A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 8th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
On May 8, 1794, Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, the man generally regarded as the Father of Modern Chemistry, was put to death on the guillotine during the Reign of Terror period of the French Revolution.
On May 8, 1877, the first of what has become perhaps the best known dog show in the world took place in New York City’s Gilmore Garden (later to become Madison Square Garden).
On May 8, 1927, two weeks before Charles Lindbergh and his Spirit of St. Louis flew into history, two Frenchmen made the first attempt at a Paris to New York (or New York to Paris) flight and disappeared somewhere over the Atlantic.
On May 8, 1945, the French territory of Algeria, a colony incorporated into greater France since 1830, was the scene of one of the great massacres of protesters against colonial rule in European colonial history.
On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally to the allies and ceased to exist as a state.
On May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe was declared by the victorious Allied Powers, which included Canada and Nova Scotia.
On May 8, 1970, the Fab Four, the Mop Tops, or simply, The Beatles, released what would be their final album, Let it Be.
Question for students (and subscribers): Which event that occurred on today’s date would you like to learn more about? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.