On This Day — 8 October
2000s
2020
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan twice deliberately targeted the Church of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots of Shusha.
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
2019
About 200 Extinction Rebellion activists block the gates of Leinster House (parliament) in the Republic of Ireland.
Extinction Rebellion
2016
In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the death toll rises to nearly 900.
Hurricane Matthew
2014
Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with Ebola, dies.
Thomas Eric Duncan
2005
The 7.6 Mw Kashmir earthquake leaves 86,000–87,351 people dead, 69,000–75,266 injured, and 2.8 million homeless.
2005 Kashmir earthquake
2001
A twin engine Cessna and a Scandinavian Airlines System jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people.
Scandinavian Airlines
2001
U.S. president George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.
United States Department of Homeland Security
1900s
1991
Upon the expiration of the Brioni Agreement, Croatia and Slovenia sever all official relations with Yugoslavia.
Brioni Agreement
1990
First Intifada: Israeli police kill 17 Palestinians and wound over 100 near the Dome of the Rock.
First Intifada
1986
An explosion occurred at the Cipel-Marco fur factory in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong, killing 14 and injuring 10.
1986 Cipel-Marco fur factory explosion
1982
Poland bans Solidarity and all other trade unions.
Solidarity (Polish trade union)
1978
Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 275.97 knots at Blowering Dam, Australia.
Ken Warby
1974
Franklin National Bank collapses due to fraud and mismanagement; at the time it is the largest bank failure in the history of the United States.
Franklin National Bank
1973
Yom Kippur War: Israel loses more than 150 tanks in a failed attack on Egyptian-occupied positions.
Yom Kippur War
1973
Spyros Markezinis begins his 48-day term as prime minister in an abortive attempt to lead Greece to parliamentary rule.
Spyros Markezinis
1970
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize in literature.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
1969
The opening rally of the Days of Rage occurs, organized by the Weather Underground in Chicago.
Days of Rage
1967
Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia. Guevara would be executed the next day.
Che Guevara
1962
Der Spiegel publishes an article disclosing the sorry state of the Bundeswehr, leading to accusations of treason.
Spiegel affair
1956
The New York Yankees's Don Larsen pitches the only perfect game in a World Series.
Don Larsen
1952
The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash in England kills 112 people.
Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash
1944
World War II: Captain Bobbie Brown earns a Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Crucifix Hill, just outside Aachen.
Battle of Crucifix Hill
1943
World War II: Around 30 civilians are executed by Friedrich Schubert's paramilitary group in Kallikratis, Crete.
Kallikratis executions
1941
World War II: During the preliminaries of the Battle of Rostov, German forces reach the Sea of Azov with the capture of Mariupol.
Battle of Rostov (1941)
1939
World War II: Germany annexes western Poland.
World War II
1921
KDKA in Pittsburgh's Forbes Field conducts the first live broadcast of a football game.
KDKA (AM)
1918
World War I: Corporal Alvin C. York kills 28 German soldiers and captures 132, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
World War I
1912
The First Balkan War begins when Montenegro declares war against the Ottoman Empire.
First Balkan War
1800s
1895
Korean Empress Myeongseong is assassinated by Japanese infiltrators.
Empress Myeongseong
1879
War of the Pacific: The Chilean Navy defeats the Peruvian Navy in the Battle of Angamos.
War of the Pacific
1871
Slash-and-burn land management, months of drought, and the passage of a strong cold front cause the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire and the Great Michigan Fires to break out.
Slash-and-burn agriculture
1862
American Civil War: The Confederate invasion of Kentucky is halted at the Battle of Perryville.
American Civil War
1856
The Second Opium War between several western powers and China begins with the Arrow Incident.
Second Opium War
1829
Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill Trials.
Stephenson's Rocket
1821
The Peruvian Navy is established during the War of Independence.
Peruvian Navy
1813
The Treaty of Ried is signed between Bavaria and Austria.
Treaty of Ried
Before 1800
1645
Jeanne Mance opens the first lay hospital of North America in Montreal.
Jeanne Mance
1573
The Spanish siege of Alkmaar ends with the first Dutch victory in the Eighty Years' War.
Siege of Alkmaar
1480
The Great Stand on the Ugra River puts an end to Tatar rule over Moscow
Great Stand on the Ugra River
1322
Mladen II Šubić of Bribir is deposed as the Croatian Ban after the Battle of Bliska.
Mladen II Šubić of Bribir
1200
Isabella of Angoulême is crowned Queen consort of England.
Isabella of Angoulême
1075
Dmitar Zvonimir is crowned King of Croatia.
Demetrius Zvonimir
876
Frankish forces led by Louis the Younger prevent a West Frankish invasion and defeat emperor Charles II ("the Bald").
Battle of Andernach (876)
451
The first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins.
Council of Chalcedon
316
Constantine I defeats Licinius, who loses his European territories.
Constantine the Great