April 8 in History

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-110, carrying the S0 truss

2002 — The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-110, carrying the S0 truss to the International Space Station

Astronaut Jerry L. Ross also becomes the first person to fly on seven spaceflights.

April 8 spans 36 recorded events across recorded history, from 217 to 2026. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By · — Wikipedia

Historical Events 36 events 217 – 2026

More major events on April 8

The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.

  1. 2026 Operation Eternal Darkness: Hours after a ceasefire to the Iran war, Israeli attacks on Lebanon kill at least 357 and injures more than 1200 people in the largest airstrikes of the Lebanon war. Source
  2. 2010 U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the New START Treaty. Source
  3. 1993 The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on mission STS-56. Source

Did you know

In 2002, The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-110, carrying the S0 truss to the International Space Station. Astronaut Jerry L. Ross also becomes the first person to fly on seven spaceflights. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

The International Space Station (ISS) is a space station in low Earth orbit (LEO). This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

It is the product of the International Space Station program and is operated by five partner space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

It is the first space station built, maintained and crewed through international cooperation and the largest human spacecraft ever constructed. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

It is an orbital research station, where scientific experiments in microgravity are conducted and the space environment is studied. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

217 Roman_emperor
Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus.
Ruler of the Roman Empire
Wikipedia source
876
The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids.
876 battle in present-day Iraq
Wikipedia source
1139 Roger_II_of_Sicily
Roger II of Sicily is excommunicated by Innocent II for supporting Anacletus II as pope for seven years, even though Roger had already publicly recognized Innocent's claim to the papacy.
King of Sicily from 1130 to 1154
Wikipedia source
1143 Manuel_I_Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos succeeds his father John II Komnenos as Byzantine Emperor.
Byzantine emperor from 1143 to 1180
Wikipedia source
1232 Mongol_conquest_of_the_Jin_dynasty
Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols begin their siege on Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty.
1211–1234 campaign in northern China
Wikipedia source
1250 Seventh_Crusade
Seventh Crusade: Ayyubids of Egypt capture King Louis IX of France in the Battle of Fariskur.
Religious crusade in Egypt from 1248 to 1254
Wikipedia source
1271 Fall_of_Krak_des_Chevaliers
Fall of Krak des Chevaliers: In Syria, sultan Baibars conquers the Krak des Chevaliers.
Capture of castle in 1271
Wikipedia source
1605 Oulu
The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden.
City in North Ostrobothnia, Finland
Wikipedia source
1730 Congregation_Shearith_Israel
Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in continental North America, is dedicated.
Orthodox synagogue in Manhattan, New York
Wikipedia source
1812 Alexander_I_of_Russia
Czar Alexander I, the Russian Emperor and the Grand Duke of Finland, officially announces the transfer of the status of the Finnish capital from Turku to Helsinki.
Emperor of Russia from 1801 to 1825
Wikipedia source
1820 Venus_de_Milo
The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
Ancient Greek marble statue of Aphrodite
Wikipedia source
1832 Black_Hawk_War
Black Hawk War: Around 300 United States 6th Infantry troops leave St.
Louis, Missouri to fight the Sauk Native Americans.
Wikipedia source
1866 Austro-Prussian_War
Austro-Prussian War: Italy and Prussia sign a secret alliance against the Austrian Empire.
1866 war in Europe
Wikipedia source
1886 William_Ewart_Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
British statesman (1809–1898)
Wikipedia source
1895
In Pollock v.
Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional.
Wikipedia source
1904 French_Third_Republic
The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the Entente cordiale.
Government of France from 1870 to 1940
Wikipedia source
1933 Western_Australia
The Australian state of Western Australia votes to secede from the federation in a non-binding referendum, although efforts to implement the result prove unsuccessful.
State of Australia
Wikipedia source
1940 Mongolian_People's_Party
The Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party elects Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal as General Secretary, marking the beginning of his 44-year-long tenure as de facto leader of Mongolia.
Political party in Mongolia
Wikipedia source
1954 North_American_T-6_Texan
A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 37 people.
American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft
Wikipedia source
1954 South_African_Airways_Flight_201
South African Airways Flight 201: A de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 crashes into the sea during night killing 21 people.
1954 aviation accident in the Mediterranean Sea
Wikipedia source
1959 Grace_Hopper
A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.
U.S. naval officer and computer scientist (1906–1992)
Wikipedia source
1959 Organization_of_American_States
The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.
International organization
Wikipedia source
1960 Netherlands
The Netherlands and West Germany sign an agreement to negotiate the return of German land annexed by the Dutch in return for 280 million German marks as Wiedergutmachung.
Country in Northwestern Europe and the Caribbean
Wikipedia source
1968 BOAC_Flight_712
BOAC Flight 712 catches fire shortly after takeoff.
As a result of her actions in the accident, Barbara Jane Harrison is awarded a posthumous George Cross, the only GC awarded to a woman in peacetime.
Wikipedia source
1970 Bahr_El-Baqar_primary_school_bombing
Bahr El-Baqar primary school bombing: Israeli bombers strike an Egyptian school.
Forty-six children are killed.
Wikipedia source
1974 Hank_Aaron
Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth as the all-time leader in career home runs by hitting his 715th home run off of Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
American baseball player (1934–2021)
Wikipedia source
1975 Voyageurs_National_Park
Voyageurs National Park is established by the U.S.
Congress.
Wikipedia source
1990 New_Democracy_(Greece)
The conservative New Democracy party of Constantine Mitsotakis is elected in the Greek parliamentary election.
Political party in Greece
Wikipedia source
1993 Space_Shuttle_Discovery
The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on mission STS-56.
Space Shuttle orbiter (1984–2011)
Wikipedia source
2005 Solar_eclipse_of_April_8,_2005
A solar eclipse occurs, visible over areas of the Pacific Ocean and Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.
Total eclipse
Wikipedia source
2010 Barack_Obama
U.S.
President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the New START Treaty.
Wikipedia source
2014 Windows_XP
Windows XP reaches its standard End Of Life and is no longer supported.
2001 Microsoft operating system version
Wikipedia source
2020 Bernie_Sanders
Bernie Sanders ends his presidential campaign, leaving Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee.
American politician and activist (born 1941)
Wikipedia source
2024 Solar_eclipse_of_April_8,_2024
Solar eclipse: A total solar eclipse takes place at the Moon's ascending node, visible across North America.
Total eclipse over North America
Wikipedia source
2026 8_April_2026_Israeli_attacks_on_Lebanon
Operation Eternal Darkness: Hours after a ceasefire to the Iran war, Israeli attacks on Lebanon kill at least 357 and injures more than 1200 people in the largest airstrikes of the Lebanon war.
Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling
Wikipedia source

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