The birth of the Roman poet Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus), in Venusia, a town on the border of Italy's Apulia and Lucania regions. He received a superb education in Rome and Athens and went on to become one of Rome's most celebrated lyric poets and satirists.
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On This Day in History: December 8
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on December 8th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Arnulf of Carinthia, the Carolingian King of East Francia, Holy Roman Emperor and disputed King of Italy, dies at Ratisbon, Bavaria on December 8, 899 leading to a period of instability in the Carolingian Empire. His son, Louis the Child, succeeded him as King of East Francia.
The Great New Orleans Fire of 1794, destroys 212 structures in the area now known as the French Quarter on December 8, 1794; from Burgundy to Chartres Street, adjacent to the Mississippi River.
Just 6 years before, in 1788, 856 buildings had been destroyed in the First Great New Orleans Fire. Both of these events led to strict Spanish building codes, promoting brick construction that shaped the Quarter's iconic look. More
The popular Ring Theater in Vienna, Austria, catches fire on December 8, 1881. The official casualty estimate was that 384 people perished in the fire, although other estimates were that up to one thousand could have been killed.
The cause of the fire was attributed to flammable scenery, inward-opening doors trapping the crowd and other inadequate safety measures which led to new European fire regulations. More
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The Battle of the Falkland Islands (WWI) takes place on December 8, 1914 The German naval forces led by Admiral Maximilian von Spee, are stopped in their attempt to raid the Falkland Islands by the British Navy commanded by Admiral Doveton Sturdee. All the German ships except Dresden and Seydlitz were tracked down and sunk.
The United States Congress declares war against Imperial Japan on December 8, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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The Chinese Nationalists forces, unable to hold ground against Mao Zedong forces, depart for the island of Taiwan and establish their new capital. Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek joined them on the following day.
This action marked the beginning of the “two Chinas” phase and it wasn't until 1979 when the United States officially recognized the People’s Republic of China. More
John Lennon, Rock star and former Beatle is assassinated in New York City outside his New York City apartment building. Lennon was an English singer-songwriter, musician and political activist. He was 40 years old when he died. More
U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty). More
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is officially established on December 8, 1991, when leaders from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine signed the Belovezha Accords in Belarus, declaring the Soviet Union dissolved and forming the CIS in its place.
On a following meeting on December 21, 1991, eight more former Soviet republics signed the protocol to join: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. creating the initial multi-state CIS organization; (excluding the Baltics and Georgia). Georgia joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in December 1993, becoming the last of the former Soviet republics to join the organization, largely due to pressures from internal conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Although it joined, Georgia later left the CIS, officially ending its membership in August 2009. The Baltic Republics, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania never joined the CIS. The CIS Headquarters is in Minsk, Belarus,