133 things happened on 8 December, from 65 BC to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1660 · 366 years ago
Margaret Hughes played Desdemona in Shakespeare's play Othello in London. She is often called the first professional actress on the English stage. Before this, women did not act in English theatres, and female parts were played by male actors. Theatres had be…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Margaret Hughes played Desdemona in Shakespeare's play Othello in London. She is often called the first professional actress on the English stage. Before this, women did not act in English theatres, and female parts were played by male actors. Theatres had been banned in 1642 and only reopened after King Charles II came to the throne.
UK story
In the First World War, a squadron of Britain's Royal Navy defeated Germany's East Asia Squadron in the South Atlantic Ocean. The British had been beaten at the Battle of Coronel a few weeks earlier. They sent a large force to track down the German ships. The battle is still remembered every year in the Falkland Islands with a public holiday called Battle Day.
UK story
American Revolutionary War: British commander-in-chief Sir William Howe withdrew his troops from the Battle of White Marsh to Philadelphia.
UK story
Two days after coming into existence, the Irish Free State executes four leaders of the Irish Republican Army: Dick Barrett, Joe McKelvey, Liam Mellows and Rory O'Connor.
The day after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt said 7 December 1941 was 'a date which will live in infamy'. Infamy means being remembered for something bad. The United States then declared war on Japan. Roosevelt is the longest-serving US president and the only one to serve more than two terms.
The Council of Europe adopted a navy blue flag with a circle of twelve golden stars. It was chosen as a symbol for the whole of Europe. It was designed by Arsène Heitz, who worked for the Council. The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law. It has 46 member states and its headquarters is in Strasbourg, France.
At the White House, US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. It was an arms control treaty, an agreement to limit weapons. It was signed during the Cold War, a long rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. It is called 'cold' because the two superpowers never fought each other directly.
The leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed the Belovezha Accords at a country house in Belarus. The agreement declared that the Soviet Union had in effect ceased to exist. In its place they set up the Commonwealth of Independent States, a group of former Soviet countries that cooperate with each other. These three republics had been among the four that created the Soviet Union in 1922.
The Japanese spacecraft IKAROS flew past Venus at a distance of 80,800 kilometres, completing its planned mission. IKAROS was the first spacecraft to show that a solar sail works in interplanetary space. A solar sail is a huge, thin surface that is pushed along by the pressure of sunlight. The craft's name comes from Icarus, who in legend flew close to the Sun on wings of feathers and wax.
SpaceX became the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and bring it back safely. Its Dragon cargo capsule went into orbit for the first time, on the second ever flight of the Falcon 9 rocket. The test was part of a NASA programme to use commercial spacecraft. In 2020, Falcon 9 became the first commercial rocket to carry people into orbit.
The American heavy metal band Metallica played a concert in Antarctica. It made them the first band to perform on all seven continents. The show, called Freeze 'Em All, took place in a dome near a research base on King George Island. About 120 people watched, including scientists from nearby research teams.
Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope.
The poet Du Fu returns to Chang'an as a member of Emperor Xuanzong's court, after having escaped the city during the An Lushan Rebellion.
Louis the Stammerer (son of Charles the Bald) is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne.
Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah wrote his Oran fatwa, arguing for the relaxation of Islamic law for forcibly converted Muslims in Spain.
Conservative Santiago-based government troops defeat rebels at the Battle of Loncomilla, signaling the end of the 1851 Chilean Revolution.
Pope Pius IX promulgated the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, proclaiming the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was conceived free of original sin.
Pope Pius IX promulgates the encyclical Quanta cura and its appendix, the Syllabus of Errors, outlining the authority of the Catholic Church and condemning various liberal ideas.
At an assembly of 10,000 Boers, Paul Kruger announced the fulfilment of the decision to restore the government and volksraad of the South African Republic.
King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.
Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out.
Anarchist insurrection breaks out in Zaragoza, Spain.
World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invade Shanghai International Settlement, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. (See December 7 for the concurrent attack on Pearl Harbor in the Western Hemisphere.)
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech, which leads to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.
Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days.
Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi.
A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia, is established.
The Australian Cricket Board's cover-up of Shane Warne and Mark Waugh's involvement with bookmakers was revealed.
The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.
First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China.
The Syrian civil war ended when Bashar al-Assad's party, the Syrian Ba'ath Party, surrendered to the Syrian opposition.
Singapore, under the government's approval, published its now-declassified Albatross file, comprising information relating to the Proclamation of Singapore dating back six decades ago.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Margaret Hughes becomes the first professional actress in England”?
C: 1660. 1660 — that’s 366 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “The Royal Navy wins the Battle of the Falkland Islands”?
A: 1914. 1914 — that’s 112 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: Margaret Hughes becomes the first professional actress in England. 1660: Margaret Hughes becomes the first professional actress in England · 2013: Metallica becomes the first band to play on all seven continents · 1914: The Royal Navy wins the Battle of the Falkland Islands Find it on the page
“Mary, Queen of Scots” happened in 1542. How many years ago was that?
A: 484 years. 2026 − 1542 = 484. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 8 December.
UK story
Mary, Queen of Scots, was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. When her father died, she became Queen of Scotland at just six days old. She reigned from 1542 until 1567, when she was forced to give up the throne. She is also known as Mary Stuart. She died in 1587.
UK story
Sir Geoff Hurst is an English former footballer who played as a striker. In 1966 he became the first player to score a hat-trick, three goals, in a World Cup final. His goals helped England beat West Germany 4–2 at Wembley and win the World Cup.
Well-known people who died on 8 December.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 8 December somewhere in the world.
Bodhi Day is a Buddhist festival, marked on this date in Japan. It remembers the day when the Buddha is said to have reached enlightenment, a deep understanding of life, which is called 'bodhi'. According to tradition, he sat down to meditate under a fig tree, now known as the Bodhi Tree. He stayed there until he understood the cause of suffering and how to be free of it.
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.
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 “December 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.