 –
  Joshua Butler, Celebrity Chef
• 1976 –
  Naimee Coleman, Irish singer and songwriter
• 1982 –
  Noelle Pikus-Pace, American skeleton racer

Who died on December 8?

• 1638 –
  Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet (b. 1589)
• 1680 –
  Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, English politician (b. 1606)
• 1691 –
  Richard Baxter, English clergyman (b. 1615)
• 1885 –
  William Henry Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1821)
• 1914 –
  Maximilian von Spee, German naval officer, in the Battle of the Falkland Islands (b. 1861)
• 1966 –
  Ward Morehouse, American theater critic and newspaper columnist (b. 1899)
• 1971 –
  Eleni Ourani, Greek writer (b. 1896)
• 1991 –
  Kimberly Bergalis, claimed to have contracted HIV from her dentist (b. 1968)
• 2001 –
  Don Tennant, American advertising executive (b. 1922)
• 2001 –
  Mirza Delibašić, Bosnian basketball player (b. 1954)