Today in History for 8th May 2026
Historical Events1624 - Dutch Nassau fleet reaches port of Callao in Peru intending to ransack the annual Spanish silver ship convoy, misses them by five days1909 - American Albert Raines runs world record marathon (2:46:04.6) in NYC1976 - Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner's musical "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" closes at Mark Hellinger, NYC, after 7 performances1988 - Brazilian musical revue "Oba Oba" closes at Ambassador Theater, NYC, after 46 performances1989 - US space shuttle STS-30 landsMore Historical Events Famous Birthdays1906 - Roberto Rossellini, Italian film director (General della Rovere, Open City), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1977)1911 - Robert Johnson, American blues singer-songwriter, and guitarist (King of Delta Blues Singers), born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi (d. 1938)1945 - Arthur Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch politician, jurist and first chair of the Authority for Financial Markets (1999-2007), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 2020)1980 - Benny Yau, Canadian TV presenter (What's On), born in Hong Kong1981 - Stephen Amell, Canadian actor (Arrow), born in Toronto, OntarioMore Famous Birthdays Famous Deaths1846 - Giacomo Cordella, Italian composer, dies at 591880 - Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (Madame Bovary), dies at 581960 - Hugo Alfvn, Swedish violinist, conductor, and composer (Midsommarvaka - Midsummer Vigil), dies at 881999 - Dana Plato, American actress (Kimberly-Diff'rent Strokes), dies at 342018 - James Scott, American boxer and felon, dies at 71More Famous Deaths