Practice English, talk to a funny artificial intelligence robot -- hear its voice (hilarious).
May 8 is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 237 days remaining until the end of the year.
[ Events
- 589 – Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo
- 1450 – Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
- 1541 – Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River and names it Río de Espíritu Santo.
- 1788 – French Parlement is suspended to be replaced by the creation of forty-seven new courts.
- 1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror by revolutionists, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme Générale, is tried, convicted, and guillotined all on one day in Paris.
- 1821 – Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks in Gravia.
- 1846 – Mexican-American War: The Battle of Palo Alto – Zachary Taylor defeats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Richmond, Virginia is named the capital of the Confederate States of America.
- 1877 – At Gilmore's Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens.
- 1886 – Pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invents a carbonated beverage that would later be named "Coca-Cola".
- 1898 – The first games of the Italian Football League are played.
- 1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin opens.
- 1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
- 1914 – Paramount Pictures is formed.
- 1919 – Edward George Honey first proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate The Armistice of World War I, which later results in the creation of Remembrance Day.
- 1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast in protest against British oppression in India.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Japanese Imperial Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington. The battle marks the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships.
- 1942 – World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
- 1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre.
- 1945 – Combat in Europe ends in World War II: V-E Day. German forces agree to an unconditional surrender.
- 1945 – End of the Prague uprising, today still celebrated as a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
- 1946 – The Estonian school girls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial that preceded the Bronze Soldier in Tallinn.
- 1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
- 1970 – The Hard Hat riot occurs in the Wall Street area of New York City as blue-collar construction workers clash with anti-war demonstrators protesting the Vietnam War.
- 1972 – Vietnam War – U.S. President Richard M. Nixon announces his order to place mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
- 1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.
- 1976 – The rollercoaster Revolution (roller coaster), the first steel coaster with a vertical flip, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain
- 1980 – The eradication of smallpox is endorsed by the World Health Organization.
- 1984 – The Soviet Union announces that it will boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
- 1984 – Cpl. Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three and wounding 13. René Jalbert, sergeant-at-arms of the assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
- 1987 – The Loughgall ambush: The SAS kill 8 IRA members and 1 civilian, in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
- 1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered the 'worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history' is still the worst to occur on Mother's Day.
- 1990 – Reindependence Day of Estonia
- 1994 – Erling Kagge becomes the first person to complete the Three Poles Challenge.
- 1995 – in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland the 50th anniversary of VE Day is celebrated by a bank holiday. Sir John Major declares it the last major national celebration of victory in the Second World War, and British remembrance of her war dead.
- 1997 – A China Southern Airlines Boeing 737 crashes on approach into Shenzhen's Huangtian Airport, killing 35 people.
- 1999 – Nancy Mace becomes the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel military college.
- 2005 – The new Canadian War Museum opens, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of V-E Day.
- 2007 – A new Northern Ireland Executive is formed under the leadership of Ian Paisley of the Democratic Unionist Party as First Minister and Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin as Deputy First Minister.
[ Births
- 1326 – Joanna I of Auvergne, queen of France (d. 1360)
- 1460 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
- 1521 – Petrus Canisius, Dutch Jesuit (d. 1597)
- 1587 – Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)
- 1622 – Claes Rålamb, Swedish statesman (d. 1698)
- 1629 – Niels Juel, Danish admiral (d. 1697)
- 1632 – Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German marshal (d. 1706)
- 1653 – Claude-Louis-Hector de Villars, Marshall of France (d. 1734)
- 1668 – Alain-René Lesage, French writer (d. 1747)
- 1670 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier (d. 1726)
- 1735 – Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter (d. 1811)
- 1738 – Mikhail Kamensky, Russian general (d. 1809)
- 1753 – Miguel Hidalgo Mexican revolutionary (d. 1811)
- 1786 – Jean Vianney, French Catholic priest (d. 1859)
- 1821 – William Henry Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (d. 1885)
- 1825 – George Bruce Malleson, Indian officer (d. 1898)
- 1828 – Jean Henri Dunant, Founder of the Red Cross; Nobel laureate (d. 1910)
- 1828 – Sharbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk (d. 1898)
- 1829 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American musician (d. 1869)
- 1835 – Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter (d. 1910)
- 1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, French Canadian lyricist
- 1842 – Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist (d. 1909)
- 1847 – Oscar Hammerstein I, American theater producer and impresario (d. 1919)
- 1850 – Ross Barnes, baseball player (d. 1915)
- 1853 – Dan Brouthers, baseball player (d. 1932)
- 1858 – John Meade Falkner, English novelist (d. 1932)
- 1859 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician (d. 1925)
- 1884 – Harry S Truman, President of the United States (d. 1972)
- 1893 – Edd Roush, baseball player (d. 1988)
- 1893 – Teddy Wakelam, English sports broadcaster and rugby union player (d. 1963)
- 1893 – Francis Ouimet, American golfer and businessman (d. 1967)
- 1895 – James H. "Dutch" Kindelberger, American aerospace pioneer (d. 1962)
- 1895 – Fulton J. Sheen, American bishop (d. 1979)
- 1895 – Edmund Wilson, American writer (d. 1972)
- 1899 – Arthur Q. Bryan, American voice actor (d. 1959)
- 1899 – Friedrich Hayek, Nobel laureate (d. 1992)
- 1901 – Turkey Stearnes, baseball player (d. 1979)
- 1902 – Andre Michael Lwoff, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
- 1903 – Fernandel, French actor (d. 1971)
- 1904 – John Snagge, British radio personality (d. 1996)
- 1905 – Red Nichols, American musician (d. 1965)
- 1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director (d. 1977)
- 1910 – Andrew E. Svenson, American children's book author and publisher (d. 1975)
- 1911 – Robert Johnson, American blues musician (d. 1938)
- 1913 – Bob Clampett, American animator (d. 1984)
- 1914 – Romain Gary, Polish writer (d. 1980)
- 1915 – Milton Meltzer, American writer
- 1916 – João Havelange, Brazilian industrialist
- 1916 – Swami Chinmayananda, Indian spiritualist (d. 1993)
- 1919 – Lex Barker, American actor (d. 1973)
- 1920 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer (d. 1996)
- 1920 – Tom of Finland, Finnish fetish artist (d. 1991)
- 1920 – Sloan Wilson, American author (d. 2003)
- 1925 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, President of Tanzania
- 1926 – David Attenborough, English naturalist
- 1926 – Don Rickles, American comedian
- 1927 – Chumy Chúmez, Spanish film director (d. 2003)
- 1928 – Theodore Sorenson, American writer
- 1929 – Claude Castonguay, Quebec politician
- 1929 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-born actress (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Heather Harper, Irish singer
- 1930 – Gary Snyder, American poet
- 1932 – Julieta Campos, Cuban-Mexican writer (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
- 1932 – Sonny Liston, American boxer (d. 1970)
- 1935 – Princess Elisabeth of Denmark, 7th in the Line of succession to the Danish Throne
- 1935 – Jack Charlton, English footballer
- 1937 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian politician
- 1937 – Thomas Pynchon, American novelist
- 1937 – Mike Cuellar, baseball player
- 1940 – Peter Benchley, American author (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Irwin Cotler, Canadian politician
- 1940 – Ricky Nelson, American singer (d. 1985)
- 1940 – Toni Tennille, American singer
- 1941 – Mahmoud Ahmed, Ethiopian singer
- 1941 – John Fred, American singer (d. 2005)
- 1941 – Bill Lockyer, American politician
- 1942 – Terry Neill, Northern Irish footballer
- 1943 – Paul Samwell-Smith, British bassist (The Yardbirds)
- 1944 – Gary Glitter, English singer
- 1945 – Keith Jarrett, American musician
- 1946 – André Boulerice, Quebec politician
- 1947 – H. Robert Horvitz, Nobel laureate
- 1948 – Felicity Lott, English singer
- 1948 – Steve Braun, baseball player
- 1948 – Stephen Stohn, Canadian television producer (Degrassi)
- 1950 – Robert Mugge, American music documentary film maker
- 1951 – Philip Bailey, American singer (Earth, Wind & Fire)
- 1951 – Mike D'Antoni, NBA coach (New York Knicks)
- 1951 – Chris Frantz, American musician (Talking Heads)
- 1953 – Alex Van Halen, Dutch drummer (Van Halen)
- 1953 – Billy Burnette, American singer and guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)
- 1954 – Stephen Furst, American actor
- 1954 – David Keith, American actor
- 1957 – Bill Cowher, American football coach
- 1957 – Marie Myriam, French singer
- 1958 – Lovie Smith, American football coach
- 1959 – Ronnie Lott, American football player
- 1960 – Franco Baresi, Italian footballer
- 1960 – Eric Brittingham, American bassist
- 1961 – Janet McTeer, British actress
- 1961 – David Winning, Canadian film director
- 1961 – Akira Taue, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1963 – Terry Christian, British radio presenter
- 1963 – Sylvain Cossette, Quebec singer and songwriter
- 1963 – Anthony Field, Australian musician and actor
- 1963 – Robin Jarvis, British writer
- 1963 – Izabela Kloc, Polish politician
- 1964 – Melissa Gilbert, American actress
- 1964 – Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
- 1964 – Dave Rowntree, British musician (Blur)
- 1966 – Claudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer
- 1966 – Marta Sánchez, Spanish singer
- 1968 – Jamie Summers, American porn star
- 1968 – Johan Pehrson, Swedish politician
- 1968 – Nathalie Normandeau, Quebec politician
- 1969 – Akebono Taro, sumo wrestler
- 1970 – Luis Enrique, Spanish football player
- 1972 – Darren Hayes, Australian singer
- 1972 – Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Hiromu Arakawa, Japanese artist
- 1973 – Marcus Brigstocke, English comedian
- 1973 – Kris Hudson-Lee, English musician
- 1974 – Jon Tickle, English entertainer
- 1974 – Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
- 1975 – Enrique Iglesias, Spanish singer
- 1975 – Jussi Markkanen, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1975 – Gastón Mazzacane, Argentine racing driver
- 1976 – Martha Wainwright, Canadian musician and songwriter
- 1976 – Ian "H" Watkins, pop singer (Steps)
- 1977 – Jennifer Walcott, American Playboy Playmate
- 1978 – Jang Woo Hyuk, Korean singer
- 1978 – Matthew Davis, American actor
- 1978 – Lúcio, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 – Josie Maran, American model
- 1980 – Michelle McManus, Scottish singer
- 1980 – Benny Yau, Canadian entertainer
- 1981 – Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Björn Dixgård, Swedish guitarist
- 1981 – Yasuko Tajima, Japanese swimmer
- 1981 – John Maine, American baseball player
- 1982 – Adrian Gonzalez, American baseball player
- 1983 – Matt Willis, British singer
- 1984 – Nadine Chandrawinata, 2006 Miss Universe Pageant (Indonesia)
- 1985 – Mashio Miyazaki, Japanese actress
- 1986 – Marvell Wynne, American soccer player
- 1987 – Felix Jones, American football player
[ Deaths
- 1192 – Duke Ottokar IV of Styria (b. 1163)
- 1278 – Emperor Duanzong of China (b. 1268)
- 1319 – King Haakon V of Norway (b. 1270)
- 1473 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (b. 1420)
- 1538 – Edward Fox, English bishop
- 1672 – Jean-Armand du Peyrer, Comte de Tréville and French Officer (b. 1598)
- 1766 – Samuel Chandler, English non-conformist minister (b. 1693)
- 1773 – Ali Bey Al-Kabir, Mamluk Sultan of Egypt (b. 1728)
- 1781 – Richard Jago, English poet (b. 1715)
- 1785 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French statesman (b. 1719)
- 1785 – Pietro Longhi, Venetian painter (b. 1701)
- 1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian-born physician and naturalist (b. 1723)
- 1794 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist (executed) (b. 1743)
- 1819 – Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii
- 1828 – Mauro Giuliani, Italian composer (b. 1781)
- 1837 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and statesman (b. 1770)
- 1842 – Jules Dumont d'Urville, French explorer (b. 1790)
- 1853 – Jan Roothaan, Dutch priest (b. 1785)
- 1873 – John Stuart Mill, English philosopher (b. 1806)
- 1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
- 1891 – Helena Blavatsky, Russian-born author (b. 1831)
- 1903 – Paul Gauguin, French painter (b. 1848)
- 1907 – Edmund G. Ross, American Senator (b. 1826)
- 1936 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
- 1943 – Mordechaj Anielewicz, Polish Resistance Fighter (b. 1919)
- 1945 – Wilhelm Rediess, SS and Police leader of Nazi-occupied Norway (b. 1900)
- 1945 – Bernhard Rust, Nazi education minister (b. 1883)
- 1945 – Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of Nazi-occupied Norway (b. 1898)
- 1947 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-born department store founder (b. 1858)
- 1948 – U Saw, Burmese politician (b. 1900)
- 1950 – Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician (b. 1865)
- 1952 – William Fox, Austrian-born film producer (b. 1879)
- 1960 – J. H. C. Whitehead, British mathematician (b. 1904)
- 1967 – LaVerne Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters) (b. 1911)
- 1969 – Remington Kellogg, American naturalist (b. 1892)
- 1975 – Avery Brundage, President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1887)
- 1982 – Neil Bogart, American record executive (b. 1943)
- 1982 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
- 1984 – Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader's Digest) (b. 1890)
- 1984 – Gino Bianco, Brazilian racing driver (b. 1916)
- 1985 – Theodore Sturgeon, American science fiction writer (b. 1918)
- 1985 – Dolph Sweet, American actor (b. 1920)
- 1986 – Ernle Bradford, English historian and writer (b. 1922)
- 1987 – Doris Stokes, British psychic medium (b. 1920)
- 1988 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer (b. 1907)
- 1990 – Luigi Nono, Italian composer (b. 1924)
- 1991 – Jean Langlais, French composer and pianist (b. 1907)
- 1991 – Rudolf Serkin, Austrian pianist (b. 1903)
- 1993 – Avram Davidson, American writer (b. 1923)
- 1994 – George Peppard, American actor (b. 1928)
- 1995 – Teresa Teng, Asian superstar (b. 1953)
- 1996 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (b. 1937)
- 1996 – Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
- 1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (b. 1912)
- 1998 – Bebe Rebozo, American banker and Watergate figure (b. 1912)
- 1999 – Dirk Bogarde, British actor (b. 1921)
- 1999 – Ed Gilbert, American actor (b. 1931)
- 1999 – Shel Silverstein, american poet (b. 1930)
- 1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (b. 1964)
- 2000 – Guadalupe "Pita" Amor, Mexican poet (b. 1918)
- 2000 – Alexander Chislenko, Russian-American transhumanist (b. 1959)
- 2000 – Henry Nicols, AIDS activist (b. 1973)
- 2005 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentine racing driver (b. 1981)
- 2006 – Iain Macmillan, Abbey Road photographer (b. 1938)
- 2008 – Eddy Arnold, Country music star (b. 1918)
- 2008 – François Sterchele, Belgian football player (b. 1982)
[ Holidays and observances
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