Did you know about Oswald Spengler
Oswald Spengler is best known for his two-volume work The Decline of the West, published in 1918 and 1922, covering human history.
Notable Deaths on May 8
May 8 has 128 recorded notable deaths across history, from 535 to 2025. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
1936 — Oswald Spengler
German historian and philosopher (born 1880)
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
128 source records
535 – 2025
Today in history
Major events on May 8
See what else happened on this day in history.
Did you know about Rita Lee
Dubbed the "Queen of Brazilian Rock", she became one of the most influential figures in the country's popular music.
Did you know about Simon Mann
Simon Mann later became a member of the SAS, and on leaving the military, he co-founded Sandline International with fellow ex-Scots Guards colonel Tim Spicer in 1996.
Did you know about Ahmed Sanjar
Ahmad Sanjar was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118, when he became the Sultan of the Seljuq Empire, which he ruled until his death in 1157.
Did you know about Iain Macmillan
Iain Stewart Macmillan was the Scottish photographer famous for taking the cover photograph for the Beatles' album Abbey Road in 1969.
More major people who died on May 8
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2023
Rita Lee
Brazilian musician and author (born 1947)
Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho, known as Rita Lee, was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, author, actress and television host. Dubbed the "Queen of Brazilian Rock", she became one of the most influential figures in the country's popular music. Renowned for her constant reinvention and versatility across musical and audiovisual production, Lee was a pioneer of both rock and pop in Brazil. She blended international and national styles, creating a distinctive hybrid sound. Her songs and performances celebrated pleasure and female agency, establishing her as a cornerstone of artistic resistance during the military dictatorship. Lee remains a major influence on multiple generations of artists, particularly women.
2025
Simon Mann
British military officer and mercenary (born 1952)
Simon Francis Mann was a British officer in the Special Air Service (SAS), and later a mercenary. He trained to be an officer at Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Scots Guards. He later became a member of the SAS, and on leaving the military, he co-founded Sandline International with fellow ex-Scots Guards colonel Tim Spicer in 1996. Sandline operated mostly in Angola and Sierra Leone, but public protests against a contract with the government of Papua New Guinea led to the resignation of the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, in what became known as the Sandline affair.
1157
Ahmed Sanjar
Seljuk sultan (born 1086)
Ahmad Sanjar was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118, when he became the Sultan of the Seljuq Empire, which he ruled until his death in 1157. His rule from the first moment was characterized by climactic battles in a struggle for survival on all frontiers, and throughout his long reign (1118-1157) which lasted for 41 years, he nearly kept the borders of the Seljuks intact, but suffered setbacks at Qatwan and Muharram later during his rule when his composure and astute thinking began to recede, further exacerbated by his capture by Oghuz Turkmen in 1153. After his death, the Seljuk Empire was significantly weakened and lasted less than half a century.
2006
Iain Macmillan
Scottish photographer and author (born 1938)
Iain Stewart Macmillan was the Scottish photographer famous for taking the cover photograph for the Beatles' album Abbey Road in 1969. He grew up in Scotland, then moved to London to become a professional photographer. He used a photo of Yoko Ono in a book that he published in 1966, and Ono invited him to photograph her exhibit at Indica Gallery. She introduced him to John Lennon, and Lennon invited him to photograph the cover for Abbey Road. He worked with Lennon and Ono for several years, staying for a while at their home in New York.
1993
Avram Davidson
American soldier and author (born 1923)
Avram Davidson was an American writer of fantasy fiction, science fiction, and crime fiction, as well as the author of many stories that do not fit into a genre niche. He won a Hugo Award and three World Fantasy Awards in the science fiction and fantasy genres, a World Fantasy Life Achievement award, and an Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine short story award and an Edgar Award in the mystery genre. Davidson edited The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1962 to 1964. His last novel The Boss in the Wall: A Treatise on the House Devil was completed by Grania Davis and was a Nebula Award finalist in 1998. His posthumous collection The Avram Davidson Treasury won the Locus Award for Best Collection in 1999. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says "he is perhaps sf's most explicitly literary author".
615
Pope Boniface IV (born 550)
Pope Boniface IV was the bishop of Rome from 608 to his death on 8 May 615. He was a member of the Benedictine order. Boniface had served as a deacon under Pope Gregory I, and like his mentor, he ran the Lateran Palace as a monastery. As pope, he encouraged monasticism. With imperial permission, he converted the Pantheon into a church. In 610, he conferred with Bishop Mellitus of London regarding the needs of the English Church. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church with a universal feast day on 8 May.
2014
Joseph P. Teasdale
American lawyer and politician, 48th Governor of Missouri (born 1936)
Joseph Patrick Teasdale was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the 48th governor of Missouri from 1977 to 1981. Teasdale was formerly a prosecutor for Jackson County, Missouri. In 1972, he made his first bid for governor, placing third in the Democratic primary, but attaining name recognition and the nickname "Walking Joe". In 1976, after initially running for U.S. Senate, Teasdale switched races and made a second bid for the governor's office. He won the nomination and defeated incumbent Kit Bond in an upset. In 1980, Teasdale beat back a primary challenge from State Treasurer Jim Spainhower, but was defeated by Bond in a rematch. After leaving office, Teasdale returned to practicing law until his death.
1907
Edmund G. Ross
American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (born 1826)
Edmund Gibson Ross was an American politician who represented Kansas after the American Civil War and was later the governor of New Mexico Territory. At the 1868 impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson his vote against convicting President Johnson of "high crimes and misdemeanors" allowed Johnson to stay in office by the margin of one vote. As the seventh of seven Republican U.S. Senators to break with his party, he proved to be the person whose decision would result in conviction or acquittal. When he chose the latter, the vote of 35–19 in favor of Johnson's conviction failed to reach the required two-thirds vote. Ross lost his bid for re-election two years later.
1999
Soeman Hs
Indonesian author and educator (born 1904)
Soeman Hasibuan better known by his pen name Soeman Hs, was an Indonesian author recognized for pioneering detective fiction and short story writing in the country's literature. Born in Bengkalis, Riau, Dutch East Indies, to a family of farmers, Soeman studied to become a teacher and, under the author Mohammad Kasim, a writer. He began working as a Malay-language teacher after completing normal school in 1923, first in Siak Sri Indrapura, Aceh, then in Pasir Pengaraian, Rokan Hulu, Riau. Around this time he began writing, publishing his first novel, Kasih Tak Terlarai, in 1929. In twelve years he published five novels, one short story collection, and thirty-five short stories and poems.
2019
Sprent Dabwido
President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (born 1972)
Sprent Arumogo Dabwido was a Nauruan politician and weightlifter who served as President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013. The son of a parliamentarian, Dabwido was originally elected to the Meneng Constituency in the Parliament of Nauru at the 2004 elections. Having served as Minister for Telecommunications in Marcus Stephen's government from 2009, Dabwido joined the Nauruan opposition faction in November 2011 after Stephen's resignation, and, having passed a motion of no confidence against interim president Freddie Pitcher, was elected president four days later. In his role as president, Dabwido functioned as chairman of the Cabinet of Nauru, and held various portfolios in the Nauruan government.
1985
Robert Halperin
American yachtsman (born 1908)
Robert Sherman "Bob" Halperin, nicknamed "Buck", was an American business executive, decorated WWII naval officer and Star class yacht racer, who became an Olympic bronze medalist and Pan American Games gold medalist in the sport in the 1960s. He is best known professionally as co-founder of Lands' End, and chairman of Chicago's Commercial Light Company, founded by his father. He had formerly been a college and National Football League (NFL) football quarterback for the Brooklyn Dodgers. As a Naval officer and beach reconnaissance scout who observed, maintained, and guided critical beach landings throughout WWII, he became one of Chicago's most-decorated veterans.
1988
Robert A. Heinlein
American science fiction writer and screenwriter (born 1907)
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction author, engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His plots often presented provocative situations which challenged conventional social mores. His work continues to have an influence on the science fiction genre and on modern culture more generally.
2003
Elvira Pagã
Brazilian vedette, singer, and artist (born 1920)
Elvira Olivieri Cozzolino, better known by her stage name Elvira Pagã, was a Brazilian vedette, actress, singer, writer, and painter. She was the first Rio Carnival Queen, the first woman to wear a bikini in public, and one of the first women to undergo cosmetic surgery in Brazil. Talented and controversial, she defied the status quo and challenged prevailing machismo with fearless audacity during the Brazilian military dictatorship and the revolutionary 1960s. In her later years, Pagã withdrew from public life, devoting herself to writing and painting, and eventually died in seclusion.
2012
Maurice Sendak
American author and illustrator (born 1928)
Maurice Bernard Sendak was an American author and illustrator of children's books. Born to Polish-Jewish parents, his childhood was impacted by the death of many of his family members during the Holocaust. Sendak illustrated his own books as well as those by other authors, such as the Little Bear series by Else Holmelund Minarik. He achieved acclaim with Where the Wild Things Are (1963), the first of a trilogy followed by In the Night Kitchen (1970) and Outside Over There (1981). He also designed sets for operas, notably Mozart's The Magic Flute.
1996
Garth Williams
American illustrator (born 1912)
Garth Montgomery Williams was an American artist who came to prominence in the American postwar era as an illustrator of children's books. Many of the books he illustrated have become classics of American children's literature.In Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, and in the Little House series of books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Williams['s] drawings have become inseparable from how we think of those stories. In that respect ... Williams['s] work belongs in the same class as Sir John Tenniel's drawings for Alice in Wonderland, or Ernest Shepard's illustrations for Winnie the Pooh.
1995
Teresa Teng
Taiwanese singer (born 1953)
Deng Li Jun, also known as Teresa Teng, was a Taiwanese singer, television personality, musician, and philanthropist. Widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures in the Chinese-speaking world of the 20th century, she is considered to be one of the most successful and influential Asian musicians of all time. Her contributions to Chinese pop has given birth to the phrase, "Wherever there are Chinese-speaking people, there is music of Teresa Teng." A polyglot, Teng's music has transcended geographical, linguistic, and political boundaries across Asia for several decades.
2012
Ampon Tangnoppakul
Thai criminal (born 1948)
Ampon Tangnoppakul, commonly known in Thai as Ah Kong or in English as Uncle SMS, was a Thai national accused of sending four Short Message Service (SMS) messages from his cell phones to Somkiat Khrongwatthanasuk, secretary of then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva that were deemed offensive to the King and Queen of Thailand, as proscribed by section 112 of the Criminal Code of Thailand and the law on computer-related offences. Having been found guilty of four charges in November 2011, he was sentenced by the Criminal Court to four consecutive five-year terms, for a total of twenty years in prison. His death in prison during the first year of his sentence attracted national and international criticism, prompting a national discussion of Thailand's lèse majesté law.
1950
Vital Brazil
Brazilian physician and immunologist (born 1865)
Vital Brazil Mineiro da Campanha, was a Brazilian physician, biomedical scientist and immunologist, known for the discovery of the polyvalent anti-ophidic serum used to treat bites of venomous snakes of the Crotalus, Bothrops and Elaps genera. He went on to be also the first to develop anti-scorpion and anti-spider serums. He was the founder of the Butantan Institute, a research center located in São Paulo, which was the first in the world dedicated exclusively to basic and applied toxicology, the science of venomous animals.
1994
George Peppard
American actor and producer (born 1928)
George Peppard was an American actor. He secured a major role as struggling writer Paul Varjak when he starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), and later portrayed a character based on Howard Hughes in The Carpetbaggers (1964). On television, he played the title role of millionaire insurance investigator and sleuth Thomas Banacek in the early-1970s mystery series Banacek. He played Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, the cigar-smoking leader of a renegade commando squad in the 1980s action television series The A-Team.