📅 On This Day in History

What Happened on September 8th in History

60 historical events on this date

1941

World War II: German forces begin the Siege of Leningrad.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major...

1941

World War II: German forces begin the Siege of Leningrad.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major...

1943

World War II: The Armistice of Cassibile is proclaimed by radio. OB Süd immediately implements plans to disarm the Italian forces.

The Armistice of Cassibile was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between them during World War II. The armistice was approved by both Victor Emmanuel...

1943

World War II: The Armistice of Cassibile is proclaimed by radio. OB Süd immediately implements plans to disarm the Italian forces.

The Armistice of Cassibile was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between them during World War II. The armistice was approved by both Victor Emmanuel...

1944

World War II: London is hit by a V-2 rocket for the first time.

The V-2 rocket, with the development name Aggregat-4 (A4), was the world's first practical, modern ballistic missile and suborbital launch vehicle. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket...

1944

World War II: London is hit by a V-2 rocket for the first time.

The V-2 rocket, with the development name Aggregat-4 (A4), was the world's first practical, modern ballistic missile and suborbital launch vehicle. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket...

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.

The division of Korea or the partition of Korea began at the end of World War II on 2 September 1945, with the establishment of a Soviet occupation zone in the north and a US occupation zone in the...

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.

The division of Korea or the partition of Korea began at the end of World War II on 2 September 1945, with the establishment of a Soviet occupation zone in the north and a US occupation zone in the...

1946

A referendum abolishes the monarchy in Bulgaria.

A referendum on becoming a republic was held in Bulgaria on 8 September 1946. Official results showed 96% in favour of the change against only 4% in favour of retaining the monarchy, with voter...

1946

A referendum abolishes the monarchy in Bulgaria.

A referendum on becoming a republic was held in Bulgaria on 8 September 1946. Official results showed 96% in favour of the change against only 4% in favour of retaining the monarchy, with voter...

1948

The flag of North Korea is adopted with the passing of the country's first constitution by the Supreme People's Assembly.

The national flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea consists of a wide horizontal red stripe bordered above and below by a thin white stripe and a broad blue stripe. The red stripe is...

1948

The flag of North Korea is adopted with the passing of the country's first constitution by the Supreme People's Assembly.

The national flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea consists of a wide horizontal red stripe bordered above and below by a thin white stripe and a broad blue stripe. The red stripe is...

1952

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation makes its first televised broadcast on the second escape of the Boyd Gang.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public...

1952

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation makes its first televised broadcast on the second escape of the Boyd Gang.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public...

1954

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established.

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty signed in September...

1954

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established.

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty signed in September...

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).

Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 215,006 at the 2020 census, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S., while the Huntsville...

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).

Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 215,006 at the 2020 census, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S., while the Huntsville...

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.

The Pines Express was a named passenger train that ran daily between Manchester and Bournemouth in England between 1910 and 1967.

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.

The Pines Express was a named passenger train that ran daily between Manchester and Bournemouth in England between 1910 and 1967.

1966

The landmark American science fiction television series Star Trek premieres with its first-aired episode, "The Man Trap".

Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and its crew. It acquired the retronym of...

1966

The landmark American science fiction television series Star Trek premieres with its first-aired episode, "The Man Trap".

Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and its crew. It acquired the retronym of...

1970

Trans International Airlines Flight 863 crashes during takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, killing all 11 aboard.

Trans International Airlines Flight 863 was a ferry flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Washington Dulles International Airport. On September 8, 1970, the Douglas...

1970

Trans International Airlines Flight 863 crashes during takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, killing all 11 aboard.

Trans International Airlines Flight 863 was a ferry flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Washington Dulles International Airport. On September 8, 1970, the Douglas...

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.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, serving as a "living memorial" to John F. Kennedy....

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.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, serving as a "living memorial" to John F. Kennedy....

1973

World Airways Flight 802 crashes into Mount Dutton in King Cove, Alaska, killing six people.

On September 8, 1973, a Douglas DC-8 operated by World Airways as World Airways Flight 802 crashed on high ground while on approach to Cold Bay Airport, Alaska, killing all six people on board.

1973

World Airways Flight 802 crashes into Mount Dutton in King Cove, Alaska, killing six people.

On September 8, 1973, a Douglas DC-8 operated by World Airways as World Airways Flight 802 crashed on high ground while on approach to Cold Bay Airport, Alaska, killing all six people on board.

1974

Watergate scandal: US President Gerald Ford signs the pardon of Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office.

The Watergate scandal, or simply Watergate, was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. On June 17, 1972, operatives associated with Nixon's...

1974

Watergate scandal: US President Gerald Ford signs the pardon of Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office.

The Watergate scandal, or simply Watergate, was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. On June 17, 1972, operatives associated with Nixon's...

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.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) personnel are able to serve in the armed forces of some countries around the world: the vast majority of industrialized, Western countries...

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.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) personnel are able to serve in the armed forces of some countries around the world: the vast majority of industrialized, Western countries...

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.

Black Friday was a mass shooting on 8 September 1978 in Pahlavi Iran, during which the Imperial Army of Iran killed 64 civilians and injured 205 in Jaleh Square, Tehran. According to Spencer C....

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.

Black Friday was a mass shooting on 8 September 1978 in Pahlavi Iran, during which the Imperial Army of Iran killed 64 civilians and injured 205 in Jaleh Square, Tehran. According to Spencer C....

1986

Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, is indicted on charges of espionage by the Soviet Union.

Nicholas S. Daniloff was an American journalist known for his reporting on the Soviet Union. In 1986, he was briefly detained by Soviet security services on espionage charges, sparking a diplomatic...

1986

Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, is indicted on charges of espionage by the Soviet Union.

Nicholas S. Daniloff was an American journalist known for his reporting on the Soviet Union. In 1986, he was briefly detained by Soviet security services on espionage charges, sparking a diplomatic...

1988

Yellowstone National Park is closed for the first time in U.S. history due to ongoing fires.

The Yellowstone fires of 1988 collectively formed the largest wildfire in the recorded history of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Starting as many smaller individual fires, the...

1988

Yellowstone National Park is closed for the first time in U.S. history due to ongoing fires.

The Yellowstone fires of 1988 collectively formed the largest wildfire in the recorded history of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Starting as many smaller individual fires, the...

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.

Partnair Flight 394 was a chartered flight that crashed on 8 September 1989 off the coast of Denmark, 18 kilometres north of Hirtshals. All 55 people on board the aircraft died, making this the...

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.

Partnair Flight 394 was a chartered flight that crashed on 8 September 1989 off the coast of Denmark, 18 kilometres north of Hirtshals. All 55 people on board the aircraft died, making this the...

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.

USAir Flight 427 was a scheduled flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, with a stopover at Pittsburgh International Airport. On Thursday,...

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.

USAir Flight 427 was a scheduled flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, with a stopover at Pittsburgh International Airport. On Thursday,...

2000

NASA launches Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-106 to resupply the International Space Station.

Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle which belongs to NASA, the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Atlantis was manufactured by the Rockwell...

2000

NASA launches Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-106 to resupply the International Space Station.

Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle which belongs to NASA, the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Atlantis was manufactured by the Rockwell...

2004

NASA's uncrewed spacecraft Genesis crash-lands when its parachute fails to open.

Genesis was a NASA sample-return probe that collected a sample of solar wind particles and returned them to Earth for analysis. It was the first NASA sample-return mission to return material since...

2004

NASA's uncrewed spacecraft Genesis crash-lands when its parachute fails to open.

Genesis was a NASA sample-return probe that collected a sample of solar wind particles and returned them to Earth for analysis. It was the first NASA sample-return mission to return material since...

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.

The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967, to replace the...

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.

The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967, to replace the...

2016

NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe visited 101955 Bennu and returned with samples in September 2023.

OSIRIS-REx was a NASA asteroid-study and sample-return mission that visited and collected samples from 101955 Bennu, a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid. The material, returned in September 2023, is...

2016

NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe visited 101955 Bennu and returned with samples in September 2023.

OSIRIS-REx was a NASA asteroid-study and sample-return mission that visited and collected samples from 101955 Bennu, a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid. The material, returned in September 2023, is...

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.

The Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale...

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.

The Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale...

2022

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her son Charles, Prince of Wales, ascends the throne upon her death as Charles III.

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the...

2022

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her son Charles, Prince of Wales, ascends the throne upon her death as Charles III.

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the...

2023

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes Morocco, killing nearly 3,000 people and damaging historic sites in Marrakesh.

On 8 September 2023 at 23:11 DST, an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) struck Morocco's Al Haouz Province. The earthquake's epicenter was...

2023

The 2023 Rugby World Cup, the tenth men's Rugby World Cup is held in France. The opening ceremony, directed and written by Jean Dujardin, Olivier Ferracci and Nora Matthey, took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, before the opening match between France and New Zealand, which saw the host nation winning 27 to 13.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup was the tenth men's Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national rugby union teams. It took place in France from 8 September to 28 October 2023 in nine...

2023

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes Morocco, killing nearly 3,000 people and damaging historic sites in Marrakesh.

On 8 September 2023 at 23:11 DST, an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) struck Morocco's Al Haouz Province. The earthquake's epicenter was...

2023

The 2023 Rugby World Cup, the tenth men's Rugby World Cup is held in France. The opening ceremony, directed and written by Jean Dujardin, Olivier Ferracci and Nora Matthey, took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, before the opening match between France and New Zealand, which saw the host nation winning 27 to 13.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup was the tenth men's Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national rugby union teams. It took place in France from 8 September to 28 October 2023 in nine...

2025

Balçova police station shooting: 4 people, including the perpetrator are killed an attack on a police station in Turkey.

On the morning of 8 September 2025, 16-year-old Eren Bigül opened fire on the Salih İşgören Police Station in the Balçova district of İzmir, Turkey, killing three police officers and injuring three...

2025

Balçova police station shooting: 4 people, including the perpetrator are killed an attack on a police station in Turkey.

On the morning of 8 September 2025, 16-year-old Eren Bigül opened fire on the Salih İşgören Police Station in the Balçova district of İzmir, Turkey, killing three police officers and injuring three...