ON THIS DAY IN RECENT HISTORY ~ MAY 8

ON THIS DAY IN RECENT HISTORY ~ MAY 8

What was happening on this day in modern history?  Let's take a look at some of the big events, Birthdays, and anniversaries for May 8th.

1884 - Harry Truman, Lamar Missouri, 33rd US President (D) (1945-1953), (d. 1972) is born.
1902 - Mt Pelee erupts, wipes out St Pierre, Martinique, kills 30,000.
1914 - Paramount Pictures is formed.

1919 - 1st transatlantic flight take-off by a navy seaplane.
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.
1921 - Sweden abolished capital punishment.
1926 - 1st flight over North Pole (Bennett & Byrd).

1926 - David Attenborough, producer/TV host/scientist, is born.
1926 - Fire breaks out in Fenway Park.

1926 - Don Rickles, Queens NY, comedian (Don Rickles Show, CPO Sharkey) is born.

Don Rickles age 4

1933 - Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast in protest against British oppression in India.
1936 - Jockey Ralph Neves unexpectedly revived after being declared dead after a fall. His wife fainted when he returned to track.
1940 - Ricky Nelson, NJ, rock star (Hello Mary Lou, It's Late, Garden Party) is born.

1940 - Toni Tennille, American singer, (Captain and Tennille) is born.

1941 - German Q-ship Pinguin sinks in Indian Ocean.
1942 - Aircraft carrier Lexington sunk by Japanese air attack at Coral Sea.
1942 - German summer offensive opens in Crimea.
1943 - Adm Cunningham of Brit fleet: "Sink, burn & destroy; let nothing pass".
1944 - Gary Glitter, [Paul Gadd], England, rocker (Rock & Roll Part II) is born.
1945 - V-E Day; Germany signs unconditional surrender, WW II ends in Europe.

1949 - West German constitution approved.
1950 - Chiang Kai-shek asks US for weapons.
1951 - Dacron men's suits introduced.
1958 - Pres Eisenhower orders National Guard out of Central HS, Little Rock.
1961 - Alan Shepard receives NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Washington.
1962 - "Funny Thing Happened" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 965 perfs.
1963 - JFK offers Israel assistance against aggression.

1964 - Melissa Gilbert Brinkman, LA, actress (Little House on the Prairie) is born.

1967 - Muhammad Ali is indicted for refusing induction in US Army.
1969 - Cambodia recognizes German DR.
1970 - Beatles release "Let it Be" album.

Listen to the entire album, here.

1970 - Construction workers break up an anti-war rally in NYC's Wall Street.
1976 - The rollercoaster Revolution (roller coaster), the first steel coaster with a vertical flip, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
1977 - David Berkowitz pleads guilty in "Son of Sam" 44-caliber shootings.
1979 - Radio Shack releases TRS-DOS 2.3.
1980 - World Health Organization announced smallpox had been eradicated.
1984 - USSR announces it will not participate in Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
1985 - 20th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama & Judds win.
1987 - Gary Hart quits democratic presidential race (Donna Rice affair).

1988 - Mike Tyson crashes his $183,000 Bently in NYC.
1993 - 16 year old Keron Thomas disguises himself as a motorman & takes NYC subway train & 2,000 passengers on a 3 hour ride.
1994 - 500th commentary by Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes.
1994 - Pres Clinton announces US will no longer repatriate (send back) illegal immigrant boat people.

1999 - Dana Plato, American actress (Diff'rent Strokes) (b. 1964) dies at 34 of a drug overdose.

2008 - Eddy Arnold, Country music star (You Don't Know Me) (b. 1918) dies.

2012 - Maurice Sendak, American author/illustrator, (Where the Wild Things Are) dies at 83.