May 8

Pre-1600

• 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.
• 413 – Emperor Honorius signs an edict providing tax relief for the Italian provinces Tuscia, Campania, Picenum, Samnium, Apulia, Lucania and Calabria, which were plundered by the Visigoths.
• 589 – Reccared I opens the Third Council of Toledo, marking the entry of Visigothic Spain into the Catholic Church.
• 1360 – Treaty of Brétigny drafted between King Edward III of England and King John II of France (the Good).
• 1373 – Julian of Norwich, a Christian mystic and anchoress, experiences the deathbed visions described in her Revelations of Divine Love.
• 1429 – Joan of Arc lifts the Siege of Orléans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years' War.
• 1450 – Kentishmen revolt against King Henry VI.
• 1516 – A group of imperial guards, led by Trịnh Duy Sản, murdered Emperor Lê Tương Dực and fled, leaving the capital Thăng Long undefended.
• 1541 – Hernando de Soto stops near present-day Walls, Mississippi, and sees the Mississippi River (then known by the Spanish as Río de Espíritu Santo, the name given to it by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519).

1601–1900

• 1608 – A newly nationalized silver mine in Scotland at Hilderston, West Lothian is re-opened by Bevis Bulmer.
• 1639 – William Coddington founds Newport, Rhode Island.
• 1758 – The Maratha Empire captures Peshawar from the Durrani Empire in the Battle of Peshawar. The Maratha Empire was extended to its farthest distance away from Pune that it ever reached, over 2,000 km (1,200 mi), almost to the borders of Afghanistan.
• 1788 – King Louis XVI of France attempts to impose the reforms of Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne by abolishing the parlements.
• 1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale, is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris.
• 1821 – Greek War of Independence: The Greeks defeat the Turks at the Battle of Gravia Inn.
• 1842 – A train derails and catches fire in Paris, killing between 52 and 200 people.
• 1846 – Mexican–American War: American forces led by Zachary Taylor defeat a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
• 1877 – At Gilmore's Gardens in New York City, the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens.
• 1886 – Pharmacist John Pemberton first sells a carbonated beverage named "Coca-Cola" as a patent medicine.
• 1898 – The first games of the Italian football league system are played.
• 1899 – The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin produced its first play.

1901–present

• 1902 – In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupts, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre and killing over 30,000 people. Only a handful of residents survive the blast.
• 1919 – Edward George Honey proposes the idea of a moment of silence to commemorate the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I.
• 1921 – The creation of the Communist Party of Romania.
• 1924 – The Klaipėda Convention is signed formally incorporating Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) into Lithuania.
• 1927 – Attempting to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, French war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli disappear after taking off aboard The White Bird biplane.
• 1933 – Mohandas Gandhi begins a 21-day fast of self-purification and launched a one-year campaign to help the Harijan movement.
• 1941 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches a bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby.
• 1942 – World War II: The German 11th Army begins Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt) and destroys the bridgehead of the three Soviet armies defending the Kerch Peninsula.
• 1942 – World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington.
• 1942 – World War II: Gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos Islands rebel in the Cocos Islands Mutiny. Their mutiny is crushed and three of them are executed, the only British Commonwealth soldiers to be executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
• 1945 – World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Berlin-Karlshorst comes into effect.
• 1945 – End of the Prague uprising, celebrated now as a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
• 1945 – Hundreds of Algerian civilians are killed by French Army soldiers in the Sétif massacre.
• 1945 – The Halifax riot starts when thousands of civilians and servicemen rampage through Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• 1946 – Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
• 1950 – The Tollund Man was discovered in a peat bog near Silkeborg, Denmark.
• 1957 – South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem began a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor.
• 1963 – South Vietnamese soldiers under the Roman Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem open fire on Buddhists defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag on Vesak, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist crisis.
• 1967 – The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.
• 1970 – The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album Let It Be.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place naval mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
• 1973 – A 71-day standoff between federal authorities and the American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota ends with the surrender of the militants.
• 1976 – The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
• 1978 – The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
• 1980 – The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
• 1984 – Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
• 1984 – The USSR announces a boycott upon the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles, later joined by 14 other countries.
• 1984 – The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.
• 1987 – The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
• 1988 – A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history".
• 1997 – China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao'an International Airport, killing 35 people.
• 2019 – British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.
• 2021 – A car bomb explodes in front of a school in Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan killing at least 55 people and wounding over 150.

Pre-1600

• 1326 – Joan I, Countess of Auvergne (d. 1360)
• 1427 – John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1470)
• 1460 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1536)
• 1492 – Andrea Alciato, Italian jurist and writer (d. 1550)
• 1508 – Charles Wriothesley, English Officer of Arms (d. 1562)
• 1521 – Peter Canisius, Dutch-Swiss priest and saint (d. 1597)
• 1551 – Thomas Drury, English government informer and swindler (d. 1603)
• 1587 – Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1637)

1601–1900

• 1622 – Claes Rålamb, Swedish politician (d. 1698)
• 1628 – Angelo Italia, Sicilian Jesuit and architect (d. 1700)
• 1629 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (d. 1697)
• 1632 – Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming, German field marshal and politician (d. 1706)
• 1639 – Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Italian artist (d. 1709)
• 1641 – Nicolaes Witsen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1717)
• 1653 – Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1734)
• 1670 – Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1726)
• 1698 – Henry Baker, English naturalist (d. 1774)
• 1720 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1764)
• 1735 – Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter and politician (d. 1811)
• 1737 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (d. 1794)
• 1745 – Carl Stamitz, German violinist and composer (d. 1801)
• 1753 – Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Mexican priest and rebel leader (d. 1811)
• 1786 – John Vianney, French priest and saint (d. 1859)
• 1815 – Edward Tompkins, American lawyer and politician (d. 1872)
• 1818 – Samuel Leonard Tilley, Canadian pharmacist and politician, 3rd Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1896)
• 1821 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1885)
• 1824 – William Walker, American physician, lawyer, journalist and mercenary (d. 1860)
• 1825 – George Bruce Malleson, English-Indian colonel and author (d. 1898)
• 1828 – Henry Dunant, Swiss businessman and activist, co-founded the Red Cross, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
• 1828 – Charbel Makhluf, Lebanese monk and saint (d. 1898)
• 1829 – Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist and composer (d. 1869)
• 1835 – Bertalan Székely, Hungarian painter and academic (d. 1910)
• 1839 – Adolphe-Basile Routhier, Canadian judge, author, and songwriter (d. 1920)
• 1842 – Emil Christian Hansen, Danish physiologist and mycologist (d. 1909)
• 1846 – Oscar Hammerstein I, American businessman and composer (d. 1919)
• 1850 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1915)
• 1853 – Dan Brouthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1932)
• 1856 – Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician (d. 1952)
• 1858 – Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer (d. 1924)
• 1858 – J. Meade Falkner, English author and poet (d. 1932)
• 1859 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (d. 1925)
• 1867 – Margarete Böhme, German novelist (d. 1939)
• 1876 – Ludvig Karsten, Norwegian painter (d. 1926)
• 1879 – Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
• 1884 – Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
• 1885 – Thomas B. Costain, Canadian journalist and author (d. 1965)
• 1892 – Adriaan Pelt, Dutch journalist and diplomat (d. 1981)
• 1893 – Francis Ouimet, American golfer (d. 1967)
• 1893 – Edd Roush, American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
• 1893 – Teddy Wakelam, English rugby player and sportscaster (d. 1963)
• 1895 – James H. Kindelberger, American businessman (d. 1962)
• 1895 – Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (d. 1979)
• 1895 – Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (d. 1972)
• 1898 – Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (d. 1960)
• 1899 – Arthur Q. Bryan, American actor, voice actor, comedian and radio personality (d. 1959)
• 1899 – Friedrich Hayek, Austrian economist and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
• 1899 – Jacques Heim, French fashion designer (d. 1967)

1901–present

• 1901 – Turkey Stearnes, American baseball player (d. 1979)
• 1902 – André Michel Lwoff, French microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
• 1903 – Fernandel, French actor and singer (d. 1971)
• 1904 – John Snagge, English journalist (d. 1996)
• 1905 – Red Nichols, American cornet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 1965)
• 1906 – Roberto Rossellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1977)
• 1910 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
• 1911 – Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman, Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of The Interior (d. 1997)
• 1911 – Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1938)
• 1912 – George Woodcock, Canadian author and poet (d. 1995)
• 1913 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (d. 1984)
• 1913 – Sid James, South African-English actor and singer (d. 1976)
• 1916 – João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (d. 2016)
• 1916 – Chinmayananda Saraswati, Indian spiritual leader and educator (d. 1993)
• 1919 – Lex Barker, American actor (d. 1973)
• 1920 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer and director (d. 1996)
• 1920 – Barbara Howard, Canadian sprinter and educator (d. 2017)
• 1920 – Tom of Finland, Finnish illustrator (d. 1991)
• 1920 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (d. 2000)
• 1925 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzanian politician, 2nd President of Tanzania (d. 2024)
• 1926 – David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host
• 1926 – David Hurst, German actor (d. 2019)
• 1926 – Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (d. 2017)
• 1928 – Ted Sorensen, American lawyer, 8th White House Counsel (d. 2010)
• 1929 – John C. Bogle, American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (d. 2019)
• 1929 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American actress and singer (d. 2007)
• 1930 – Heather Harper, Northern Irish soprano (d. 2019)
• 1930 – Doug Atkins, American football player (d. 2015)
• 1930 – Gary Snyder, American poet, essayist, and translator
• 1932 – Phyllida Law, Scottish actress
• 1934 – Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann, South African-English lawyer and judge
• 1935 – Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager (d. 2020)
• 1937 – Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (d. 2010)
• 1937 – Thomas Pynchon, American novelist
• 1938 – Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (d. 2012)
• 1940 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (d. 2006)
• 1940 – Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
• 1940 – Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor (d. 2022)
• 1940 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1985)
• 1940 – Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1940 – William B. Jordan, American art historian (d. 2018)
• 1941 – Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
• 1941 – James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
• 1942 – Norman Lamont, Scottish banker and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
• 1942 – Terry Neill, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2022)
• 1943 – Pat Barker, English author
• 1944 – Gary Glitter, English singer-songwriter
• 1945 – Keith Jarrett, American pianist and composer
• 1947 – H. Robert Horvitz, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1947 – John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, Scottish historian and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
• 1951 – Philip Bailey, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
• 1951 – Mike D'Antoni, American basketball player and coach
• 1951 – Chris Frantz, American drummer and producer
• 1952 – Peter McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 2022)
• 1953 – Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American drummer
• 1954 – David Keith, American actor and director
• 1955 – Stephen Furst, American actor and director (d. 2017)
• 1955 – Mladen Markač, Croatian general
• 1956 – Jeff Wincott, Canadian actor and martial artist
• 1957 – Bill Cowher, American football player, coach, and analyst
• 1958 – Roddy Doyle, Irish novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
• 1958 – Brooks Newmark, American-English businessman and politician, Lord of the Treasury
• 1958 – Lovie Smith, American football player and coach
• 1959 – Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster
• 1960 – Franco Baresi, Italian footballer and coach
• 1961 – Bill de Blasio, American politician, 109th Mayor of New York City
• 1961 – David Winning, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1963 – Anthony Field, Australian guitarist, songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1963 – Michel Gondry, French director and screenwriter
• 1963 – Rick Zombo, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1964 – Melissa Gilbert, American actress and director
• 1964 – Bobby Labonte, American race car driver
• 1964 – Dave Rowntree, English drummer and politician
• 1966 – Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian footballer and coach
• 1967 – Viviana Durante, Italian ballerina and actress
• 1969 – Akebono Tarō, American-Japanese sumo wrestler, the 64th Yokozuna (d. 2024)
• 1970 – Michael Bevan, Australian cricketer and coach
• 1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
• 1970 – Luis Enrique, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1971 – Candice Night, American singer-songwriter
• 1972 – Darren Hayes, Australian singer-songwriter
• 1972 – Ray Whitney, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1973 – Jesús Arellano, Mexican footballer
• 1973 – Marcus Brigstocke, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1974 – Korey Stringer, American football player (d. 2001)
• 1975 – Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1976 – Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1977 – Joe Bonamassa, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1977 – Bad News Brown, Canadian rapper, harmonica player, and actor (d. 2011)
• 1977 – Theodoros Papaloukas, Greek basketball player
• 1978 – Lúcio, Brazilian footballer
• 1980 – Evgeny Lebedev, Russian-English publisher and philanthropist
• 1980 – Michelle McManus, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
• 1981 – Stephen Amell, Canadian actor
• 1981 – Andrea Barzagli, Italian footballer
• 1982 – Buakaw Banchamek, Thai kick-boxer
• 1982 – Adrián González, American baseball player
• 1983 – Vicky McClure, English actress
• 1984 – David King, English figure skater
• 1985 – Tommaso Ciampa, American wrestler
• 1986 – Galen Rupp, American runner
• 1987 – Felix Jones, American football player
• 1987 – Mark Noble, English footballer
• 1987 – Kurt Tippett, Australian footballer
• 1989 – Lars Eller, Danish ice hockey player
• 1990 – Iyo Sky, Japanese wrestler
• 1990 – Kemba Walker, American basketball player
• 1992 – Olivia Culpo, American model and actress
• 1992 – Kevin Hayes, American ice hockey player
• 1993 – Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer
• 1996 – 6ix9ine, American rapper
• 2001 – Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player
• 2003 – Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco

Pre-1600

• 535 – Pope John II
• 615 – Pope Boniface IV (b. 550)
• 685 – Pope Benedict II
• 997 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 939)
• 1157 – Ahmed Sanjar, Seljuk sultan (b. 1086)
• 1192 – Ottokar IV, duke of Styria (b. 1163)
• 1220 – Richeza of Denmark, queen of Sweden
• 1278 – Duan Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1269)
• 1319 – Haakon V, king of Norway (b. 1270)
• 1473 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (b. 1420)
• 1538 – Edward Foxe, English bishop and academic (b. 1496)
• 1551 – Barbara Radziwiłł, queen of Poland (b. 1520)

1601–1900

• 1668 – Catherine of St. Augustine, French-Canadian nun and saint (b. 1632)
• 1766 – Samuel Chandler, English minister and author (b. 1693)
• 1773 – Ali Bey al-Kabir, Egyptian sultan (b. 1728)
• 1781 – Richard Jago, English priest and poet (b. 1715)
• 1782 – Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
• 1785 – Étienne François, duc de Choiseul, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1719)
• 1785 – Pietro Longhi, Italian painter (b. 1701)
• 1788 – Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1723)
• 1794 – Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist and biologist (b. 1743)
• 1819 – Kamehameha I, king of the Hawaiian Islands (b. 1738)
• 1822 – John Stark, American general (b. 1728)
• 1828 – Mauro Giuliani, Italian guitarist, cellist, and composer (b. 1781)
• 1837 – Alexander Balashov, Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (b. 1770)
• 1842 – Jules Dumont d'Urville, French admiral and explorer (b. 1790)
• 1853 – Jan Roothaan, Dutch priest, 21st Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1785)
• 1880 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
• 1891 – Helena Blavatsky, Russian-English mystic and author (b. 1831)
• 1891 – John Robertson, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1816)
• 1893 – Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president, 1880–1884 (b. 1833)

1901–present

• 1903 – Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
• 1907 – Edmund G. Ross, American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1826)
• 1925 – John Beresford, Irish polo player (b. 1847)
• 1936 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
• 1941 – Natalie, queen consort of Serbia (b. 1859)
• 1941 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (b. 1858)
• 1942 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1890)
• 1943 – Mordechai Anielewicz, Polish commander (b. 1919)
• 1944 – Themistoklis Diakidis, Greek high jumper (b. 1882)
• 1945 – Frank Bourne, British soldier, last survivor of the Battle of Rorke's Drift (b. 1854)
• 1945 – Julius Hirsch, German footballer (b. 1892)
• 1945 – Wilhelm Rediess, German SS officer (b. 1900)
• 1945 – Bernhard Rust, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1883)
• 1945 – Josef Terboven, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1898)
• 1947 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (b. 1858)
• 1948 – U Saw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1900)
• 1950 – Vital Brazil, Brazilian physician and immunologist (b. 1865)
• 1952 – William Fox, Austrian businessman, founded Fox Theatres (b. 1879)
• 1959 – John Fraser, Canadian soccer player (b. 1881)
• 1960 – J. H. C. Whitehead, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1904)
• 1965 – Wally Hardinge, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1886)
• 1969 – Remington Kellogg, American zoologist and paleontologist (b. 1892)
• 1972 – Pandurang Vaman Kane, Indian Indologist and Sanskrit scholar, Bharat Ratna awardee (b. 1880)
• 1972 – Beatrice Helen Worsley, Mexican-Canadian computer scientist (b. 1921)
• 1975 – Avery Brundage, American businessman and art collector (b. 1887)
• 1980 – Geoffrey Baker, English Field Marshal and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army (b. 1920)
• 1981 – Uri Zvi Greenberg, Israeli poet and journalist (b. 1896)
• 1982 – Neil Bogart, American record producer, co-founded Casablanca Records (b. 1943)
• 1982 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (b. 1950)
• 1983 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (b. 1909)
• 1984 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader's Digest (b. 1890)
• 1984 – Gino Bianco, Italian-Brazilian race car driver (b. 1916)
• 1985 – Robert Halperin, American yachtsman (b. 1908)
• 1985 – Karl Marx, German conductor and composer (b. 1897)
• 1985 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (b. 1918)
• 1985 – Dolph Sweet, American actor (b. 1920)
• 1986 – Ernle Bradford, English historian and author (b. 1922)
• 1987 – Doris Stokes, English psychic and author (b. 1920)
• 1988 – Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer and screenwriter (b. 1907)
• 1990 – Luigi Nono, Italian composer and educator (b. 1924)
• 1991 – Jean Langlais, French pianist and composer (b. 1907)
• 1991 – Rudolf Serkin, Czech-Austrian pianist and educator (b. 1903)
• 1992 – Joyce Ricketts, American baseball player (b. 1933)
• 1993 – Avram Davidson, American soldier and author (b. 1923)
• 1994 – George Peppard, American actor and producer (b. 1928)
• 1995 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (b. 1953)
• 1996 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (b. 1937)
• 1996 – Luis Miguel Dominguín, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1926)
• 1996 – Larry Levis, American poet, author, and critic (b. 1946)
• 1996 – Garth Williams, American illustrator (b. 1912)
• 1998 – Johannes Kotkas, Estonian wrestler (b. 1915)
• 1998 – Charles Rebozo, American banker and businessman (b. 1912)
• 1999 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 1999 – Ed Gilbert, American actor (b. 1931)
• 1999 – Dana Plato, American actress (b. 1964)
• 1999 – Soeman Hs, Indonesian author and educator (b. 1904)
• 2000 – Pita Amor, Mexican poet and author (b. 1918)
• 2000 – Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
• 2000 – Henry Nicols, American activist (b. 1973)
• 2003 – Elvira Pagã, Brazilian vedette, singer, and artist (b. 1920)
• 2005 – Jean Carrière, French author (b. 1928)
• 2005 – Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1981)
• 2006 – Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer and author (b. 1938)
• 2007 – Philip R. Craig, American author and poet (b. 1933)
• 2007 – Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
• 2008 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1918)
• 2008 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (b. 1982)
• 2009 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (b. 1917)
• 2009 – Bud Shrake, American journalist and author (b. 1931)
• 2011 – Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (b. 1948)
• 2012 – Everett Lilly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Jerry McMorris, American businessman (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Stacy Robinson, American football player (b. 1962)
• 2012 – Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Ampon Tangnoppakul, Thai criminal (b. 1948)
• 2012 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (b. 1911)
• 2013 – Jeanne Cooper, American actress (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Bryan Forbes, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (b. 1950)
• 2013 – Hugh J. Silverman, American philosopher and theorist (b. 1945)
• 2013 – Ken Whaley, Austrian-English bass player (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Roger L. Easton, American scientist, co-invented the GPS (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Nancy Malone, American actress, director, and producer (b. 1935)
• 2014 – Yago Lamela, Spanish long jumper (b. 1977)
• 2014 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (b. 1939)
• 2014 – R. Douglas Stuart Jr., American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway (b. 1916)
• 2014 – Joseph P. Teasdale, American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (b. 1936)
• 2015 – Zeki Alasya, Turkish actor and director (b. 1943)
• 2015 – Mwepu Ilunga, Congolese footballer (b. 1949)
• 2015 – Menashe Kadishman, Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1932)
• 2015 – Juan Schwanner, Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (b. 1921)
• 2015 – Atanas Semerdzhiev, Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (b. 1924)
• 2016 – Tom M. Apostol, American analytic number theorist (b. 1923)
• 2016 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (b. 1922)
• 2018 – Big Bully Busick, American professional wrestler (b. 1954)
• 2018 – Anne V. Coates, British film editor (Lawrence of Arabia, The Elephant Man, Erin Brockovich), Oscar winner (1963) (b. 1925)
• 2019 – Sprent Dabwido, President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (b. 1972)
• 2021 – Helmut Jahn, German-American architect (b. 1940)
• 2022 – Robert Gillmor, British wildlife artist and illustrator (b. 1936)
• 2022 – Dennis Waterman, English actor and singer (b. 1948)
• 2024 – Chris Cannon, American politician (b. 1950)
• 2024 – Pete McCloskey, American politician (b. 1927)
• 2024 – Ramón Fonseca Mora, Panamanian novelist and lawyer (b. 1952)

• Christian feast day:
  • Amato Ronconi
  • Apparition of Saint Michael
  • Arsenius the Great
  • Desideratus
  • Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine
  • Julian of Norwich (Anglican, Lutheran)
  • Magdalene of Canossa
  • Our Lady of Luján
  • Peter II of Tarentaise
  • Blessed Teresa Demjanovich (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
  • 19 Martyrs of Algeria
  • May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi)
• Furry Dance (Helston, UK)
• Liberation Day (Czech Republic)
• Miguel Hidalgo's birthday (Mexico)
• Parents' Day (South Korea)
• Truman Day (Missouri)
• Veterans Day (Norway)
• Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe):
  • Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, continues to May 9
  • Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II 1939 – 1945 (Ukraine)
• White Lotus Day (Theosophy)
• World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (International)

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Historical Events on May 8