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March 8 is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 298 days remaining until the end of the year.
Up to 1900
- 1010 – Persian poet Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh.
- 1576 – Spanish explorer Diego Garcia de Palacio sights the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Copan.
- 1618 – Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion (he soon rejects the idea after some initial calculations were made but later on May 15 confirms the discovery).
- 1655 – John Casor becomes the first legally–recognized slave in North America.
- 1658 – Sweden reaches its greatest extent after the Peace of Roskilde.
- 1669 – Mount Etna on Sicily erupts until July 11, destroying several towns.
- 1702 – Very unexpectedly, Anne Stuart, the sister of the childless Mary II, becomes Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland after the death of William III of Orange from injuries he suffered in a fall from his horse.
- 1736 – Nader Shah of the Afsharid Dynasty becomes the Shah (ruler) of Persia.
- 1775 – An anonymous letter, thought by some to have been written by Thomas Paine, calls for the end of slavery in the North American colonies.
- 1782 – Gnadenhütten massacre: Almost 100 Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio had their skulls crushed with a mallet by Pennsylvanian militiamen in a mass murder.
- 1817 – The New York Stock Exchange is founded.
- 1844 – King Oscar I ascends to the throne of Sweden–Norway
- 1862 – American Civil War: The iron–clad CSS Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) is launched at Hampton Roads, Virginia.
- 1868 – Sakai incident: Japanese samurai kill 11 French sailors in the port of Sakai, near Osaka.
- 1884 – Susan B. Anthony testified before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives arguing for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote.
1901 – 2000
- 1906 – Moro Crater Massacre: US troops occupying the Philippines massacre about 600 men, women and children taking refuge in a crater.
- 1910 – Raymonde de Laroche of France becomes the first woman to be given a pilot's license.
- 1911 – International Women's Day is celebrated for the first time.
- 1917 – The February Revolution breaks out in Russia (February 23 O.S.).
- 1917 – The United States Senate adopts the cloture rule in order to limit filibusters.
- 1918 – The first case of Spanish flu occurs, the start of a devastating pandemic.
- 1920 – The Arab Kingdom of Syria is created.
- 1921 – Spanish Premier Eduardo Dato is assassinated while exiting the parliament building in Madrid.
- 1924 – The Castle Gate mining disaster in Utah kills 172 coal miners.
- 1935 – Hachiko, a Japanese Akita dog revered for its loyalty, is found dead in Tokyo.
- 1936 – The first stock car race is held in Daytona Beach, Florida.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: The Battle of Guadalajara begins.
- 1942 – World War II: The Dutch surrender to Japanese forces on Java.
- 1942 – World War II: Japan captures Rangoon, Burma.
- 1943 – World War II: Japanese troops counter–attack American forces on Hill 700 on the island of Bougainville in a battle that will last five days.
- 1948 – The United States Supreme Court rules that religious instruction in public schools violated the Constitution.
- 1950 – The Soviet Union claims to have an atomic bomb.
- 1952 – Antoine Pinay becomes Prime Minister of France
- 1957 – Egypt re–opens the Suez Canal.
- 1957 – Ghana joins the UN.
- 1958 – South Yemen joins the United Arab Republic.
- 1959 – Last television appearance of The Marx Brothers, in The Incredible Jewel Robbery
- 1961 – Max Conrad circumnavigates the earth in eight days, 18 hours and 49 minutes setting a new world record.
- 1963 – The Ba'ath Party takes power in a coup in Syria.
- 1965 – Vietnam War: 3,500 United States Marines arrive in South Vietnam, becoming the first American combat troops in Vietnam.
- 1966 – Vietnam War: Australia announces it is going to substantially increase its number of troops in Vietnam.
- 1966 – A bomb planted by young Irish protesters destroys Nelson's Pillar in Dublin.
- 1968 – Soviet U–boat K–129 sinks in the Pacific Ocean, killing 86 people on board.
- 1971 – Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali in the first of three epic bouts. Frazier defends the world Heavyweight title in a star–studded Madison Square Garden.
- 1972 – The Goodyear blimp flies for the first time.
- 1974 – Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France.
- 1978 – The first ever radio episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams is transmitted on BBC Radio 4.
- 1983 – President Ronald Reagan calls the Soviet Union an evil empire.
- 1985 – 1985 Beirut Car Bombing is made in front of the mosque killing 45 people and injuring 175.
- 1988 – Two United States Army helicopters collide in Fort Campbell, Kentucky killing 17 servicemen.
- 1999 – Oklahoma City bombing: The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the murder convictions of Timothy McVeigh.
- 2000 – A collision between two Tokyo Metro trains kills 5 people.
From 2001
- 2003 – A referendum on EU membership is held in Malta, with a narrow majority supporting the proposal.
- 2004 – A new constitution is signed by Iraq's Governing Council.
- 2011 – Observances are held to work the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.
- 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, goes missing in the Gulf of Thailand with 239 people on board.
- 2017 – The famous "Azure Window" feature on the coast of the Maltese island of Gozo collapses into the sea.
- 2017 – A bomb attack on a military hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, kills at least 49 people.
- 2017 – At least 30 people are killed in a bomb attack in Tikrit, Iraq.
- 2017 – FC Barcelona come back from a 4–0 deficit from the first leg of their UEFA Champions League tie against Paris Saint–Germain F.C. to win 6–1 on the night and 6–5 overall.
- 2018 – US President Donald Trump agrees to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong–un.
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Up to 1900
- 1286 – John III, Duke of Brittany (d. 1341)
- 1293 – Beatrice of Castile, Queen of Portugal (d. 1359)
- 1495 – John of God, Portuguese–born friar and saint (d. 1550)
- 1514 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese samurai and warlord (d. 1562)
- 1566 – Carlo Gesualdo, Italian composer (d. 1613)
- 1617 – Tito Livio Burattini, Italian architect, historian and engineer (d. 1681)
- 1702 – Anne Bonny, Irish–American pirate (d. 1782)
- 1712 – John Fothergill, English physician (d. 1780)
- 1714 – Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German composer (d. 1788)
- 1746 – André Michaux, French botanist (d. 1802)
- 1748 – William V of Orange, Dutch ruler (d. 1806)
- 1761 – Jan Potocki, Polish historian, diplomat and explorer (d. 1815)
- 1783 – Hannah Van Buren, wife of Martin Van Buren (d. 1819)
- 1799 – Simon Cameron, 26th United States Secretary of War (d. 1889)
- 1804 – Alvan Clark, American telescope maker and astronomer (d. 1887)
- 1822 – Ignacy Lukasiewicz, Polish inventor (d. 1882)
- 1825 – Jules Barbier, French poet, writer and opera librettist (d. 1901)
- 1827 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist (d. 1875)
- 1830 – Joao de Deus, Portuguese poet (d. 1896)
- 1839 – Josephine Cochrane, American inventor (d. 1913)
- 1841 – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., American jurist (d. 1935)
- 1847 – John Lister, British politician (d. 1933)
- 1848 – LaMarcus Adna Thompson, American developer of the roller coaster (d. 1917)
- 1856 – Bramwell Booth, 2nd General of the Salvation Army (d. 1929)
- 1859 – Kenneth Grahame, British writer (d. 1932)
- 1865 – Frederic Goudy, American type designer (d. 1947)
- 1872 – Anna Held, Polish actress and singer (d. 1918)
- 1879 – Otto Hahn, German chemist (d. 1968)
- 1886 – Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist (d. 1972)
- 1891 – Sam Jaffe, American actor (d. 1984)
- 1892 – Mississippi John Hurt, American blues singer and guitarist (d. 1966)
- 1892 – Juana de Ibarbourou, Uruguayan poet (d. 1979)
- 1896 – Charlotte Whitton, 46th Mayor of Ottawa (d. 1975)
- 1899 – Eric Linklater, Scottish writer (d. 1974)
- 1900 – Howard H. Aitken, American computer pioneer (d. 1973)
- 1900 – Henry Abel Smith, British Governor of Queensland, Australia (d. 1993)
1901 – 1925
- 1902 – Jennings Randolph, American politician (d. 1998)
- 1907 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek politician (d. 1998)
- 1911 – Alan Hovhaness, American composer (d. 2000)
- 1912 – Preston Smith, American politician and 40th Governor of Texas (d. 2003)
- 1912 – Meldrim Thomson, Jr., American politician and 73rd Governor of New Hampshire (d. 2001)
- 1914 – Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich, Russian physicist (d. 1987)
- 1915 – Tapio Rautavaara, Finnish athlete (d. 1979)
- 1916 – John W. Seybold, American businessman (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Leslie Fiedler, American literary critic (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Ernst von Glasersfeld, German–born American philosopher (d. 2010)
- 1918 – Jacques Baratier, French director and screenwriter (d. 2009)
- 1921 – Alan Hale, Jr., American actor (d. 1990)
- 1921 – Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (d. 2008)
- 1922 – Yevgeny Matveyev, Russian actor and movie director (d. 2003)
- 1922 – Shigeru Mizuki, Japanese manga artist (d. 2015)
- 1923 – Ralph H. Baer, German–American video game designer (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Walter Jens, German writer and philologist (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Anthony Caro, British abstract sculptor (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Georges Charpak, Polish–born French physicist (d. 2010)
- 1925 – Warren Bennis, American scholar and writer (d. 2014)
1926 – 1950
- 1926 – Francisco Rabal, Spanish actor (d. 2001)
- 1927 – Dick Hyman, American jazz pianist
- 1927 – Irene Tinker, American economist
- 1929 – Hebe Camargo, Brazilian actress, singer and television presenter (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Yuri Rytkheu, Russian writer (d. 2008)
- 1930 – Pyotr Bolotnikov, Russian long–distance runner
- 1930 – Douglas Hurd, English politician
- 1931 – Neil Adcock, South African cricketer (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Heinz Mack, German artist
- 1931 – John McPhee, American writer and professor
- 1931 – Gerald Potterton, British–Canadian director, producer and animator
- 1933 – Luca Ronconi, Italian theatre and opera director (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Evelyn Ay Sempier, American model (d. 2008)
- 1935 – Akira Kitaguchi, Japanese footballer
- 1935 – George Coleman, American jazz musician
- 1936 – Gabor Szabo, Hungarian jazz guitarist (d. 1982)
- 1936 – Sue Ane Langdon, American actress and singer
- 1937 – Juvénal Habyarimana, President of Rwanda (d. 1994)
- 1938 – Giorgio Puia, Italian footballer
- 1939 – Peter Nicholls, Australian writer (d. 2018)
- 1939 – Paride Tumburus, Italian footballer (d. 2015)
- 1939 – Robert Tear, Welsh operatic tenor (d. 2011)
- 1939 – Lidiya Skoblikova, Russian speed skater and coach
- 1940 – Susan Clark, Canadian actress
- 1941 – Alexei Mishin, Russian figure skater
- 1941 – Wilfrid Napier, South African cardinal
- 1941 – Norman Stone, British historian and educator
- 1942 – Jan Vyčítal, Czech musician
- 1942 – Ann Packer, British athlete
- 1943 – Lynn Redgrave, British actress (d. 2010)
- 1943 – Michael Grade, British television executive
- 1944 – Sergey Nikitin, Russian composer
- 1944 – Pepe Romero, Spanish classical guitarist
- 1945 – Anselm Kiefer, German painter
- 1945 – Micky Dolenz, American musician (The Monkees)
- 1946 – José Manuel Lara Bosch, Spanish businessman (d. 2015)
- 1946 – Randy Meisner, American musician
- 1947 – Carole Bayer Sager, American composer
- 1947 – Florentino Pérez, Spanish businessman, President of Real Madrid C.F.
- 1948 – Peggy March, American singer
- 1948 – Gyles Brandreth, British broadcaster and former politician
- 1948 – Mel Galley, British rock musician (d. 2008)
- 1948 – Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth of Nations
- 1948 – Sam Lacey, American basketball player (d. 2014)
- 1949 – Natalia Kruchinskaya, Soviet–Russian gymnast
- 1949 – Antonello Venditti, Italian singer–songwriter
- 1949 – Teófilo Cubillas, Peruvian footballer
- 1949 – Cho Yang–ho, South Korean businessman (d. 2019)
1951 – 1975
- 1952 – George Felix Allen, 67th Governor of Virginia
- 1954 – David Wilkie, Scottish swimmer
- 1954 – Cheryl Baker, British singer
- 1955 – Don Ashby, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1956 – Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (d. 1989)
- 1957 – Clive Burr, British musician (d. 2013)
- 1957 – Zé Sérgio, Brazilian footballer
- 1958 – Gary Numan, British singer and musician
- 1959 – Aidan Quinn, American actor
- 1959 – Brian McGee, Scottish musician
- 1961 – Camryn Manheim, American actress
- 1961 – Larry Murphy, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1962 – Mitsunori Yoshida, Japanese footballer
- 1963 – Mike Lalor, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1963 – Julio Cesar Silva, Brazilian footballer
- 1963 – Sasha Waltz, German choreographer, dancer and opera director
- 1964 – Yasuharu Sorimachi, Japanese footballer
- 1964 – Peter Gill, British musician
- 1964 – Kate Betts, American fashion editor
- 1964 – Thomas Bezucha, American screenwriter and movie director
- 1964 – Mark Oaten, British politician
- 1965 – Satoru Akahori, Japanese writer
- 1966 – Cheryl James, American singer and rapper
- 1966 – Anne McLaughlin, Scottish politician
- 1968 – Michael Bartels, German racing driver
- 1970 – Andrea Parker, American actress
- 1972 – Fergal O'Brien, Irish snooker player
- 1973 – Mark Lukasiewicz, American baseball player
From 1976
- 1976 – Freddie Prinze, Jr., American actor
- 1977 – James Van Der Beek, American actor
- 1977 – Johann Vogel, Swiss footballer
- 1979 – Tom Chaplin, English singer (Keane)
- 1979 – Andy Ross, American guitarist
- 1981 – Michael Beauchamp, Australian footballer
- 1981 – Timo Boll, German tennis player
- 1981 – Laura Main, Scottish actress
- 1982 – Kat Von D, American tattoo artist
- 1982 – Marjorie Estiano, Brazilian actress and singer
- 1983 – Andre Santos, Brazilian footballer
- 1984 – György Garics, Austrian footballer
- 1984 – Rafik Djebbour, Algerian footballer
- 1984 – Sasha Vujacic, Slovenian basketball player
- 1985 – Maria Ohisalo, Finnish politician and researcher
- 1986 – Lassad Nouioui, French–Tunisian footballer
- 1986 – Princess Tsuguko of Takamado of Japan
- 1987 – Devon Graye, American actor
- 1988 – Laura Unsworth, British field hockey player
- 1989 – Robbie Hummel, American basketball player
- 1990 – Petra Kvitova, Czech tennis player
- 1990 – Kristinia DeBarge, American singer–songwriter, dancer and actress
- 1991 – Miriam Bryant, Swedish singer–songwriter
- 1991 – Devon Werkheiser, American actor and singer
- 1991 – Alan Pulido, Mexican footballer
- 1992 – Charlie Ray, American actress
- 1994 – Dylan Tombides, Australian footballer (d. 2014)
- 1997 – Jurina Matsui, Japanese singer (AKB48)
- 1997 – Sam Vanderpump, English former race kart driver, businessman and television personality
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Up to 1900
- 1126 – Urraca of Leon (b. 1082)
- 1144 – Pope Celestine II
- 1550 – John of God, Portuguese–born friar and saint (b. 1495)
- 1641 – Xu Xiake, Chinese adventurer (b. 1587)
- 1702 – William III of England (b. 1650)
- 1757 – Thomas Blackwell, Scottish classical scholar (b. 1701)
- 1771 – Louis August le Clerc, French–Danish sculptor (b. 1688)
- 1819 – Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge, American colonel and politician (b. 1739)
- 1844 – King Charles XIV John of Sweden (b. 1763)
- 1869 – Hector Berlioz, French composer (b. 1803)
- 1874 – Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States (b. 1800)
- 1876 – Louise Colet, French poet (b. 1810)
- 1887 – Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (b. 1813)
- 1887 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer (b. 1820)
- 1889 – John Ericsson, Swedish engineer and inventor (b. 1803)
1901 – 2000
- 1906 – Suzanne Manet, French pianist and wife of the painter Edouard Manet (b. 1829)
- 1907 – Marynos Antypas, Greek lawyer and journalist (b. 1872)
- 1917 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German aircraft manufacturer (b. 1838)
- 1921 – Eduardo Dato, Spanish Premier
- 1921 – Andrew Watson, Scottish footballer (b. 1856)
- 1923 – Krisjanis Barons, Latvian writer (b. 1837)
- 1923 – Johannes Diderik van der Waals, Dutch physicist (b. 1837)
- 1925 – Juliette Wytsman, Belgian painter (b. 1866)
- 1930 – William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States (b. 1857)
- 1935 – Ruan Lingyu, Chinese actress (b. 1910)
- 1935 – Hachiko, Japanese Akita dog known for its loyalty (b. 1923)
- 1941 – Sherwood Anderson, American writer (b. 1876)
- 1942 – José Raul Capablanca, Cuban chess player and diplomat (b. 1888)
- 1961 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor (b. 1879)
- 1971 – Harold Lloyd, American actor (b. 1893)
- 1972 – Erich von dem Bach–Zelewski, German SS officer (b. 1899)
- 1973 – Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, American musician (b. 1945)
- 1975 – Joseph Bech, Prime Minister of Luxembourg (b. 1887)
- 1975 – Georg Faehlmann, Estonian sailor (b. 1895)
- 1975 – George Stevens, American director, screenwriter and producer (b. 1904)
- 1982 – Rab Butler, British politician (b. 1902)
- 1983 – Chabuca Granda, Peruvian–American singer–songwriter (b. 1920)
- 1983 – Alan Lennox–Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, English politician (b. 1904)
- 1983 – William Walton, English politician (b. 1902)
- 1985 – Kim Yong–Sik, Korean footballer (b. 1910)
- 1988 – Werner Hartmann, German physicist (b. 1912)
- 1993 – Billy Eckstine, American singer (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentine writer (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player (b. 1914)
- 1999 – William Wrigley III, American businessman (b. 1933)
From 2001
- 2003 – Adam Faith, English singer and actor (b. 1940)
- 2004 – Abu Abbas, founder of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (b. 1948)
- 2005 – Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen politician (b. 1951)
- 2007 – John Inman, English actor (b. 1935)
- 2007 – John Vukovich, American baseball player and coach (b. 1947)
- 2011 – Mike Starr, American musician (b. 1966)
- 2013 – Ewald–Heinrich von Kleist–Schmenzin, German army officer and publisher (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Victor Shem–Tov, Bulgarian–Israeli politician (b. 1915)
- 2014 – William Guarnere, American sergeant (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Park Eun–ji, South Korean politician (b. 1979)
- 2014 – Wendy Hughes, Australian actress (b. 1952)
- 2014 – Leo Bretholz, Austrian–American Holocaust survivor (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Sam Simon, American producer and writer (b. 1955)
- 2015 – Gerardo Sofovich, Argentine actor, director and television presenter (b. 1937)
- 2015 – Lew Soloff, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1944)
- 2015 – Inezita Barroso, Brazilian folk singer (b. 1925)
- 2016 – Richard Davalos, American actor (b. 1930)
- 2016 – Aldo Ferrer, Argentine economist (b. 1927)
- 2016 – David S. Johnson, American computer scientist (b. 1945)
- 2016 – George Martin, English musician, composer, sound engineer and producer (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Alfred E. Senn, American historian and academic (b. 1932)
- 2017 – Li Yuan–tsu, Vice President of Taiwan (b. 1923)
- 2017 – George Andrew Olah, Hungarian–American chemist (b. 1927)
- 2017 – Dave Valentin, American jazz flutist (b. 1952)
- 2018 – Ron Franklin, American jockey (b. 1959)
- 2018 – Wilson Harris, Guyanese writer (b. 1921)
- 2018 – Milko Kelemen, Croatian composer (b. 1924)
- 2018 – Peter Temple, Australian writer (b. 1946)
- 2018 – Togo D. West, Jr., American politician (b. 1942)
- 2018 – Kate Wilhelm, American writer (b. 1928)
- 2019 – Kelly Catlin, American cyclist (b. 1995)
- 2019 – Michael Gielen, Austrian conductor (b. 1927)
- 2019 – Cedrick Hardman, American football player (b. 1948)
- 2019 – Ian Lawrence, Australian–New Zealand politician, Mayor of Wellington (b. 1937)
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