On This Day: 8 May

8 May in Indian history

• 1973A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.India
• 1933Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.India

8 May in world history

• 2025Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV, making him the first pope born in the United States, the first to hold either U.S. or Peruvian citizenship, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second from the Americas af
• 2019British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.
• 1987A British Special Air Service unit ambushed a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit in Loughgall, Northern Ireland, killing eight IRA members and one civilian.
• 1984The Soviet Union announced the boycott of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, citing security concerns.
• 1984Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
• 1984The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.
• 1972Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
• 1970The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album Let It Be.
• 1967The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
• 1963In Huế, South Vietnam, soldiers opened fire into a crowd of Buddhists protesting against a government ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Phật Đản, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
• 1957South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm began a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor.
• 1942World War II: The Axis launched a major counteroffensive, turning the tide of the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula.
• 1821Greek War of Independence: At the Battle of Gravia Inn, a 120-man Greek force led by Odysseas Androutsos repulsed an Ottoman army of 8,000 soldiers.
• 1643First English Civil War: The first siege of Wardour Castle ended after six days with the surrender of the Royalist garrison under Lady Blanche Arundell
• 1608A newly nationalized silver mine in Scotland at Hilderston, West Lothian is re-opened by Bevis Bulmer.
• 1360The Hundred Years War: the Treaty of Brétigny is drafted between King Edward III of England and King John II of France (the Good).

Born on 8 May

• 1989Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player
• 1977Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (died 2011)
• 1920Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (died 1991)
• 1916Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (died 1993)India
• 1913Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (died 1984)
• 1825George Bruce Malleson, English-Indian colonel and author (died 1898)India

Died on 8 May

• 2018Anne V. Coates, British film editor (Lawrence of Arabia, The Elephant Man, Erin Brockovich), Oscar winner (1963) (born 1925)
• 2013Hugh J. Silverman, American philosopher and theorist (born 1945)
• 1972Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indian Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (born 1880)India
• 1960J. H. C. Whitehead, Indian-English mathematician and academic (born 1904)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 8 May in history?

2025: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV, making him the first pope born in the United States, the first to hold either U.S. or Peruvian citizenship, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second from the Americas af. 2019: British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection. 1987: A British Special Air Service unit ambushed a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit in Loughgall, Northern Ireland, killing eight IRA members and one civilian. 1984: The Soviet Union announced the boycott of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, citing security concerns.

What happened on 8 May in Indian history?

1973: A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants. 1933: Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.

Which famous people were born on 8 May?

Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player (1989); Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (died 2011) (1977); Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (died 1991) (1920); Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (died 1993) (1916).

Which day is observed on 8 May?

World Red Cross Day; Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi); Furry Dance (Helston, UK); Liberation Day (Czech Republic); Miguel Hidalgo's birthday (Mexico).