On This Day: 8 July

8 July in Indian history

• 1988The Island Express train travelling from Bangalore to Kanyakumari derails on the Peruman bridge and falls into Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala in India killing 105 passengers and injuring over 200 more.India
• 1970Richard Nixon delivers a special congressional message enunciating Native American self-determination as official US Indian policy, leading to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.India
• 1758French and Indian War: French forces defeated the British at Fort Carillon in the British colony of New York.India

8 July in world history

• 2025Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, causing 44 deaths, over 2.7 residents without power, and $28 billion to $32 billion dollars worth of damage.
• 2014German citizen Lars Mittank disappeared from Varna Airport, Bulgaria; his last known movements were widely watched on YouTube.
• 1994Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on an international science mission.
• 1994Kim Jong Il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il Sung.
• 1990West Germany won the FIFA World Cup final against defending champions Argentina, with Andreas Brehme scoring the game's only goal.
• 1980Aeroflot Flight 4225 crashed near Almaty International Airport in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (present day Kazakhstan) killing all 166 people on board.
• 1980The inaugural 1980 State of Origin game is won by Queensland who defeat New South Wales 20–10 at Lang Park.
• 1962Following student protests at Rangoon University, Burmese general Ne Win ordered the demolition of the historic students' union building.
• 1948The United States Air Force accepts its first female recruits into a program called the Women's Air Force (WAF).
• 1947Following reports of the capture of a "flying disc" by U.S. Army Air Forces personnel near Roswell, New Mexico, the military stated that the crashed object was a conventional weather balloon.
• 1874Members of the North-West Mounted Police at Fort Dufferin began their March West, their first journey to the Canadian Prairies.
• 1864Ikedaya Incident: The Choshu Han shishis planned Shinsengumi sabotage on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya.
• 1775The Olive Branch Petition is signed by the Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies of North America.
• 1709Great Northern War: Swedish forces under Charles XII were defeated by Russian troops led by Peter the Great at the Battle of Poltava.
• 1651The Venetian fleet under Alvise Mocenigo engages with an Ottoman fleet under Hosambegzade Ali Pasha south of Naxos, defeating it after three days.

Born on 8 July

• 1972Sourav Ganguly, Indian cricketerIndia
• 1949Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (died 2009)India
• 1921John Money, New Zealand psychologist and sexologist, known for his research on gender identity, and responsible for controversial involuntary sex reassignment of David Reimer (died 2006)
• 1914Jyoti Basu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of West Bengal (died 2010)India
• 1910Carlos Betances Ramírez, Puerto Rican general (died 2001)
• 1857Alfred Binet, French psychologist and graphologist (died 1911)

Died on 8 July

• 2013Sundri Uttamchandani, Indian author (born 1924)India
• 2007Chandra Shekhar, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (born 1927)India
• 1988Ray Barbuti, American runner and football player (born 1905)
• 1956Giovanni Papini, Italian journalist, author, and critic (born 1881)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 8 July in history?

2025: Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, causing 44 deaths, over 2.7 residents without power, and $28 billion to $32 billion dollars worth of damage. 2014: German citizen Lars Mittank disappeared from Varna Airport, Bulgaria; his last known movements were widely watched on YouTube. 1994: Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on an international science mission. 1994: Kim Jong Il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il Sung.

What happened on 8 July in Indian history?

1988: The Island Express train travelling from Bangalore to Kanyakumari derails on the Peruman bridge and falls into Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala in India killing 105 passengers and injuring over 200 more. 1970: Richard Nixon delivers a special congressional message enunciating Native American self-determination as official US Indian policy, leading to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. 1758: French and Indian War: French forces defeated the British at Fort Carillon in the British colony of New York.

Which famous people were born on 8 July?

Sourav Ganguly, Indian cricketer (1972); Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (died 2009) (1949); John Money, New Zealand psychologist and sexologist, known for his research on gender identity, and responsible for controversial involuntary sex reassignment of David Reimer (died 2006) (1921); Jyoti Basu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of West Bengal (died 2010) (1914).

Which day is observed on 8 July?

Air Force and Air Defense Forces Day (Ukraine).