July 8

Events

Pre-1600

* 1099 – Some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city as its Muslim defenders watch.
*1283 – Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese fleet, defeats an Angevin fleet sent to put down a rebellion on Malta.
*1497 – Vasco da Gama sets sail on the first direct European voyage to India.
* 1579 – Our Lady of Kazan, a holy icon of the Russian Orthodox Church, is discovered underground in the city of Kazan, Tatarstan.

1601–1900

* 1663 – Charles II of England grants John Clarke a Royal charter to Rhode Island.
* 1709 – Peter I of Russia defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava, thus effectively ending Sweden's status as a major power in Europe.
* 1716 – The Battle of Dynekilen forces Sweden to abandon its invasion of Norway.
* 1730 – An estimated magnitude 8.7 earthquake causes a tsunami that damages more than of Chile's coastline.
* 1758 – French forces hold Fort Carillon against the British at Ticonderoga, New York.
* 1760 – British forces defeat French forces in the last naval battle in New France.
* 1775 – The Olive Branch Petition is signed by the Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies of North America.
* 1776 – Church bells (possibly including the Liberty Bell) are rung after John Nixon delivers the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
* 1808 – Promulgation of the Bayonne Statute, a royal charter Joseph Bonaparte intended as the basis for his rule as king of Spain.
* 1822 – Chippewas turn over a huge tract of land in Ontario to the United Kingdom.
*1853 – The Perry Expedition arrives in Edo Bay with a treaty requesting trade.
* 1859 – King Charles XV & IV accedes to the throne of Sweden–Norway.
*1864 – Ikedaya Incident: The Choshu Han shishi's planned Shinsengumi sabotage on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya.
*1874 – The Mounties begin their March West.
* 1876 – The Hamburg massacre prior to the 1876 United States presidential election results in the deaths of six African-Americans of the Republican Party, along with one white assailant.
*1879 – Sailing ship departs San Francisco carrying an ill-fated expedition to the North Pole.
* 1889 – The first issue of ''The Wall Street Journal'' is published.
* 1892 – St. John's, Newfoundland is devastated in the Great Fire of 1892.
* 1898 – The death of crime boss Soapy Smith, killed in the Shootout on Juneau Wharf, releases Skagway, Alaska from his iron grip.

1901–present

*1912 – Henrique Mitchell de Paiva Couceiro leads an unsuccessful royalist attack against the First Portuguese Republic in Chaves.
*1932 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level of the Great Depression, closing at 41.22.
*1933 – The first rugby union test match between the Wallabies of Australia and the Springboks of South Africa is played at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
*1937 – Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan sign the Treaty of Saadabad.
*1947 – Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident.
* 1948 – The United States Air Force accepts its first female recruits into a program called Women in the Air Force (WAF).
*1960 – Francis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union.
* 1962 – Ne Win besieges and blows up the Rangoon University Student Union building to crush the Student Movement.
* 1966 – King Mwambutsa IV Bangiriceng of Burundi is deposed by his son Prince Charles Ndizi.
*1968 – The Chrysler wildcat strike begins in Detroit, Michigan.
* 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.
* 1972 – Israeli Mossad assassinate Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani.
*1980 – The inaugural 1980 State of Origin game is won by Queensland who defeat New South Wales 20–10 at Lang Park.
* 1980 – Aeroflot Flight 4225 crashes near Almaty International Airport in the then Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (present day Kazakhstan) killing all 166 people on board.
*1982 – A failed assassination attempt against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein results in the Dujail Massacre over the next several months.
* 1988 – The Island Express train travelling from Bangalore to Kanyakumari derails on the Peruman bridge and falls into Ashtamudi Lake, killing 105 passengers and injuring over 200 more.
*1994 – Kim Jong-il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il-sung.
*2003 – Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashes near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117 people on board.
*2011 – Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program.
*2014 – Israel launches an offensive on Gaza amid rising tensions following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers.
* 2021 – President Joe Biden announces that the official conclusion of U.S. involvement in the War in Afghanistan will be on August 31, 2021.
* 2022 – Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is assassinated while giving a speech in Nara.

Births

Pre-1600

* 1478 – Gian Giorgio Trissino, Italian linguist, poet, and playwright (d. 1550)
* 1528 – Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (d. 1580)
* 1538 – Alberto Bolognetti, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1585)
* 1545 – Carlos, Prince of Asturias (d. 1568)
* 1593 – Artemisia Gentileschi, Italian painter (d. 1653)

1601–1900

* 1621 – Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet (d. 1695)
* 1760 – Christian Kramp, French mathematician and academic (d. 1826)
*1766 – Dominique Jean Larrey, French surgeon (d. 1842)
* 1779 – Giorgio Pullicino, Maltese painter and architect (d. 1851)
* 1819 – Francis Leopold McClintock, Irish admiral and explorer (d. 1907)
*1830 – Frederick W. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1915)
* 1831 – John Pemberton, American chemist and pharmacist, invented Coca-Cola (d. 1888)
* 1836 – Joseph Chamberlain, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1914)
*1838 – Eli Lilly, American soldier, chemist, and businessman, founded Eli Lilly and Company (d. 1898)
* 1838 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and businessman, founded the Zeppelin Airship Company (d. 1917)
*1839 – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company (d. 1937)
*1851 – Arthur Evans, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1941)
* 1851 – John Murray, Australian politician, 23rd Premier of Victoria (d. 1916)
*1857 – Alfred Binet, French psychologist and graphologist (d. 1911)
* 1867 – Käthe Kollwitz, German painter and sculptor (d. 1945)
* 1876 – Alexandros Papanastasiou, Greek sociologist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1936)
* 1882 – Percy Grainger, Australian-American pianist and composer (d. 1961)
*1885 – Ernst Bloch, German philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1977)
* 1885 – Hugo Boss, German fashion designer, founded Hugo Boss (d. 1948)
*1890 – Stanton Macdonald-Wright, American painter (d. 1973)
* 1892 – Richard Aldington, English author and poet (d. 1962)
* 1892 – Pavel Korin, Russian painter (d. 1967)
* 1893 – R. Carlyle Buley, American historian and author (d. 1968)
* 1894 – Pyotr Kapitsa, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
* 1895 – Igor Tamm, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
* 1898 – Melville Ruick, American actor (d. 1972)
* 1900 – George Antheil, American pianist, composer, and author (d. 1959)

1901–present

* 1904 – Henri Cartan, French mathematician and academic (d. 2008)
* 1905 – Leonid Amalrik, Russian animator and director (d. 1997)
* 1906 – Philip Johnson, American architect, designed the IDS Center and PPG Place (d. 2005)
* 1907 – George W. Romney, American businessman and politician, 43rd Governor of Michigan (d. 1995)
* 1908 – Louis Jordan, American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and actor (d. 1975)
* 1908 – Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (d. 1979)
* 1908 – V. K. R. Varadaraja Rao, Indian economist, politician, professor and educator (d. 1991)
* 1909 – Alan Brown, English soldier (d. 1971)
* 1909 – Ike Petersen, American football back (d. 1995)
* 1910 – Carlos Betances Ramírez, Puerto Rican general (d. 2001)
*1911 – Ken Farnes, English cricketer (d. 1941)
* 1913 – Alejandra Soler, Spanish politician (d. 2017)
* 1914 – Jyoti Basu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 2010)
* 1914 – Billy Eckstine, American singer and trumpet player (d. 1993)
* 1915 – Neil D. Van Sickle, American Air Force major general (d. 2019)
* 1915 – Lowell English, United States Marine Corps general (d. 2005)
* 1916 – Jean Rouverol, American author, actress and screenwriter (d. 2017)
* 1917 – Pamela Brown, English actress (d. 1975)
* 1917 – Faye Emerson, American actress (d. 1983)
* 1917 – J. F. Powers, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1999)
*1918 – Paul B. Fay, American businessman, soldier, and diplomat, 12th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 2009)
* 1918 – Irwin Hasen, American illustrator (d. 2015)
* 1918 – Oluf Reed-Olsen, Norwegian resistance member and pilot (d. 2002)
* 1918 – Julia Pirie, British spy working for MI5 (d. 2008)
* 1918 – Edward B. Giller, American Major General (d. 2017)
* 1918 – Craig Stevens, American actor (d. 2000)
* 1919 – Walter Scheel, German soldier and politician, 4th President of West Germany (d. 2016)
*1920 – Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman (d. 1995)
*1921 – John Money, New Zealand psychologist and sexologist, known for his research on gender identity, and responsible for controversial involuntary sex reassignment of David Reimer (d. 2006)
* 1923 – Harrison Dillard, American sprinter and hurdler (d. 2019)
* 1923 – Val Bettin, American actor (d. 2021)
*1924 – Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (d. 2005)
* 1924 – Charles C. Droz, American politician
* 1925 – Marco Cé, Italian cardinal (d. 2014)
* 1925 – Arthur Imperatore Sr., Italian-American businessman (d. 2020)
* 1925 – Bill Mackrides, American football quarterback (d. 2019)
* 1925 – Dominique Nohain, French actor, screenwriter and director (d. 2017)
* 1926 – David Malet Armstrong, Australian philosopher and author (d. 2014)
* 1926 – John Dingell, American lieutenant and politician (d. 2019)
* 1926 – Martin Riesen, Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender (d. 2003)
* 1926 – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist and author (d. 2004)
* 1927 – Maurice Hayes, Irish educator and politician (d. 2017)
* 1927 – Khensur Lungri Namgyel, Tibetan religious leader
* 1927 – Bob Beckham, American country singer (d. 2013)
*1928 – Balakh Sher Mazari, former prime minister of Pakistan (d. 2022)
* 1930 – Jerry Vale, American singer (d. 2014)
*1933 – Antonio Lamer, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Chief Justice of Canada (d. 2007)
* 1934 – Raquel Correa, Chilean journalist (d. 2012)
* 1934 – Marty Feldman, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
* 1934 – Edward D. DiPrete, American politician
*1935 – John David Crow, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
* 1935 – Steve Lawrence, American actor and singer
* 1935 – Vitaly Sevastyanov, Russian engineer and cosmonaut (d. 2010)
*1938 – Diane Clare, English actress (d. 2013)
*1939 – Ed Lumley, Canadian businessman and politician, 8th Canadian Minister of Communications
* 1940 – Joe B. Mauldin, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2015)
*1941 – Dario Gradi, Italian-English footballer, coach, and manager
* 1942 – Phil Gramm, American economist and politician
*1944 – Jaimoe, American drummer
* 1944 – Jeffrey Tambor, American actor and singer
* 1945 – Micheline Calmy-Rey, Swiss politician, 91st President of the Swiss Confederation
*1947 – Kim Darby, American actress
* 1947 – Jenny Diski, English author and screenwriter (d. 2016)
* 1947 – Luis Fernando Figari, Peruvian religious leader, founded the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae
* 1948 – Raffi, Egyptian-Canadian singer-songwriter
* 1948 – Ruby Sales, American civil-rights activist
*1949 – Wolfgang Puck, Austrian-American chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur
* 1949 – Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (d. 2009)
* 1951 – Alan Ashby, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster
* 1951 – Anjelica Huston, American actress and director
* 1952 – Larry Garner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1952 – Jack Lambert, American football player and sportscaster
* 1952 – Marianne Williamson, American author and activist
*1956 – Terry Puhl, Canadian baseball player and coach
* 1957 – Carlos Cavazo, Mexican-American guitarist and songwriter
* 1957 – Aleksandr Gurnov, Russian journalist and author
*1958 – Kevin Bacon, American actor and musician
* 1958 – Andreas Carlgren, Swedish educator and politician, 8th Swedish Minister for the Environment
* 1958 – Tzipi Livni, Israeli lawyer and politician, 18th Justice Minister of Israel
* 1959 – Pauline Quirke, English actress
*1960 – Mal Meninga, Australian rugby league player and coach
*1961 – Ces Drilon, Filipino journalist
* 1961 – Andrew Fletcher, English keyboard player (d. 2022)
* 1961 – Toby Keith, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
* 1961 – Karl Seglem, Norwegian saxophonist and record producer
* 1962 – Joan Osborne, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1963 – Mark Christopher, American director and screenwriter
* 1964 – Alexei Gusarov, Russian ice hockey player and manager
*1965 – Dan Levinson, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and bandleader
* 1966 – Ralf Altmeyer, German-Chinese virologist and academic
* 1966 – Shadlog Bernicke, Nauruan politician
* 1967 – Jordan Chan, Hong Kong actor and singer
* 1967 – Charlie Cardona, Colombian singer
*1968 – Billy Crudup, American actor
* 1968 – Shane Howarth, New Zealand rugby player and coach
*1969 – Sugizo, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
* 1970 – Beck, American singer-songwriter and producer
* 1970 – Mark Butler, Australian politician
* 1970 – Sylvain Gaudreault, Canadian educator and politician
* 1970 – Todd Martin, American tennis player and coach
*1971 – Neil Jenkins, Welsh rugby player and coach
* 1972 – Karl Dykhuis, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1972 – Sourav Ganguly, Indian cricketer
* 1972 – Shōsuke Tanihara, Japanese actor
*1974 – Hu Liang

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