Historical Events on August 8
- 70 A.D.: The Romans destroy the Tower of Antonia – a military fortress built by Herod the Great.
- 936: Otto I is crowned as the king of Germany.
- 1220: Estonian tribes defeat Sweden during the Battle of Lihula.
- 1863: After being defeated during the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends Confederate President Jefferson Davis his letter of resignation.
- 1876: American inventor Thomas Edison receives a patent for the mimeograph.
- 1908: At a racecourse in Le Mans, France, Wilbur Wright begins his first flight.
- 1918: The Battle of Amiens begins during World War I.
- 1929: A German airship named Graf Zeppelin starts its around the world flight on this day.
- 1969: Ian Macmillan takes the photo that would become the cover image for the Beatles Abbey Road Album.
- 1974: S President Richard Nixon resigns from the office of the President of the United States during a nationwide TV address. His resignation would officially become effective noon the following day.
- 1989: The Space Shuttle Columbia begins its top secret five-day military mission known as the STS-28 Mission.
- 2000: The Confederate submarine, the H.L. Hunley, is raised to the surface on this day. It was sunk in 1864.
- 2015: During a shooting in Harris County, Texas, 8 people are killed on this day.
Famous Birthdays on August 8
- American actor and director Dustin Hoffman is born in 1937.
- American horse breeder Sheila Varian is born in 1937.
- English chemist Jack Baldwin is born in 1938.
- American Actress and businesswoman Connie Stevens is born in 1938.
- American engineer Dennis Tito is born in 1940.
- American actor Keith Carradine is born in 1949.
- English singer David Grant is born in 1956.
- American actress Laura Slade Wiggins is born in 1988.
- American author and actor Ken Baumann is born in 1989.
- American baseball player Anthony Rizzo is born in 1989.