8 September in history
8 events that happened on 8 September, from 617 to 1974.
✦ Anniversary of the day
617 CE 1,409 years ago
Li Yuan defeats a Sui army at Huoyi
The rebel Duke of Tang, Li Yuan, advancing on the Sui capital, routed an elite Sui army of 20,000 at Huoyi after an initial setback. The victory opened his path to Chang'an and the founding of the Tang dynasty.
1198 CE 828 years ago
Philip of Swabia is crowned German king at Mainz
In Mainz Cathedral, Archbishop Aymon II of Tarentaise, not the Archbishop of Cologne as was usual, crowned Philip of Swabia King of Germany. Elected by the Staufen party while the Welfs chose Otto IV, Philip faced a long civil war.
1380 CE 646 years ago
Dmitry of Moscow defeats Mamai at Kulikovo
On Kulikovo Field near the upper Don, an army of Russian principalities led by Grand Prince Dmitry of Moscow defeated the forces of Mamai, warlord of the western Golden Horde. The victory earned Dmitry the name Donskoy.
1504 CE 522 years ago
Michelangelo's David is unveiled in Florence
Michelangelo's colossal marble David was unveiled outside the Palazzo Vecchio. Carved from a block other sculptors had abandoned, it became a symbol of the Florentine Republic.
1565 CE 461 years ago
The Ottomans abandon the Great Siege of Malta
After nearly four months, the Ottoman army withdrew from Malta, defeated by the Knights of St John under Jean de Valette. The new capital, Valletta, was named after him.
1664 CE 362 years ago
The Dutch hand New Amsterdam to the English
Facing English warships and an unwilling population, Peter Stuyvesant surrendered New Amsterdam without a fight. It was renamed New York after the Duke of York.
1943 CE 83 years ago
Italy's armistice with the Allies is announced
General Eisenhower broadcast news of Italy's surrender. German troops quickly disarmed the Italian army and occupied much of the country, which became a battleground for 20 months.
1974 CE 52 years ago
Gerald Ford pardons Richard Nixon
President Ford granted Nixon a full pardon for any crimes he 'committed or may have committed' in office. Ford said it would end the national ordeal; it damaged his own popularity.
Born on 8 September 7
Died on 8 September 7
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.