September 8

Events

Pre-1600

* 617 – Battle of Huoyi: Li Yuan defeats a Sui dynasty army, opening the path to his capture of the imperial capital Chang'an and the eventual establishment of the Tang dynasty.
*1100 – Election of Antipope Theodoric.
*1198 – Philip of Swabia, Prince of Hohenstaufen, is crowned King of Germany (King of the Romans)
* 1253 – Pope Innocent IV canonises Stanislaus of Szczepanów, killed by King Bolesław II.
* 1264 – The Statute of Kalisz, guaranteeing Jews safety and personal liberties and giving '' battei din'' jurisdiction over Jewish matters, is promulgated by Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland.
* 1276 – Pope John XXI is elected Pope.
* 1331 – Stefan Dušan declares himself king of Serbia.
*1380 – Battle of Kulikovo: Russian forces defeat a mixed army of Tatars and Mongols, stopping their advance.
* 1504 – Michelangelo's ''David'' is unveiled in Piazza della Signoria in Florence.
* 1514 – Battle of Orsha: In one of the biggest battles of the century, Lithuanians and Poles defeat the Russian army.
* 1522 – Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation: ''Victoria'' arrives at Seville, technically completing the first circumnavigation.
* 1565 – St. Augustine, Florida is founded by Spanish admiral and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés.
* 1565 – The Knights of Malta lift the Ottoman siege of Malta that began on May 18.

1601–1900

* 1655 – Warsaw falls without resistance to a small force under the command of Charles X Gustav of Sweden during The Deluge, making it the first time the city is captured by a foreign army.
*1727 – A barn fire during a puppet show in the village of Burwell in Cambridgeshire, England kills 78 people, many of whom are children.
* 1755 – French and Indian War: Battle of Lake George.
*1756 – French and Indian War: Kittanning Expedition.
*1760 – French and Indian War: French surrender Montreal to the British, completing the latter's conquest of New France.
* 1761 – Marriage of King George III of the United Kingdom to Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
*1775 – The unsuccessful Rising of the Priests in Malta.
*1781 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina, the war's last significant battle in the Southern theater, ends in a narrow British tactical victory.
*1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Hondschoote.
*1796 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Bassano: French forces defeat Austrian troops at Bassano del Grappa.
* 1810 – The '' Tonquin'' sets sail from New York Harbor with 33 employees of John Jacob Astor's newly created Pacific Fur Company on board. After a six-month journey around the tip of South America, the ship arrives at the mouth of the Columbia River and Astor's men establish the fur-trading town of Astoria, Oregon.
* 1813 – At the final stage of the Peninsular War, British-Portuguese troops capture the town of Donostia (now San Sebastián), resulting in a rampage and eventual destruction of the town.
* 1831 – William IV and Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
* 1831 – November uprising: The Battle of Warsaw effectively ends the Polish insurrection.
*1855 – Crimean War: The French assault the tower of Malakoff, leading to the capture of Sevastopol.''The Crimean War: A Clash of Empires'' by Ian Fletcher & Natalia Ishchenko
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*1860 – The steamship sinks on Lake Michigan, with the loss of around 300 lives.
*1862 – Millennium of Russia monument is unveiled in Novgorod.
*1863 – American Civil War: In the Second Battle of Sabine Pass, a small Confederate force thwarts a Union invasion of Texas.
*1883 – The Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was completed in a ceremony at Gold Creek, Montana. Former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in an event attended by rail and political luminaries.
*1888 – Isaac Peral's submarine is first tested.
* 1888 – The Great Herding ( es, El Gran Arreo) begins with thousands of sheep being herded from the Argentine outpost of Fortín Conesa to Santa Cruz near the Strait of Magellan.
* 1888 – In London, the body of Jack the Ripper's second murder victim, Annie Chapman, is found.
* 1888 – In England, the first six Football League matches are played.
* 1892 – The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited.
*1900 – Galveston hurricane: A powerful hurricane hits Galveston, Texas killing about 8,000 people.

1901–present

*1905 – The 7.2 Calabria earthquake shakes southern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''), killing between 557 and 2,500 people.
*1914 – World War I: Private Thomas Highgate becomes the first British soldier to be executed for desertion during the war.
*1916 – In a bid to prove that women were capable of serving as military dispatch riders, Augusta and Adeline Van Buren arrive in Los Angeles, completing a 60-day, 5,500 mile cross-country trip on motorcycles.
*1921 – Margaret Gorman, a 16-year-old, wins the Atlantic City Pageant's Golden Mermaid trophy; pageant officials later dubbed her the first Miss America.
* 1923 – Honda Point disaster: Nine US Navy destroyers run aground off the California coast. Seven are lost, and twenty-three sailors killed.
*1925 – Rif War: Spanish forces including troops from the Foreign Legion under Colonel Francisco Franco landing at Al Hoceima, Morocco.
* 1926 – Germany is admitted to the League of Nations.
*1933 – Ghazi bin Faisal became King of Iraq.
*1934 – Off the New Jersey coast, a fire aboard the passenger liner kills 137 people.
*1935 – US Senator from Louisiana Huey Long is fatally shot in the Louisiana State Capitol building.
*1941 – World War II: German forces begin the Siege of Leningrad.
*1943 – World War II: The Armistice of Cassibile is proclaimed by radio. '' OB Süd'' immediately implements plans to disarm the Italian forces.
*1944 – World War II: London is hit by a V-2 rocket for the first time.
*1945 – The division of Korea begins when United States troops arrive to partition the southern part of Korea in response to Soviet troops occupying the northern part of the peninsula a month earlier.
*1946 – The referendum abolishes the monarchy in Bulgaria.
*1952 – The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation makes its first televised broadcast on the second escape of the Boyd Gang.
*1954 – The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established.
*1960 – In Huntsville, Alabama, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally dedicates the Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA had already activated the facility on July 1).
*1962 – Last run of the famous Pines Express over the Somerset and Dorset Railway line (UK) fittingly using the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, BR Standard Class 9F 92220 Evening Star.
*1966 – The landmark American science fiction television series ''Star Trek'' premieres with its first-aired episode, "The Man Trap".
* 1970 – Trans International Airlines Flight 863 crashes during takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, killing all 11 aboard.
*1971 – In Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated, with the opening feature being the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's ''Mass''.
*1973 – World Airways Flight 802 crashes into Mount Dutton in King Cove, Alaska, killing six people.
*1974 – Watergate scandal: US President Gerald Ford signs the pardon of Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office.
*1975 – Gays in the military: US Air Force Tech Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, appears in his Air Force uniform on the cover of ''Time'' magazine with the headline "I Am A Homosexual". He is given a general discharge, later upgraded to honorable.
*1978 – Black Friday, a massacre by soldiers against protesters in Tehran, results in 88 deaths, it marks the beginning of the end of the monarchy in Iran.
*1986 – Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for '' U.S. News & World Report'', is indicted on charges of espionage by the Soviet Union.
*1988 – Yellowstone National Park is closed for the first time in U.S. history due to ongoing fires.
*1989 – Partnair Flight 394 dives into the North Sea, killing 55 people. The investigation showed that the tail of the plane vibrated loose in flight due to sub-standard connecting bolts that had been fraudulently sold as aircraft-grade.
*1994 – USAir Flight 427, on approach to Pittsburgh International Airport, suddenly crashes in clear weather killing all 132 aboard, resulting in the most extensive aviation investigation in world history and altering manufacturing practices in the industry.
*2004 – NASA's unmanned spacecraft ''Genesis'' crash-lands when its parachute fails to open.
*2005 – Two Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft from EMERCOM land at a disaster aid staging area at Little Rock Air Force Base; the first time Russia has flown such a mission to North America.
*2016 – NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe will visit 101955 Bennu and is expected to return with samples in 2023.
*2017 – Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announce the beginning of the Deir ez-Zor campaign, with the stated aim of eliminating the Islamic State (IS) from all areas north and east of the Euphrates.
*2022 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom dies at Balmoral estate in Scotland after a reign lasting over 70 years. Her son Charles, Prince of Wales, becomes King of the United Kingdom, assumed the regnal name Charles III.

Births

Pre-1600

* 685 – Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (d. 762)
* 801 – Ansgar, German archbishop and saint (d. 865)
* 828 – Ali al-Hadi, Hijazi (Western Arabian), 10th of the Twelve Imams (d. 868)
*1157 – Richard I of England (d. 1199)
* 1209 – Sancho II of Portugal (d. 1248)
* 1271 – Charles Martel of Anjou (d. 1295)
*1380 – Bernardino of Siena, Italian priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1444)
* 1413 – Catherine of Bologna, Italian nun and saint (d. 1463)
*1442 – John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, English commander and politician, Lord Great Chamberlain of England (d. 1513)
* 1462 – Henry Medwall, first known English vernacular dramatist (d. 1501)
*1474 – Ludovico Ariosto, Italian playwright and poet (d. 1533)
* 1515 – Alfonso Salmeron, Spanish priest and scholar (d. 1585)
* 1588 – Marin Mersenne, French mathematician, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1648)
* 1593 – Toyotomi Hideyori, Japanese nobleman (d. 1615)

1601–1900

* 1611 – Johann Friedrich Gronovius, German scholar and critic (d. 1671)
*1621 – Louis, Grand Condé, French general (d. 1686)
*1633 – Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans (d. 1654)
* 1672 – Nicolas de Grigny, French organist and composer (d. 1703)
* 1698 – François Francoeur, French violinist and composer (d. 1787)
*1742 – Ozias Humphry, English painter and academic (d. 1810)
* 1749 – Yolande de Polastron, French educator (d. 1793)
*1750 – Tanikaze Kajinosuke, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 4th Yokozuna (d. 1795)
* 1752 – Carl Stenborg, Swedish opera singer, actor, and director (d. 1813)
* 1767 – August Wilhelm Schlegel, German poet and critic (d. 1845)
*1774 – Anne Catherine Emmerich, German nun and mystic (d. 1824)
* 1779 – Mustafa IV, Ottoman sultan (d. 1808)
*1783 – N. F. S. Grundtvig, Danish pastor, philosopher, and author (d. 1872)
*1804 – Eduard Mörike, German pastor, poet, and academic (d. 1875)
* 1814 – Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French archaeologist, ethnographer, and historian (d. 1874)
*1815 – Giuseppina Strepponi, Italian soprano and educator (d. 1897)
* 1822 – Karl von Ditmar, German geologist and explorer (d. 1892)
*1824 – Jaime Nunó, Spanish-American composer, conductor, and director (d. 1908)
*1828 – Joshua Chamberlain, American general and politician, 32nd Governor of Maine (d. 1914)
* 1828 – Clarence Cook, American author and critic (d. 1900)
*1830 – Frédéric Mistral, French poet and lexicographer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
* 1831 – Wilhelm Raabe, German author and painter (d. 1910)
* 1841 – Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer and academic (d. 1904)
* 1846 – Paul Chater, Indian-Hong Kong businessman and politician (d. 1926)
*1851 – John Jenkins, American-Australian businessman and politician, 22nd Premier of South Australia (d. 1923)
*1852 – Gojong of Korea (d. 1919)
*1857 – Georg Michaelis, German academic and politician, 6th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1936)
*1863 – Mary of the Divine Heart, German nun and saint (d. 1899)
*1863 – W.W. Jacobs, English novelist and short story writer (d. 1943)
* 1867 – Alexander Parvus, Belarusian-German theoretician and activist (d. 1924)
* 1868 – Seth Weeks, American mandolin player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1953)
*1869 – José María Pino Suárez, Mexican politician, Vice President of Mexico, murdered in a military coup (d. 1913)
*1871 – Samuel McLaughlin, Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded the McLaughlin Carriage Company (d. 1972)
* 1872 – James William McCarthy, American judge (d. 1939)
* 1873 – Alfred Jarry, French author and playwright (d. 1907)
* 1873 – David O. McKay, American religious leader, 9th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1970)
*1876 – Inez Knight Allen, Mormon missionary and Utah politician (d. 1937)
*1881 – Harry Hillman, American runner and hurdler (d. 1945)
* 1881 – Refik Saydam (d. 1942)
* 1884 – Théodore Pilette, Belgian race car driver (d. 1921)
*1886 – Siegfried Sassoon, English captain, journalist, and poet (d. 1967)
* 1886 – Ninon Vallin, French soprano and actress (d. 1961)
*1889 – Robert A. Taft, American lawyer and politician (d. 1953)
*1894 – John Samuel Bourque, Canadian soldier and politician (d. 1974)
* 1894 – Willem Pijper, Dutch composer and critic (d. 1947)
* 1896 – Howard Dietz, American publicist and songwriter (d. 1983)
* 1897 – Jimmie Rodgers, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1933)
*1900 – Tilly Devine, English-Australian organised crime boss (d. 1970)
* 1900 – Claude Pepper, American lawyer and politician (d. 1989)

1901–present

*1901 – Hendrik Verwoerd, Dutch-South African journalist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1966)
*1903 – Jane Arbor, English author (d. 1994)
* 1906 – Andrei Kirilenko, Russian engineer and politician (d. 1990)
*1907 – William Wentworth, Australian economist and politician, 11th Australian Minister for Human Services (d. 2003)
*1909 – Józef Noji, Polish runner (d. 1943)
*1910 – Jean-Louis Barrault, French actor and director (d. 1994)
*1914 – Patriarch Demetrios I of Constantinople (d. 1991)
* 1914 – Denys Lasdun, English architect, designed the Royal National Theatre (d. 2001)
*1915 – N. V. M. Gonzalez, Filipino novelist, poet, and writer (d. 1999)
* 1917 – Jan Sedivka, Czech-Australian violinist and educator (d. 2009)
*1918 – Derek Barton, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
*1919 – Gianni Brera, Italian journalist and author (d. 1992)
* 1919 – Maria Lassnig, Austrian painter and academic (d. 2014)
*1921 – Harry Secombe, Welsh-English actor (d. 2001)
* 1921 – Dinko Šakić, Croatian concentration camp commander (d. 2008)
*1922 – Sid Caesar, American comic actor and writer (d. 2014)
* 1922 – Lyndon LaRouche, American politician and activist, founded the LaRouche movement (d. 2019)
* 1923 – Rasul Gamzatov, Russian poet (d. 2003)
* 1923 – Wilbur Ware, American double-bassist (d. 1979)
*1924 – Wendell H. Ford, American politician, 53rd Governor of Kentucky (d. 2015)
* 1924 – Marie-Claire Kirkland, American-Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 2016)
* 1924 – Grace Metalious, American author (d. 1964)
* 1924 – Mimi Parent, Canadian-Swiss painter (d. 2005)
*1925 – Jacqueline Ceballos, American activist, founded the Veteran Feminists of America
* 1925 – Peter Sellers, English actor and comedian (d. 1980)
* 1926 – Bhupen Hazarika, Indian singer-songwriter, poet, and director (d. 2011)
*1927 – Harlan Howard, American songwriter (d. 2002)
* 1927 – Robert L. Rock, American politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (d. 2013)
* 1927 – Marguerite Frank, American-French mathematician
*1929 – Christoph von Dohnányi, German conductor
*1930 – Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, Vietnamese general and politician, 16th Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam (d. 2011)
*1931 – Marion Brown, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2010)
* 1931 – John Garrett, English politician (d. 2007)
*1932 – Patsy Cline, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1963)
*1933 – Asha Bhosle, Indian singer
* 1933 – Michael Frayn, English author and playwright
* 1933 – Jeffrey Koo Sr., Taiwanese banker and businessman (d. 2012)
* 1933 – Eric Salzman, American composer, producer, and critic (d. 2017)
* 1933 – Maigonis Valdmanis, Latvian basketball player and coach (d. 1999)
*1934 – Rodrigue Biron, Canadian politician
* 1934 – Ross Brown, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2014)
* 1934 – Peter Maxwell Davies, English composer and conductor (d. 2016)
* 1934 – Bernard Donoughue, Baron Donoughue, English academic and politician
*1936 – Roy Newman, English admiral
*1937 – Edna Adan Ismail, Somaliland politician and activist
* 1937 – Barbara Frum, American-Canadian journalist (d. 1992)
* 1937 – Archie Goodwin, American author and illustrator (d. 1998)
*1938 – Adrian Cronauer

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