Date·Lore

On This Day · The 8th day of the year

January 8

January 8 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 307 and 2010. Sima Chi becomes emperor of the Jin dynasty in succession to his brother, Sima Zhong, despite a challenge from his other brother, Sima Ying.

♑ZodiacCapricorn ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on January 8?

January 8 is the 8th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 307 and 2010. Famous people born on January 8 include Elvis Presley, David Bowie and Stephen Hawking.

The shape of the day

Few dates reach as far back as January 8: its recorded history runs unusually deep, stretching to 307. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and politics and nation-building recur.

Capricorn is the sign for January 8 — read more on the Capricorn page, or see January's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on January 8

Movies, games, albums & shows

2024

  • TV Adam's Sweet Agony

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 307

    Emperor Huai of Jin

    Sima Chi becomes emperor of the Jin dynasty in succession to his brother, Sima Zhong, despite a challenge from his other brother, Sima Ying.

  2. 1735

    George Frideric Handel

    The premiere of George Frideric Handel's Ariodante takes place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

  3. 1790

    George Washington

    George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address in New York City.

  4. 1889

    Herman Hollerith

    Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the 'Art of Applying Statistics' — his punched card calculator.

  5. 1918

    Woodrow Wilson

    U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces his "Fourteen Points" as conditions for ending World War I.

  6. 1940

    World War II

    World War II: Britain introduces food rationing.

  7. 1959

    Charles de Gaulle

    Charles de Gaulle is proclaimed as the first President of the French Fifth Republic.

  8. 1977

    1977 Moscow bombings

    Three bombs explode in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.

  9. 2002

    George W. Bush

    President of the United States George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act.

  10. 2010

    Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda

    Gunmen from an offshoot of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attack a bus carrying the Togo national football team on its way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, killing three people and injuring another nine.

Famous birthday twins

Born on January 8

Elvis Presley

b. 1935

American singer, guitarist, and actor

David Bowie

b. 1947

English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor

Stephen Hawking

b. 1942

English physicist and author

John Curtin

b. 1885

Australian journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Australia

Graham Chapman

b. 1941

English actor and screenwriter

Galina Ulanova

b. 1910

Russian actress and ballerina

Su Shi

b. 1037

Chinese calligrapher and poet

John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore)

b. 1735

American archbishop, founder of Georgetown University

Deaths

  • 1996François Mitterrand
  • 1941Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
  • 1896Paul Verlaine
  • 1642Galileo Galilei
  • 1337Giotto
  • 307Emperor Hui of Jin

Holidays & observances

  • —Babinden (Belarus, Russia)
  • —Christian feast day: Abo of Tiflis
  • —Christian feast day: Apollinaris Claudius
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Eurosia Fabris
  • —Christian feast day: Gauchito Gil (Folk Catholicism)
  • —Christian feast day: Gudula
  • —Christian feast day: Harriet Bedell (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • —Christian feast day: Lawrence Giustiniani

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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