March 8 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Today

Historical Events

2014

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared with 239 people aboard, becoming aviation's greatest mystery

Major

The Boeing 777 vanished during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, sparking the most expensive search operation in aviation history. Despit...

1979

The planet Pluto crossed inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since its discovery

Due to Pluto's elliptical orbit, it actually became closer to the Sun than Neptune, making Neptune temporarily the most distant planet. Pluto remained...

1974

Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris opened with a terminal design so futuristic it looked like a spaceship

The new international airport featured a revolutionary circular terminal with moving walkways and tubes, designed to handle the jet age. Named after F...

1971

Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali in the 'Fight of the Century' at Madison Square Garden

Major

In one of boxing's most anticipated matches, Joe Frazier handed Muhammad Ali his first professional defeat in a 15-round unanimous decision. Both figh...

1966

The first American troops officially arrived in South Vietnam as combat units

Major

3,500 U.S. Marines landed at Da Nang, marking the official start of American ground combat operations in Vietnam. While advisors had been present for...

1952

The U.S. Patent Office issued the patent for the first fluorescent paint

Brothers Joseph and Robert Switzer received the patent for Day-Glo fluorescent pigments, which they had accidentally discovered while experimenting wi...

1923

The first dance marathon in the United States ended after 27 hours when the last couple collapsed

Alma Cummings won the dance marathon in New York City, having worn out six different male partners during the grueling competition. The bizarre craze...

1917

The Russian February Revolution began when women textile workers in Petrograd took to the streets demanding bread and equal rights

Major

On International Women's Day, thousands of women textile workers initiated what would become the February Revolution (which occurred in March by the G...

1910

Raymonde de Laroche became the first woman in the world to receive a pilot's license

The French aviator and actress received her license from the Aéro-Club de France, breaking gender barriers in aviation. She later set multiple altitud...

1886

The first telephone line connecting New York City and Philadelphia was successfully tested

The 100-mile copper wire connection represented a major milestone in telecommunications infrastructure. The line enabled the first long-distance telep...

1844

King Oscar I of Sweden-Norway accidentally shot his own hat off while demonstrating gun safety

During a demonstration of firearm handling to his courtiers, the king managed to shoot his own hat clean off his head without injuring himself. The in...

1722

Afghan rebels defeated a massive Persian army despite being outnumbered ten to one

At the Battle of Gulnabad, around 18,000 Afghan warriors defeated a Persian force of over 200,000, one of the most lopsided victories in military hist...

1618

Johannes Kepler discovered the third law of planetary motion

Major

After years of calculations, Kepler realized that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the...