December 8 - Events

Events

• 1432 – the first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town ofOszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the civil war in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
• 1660 – Margaret Hughes becomes the first actress to appear on anEnglish public stage, playing the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.
• 1854 – In his Apostolic constitutionIneffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IXproclaims the dogmatic definition ofImmaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin.
• 1907 – King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.
• 1912 – Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Councilto discuss the possibility that war might break out.
• 1941 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be "a date which will live in infamy", after which the U.S. and the Republic of China declare war against Japan.
• 1941 – Japanese forces invade Thailand's southern peninsula. They face a heavy resistance, however, Plaek Phibunsongkhram ordered a ceasefire.
• 1941 – Japanese forces launch an invasion into Hong Kong. Battle of Hong Kong begins.
• 1953 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech, and the U.S. launches its "Atoms for Peace" program that supplied equipment and information to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.
• 1963 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by positive lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, United States, killing all 81 people on board.
• 1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.
• 1972 – United Airlines Flight 553 crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45.
• 1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.
• 1980 –John Lennon, an English musician and peace activist, is murdered by Mark David Chapman, a mentally unstable fan, in front of The Dakota apartment building in New York City.
• 1982 – In Suriname, several opponents of the military government are killed.
• 1987 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed.
• 1987 – Frank Vitkovic shoots and kills eight people at the Australia Post building in Melbourne, before jumping to his death.
• 1987 – The Alianza Lima air disaster occurs.
• 1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing theCommonwealth of Independent States.
• 1991 – The Romanian Constitution is adopted in a referendum.
• 1993 – The North American Free Trade Agreement is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton.
• 1998 – Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.
• 1998 – The Australian Cricket Board's cover-up of Shane Warne andMark Waugh's involvement with bookmakers is revealed.
• 2002 – The Caribbean Community Heads of Government meet with the Government of Cuba and declare the date to be "CARICOM-Cuba Day"—to celebrate diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba.
• 2004 – The Cuzco Declaration is signed in Cuzco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.
• 2005 – Ante Gotovina, a Croatian army general accused of war crimes, is captured in the Playa de las Américas, Tenerife by theSpanish police.
• 2009 – Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq kill 127 and injure 448.