May 8
1541 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.
1660 - The British Parliament moved to restore the monarchy by declaring that Charles II had been the country's lawful king since the execution of his father, Charles I, in 1649.
1794 - Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was guillotined during the Reign of Terror.
1846 - The first major battle of the Mexican War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas, resulting in victory for Gen. Zachary Taylor's forces.
1877 - The first Westminster Dog Show was held.
1884 - Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, was born in Lamar, Missouri.
1886 - Atlanta pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invented the flavor syrup for Coca-Cola.
1902 - Mount Pelee on Martinique erupted, destroying the town of St. Pierre, and killing 40,000 people.
1945 - The Allies celebrated V-E Day, which marked the end of the European conflict in World War II.
1958 - Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.
1970 - Construction workers broke up an anti-war protest on New York City's Wall Street.
1973 - The 10-week Wounded Knee occupation in South Dakota ended with members of the American Indian Movement surrendered.
1978 - David Berkowitz, a.k.a. the "Son of Sam", plead guilty to killing six people in New York City.
1987 - Gary Hart, dogged by questions about his personal life, withdrew from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
1996 - South Africa took another step from apartheid to democracy by adopting a constitution that guaranteed equal rights for Blacks and whites.
1999 - The Citadel, the state military college of South Carolina, graduated its first female cadet, Nancy Mace.
2020 - The unemployment level surged to 14.7%, a level last seen when the country was in the throes of the Great Depression; the government reported that 20 million Americans had lost their jobs in April amid the economic fallout from the pandemic.
2020 - Magician Roy Horn of the famed Las Vegas act Siegfried & Roy died in a Las Vegas hospital at the age of 75 as a result of complications from the coronavirus.
Birthdays
29 - Olivia Culpo (model/pageant contestant)
29 - Ana Mulvoy-Ten (actress)
31 - Kemba Walker (basketball player)
32 - Nora Anezeder (actress)
37 - Julia Whelan (actress)
40 - Stephen Amell (actor)
43 - Ana Maria Lombo (singer)
43 - Matt Davis (actor)
46 - Enrique Iglesias (singer)
57 - Melissa Gilbert (actress)
64 - Bill Cowher (football coach/sportscaster)
66 - Raoul Max Trujillo (actor)
67 - David Keith (actor)
68 - Alex Van Halen (musician)
73 - Mark Blankfield (actor)
79 - Jack Blanchard (country singer)
80 - James Mitchum (actor)
81 - Toni Tennille (singer)
=====================================
Today in Sports History - May 8
1866 - Australian Rules Football is created.
1878 - Paul Hines recorded baseball's first unassisted triple play.
1954 - Parry O'Brien becomes the first man to throw a shot put over 60 feet in competition.
1961 - New Yorkers selected a new name for their new National League baseball franchise. They chose the Mets.
1967 - Muhammad Ali was indicted for refusing induction in U.S. Army.
1968 - Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland Athletics pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins.
1970 - The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.
1971 - Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden, handing Ali the first loss of his professional career.
1973 - In Cincinnati, Ralph Miller, the last of the 19th century baseball players, died at age 100.
1984 - Kirby Puckett made his major league debut with the Minnesota Twins.
1984 - The Chicago White Sox defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings. (The game actually ended on May 9.)
1984 - The Soviet Union announced it would boycott the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
2000 - Jason and Jeremy Giambi (Oakland) became the 10th set of brothers to hit home runs in the same game.
2012 - Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers became the 16th player in major league history to hit four home runs in a game.
2014 - The Houston Texans select South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
2014 - The following Huskers were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft: CB - Stanley Jean-Baptiste (2nd round, New Orleans Saints); OG - Spencer Long (3rd round, Washington Redskins) and WR - Quincy Enunwa (6th round, New York Jets).
1541 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.
1660 - The British Parliament moved to restore the monarchy by declaring that Charles II had been the country's lawful king since the execution of his father, Charles I, in 1649.
1794 - Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was guillotined during the Reign of Terror.
1846 - The first major battle of the Mexican War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas, resulting in victory for Gen. Zachary Taylor's forces.
1877 - The first Westminster Dog Show was held.
1884 - Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, was born in Lamar, Missouri.
1886 - Atlanta pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invented the flavor syrup for Coca-Cola.
1902 - Mount Pelee on Martinique erupted, destroying the town of St. Pierre, and killing 40,000 people.
1945 - The Allies celebrated V-E Day, which marked the end of the European conflict in World War II.
1958 - Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.
1970 - Construction workers broke up an anti-war protest on New York City's Wall Street.
1973 - The 10-week Wounded Knee occupation in South Dakota ended with members of the American Indian Movement surrendered.
1978 - David Berkowitz, a.k.a. the "Son of Sam", plead guilty to killing six people in New York City.
1987 - Gary Hart, dogged by questions about his personal life, withdrew from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
1996 - South Africa took another step from apartheid to democracy by adopting a constitution that guaranteed equal rights for Blacks and whites.
1999 - The Citadel, the state military college of South Carolina, graduated its first female cadet, Nancy Mace.
2020 - The unemployment level surged to 14.7%, a level last seen when the country was in the throes of the Great Depression; the government reported that 20 million Americans had lost their jobs in April amid the economic fallout from the pandemic.
2020 - Magician Roy Horn of the famed Las Vegas act Siegfried & Roy died in a Las Vegas hospital at the age of 75 as a result of complications from the coronavirus.
Birthdays
29 - Olivia Culpo (model/pageant contestant)
29 - Ana Mulvoy-Ten (actress)
31 - Kemba Walker (basketball player)
32 - Nora Anezeder (actress)
37 - Julia Whelan (actress)
40 - Stephen Amell (actor)
43 - Ana Maria Lombo (singer)
43 - Matt Davis (actor)
46 - Enrique Iglesias (singer)
57 - Melissa Gilbert (actress)
64 - Bill Cowher (football coach/sportscaster)
66 - Raoul Max Trujillo (actor)
67 - David Keith (actor)
68 - Alex Van Halen (musician)
73 - Mark Blankfield (actor)
79 - Jack Blanchard (country singer)
80 - James Mitchum (actor)
81 - Toni Tennille (singer)
=====================================
Today in Sports History - May 8
1866 - Australian Rules Football is created.
1878 - Paul Hines recorded baseball's first unassisted triple play.
1954 - Parry O'Brien becomes the first man to throw a shot put over 60 feet in competition.
1961 - New Yorkers selected a new name for their new National League baseball franchise. They chose the Mets.
1967 - Muhammad Ali was indicted for refusing induction in U.S. Army.
1968 - Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland Athletics pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins.
1970 - The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.
1971 - Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden, handing Ali the first loss of his professional career.
1973 - In Cincinnati, Ralph Miller, the last of the 19th century baseball players, died at age 100.
1984 - Kirby Puckett made his major league debut with the Minnesota Twins.
1984 - The Chicago White Sox defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings. (The game actually ended on May 9.)
1984 - The Soviet Union announced it would boycott the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
2000 - Jason and Jeremy Giambi (Oakland) became the 10th set of brothers to hit home runs in the same game.
2012 - Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers became the 16th player in major league history to hit four home runs in a game.
2014 - The Houston Texans select South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
2014 - The following Huskers were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft: CB - Stanley Jean-Baptiste (2nd round, New Orleans Saints); OG - Spencer Long (3rd round, Washington Redskins) and WR - Quincy Enunwa (6th round, New York Jets).
