Events on Dec 8
- 1326Daitokuji temple, Rinzai line, established in Kyoto by Daito Kokushi
- 1710Battle at Brihuega: English General Stanhope captured
- 1777Captain Cook leaves Society Islands
- 17921st cremation in US, Henry Laurens
- 17941st issue of Herald of Rutland, VT published
- 1854Pope Pius IX proclaims Immaculate Conception, makes Mary, free of Original Sin
- 18571st production of Dion Boucicaults "Poor of NY"
- 18632,500 reported killed at Church of La Compana, Santiago Chile
- 1863Abraham Lincoln announces plan for Reconstruction of South
- 1863Jesuit church in Chile catches fire, 2,500 die in panic
- 1863President Lincoln offers amnesty for confederate deserters
- 1864Pope Pius IX publishes encyclical Quanta cura ("Syllabus errorum")
- 186920th Roman Catholic ecumenical council, Vatican I, opens in Rome
- 1874Jesse James gang takes train at Muncie, Kansas
- 1876Suriname begins compulsory education for 7-12 years
- 18805,000 armed Boers gather in Paardekraal South-Africa
- 1886American Federation of Labor (AFL) formed by 26 craft unions Samuel Gompers elected AFL President
- 1896Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Missing 3 Quarter" (BG)
- 1899Natal: British fall / burst out belegerd Ladysmith
- 1902Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr became Associate Justice on Supreme Court
- 1909Bird banding society found
- 1913Construction starts on Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco
- 1914British and German fleets battle at Falkland Islands
- 1914Connie Mack sells Eddie Collins to the White Sox
- 1921Eamon de Valera publicly repudiates Anglo-Irish Treaty
- 1923German-US friendship treaty signed
- 1923Labour / Liberals win British parliament
- 1923Salary and price freeze in Germany
- 1930Broadway Theater opens at 1681 Broadway, New York City
- 1931Coaxial cable patented
Born on Dec 8
- 1508Gemma Frisius [Jemme Reinersz]: Frisian geographer / astronomer
- 1626Christina: Queen of Sweden who abdicated after becoming Catholic
- 1704Anton de Haen: Medical expert (Ratio Medendi)
- 1708Francis I: Holy Roman Emperor (1745-1765)
- 1715John Althuysen: Frisian vicar / poet (Frisianche rymlery)
- 1728Johann G von Zimmermann: Switzerland -- Author
- 1730John Ingen Housz: Dutch / English personal Physician of Maria Theresia
- 1731Frantisek Xaver Dusek: Composer
- 1737Robert Kimmerling: Composer
- 1741Maximilian JLP Gardel: French dancer / choreographer (Menuet Reine)
- 1744Pierre Joseph Candielle: Composer
- 1765Eli Whitney: Inventor (Cotton Gin)
- 1789John Fawcett: Composer
- 1795Jacques Francois Gallay: Composer
- 1811Louis Alexander Balthasar Schindelmeisser: Composer
- 1822Luther Prentice Bradley: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1910
- 1826Friedrich Siemens: German industrialist
- 1828Clinton Bowen Fisk: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1890
- 1828Robert Bullock: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1905
- 1861Aristide Maillol: France -- Painter / sculptor (Seated Woman)
- 1861William Crapo Durant: Founded General Machine
- 1865Jacques Hadamard: French mathematician (Taylor series)
- 1865Jean Sibelius: Tavastehus, Finland -- Composer (Valse Triste, Finlandia)
- 1872J C Powys: Writer
- 1877Paul Emile Ladmirault: Composer
- 1881Padraic Colum: Irish poet / Novelist / poet (Collected Poems)
- 1886Diego Rivera [Lenin of Mexico]: Mexico -- Painter / Wife of Frida Kahlo
- 1887Vicente Emilio Sojo: Composer
- 1888Fiske Kimball: US architect / art historian
- 1888Paul Cavanagh: Chislehurst, England -- Actor (Tarzan & his Mate)
Died on Dec 8
- 0899Arnulf of Carinthia: Last Emperor of Austria-France
- 1292John Peckham: English Archbishop of Canterbury, dies at 62
- 1587Mary: Queen of Scots (1560-1587), executed
- 1596Luis de Carabajal: 1st Jewish Author in America, executed in Mexico
- 1643John Pym: English House of Commons member, dies at about 59
- 1652Adriaan W "Joris" van Geel: Flemish missionary, murdered at 35
- 1681Gerard Terborch [the Younger]: Dutch Painter / etcher
- 1709Thomas Corneille: French dramatist, dies at 74
- 1722Elisabeth C "Liselotte" van Palts: German / French duchess, dies at 70
- 1785Antonio Maria Mazzoni: Composer, dies at 68
- 1830H Benjamin Constant: French politician / writer, dies at 63
- 1831James Hoban: Architect who designed White House
- 1894Willem JF Nuyens: Dutch Physician / RC historian, dies at 71
- 1896Earnest Angel: German statistician (Law of Angel), dies at 75
- 1900Henry Russell: Composer, dies at 87
- 1903Herbert Spencer: British engineer / philosopher, dies at 83
- 1907Oscar II Frederick: King of Sweden (-1907) / Norway (-1905)
- 1923Dom Joseph Pothier: French Benedictine / musicologist, dies at 88
- 1924Franz X Scharwenka: German pianist / Composer (Mataswintha), dies at 74
- 1926Jan Six: Dutch art Historian / collector
- 1934Bernhard Seklas: Composer, dies at 62
- 1939Ernest Schelling: Composer, dies at 63
- 1954Gladys George: Actress (Roaring Twenties), dies at 50
- 1955Jacques Handschin: Swiss musicologist, dies at 69
- 1956Edgar Leslie Bainton: Composer, dies at 76
- 1957Reginald Sheffield: Actor (Second Chance), dies at 55
- 1961William Beatton Moonie: Composer, dies at 78
- 1967Robert H Lawrence: USAF / Astronaut, dies at 32
- 1969Vincenzo Davico: Composer, dies at 80
- 1970Christopher K Ingold: English chemist, dies at 77
Historical events on December 9
- 0536Byzantines Libya occupies Rome on Ostrogoten
- 0656Battle of Kameel: Kalief Al ibn Abu Talib beats rebellion
- 1315Swiss Woudsteden renews Eternal Covenant (Oath Society)
- 1425Pope Martinus V forms University of Leuven
- 1570Geuzen under Herman de Ruyter occupies Loevestein
- 1625Netherlands and England sign military treaty
- 1640Settler Hugh Bewitt banished from Mass colony when he declares himself to be free of original sin
- 1658Dutch troops occupy harbor city Quilon (Coilan) India
- 1738Jews are expelled from Breslau Silesia
- 1747England and Netherlands sign military treaty
- 1762British parliament accept Treaty of Paris
- 17831st execution at English Newgate-jail
- 1805Comet 3D / 1805 V1 (Biela) approaches within 0.0366 AUs of Earth
- 1824Battle of Ayacucho (Candorcangui), Peru defeats Spain
- 1861Battle of Bird Creek, Indian Terr (High Shoal, Chusto-Talasah)
- 18681st British government of Gladstone forms
- 1869Noble Order of Knights of Labor founded, Philadelphia
- 1878Joseph Pulitzer buys St. Louis Dispatch for $2,500
- 1883New Brunswick adopts Eastern Standard Time (until 1902)
- 1884Levant Richardson patents ball-bearing skate
- 1889President Harrison visits opening of Chicago Auditorium
- 1894Roman Catholics win Parliamentary election in Belgium
- 1900Dutch President Paul Kruger and Queen Wilhelmina have a triumphant procession
- 1902AL announces purchase of grounds for a stadium in New York
- 1903Norwegian parliament vote unanimiously for female suffrage
- 1905French Assembly National votes for separation of church and state
- 1906New York American reports Belgian King Leopold II bribed US Senate commission on the Congo
- 19071st Christmas Seals sold (Wilmington Del post office)
- 1907Gustav Mahler departs Vienna
- 19091st US monoplane flown (Henry W Walden, Long Island, NY)
Born on December 9
- 1392Peter: Prince / Regent of Portugal / writer (Virtuosa benfeitoria)
- 1561Edwin Sandys: A founder of Virginia colony
- 1569Martinus de Porres: Peru -- Saint (patron of social justice)
- 1571Adrian A Metius: Dutch mathematician / fort architect
- 1581Emilia Secunda Antwerpiana: Daughter of Willem of Orange
- 1594Gustavus II Adolphus: King who made Sweden a major power (1611-32)
- 1608John Milton: London, England -- Poet / puritan (Paradise Lost)
- 1715Georg Gottfried Petri: Composer
- 1717Johann J Winckelmann: German archaeologist (History of Ancient Art)
- 1728Pietro Alessandro Guglieli: Composer
- 1742Carl W Scheele: Swedish pharmacist / chemist (lemon acid)
- 1754Etienne Ozi: Composer
- 1791Peter Joseph von Lindpaintner: Composer
- 1796Prudent-Louis Aubery du Boulley: Composer
- 1842Pjotr A Kopotkin: Russian ruler / anarchist
- 1848Joel Chandler Harris: US journalist (created Uncle Remus stories)
- 1853Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn: Rochester, New York -- Pitcher (60-12 in 1884)
- 1854Pekka Hannikainen: Composer
- 1859Algernon Ashton: Composer
- 1862Karel Kovarovic: Composer
- 1864Sidney Homer: Composer
- 1868Fritz Haber: German phycist-chemist (Nobel 1919)
- 1873Antoine Pompe: Belgian architect
- 1883Alexander Papagos: Greek Field Marshal / Supreme Commander
- 1884Antonin Zapotocky: Czechoslovakia -- President (Ceskoslovensky Spisouatel)
- 1889John P "Hannes" Kolehmainen: Fin long-distance runner (1912 Olympics - Gold Medalist)
- 1894Eddie Dowling: Woonsocket, Rhode Island -- Actor (Anywhere USA)
- 1897Hermione Gingold: London, England -- Actress (Gigi, Music Man)
- 1898Emmett Kelly: Sedan, Kansas -- Circus clown (Weary Willie)
- 1899Frans van Amelsvoort: Dutch choir conductor
Died on December 9
- 1165Malcom IV: King of Scotland (1153-65), dies at 24
- 1437Sigismund: German Emperor / King of Hungary / Bohemia, dies at 70
- 1625Ubbo Emmius [van Embden]: Frisian humanist / historian, dies at 78
- 1636Giovanni B Aleotti: Ital writer / theater architect, dies at about 90
- 1641Anthonie "Antoon" van Dyck: Flemish painter, dies at 42
- 1669Clement IX [Giulio Rospigliosi]: Ital Pope (1667-69)
- 1674Edward Hyde 1st Earl of Clarendon: English Prime Minister (1660-67), dies at 65
- 1706Pedro II: King of Portugal (1683-1706), dies at 58
- 1767Benedetto Alfieri: Italian Architect (San Giovanni Battista)
- 1770Gottlieb Theophil Muffat: Composer, dies at 80
- 1814Jose Angel Lamas: Composer, dies at 39
- 1819Ann C Coleman: Fiancee of President Buchanan, commits suicide
- 1827Francois Leonard Rouwyzer: Composer, dies at 90
- 1893George Elvey: Composer, dies at 77
- 1905Henry Holmes: Composer, dies at 66
- 1916P Paul Leroy-Beaulieu: French economist (Economist France), dies at 73
- 1924Bernard Zweers: Dutch Composer (Gisbertus of Aemstel), dies at 70
- 1925Eugene Gigout: Composer, dies at 81
- 1940Maletti: Italian General, dies in battle
- 1941Leonard "Leo" Polak: Dutch philosopher, dies in Sachsenhausen at 61
- 1956Hans Barth: Composer, dies at 59
- 1957Carswell Adams: Sportscaster (Your Sports Special)
- 1959Walter Compton: News anchor (DuMont Evening News), dies at 47
- 1964Edith L Sitwell: English Poet / Author (Wheels), dies at 77
- 1966Yury Alexandrovich Shaporin: Composer, dies at 79
- 1970Artem Mikoyan: Russian aircraft designer (MIG), dies at 65
- 1974Jorge Croner de Vasconcelos: Composer, dies at 64
- 1975William A Wellman: US director (Ox Bow Incident), dies at 79
- 1977Clarice Lispector: Writer
- 1981Tonny Til: Rocker, dies at 56
Events on Dec 10
- 0741Zacharias becomes Pope
- 1294Pope Coelestinus V becomes Pope (until Dec 13th)
- 1508League of the Kingdom signed (covenant against Venice)
- 1520Martin Luther publicly burned papal edict demands he recant
- 1582France begins use of Gregorian calendar
- 1652Sea battle at Dungeness: Lieutenant Admiral Maarten Tromp beats English fleet
- 1672New York Gov Lovelace announces monthly mail service between New York and Boston
- 1688King James II flees London
- 1690Mass Bay becomes 1st American colonial goverment to borrow money
- 1745Bonnie Prince Charlies army draws into Manchester
- 1799Metric system established in France
- 1810Tom Cribb (GB) beats Tom Molineaus (US-Negro) in 1st interracial boxing championship (40 rounds)
- 1816Dutch regain Sumatra
- 1817Mississippi admitted as 20th state
- 1831"Spirit of the Times" begins publishing (weekly horse racing sheet)
- 1864General Shermans armies reach Savannah and 12 day siege begins
- 1869Women suffrage (right to vote) granted in Wyoming Territory (US 1st)
- 1887Austria-Hungary / Italy / Great-Britain signs military treaty of Balkan
- 18961st intercollegiate basketball game (Wesleyan beats Yale 4-3)
- 1898Spanish-American War ends; US acquires Philippines, PR and Guam
- 1899Battle at Storm Berge South Africa - Boers vs. British army
- 1903Nobel for physics awarded to Pierre / Marie Curie
- 1904King Peter I of Sweden named nationalist regime
- 1906President Theodore Roosevelt (1st American) awarded Nobel Peace Prize
- 1907Ruyard Kipling receives Nobel prize for literature
- 1910JD Van de Waals wins Nobel Prize for physics
- 1911Calbraith Rogers completes 1st crossing of US by airplane (84 days)
- 1911Tobias Asser given Nobel prize for peace
- 1913Kamerlingh Onnes receives Nobel prize for physics
- 1914French government returns to Paris
Born on Dec 10
- 1538Giovanni Battista Guarini: Italian writer (Faithfull Shepherd)
- 1679Willem Maurits: Dutch Count of Nassau / gov of Zeeuws-Flanders
- 1691Cornelis Pronk: Dutch portrait painter / cartoonist
- 1741Agatha "Aagje" Deken: Dutch writer (For the Elderly & Children)
- 1764Louis-Sebastien Lebrun: Composer
- 1787Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Pioneer of educating the deaf
- 1794James Wolfe Ripley: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1870
- 1805John E Feisser: Theologist / founder 1st Dutch baptist church
- 1805William Lloyd Garrison: Abolitionist publisher (The Liberator)
- 1813Errico Petrella: Composer
- 1813Zachariah Chandler: United States -- Merchant / politician (founder of the Republican Party)
- 1820David Allen Russell: Army Bvt Major General (Union), died in 1864
- 1821Nekrassow: Writer
- 1821Nikolai A Nekrasov: Russian poet (Russkije Zjenjshiny)
- 1822Thomas Casimer Devin: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1878
- 1823Wilhelm Kuhe: Composer
- 1824George MacDonald: Scotland, United Kingdom -- Sci-fi author (Princess & Curdie)
- 1830Emily Dickinson: Amherst, Massachusetts -- Poet (Collected Poems)
- 1831Alexander Conze: German archaeologist
- 1851Melvil[le Louis K] Dewey: Created Dewey Decimal System for libraries
- 1868Louis Victor Saar: Composer
- 1870Adolf Loos: Austria -- Architect (building of houses)
- 1870Pierre Louijs: France -- Novelist / poet (Aphrodite, Woman & Puppet)
- 1870Rudolf W Canne: Fries playwright (Der de Wier Us)
- 1872Johann Babtist Thaller: Composer
- 1872Ludwig Klages: German philosopher (study of graves)
- 1882Otto Neurath: Australia -- Philosopher (Foundation of Social Sciences)
- 1883Andrej J Vysjinski: Russian lawyer / foreign min / UN-ambassador
- 1885Janos Hammerschlag: Composer
- 1885Mario Varvoglis: Composer
Died on Dec 10
- 0969Nicephorus II Phocas: Byzantine co-Emperor (963-69), murdered
- 1041Michael IV: Paphlagonicus, Emperor of Byzantine
- 1490Antoine Haneron: Bourgundy diplomat, dies at about 90
- 1572Cornelis Musius: Dutch humanist / poet, murdered at 72
- 1595Reynier Cant: Mayor of Amsterdam, dies at about 59
- 1616Diogo do Couto: Portuguese Historian / archivist of Goa, dies at 74
- 1638Ivan [Dzivo F] Gundulic: Dalmatian writer (Osman), dies at 49
- 1665Tarquinio Mercula: Composer
- 1770Theophil "Gottlieb" Muffat: German court Organist / composer, dies at 80
- 1805Friedrich Franz Hurka: Composer, dies at 43
- 1826Benedikt Emanuel Schack: Composer, dies at 68
- 1833Dieudonne-Pascal Pieltain: Composer, dies at 79
- 1875Otogaki Rengetsu: Zen nun / benefactress of Tessai, dies at about 84
- 1877Federico Ricci: Composer, dies at 68
- 1877Jared Kirtland: US Physician / naturalist
- 1888Mariano Obiols: Composer, dies at 79
- 1889Anzengruber: Writer
- 1889Ludwig Anzengruber: Austrian playwright, dies at 50
- 1890Ludolf AJW Sloet van de Beele: Governor-General (Net India 1861-66), dies at 84
- 1896Alfred Nobel: Swedish Nobel Prize ceremony on this date, dies at 63
- 1909Red Cloud: Sioux indian chief
- 1910Pablo Hernandez Salces: Composer, dies at 76
- 1911Joseph D Hooker: British botanist, dies at 94
- 1921Viktor Jacobi: Composer, dies at 38
- 1931Max Elskamp: Belgian Author / Poet (Six Chansons), dies at 69
- 1935John H Aberson: 1st rector of Landbouw high school, dies at 78
- 1936Luigi Pirandello: Italian writer (Enrico IV, Nobel 1934), dies at 69
- 1938Mario Pilati: Composer, dies at 35
- 1939Wilhelm Grosz: Composer, dies at 45
- 1946Damon Runyon: US journalist / writer (Guys & Dolls), dies at 66