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, 29,419,200 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 ‘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.
• 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.
• 1953 –
  United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his “Atoms for Peace” speech, and the U.S. launches its “Atoms for Peace” program that supplied equipment and information to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.
• 1962 –
  Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.
• 1963 –
  Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, United States, killing all 81 people on board.
• 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.
• 2007 –
  Benazir Bhutto, first and only female former Prime Minister of Pakistan, had her PPP Office stormed by unidentified gunmen. Three supporters are killed.

Who were born on December 8?

• 1911 –
  Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and lyricist (d. 1992)
• 1941 –
  Sir Geoff Hurst, English footballer
• 1945 –
  John Banville, Irish novelist and journalist
• 1946 –
  Sharmila Tagore, Indian Actress
• 1961 –
  Mikey Robins, Australian comedian
• 1967 –
  Junkie XL, Dutch musician
• 1973 –
  Corey Taylor, American singer (Slipknot, Stone Sour)
• 1978 –
  John Oster, Welsh footballer
• 1982 –
  Nicki Minaj, rapper and singer-songwriter
• 1989 –
  Jen Ledger, English drummer “Skillet”

Who died on December 8?

• 1811 –
  Eliza Poe, English-born American actress and the mother of the American author Edgar Allan Poe (b. 1787)
• 1954 –
  Joseph B. Keenan, American political figure (b. 1888)
• 1980 –
  John Lennon, English musician (The Beatles) (b. 1940)
• 1984 –
  Razzle, English musician and drummer (Hanoi Rocks) (b. 1960)
• 1991 –
  Kimberly Bergalis, claimed to have contracted HIV from her dentist (b. 1968)
• 1994 –
  Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian composer and arranger (b. 1927)
• 1996 –
  Kashiwado Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 47th Yokozuna (b. 1938)
• 2006 –
  José Uribe, Dominican baseball player (b. 1959)
• 2006 –
  Martha Tilton, American singer (b. 1915)
• 2009 –
  Kenneth Biros, American murderer (b. 1958)