Holidays
Immaculate Conception
Holy day of obligation, solemnity, commemorating Mary being spared from original sin from the moment of her conception.
What Happened On
John Lennon Shot and Killed
December 8, 1980
Former Beatles member John-Lennon is killed by Mark David Chapman as he and Yoko Ono returned to their Manhattan apartment. Lennon had autographed an album for Chapman earlier that day. Chapman was angry at Lennon for remarks he had made years before stating that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus and that Lennon in his song Imagine "told us to imagine no possessions and there he was, with millions of dollars and yachts and farms and country estates, laughing at people like me who had believed the lies and bought the records and built a big part of their lives around his music."
Chapman also identified with the protagonist Holden Caulfield from J. D. Salinger's book: The Catcher in the Rye, who represented teenage angst and rebellion and opposed phonies in the adult world. At the time of the shooting, Chapman had a copy of The Catcher in the Rye in which he had written "This is my statement," signing it "Holden Caulfield."
(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
December 8, 1967
Otis Redding finishes recording his hit song. He died two days later in a plane crash over Wisconsin's Lake Monona. The song was released after his death, becoming the first posthumously-released song to reach #1 on the U.S. charts.
Roosevelt Gives His "Date Which Will Live in Infamy" Speech Concerning Pearl Harbor
December 8, 1941
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his "date which will live in infamy" speech in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the previous day. An hour later, the U.S. declared war on Japan. Jeannette Rankin was the only member of Congress to vote against the declaration of war.
First Commercial Toilet Paper
December 8, 1857
New York businessman Joseph Gayetty begins marketing Gayetty's Medicated Paper. It was made of pure Manila hemp paper and contained aloe as a lubricant and was marketed as an anti-hemorrhoid medical product. Gayetty warned against using toxic inked papers on the body's delicate parts. It remained in use until 1935 when splinter-free toilet paper was introduced.
Longest NFL Field Goal
December 8, 2013
Matt Prater kicks a 64-yard field goal for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos would go on to beat the Tennessee Titans 51-28.
Iran-Contra Affair
December 8, 1986
Time magazine publishes an interview with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in which he declares Lt. Col. Oliver North to be a national hero. His opinion would change as the Iran-Contra Affair scandal progressed.
Manned Flight Attempt
December 8, 1903
Prof. Samuel P. Langley makes his second attempt to fly his Aerodrome, a plane capable of carrying a person. It failed again, causing him to lose government support. His first attempt, two months earlier, also failed.
Rubens Immaculate Conception c1628
Rubens Immaculate Conception c1628
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary Proclaimed Dogma
December 8, 1854
The Immaculate Conception is proclaimed dogma by Pope Pius IX. The Immaculate Conception states that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
Birthdays
Jim Morrison (James Douglas Morrison)
Born December 8, 1943 d. 1971
American singer, with The Doors. Known as "The Lizard King." Raised a military brat, his father commanded U.S. naval forces during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, which provided the pretext for U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Shortly after earning his bachelor's degree in 1965 from the UCLA film school, he and fellow UCLA student Ray Manzarek formed The Doors, taking the name from Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception, which was a reference to the unlocking of doors of perception through psychedelic drug use.
When The Doors appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, Sullivan's censors requested they change the lyrics of Light My Fire from "Girl we couldn't get much higher" to "Girl we couldn't get much better", due to its perceived reference to drugs. The band agreed, but sang the song with the original lyrics anyway, to which Sullivan banned them from ever again appearing on his show, to which Morrison replied, "Hey, that's okay - we just did the Ed Sullivan show."
Morrison was convicted of indecent exposure for supposedly exposing himself on stage in 1969. He was released on bond, but died eight months later of a drug-induced heart attack while the conviction was being appealed.
Music: Light My Fire (1967, #1) and L.A. Woman (1971).
Sammy Davis Jr.
Born December 8, 1925 d. 1990
American singer, dancer, actor. Music: That Old Black Magic (1956) and Candy Man (1972, #1). He and Nancy Sinatra engaged in U.S. TV's first interracial kiss on her TV special Movin' with Nancy (1967). After a 1954 car crash that robbed him of his left eye, he joked of being "the world's only one-eyed Jewish n--ger."
Creator of Popeye
E. C. Segar (Elzie Crisler Segar)
Born December 8, 1894 d. 1938
American cartoonist, creator of Popeye the Sailor (1929). It is claimed that Frank "Rocky" Fiegel was the real-life inspiration for the Popeye character. Fiegel was unusually strong, had a characteristic pipe, and a propensity for fist-fighting. He was from Segar's hometown and according to Popeye historian Michael Brooks, Segar regularly sent him money.
Segar also coined the word "goon" and some claim the jeep was named after a character Segar created in 1936, called Eugene the Jeep. Eugene the Jeep was small, able to move between dimensions, and could solve seemingly impossible problems, qualities World War II serviceman attributed to the Willys MB light utility vehicle. The word "jeep" itself had been in use as early as World War I as U.S. Army slang for new uninitiated recruits and by Army mechanics to refer to new unproven vehicles.
The Popeye characters started in Segar's comic strip Thimble Theatre in 1919, later renamed Popeye after the introduction of the Popeye character in 1929. Segar drew inspiration for a number of his Popeye characters from real people he knew in his home town of Chester, Illinois, such Dora Paskel from whom he based the Olive Oyl character.
Slaves operating the first cotton gin
Slaves operating the first cotton gin
Inventor of the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney
Born December 8, 1765 d. 1825
American inventor. Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin (1794). His cotton gin separated the seeds from the cotton by pulling the cotton though a mesh that blocked the seeds. He claimed to have gotten the idea from watching a cat who was trying to pull a chicken through a fence, but was only able to pull the feathers through.
His gin could generate up to 55 pounds (25 kg) of cleaned cotton daily, whereas a person could only do about a pound (0.45 kg) a day. This turned cotton into a profitable crop. U.S. cotton exports went from less than 500,000 pounds (230,000 kg) in 1793 to 93 million pounds (42,000,000 kg) by 1810 making it the country's chief export.
Historians argue that the cotton gin helped preserve slavery in the U.S., since before its invention slave labor was primarily used in growing rice, tobacco, and indigo, none of which were profitable any more. But with the gin reducing the labor needed to remove the seeds, growing cotton became highly profitable and became the chief source of wealth in the South, greatly increasing the desire for slave labor.
Whitney lost most of his profits due to legal battles over patent infringements. He then turned to manufacturing guns for the U.S. Army.
Mary Queen of Scots
Born December 8, 1542 d. 1587
Queen of Scotland (1542-67). She ascended to the throne when she was only six days old. She was beheaded for her participation in a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth I.
Sam Kinison (Samuel Burl Kinison)
Born December 8, 1953 d. 1992
American Comedian, actor, former tent-revival preacher. Known for his screams of "Ahh-ohhh-ahhh!" during his performances. From the age of 17 to 24, he was a "fire and brimstone" style preacher. His music video cover of The Troggs' Wild Thing was a hit on MTV.
He was killed when his car was hit by a drunk driver, six days after getting married to his third wife. His wife, who was also in the car, received only minor injuries and a concussion. According to a friend who at the accident scene, Kinison appeared to be having a conversation with an unseen entity, saying "I don't want to die. I don't want to die … But why? … Okay, okay, okay." He then went unconscious and died shortly after.
Film: Back to School.
Quote: "There's no happy ending to cocaine. You either die, you go to jail, or else you run out."
Kim Basinger
Born December 8, 1953
American actress. Film: Never Say Never Again (1983, Domino Petachi) and Batman (1989, Vicki Vale). In 1993, she was ordered to pay $8.1 million for failing to appear in the movie Boxing Helena.
Gregg Allman
Born December 8, 1947 d. 2017
American singer, with the Allman Brothers Band. In 1969, he and his brother Duane Allman formed the Allman Brothers Band, with Gregg writing several of their biggest hits, including Whipping Post, Melissa, and Midnight Rider. After his brother Duane died in a motorcycle crash, the band continued.
Allman's third marriage was to singer Cher from 1975 to 1979.
David Carradine (John Arthur Carradine)
Born December 8, 1936 d. 2009
American actor. TV: Kung Fu (1972-75, Kwai Chang Caine) and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993-97, plays the grandson of his character in Kung Fu).
Flip Wilson (Clerow Wilson, Jr.)
Born December 8, 1933 d. 1998
American Grammy and Golden Globe-winning comedian. Known for his catchphrase: "The Devil made me do it!" and his character Geraldine Jones. Time magazine named him "TV's first black superstar" (1972). Albums: The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress (1970, Grammy). TV: The Flip Wilson Show (1970-74, which was the first successful network variety series starring an African American).
Richard Fleischer
Born December 8, 1916 d. 2006
American film director. Film: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Dr. Dolittle (1967), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Soylent Green (1973), and Red Sonja (1985).
First Woman Secretary of a National Political Party
Dorothy McElroy Vredenburg
Born December 8, 1916 d. 1991
American politician. First woman secretary of a national political party (1944, secretary of the Democratic National Committee). This also made her the youngest person elected as an officer of either the Democratic or Republican party.
Lee J. Cobb
Born December 8, 1911 d. 1976
American actor. TV: The Virginian (Judge Garth). He is famous for his portrayal of Willy Loman in stage and TV productions of Death of a Salesman.
Oswald Jacoby
Born December 8, 1902 d. 1984
American actuary, bridge expert, author of numerous books on card playing.
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
Frederick Stanley Mockford
Born December 8, 1897 d. 1962
English radio officer. While senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London in 1923, Mockford was asked to come up with a word to indicate distress that could easily be understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency. Since much of the traffic at the time was between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, he proposed the word "Mayday", the phonetic pronunciation of the French m'aidez ("help me"). Convention requires the mayday be repeated three times in a row during the initial emergency declaration ("Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!") to prevent it being mistaken for similar-sounding phrases.
James Grover Thurber
Born December 8, 1894 d. 1961
American author, cartoonist. Blind since the age of 40, he continued to illustrate his books until his death. He lost an eye when shot with an arrow while playing William Tell with a brother. He later became almost completely blind due to the injury. Even with his blindness, Thurber drew six covers and numerous classic illustrations for The New Yorker.
Percy Leo Crosby
Born December 8, 1891 d. 1964
American cartoonist. Creator of Skippy (1923-45).
William Crapo Durant
Born December 8, 1861 d. 1947
American auto manufacturer. Founder of Buick Motor Car Co. (1905), General Motors (1908), Chevrolet Motor Co (1915), and Durant Motors Inc (1921).
Henry Timrod
Born December 8, 1828 d. 1867
American poet, known as the "Poet Laureate of the Confederacy."
August Belmont, Sr.
Born December 8, 1816 d. 1890
Chairman Democratic National Committee (1860-72). He established the Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the Triple Crown series of American thoroughbred horse racing.
Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus)
Born December 8, 65 B.C. d. 8 B.C.
Roman poet. He was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian).
The Latin aphorism "Carpe diem" meaning seize the day is from book 1 of his work Odes (23 BC).
Quote: "Nothing's beautiful from every point of view."
Quote: "Your own safety is at stake when your neighbor's wall is ablaze."
Quote: "The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes."
Deaths
Evelyn Berezin
Died December 8, 2018 b. 1925
American computer engineer. She developed the world's first true computerized word processor (1969). She founded Redactron Corporation to sell her "Data Secretary" and it was the size of a small refrigerator, had no screen, and the keyboard and printer was an IBM Selectric typewriter.
She also developed the first computerized airline reservations system (1959, United Airlines) and the first computerized banking system.
Suiting up to become first American to orbit Earth
Suiting up to become first American to orbit Earth
John Glenn (John Herschel Glenn, Jr.)
Died December 8, 2016 b. 1921
American astronaut, U.S. Senator (1974-99, D-Ohio). He was the first American to orbit the Earth (1962), one of the original Mercury Seven test pilots selected to become America's first astronauts (1959). He was a fighter pilot in World War II and Korea, with six Distinguished Flying Crosses and eighteen clusters to the Air Medal.
Wambsganss completing the unassisted triple play
Wambsganss completing the unassisted triple play
Bill Wambsganss
Died December 8, 1985 b. 1894
American baseball player. He made the first World Series unassisted triple play (1920). In the fifth inning of game five of the 1920 World Series, second baseman Bill Wambsganss (Cleveland Indians) catches a line drive by Clarence Mitchell (Brooklyn Dodgers). He then stepped on second base to retire Pete Kilduff, and then tagged Otto Miller coming from first base, to complete the first and only unassisted triple play in World Series history.
John Lennon
Died December 8, 1980 b. 1940
British musician, member of the Beatles. He was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman as he and Yoko Ono returned to their Manhattan apartment. Lennon had signed an autograph for Chapman earlier that day.
Quote: "When it gets down to having to use violence, then you're playing the system's game. The establishment will irritate you, pull your beard, flick your face, to make you fight. Because once they've got you violent, then they know how to handle you."
Titanic Survivor - Life Saved by an Explosion
Charles Lightoller
Died December 8, 1952 b. 1874
British Naval Officer. He was the second officer on the RMS Titanic when it sank. During the evacuation of the Titanic, Lightoller took charge of loading the lifeboats. Lightoller stayed on board helping others escape as long as possible and then dived in the water as the Titanic began its final plunge. When he hit the water, he was sucked under by water rushing into one of the ship's ventilators. He was pinned against the grate by the pressure of the incoming water until a blast of hot air from an explosion from deep inside the ship blew him clear. He then managed to swim to an overturned lifeboat with about 30 other people on it. He took charge, calming the other survivors, and was able to keep the overturned lifeboat from sinking until they could be rescued.
He was the most senior member of the crew to survive the disaster.
Unfortunately, Lightoller had interpreted the captain's order for "the evacuation of women and children" as meaning "women and children only", resulting in lowering lifeboats with empty seats if there were no women and children waiting to board them. He even ordered men out of lifeboats before lowering them. He had planned to fill the lifeboats at the water level, but as soon as they hit the water, the under-filled boats pulled away from the Titanic, costing many lives.
Lightoller was twice decorated for gallantry for his service in the Royal Navy during World War I. He also volunteered during the World War II Dunkirk evacuation, where he piloted his own boat under enemy fire to rescue 127 British servicemen, in a boat that was only licensed to carry 21 passengers.
Survival of the Fittest
Herbert Spencer
Died December 8, 1903 b. 1820
English sociologist, philosopher. As an early evolutionist, he developed his theories independently of Charles Darwin. He coined the term "survival of the fittest" (1852), seven years before Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859).
Ryan O'Neal
Died December 8, 2023 b. 1941
American actor. Film: Love Story (1970), What's Up, Doc? (1972), and Paper Moon (1973). TV: Peyton Place (1964-69, Rodney Harrington).
René Auberjonois
Died December 8, 2019 b. 1940
American actor of French-Canadian descent. TV: Benson (1980-86, Clayton Endicott III), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995-99, Odo), and Boston Legal (2004-08, Paul Lewiston). Film: M*A*S*H (1970, Father Mulcahy).
Kimberly Bergalis
Died December 8, 1991 b. 1968
American AIDS victim. It is believed that she contracted AIDS from her dentist, Dr. David Acer, during a tooth extraction (December 1987). She won a $1,000,000 settlement from his insurer (January 1991).
Slim Pickens (Louis Burton Lindley, Jr.)
Died December 8, 1983 b. 1919
American actor, Hall of Fame rodeo clown. Film: Dr. Strangelove (1964, B-52 pilot who rides the bomb to doom), Blazing Saddles (1974), and The Howling (1981).
Golda Meir (Golda Mabovitch)
Died December 8, 1978 b. 1898
Israel's first female Prime Minister (1969-74) and signer of the Israeli Declaration of Independence (1948).
Percy Leo Crosby
Died December 8, 1964 b. 1891
American cartoonist. Creator of Skippy (1923-45).
James Hoban
Died December 8, 1831 b. 1755
American architect. He designed and built the White House and rebuilt it after it was burned by the British in 1814. He also designed South Carolina's first Capitol building.
Henry Laurens
Died December 8, 1792 b. 1724
5th president of the Continental Congress (1777-78), signer of the Treaty of Paris (ending the Revolutionary War). He was the first person formally cremated in America.