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

• 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.
• 1949 –
  United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is established to provide aid to Palestinian refugees who left their homes during the 1948 Palestinian exodus.
• 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.
• 1966 –
  The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.
• 1982 –
  In Suriname, several opponents of the military government are killed.
• 1987 –
  The Alianza Lima air disaster occurs.
• 1987 –
  The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed.
• 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.
• 2010 –
  With the second launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 and the first launch of the SpaceX Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first privately held company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.

Who were born on December 8?

• 1861 –
  Georges Méliès, French filmmaker (d. 1938)
• 1862 –
  Georges Feydeau, French playwright (d. 1921)
• 1865 –
  Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer (d. 1957)
• 1919 –
  Peter Tali Coleman, American politician and 43rd, 51st and 53rd Governor of American Samoa (d. 1997)
• 1925 –
  Jimmy Smith, American jazz organist (d. 2005)
• 1941 –
  Ed Brinkman, American baseball player
• 1949 –
  Mary Gordon, American writer
• 1954 –
  Frits Pirard, Dutch road bicycle racer
• 1954 –
  Gadowar Singh Sahota, Indian professional wrestler
• 1959 –
  Stephen Jefferies, South African cricketer

Who died on December 8?

• 1779 –
  Nathan Alcock, English physician (b. 1707)
• 1793 –
  Madame du Barry, last royal mistress of France, guillotined (b. 1743)
• 1894 –
  Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician (b. 1821)
• 1954 –
  Joseph B. Keenan, American political figure (b. 1888)
• 1967 –
  John Mills, Sr., American singer (Mills Brothers) (b. 1889)
• 1991 –
  Buck Clayton, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1911)
• 1999 –
  Péter Kuczka, Hungarian writer (b. 1923)
• 2008 –
  Kerryn McCann, Australian athlete (b. 1967)
• 2008 –
  Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer and writer. (b. 1925)
• 2008 –
  Robert Prosky, American actor (b. 1930).