The opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics began at exactly 8:08:08 PM on 8/8/08
China deliberately scheduled the ceremony to coincide with the luckiest possible time according to numerology, as eight is the luckiest number in Chin...
August 8 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2008
2000
The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley was raised from Charleston Harbor after 136 years underwater
The first submarine in history to sink an enemy ship in combat was finally recovered intact. The Hunley disappeared in 1864 after successfully attacki...
1990
Iraq invaded Kuwait, setting off a chain of events that led to the Gulf War
MajorSaddam Hussein sent 100,000 troops across the border to seize Kuwait's oil fields in an invasion completed within two days. The act of aggression prom...
1974
President Richard Nixon announced his resignation from office, becoming the only U.S. president to do so
MajorFacing certain impeachment over the Watergate scandal, Nixon became the first and only president to resign. His announcement came after key Republican...
1967
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded in Bangkok
Five nations signed the Bangkok Declaration, creating a regional organization that would grow to represent over 650 million people. Initially focused...
1963
Britain's Great Train Robbery took place when thieves stole £2.6 million from a Royal Mail train
Fifteen masked robbers stopped a Glasgow-to-London mail train and made off with the equivalent of £50 million today. The audacious heist captured publ...
1942
Quit India Movement leader Mahatma Gandhi and his wife were arrested by British forces in Mumbai
MajorGandhi's arrest sparked massive civil disobedience across India as millions protested British colonial rule. His wife Kasturba and other Congress lead...
1929
The Graf Zeppelin began its famous round-the-world flight from New Jersey
The German airship completed the first circumnavigation of the globe by aircraft in just 21 days, with stops in Germany, Japan, and Los Angeles. Passe...
1918
The Battle of Amiens began, marking the start of the Hundred Days Offensive that would end World War I
MajorAllied forces advanced 7 miles in a single day using combined tank, infantry, and air support in what German general Ludendorff called 'the black day...
1908
Wilbur Wright made his first public flight in France, stunning European skeptics
After years of European newspapers doubting the Wright brothers' claims, Wilbur performed a flawless 1 minute 45 second flight near Le Mans. French av...
1876
Thomas Edison received a patent for his mimeograph, an early copy machine
Edison's invention allowed multiple copies of written documents to be made by pressing ink through a stencil. The device revolutionized office work an...
1786
Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, was climbed for the first time
Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard successfully reached the summit of Mont Blanc, marking the beginning of modern mountaineering. The achievement came...
1588
The Spanish Armada was defeated by the English fleet in a decisive naval battle
MajorEngland's smaller but more maneuverable ships defeated Spain's massive invasion fleet in the English Channel. The loss marked the beginning of Spain's...