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 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 326 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is January 26, 2025 – a Saturday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 28,982,880 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.
Ready for a new challenge? Try guessing my birthday in just 6 tries with this fun twist on Wordle! Let’s see if you can figure it out. 🎉🎂 Play the Birthday Challenge now! (Sponsored by MyBirthday.Ninja)
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 374 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 4,432 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 by MyBirthday.Ninja)
February 8 Historical Events
- 421 –Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
- 1575 –Universiteit Leiden is founded, and given the motto Praesidium Libertatis.
- 1837 –Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate.
- 1856 –Barbu Dimitrie Ştirbei abolishes slavery in Wallachia.
- 1942 –World War II: Japan invades Singapore.
- 1963 –Travel, financial and commercial transactions by United States citizens to Cuba are made illegal by the John F. Kennedy administration.
- 1974 –After 84 days in space, the crew of Skylab 4, the last crew to visit American space station Skylab, returns to Earth.
- 1974 –Military coup in Upper Volta.
- 1983 –The Melbourne dust storm hits Australia’s second largest city. The result of the worst drought on record and a day of severe weather conditions, a 320 m deep dust cloud envelops the city, turning day to night.
- 2016 –New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Fire Monkey in Chinese astrology.
Who were born on February 8?
- 1191 –Yaroslav II of Russia (d. 1246)
- 1586 –Jacob Praetorius, German composer (d. 1651)
- 1886 –Charles Ruggles, American actor (d. 1970)
- 1893 –Ba Maw, Burmese politician (d. 1977)
- 1928 –Gene Lees, Canadian biographer and lyricist (d. 2010)
- 1939 –Ken Iman, American football player (d. 2010)
- 1956 –Marques Johnson, American basketball player
- 1973 –Keith McDonald, American baseball player
- 1981 –Myriam Montemayor Cruz, Mexican singer
- 1989 –Dani Harmer, English actress
Who died on February 8?
- 1204 –Alexius IV Angelus, deposed Eastern Roman Emperor (b. c. 1182)
- 1599 –Robert Rollock, Scottish educator (b. 1555)
- 1772 –Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Princess of Wales (b. 1719)
- 1847 –Theodor Valentin Volkmar, German politician (b. 1781)
- 1932 –Yordan Milanov, Bulgarian architect (b. 1867)
- 1956 –Connie Mack, American baseball manager and executive (b. 1862)
- 1964 –Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist (b. 1888)
- 1994 –Raymond Scott, American composer (b. 1908)
- 1999 –Iris Murdoch, Irish author (b. 1919)
- 2005 –Jimmy Smith, American jazz musician (b. 1925)
Can you guess my birthday in just 6 tries? 🥳🎉 Give it a shot and see if you can crack the code! 🎂🎈 Play the Birthday Challenge here. (Sponsored by MyBirthday.Ninja)