This Day in History-February 8

Acknowledging significant historical events is essential because it helps us to rectify the faults and celebrate the great incidents. There have been several moments that led to breakthroughs in science, wars to learn from, kingdoms that were formed, and much more. Read through the blog to learn what all happened on this day in history- February 8.

“A page of history is worth a pound of logic.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes 

421: Co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire
Flavius Constantine became Co-Emperor as Emperor Constantius III of the Western Roman Empire with Honorius.

1587: Mary, Queen of Scots was executed
Mary, Queen of Scots, is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle aged 44 after being convicted of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth I in the Babington Plot.

1600: Conviction of Giordano Bruno
The Vatican convicted scholar Giordano Bruno to death on February 8, 1600.

1627: Use of Explosives in Mining
Gunpowder is used in a mining operation instead of mechanical tools in (present-day) Slovakia. It was reportedly the first time explosives had been used in mining.

1672: First Optics Paper
Isaac Newton read the first optics paper in front of the Royal Society in London on February 8 1672.

1743: Comet C/1743 C1
Comet C/1743 C1 approached within 0.0390 AUs of Earth.

1862: Railway Workshop in India
The East Indian Railway set up the first full-fledged railway workshop facility in India at Jamalpur.

1879: Adoption of UST
Sandford Fleming proposed the adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute.

1905: Tahiti Cyclone
 A cyclone hit Tahiti & adjacent islands and killed around 10,000 people on February 8 1905.

1915:  The First 12-reel Film
The first 12-reel film in America- “The Birth of a Nation”, directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Lillian Gish and Mae Marsh, opened at Clune’s Auditorium in Los Angeles on February 8 1915.

1922: First Radio in the White House
United States President Warren G. Harding introduced the first radio set in the White House.

1933: Boeing 247
The first flight of all-metal Boeing 247 was on February 8, 1933.

1936: Chairman of ICP
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru succeeded Mahatma Gandhi as chairman of the Indian Congress Party.

1942: World War II
Japan invaded Singapore, the Dutch Colonial Army General Destruction Unit burn Banjarmasin, South Borneo to avoid Japanese capture.

1946: Communist-Controlled North Korea
The People’s Republic of Korea is dissolved in the North, establishing the communist-controlled Provisional People’s Committee of North Korea.

1955: Abolishing the Jagirdari system
The Government of Sindh abolished the Jagirdari system in the province. The One million acres (4000 km²) of land acquired was distributed among the landless peasants.

1960: Mountbatten-Windsor
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor and her descendants will take the name “Mountbatten-Windsor”.

1974: Skylab 4
The last crew of 3 astronauts to visit American space station Skylab (Skylab 4) returned to Earth after 84 days in space.

1976: Taxi Driver
 “Taxi Driver” directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster, was released.

1994: Kapil Dev World Record
Kapil Dev sets world record for Test Cricket wickets with 432.

2005: Sri Lankan Civil War
Sri Lankan Tamil politician and former MP A. Chandranehru died of injuries sustained in an ambush the previous day.

Hence, you are all updated with the essential events, birthdays, and deaths that occurred on February 8th! Keep watching this space at Leverage Edu for more such educational content and give us a follow on LinkedIn, Youtube, Facebook, Quora, and Instagram!