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Old clock in sand with the words: It Happend in July

View Historical Events by Day: What Happened on July 8 in History?

Explore the historical events that shaped our world on July 8th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

1497 CE, July 8

Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer and navigator, and the first person to sail directly from Europe to India. sails from Lisbon on his first voyage to India with a fleet of four vessels. The fleet crew three interpreters—two Arabic speakers and one who spoke several Bantu dialects. It also carried padraos, (stone pillars) to set up as marks of discovery. He eventually rounded the Cape of Good Hope on November 22 and three days later da Gama anchored in Mossel Bay and erected a padrão on an island. His trip ultimately opened a sea route from western Europe to Asia by way of the Cape of Good Hope, ushering in a new era in world history.

1853 CE, July 8

American Commodore Matthew Perry arrives with four warships at the Tokyo Bay harbor, seeking to re-establish trade relations with Japan. Perry was not the first westerner to visit the islands. Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch traders engaged in regular trade with Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries, but attempts by the Europeans to convert the Japanese to Christianity and unfair trading practices led Japan to expel most foreigners in 1639. For the two centuries that followed, Japan limited trade access to Dutch and Chinese ships with special charters. Perry's visit led to the signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854. officially ending Japan's self-imposed isolation and opening the country to foreign trade and influence. Lasting and profound consequences for Japan followed, including: embarking on a rapid program of modernization and industrialization to catch up with the Western powers, the beginning of a new era of imperial rule and a rapidly development of Japan's military, becoming a major regional power and ultimately to conflicts like World War II. More

1889 CE, July 8

The first issue of the Wall Street Journal is published by Charles H. Dow, of Dow Jones & Company, (founded in 1882). The newspaper's accuracy in reporting and the breadth and detail of its coverage, quickly  gave it respect and success becoming an important source of business journalism. View historical Milestones


1950 CE, July 8

President Harry S. Truman appoints Douglas MacArthur as commander of the U.S. air and naval forces to South Korea in support of a U.N. resolution calling for an end to hostilities to aid the democratic nation in repulsing the invasion from North Korea which was supported by China and the Soviet Union. The fighting eventually ended with an armistice on July  27, 1953, formally dividing the country at the 38th parallel into North and South Korea. The Korean War was among the most destructive conflicts of the modern era, with approximately 3 million war fatalities including over 36,000 Americans. More

1951 CE, July 8

Paris, the capital city of France, celebrates turning 2,000 years old. While the exact date of Paris's founding is debated, it's believed to be around 250 B.C. by a Gallic tribe called the Parisii settled on an island in the Seine River, which runs through Paris. The Romans conquered the settlement around 52 BC and called it Lutetia, Latin for "mid-water dwelling", soon it became known as Paris and expanded to both sides of the river Seine. Paris became the capital of France and the Left Bank became an intellectual/arts area and the Right Bank known for business. The celebration showcased fireworks illuminating landmarks as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Opera and the Place de la Concorde.

2011 CE, July 8

NASA's orbiter Atlantis is launched on its 33rd and final mission, also the last space shuttle mission. Atlantis maiden flight was made from October 3 to 7, 1985. Atlantis landed for the final time at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011. By the end of its final mission, Atlantis had orbited the Earth a total of 4,848 times, traveling nearly 126,000,000 mi (203,000,000 km), which is more than 525 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon. More