8 May in history
8 events that happened on 8 May, from 1360 to 1963.
✦ Anniversary of the day
1360 CE 666 years ago
Edward III and John II agree the Treaty of Brétigny
King Edward III of England and the captive John II of France agreed the Treaty of Brétigny, ending the first phase of the Hundred Years' War. Edward gave up his claim to the French crown for sovereignty over Aquitaine, Calais and Ponthieu.
1429 CE 597 years ago
Joan of Arc helps lift the English siege of Orléans
French forces inspired by Joan of Arc ended the English siege of Orléans, a turning point of the Hundred Years' War. The French regained the initiative, and Joan brought Charles VII to his coronation at Reims.
1559 CE 467 years ago
Elizabeth I's Act of Supremacy receives royal assent
The Act restored the Church of England's independence from Rome and made Elizabeth its Supreme Governor. With the Act of Uniformity it formed the basis of the Elizabethan religious settlement.
1794 CE 232 years ago
Chemist Antoine Lavoisier is guillotined in Paris
Lavoisier, executed as a former tax farmer during the Terror, had named oxygen and hydrogen and set chemistry on modern foundations. 'It took them only an instant to cut off that head,' said Lagrange.
1846 CE 180 years ago
US and Mexican armies clash at Palo Alto
Zachary Taylor's artillery won the first major battle of the Mexican-American War near the Rio Grande. By 1848 Mexico had lost about half its territory, including California.
1886 CE 140 years ago
Coca-Cola goes on sale at an Atlanta pharmacy
Pharmacist John Pemberton's new syrup, mixed with carbonated water, was sold at Jacobs' Pharmacy for five cents a glass. It became one of the most widely recognised brands in the world.
1963 CE 63 years ago
Troops fire on Buddhist protesters in Huế
South Vietnamese forces fired on crowds protesting a ban on Buddhist flags, killing nine. The Buddhist crisis that followed undermined President Ngo Dinh Diem, who was overthrown in November.
Born on 8 May 6
Died on 8 May 5
Dates as the sources give them: in the Julian calendar before 1582, and in some countries for longer (Britain until 1752, Russia until 1918). Only people whose day of birth or death the records agree on are listed.