8 August

Events1220 - Sweden was defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula.1509 - The Emperor Krishnadeva Raya is crowned, marking the beginning of the regeneration of the Vijayanagara Empire.1576 - The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on Hven.1585 - John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in quest for the Northwest Passage. 1588 - Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines - The naval engagement ends, thus ending the Spanish Armada's attempt to invade England. 1605 - The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden.1647 - The Irish Confederate Wars and Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Dungans Hill - English Parliamentary forces defeat Irish forces. 1786 - Mont Blanc on the French- Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard. 1793 - The insurrection of Lyon occurred during the French Revolution. 1794 - Joseph Whidbey and George Vancouver lead an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage near Juneau, Alaska.1810 - Eminent Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib married Maaroof, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Baksh, and moved to Delhi.1839 - Beta Theta Pi is founded in Oxford, Ohio.1844 - The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, headed by Brigham Young, is reaffirmed as the leading body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS or Mormon Church). 1863 - American Civil War: Following his defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (which is refused upon receipt).1863 - American Civil War: Tennessee's "military" Gov. Andrew Johnson freed his personal slaves. During the early 20th century, the day was celebrated by blacks in Tennessee as a holiday. 1870 - The Republic of Ploieşti, a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania. 1876 - Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph. 1908 - Wilbur Wright makes his first flight at a racecourse at Le Mans, France. It's the Wright Brothers' first public flight and the French public goes wild.1910 - The US Army installs the first tricycle landing gear on the Army's Wright Flyer.1911 - The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire.1911 - Public Law 62-5 sets the number of representatives in the United States House of Representatives at 435. The law would come into effect in 1913. 1918 - World War I: Battle of Amiens begins a string of almost continuous victories with a push through the German front lines. 1929 - The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight. 1931 - Workers go on strike at the Hoover dam1938 - The building of Mauthausen concentration camp begins.1940 - "Aufbau Ost" directive was signed by Wilhelm Keitel.1942 - World War II: In Washington, DC, six German would-be saboteurs are executed.1942 - Quit India resolution was passed by the Bombay session of the AICC, which leads to the start of a civil disobedience movement across India1945 - World War II - The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria. 1945 - The United Nations Charter is signed by the United States, which becomes the third nation to join. 1946 - First flight of the Convair B-36. 1947 - Pakistan's National Flag is approved.1949 - Bhutan becomes independent 1962 - Elizabeth Ann Duncan becomes the last woman to be executed in the United States prior to the reintroduction of capital punishment in 1977. 1963 - Great Train Robbery: In England, a gang of 15 train robbers steal 2.6 million pounds in bank notes. 1967 - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded.1968 - Jurō Wada successfully performs Japan's first heart transplant.1973 - U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew goes on television to denounce accusations he had taken kickbacks while governor of Maryland. 1973 - Kim Dae-Jung, a South Korean politician and later president of South Korea, is kidnapped.1974 - Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his resignation, effective the next day.1980 - The Buttevant railway accident in Ireland occurred.1986 - Altaf Hussain's address at Nishtar Park Karachi, announcement of establishing political movement MQM.1988 - The "8888 Uprising" occurs in Burma.1988 - The lights are turned on at Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last major league stadium to host night games1989 - Space Shuttle program: STS-28 Mission - Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission. 1990 - Iraq occupies Kuwait and the state is annexed to Iraq. This would lead to the Gulf War shortly afterward.1991 - Collapse of Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built1991 - John McCarthy, British Journalist held hostage in Lebanon for more than five years by Islamic Jihad, is released.2000 - Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor.2007 - It is confirmed that a EF2 tornado touches down in Kings County, New York, the most powerful tornado in New York to date.
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