A Day in the Past

On this day: 8 May

142 things happened on 8 May, from 453 BC to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 6

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1373 653 years ago

UK story

Julian of Norwich experienced religious visions, later recorded in Revelations of Divine Love, the earliest surviving English-language work attributed to a woman.

Find out more: Julian of Norwich (Wikipedia)

Around the world 31

1541 485 years ago

Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River (then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519).

Explorers Find out more: Hernando de Soto (Wikipedia)
1927 99 years ago

French aviators Charles Nungesser and François Coli aboard the biplane L'Oiseau Blanc took off from Paris, attempting to make the first non-stop flight to New York, only to disappear before arrival.

Transport Find out more: Charles Nungesser (Wikipedia)
1972 54 years ago

Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.

War & peace Find out more: Vietnam War (Wikipedia)
2025 1 year ago

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV (pictured), making him the first pope born in the United States, the first to hold either U.S. or Peruvian citizenship, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second from the Americas after his immediate predecessor, Pope Francis.

Laws & government Find out more: 2025 conclave (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album Let It Be”?

    1. 1737
    2. 1970
    3. 1935
    Show the answer

    B: 1970. 1970 — that’s 56 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “The Hundred Years War: the Treaty of Brétigny is drafted between King Edward”?

    1. 1608
    2. 1970
    3. 1360
    Show the answer

    C: 1360. 1360 — that’s 666 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. The Hundred Years War: the Treaty of Brétigny is drafted between King Edward
    2. The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album Let It Be
    3. Julian of Norwich experienced religious visions, later recorded in Revelations
    Show the answer

    A: The Hundred Years War: the Treaty of Brétigny is drafted between King Edward. 1360: The Hundred Years War: the Treaty of Brétigny is drafted between King Edward · 1970: The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album Let It Be · 1373: Julian of Norwich experienced religious visions, later recorded in Revelations Find it on the page

  4. “Julian of Norwich experienced religious visions, later recorded in Revelations” happened in 1373. How many years ago was that?

    1. 643 years
    2. 653 years
    3. 663 years
    Show the answer

    B: 653 years. 2026 − 1373 = 653. Find it on the page

Born on this day 40

Famous people whose birthday is 8 May.

Remembering 21

Well-known people who died on 8 May.

Special days 23

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 8 May somewhere in the world.

For older readers 21 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “May 8” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.