On This Day in History – January 8

Major Events

• 1297 – François Grimaldi disguises himself as a monk to seize control of the fortress of Monaco, founding the Grimaldi dynasty.
• 1642 – Galileo Galilei dies in Arcetri, Italy, after being condemned by the Roman Inquisition.
• 1790 – U.S. President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address.
• 1815 – The Battle of New Orleans is fought, with American forces defeating the British in the final major battle of the War of 1812.
• 1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson presents his Fourteen Points outlining principles for peace after World War I.
• 1935 – Elvis Presley, later known as the “King of Rock and Roll,” is born.
• 1959 – Charles de Gaulle becomes the first president of France’s Fifth Republic.
• 1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a “War on Poverty” during his State of the Union address.
• 1989 – Kofi Annan begins his term as Secretary-General of the United Nations.
• 2020 – Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 is shot down near Tehran, killing all onboard.

Famous Birthdays

• 1584 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and diplomat (d. 1540)
• 1824 – Jenny von Westphalen, German writer and political figure (d. 1881)
• 1935 – Elvis Presley, American singer and actor (d. 1977)
• 1942 – Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist (d. 2018)
• 1947 – David Bowie, English singer and songwriter (d. 2016)
• 1947 – Shirley Bassey, Welsh singer
• 1965 – Andrew Wood, American musician (d. 1990)
• 1968 – Sarah Polley, Canadian actress and filmmaker
• 1982 – Amber Benson, American actress and writer

Notable Deaths

• 1642 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer and physicist (b. 1564)
• 1697 – Thomas Aikenhead, Scottish theology student (b. 1676)
• 1935 – Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, American folk musician (b. 1888)
• 1976 – Zhou Enlai, Chinese statesman (b. 1898)
• 1996 – François Mitterrand, President of France (b. 1916)
• 2016 – David Bowie, English singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
• 2018 – Stephen Hawking, English physicist (b. 1942)
• 2020 – All passengers of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (collective remembrance)

Holidays

• Orthodox Christmas – Celebrated by Eastern Orthodox Christians
• Earth’s Rotation Day
• National Bubble Bath Day – United States

Fun Facts

• Elvis Presley and David Bowie share the same birthday: January 8.
• The Battle of New Orleans occurred after the War of 1812 had officially ended, though news had not yet arrived.
• Earth’s Rotation Day celebrates French physicist Léon Foucault’s demonstration of Earth’s spin.
• Monaco remains one of the world’s smallest sovereign states, still ruled by the Grimaldi family.
• Stephen Hawking was born exactly 300 years after Galileo’s death.
• January 8 has produced an unusually high number of influential musicians.