July 8 holidays in 2020

Historical Events on July 8

• 1099: Approximately fifteen thousand Christian soldiers – many of whom are on the brinks of starvation – begin the siege of Jeursalem.
• 1283: An Aragonese fleet commanded by Roger of Lauria defeats an Angevin fleet that was sent to put down a Malta rebellion.
• 1497: Vasco da Gama sets sail on this date to India.
• 1716: Sweden is forced to abandon its invasion of Norway after the Battle of Dynekilen.
• 1730: An 8.7 magnitude earthquake causes a massive tsunami that destroys more than 600 miles of the coastline of Chile.
• 1876: 5 Black Republicans in Hamburg, South Carolina are murdered by White supremacists.
• 1879: The USS Jeannette leaves San Francisco on an expedition to the North Pole.
• 1889: The Wall Street Journal is published for the first time.
• 1892: John’s in Newfoundland is heavily damaged by the Great Fire of 1892.
• 1947: News reports seem to indicate a UFO crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. This incident would become known as the Roswell UFO Incident.
• 1948: The first female recruits are accepted in the Women in the Air Force (WAF) division of the U.S. Air Force.
• 1960: After flying over the Soviet Union, Francis Gary Powers is charged with espionage.
• 1980: Queensland defeats New South Wales at the 1980 State of Origin game at Lang Park.
• 1982: In Dujail, an assassination attempt is made on Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
• 1988: The Island Express derails on the Peruman Bridge and ends up falling into Ashtamudi Lake. Over 100 people are killed and another 200 are wounded.
• 1994: After the death of his father, Kim Jong-il takes over control of North Korea as supreme commander.
• 2011: The final Space Shuttle mission is launched on this date.

Famous Birthdays on July 8

• American chemist and pharmacist, John Pemberton is born in 1831.
• German General and businessman, Ferdinand von Zeppelin is born in 1838.
• American painter Stanton Macdonald-Wright is born in 1890.
• English author and screenwriter, Jenny Diski is born in 1947.
• American author and activist, Marianne Williamson is born in 1952.
• American actor Kevin Bacon is born in 1958.