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Explore the historical events that shaped our world on February 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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Byzantine co-emperor Alexios IV is strangled during the Fourth Crusade on February, 8, 1204 by the usurper Alexios V Doukas (Mourtzouphlus) after being deposed by a popular uprising.
Alexios V, then took a hardline stance against the crusaders. This led directly to the Crusaders' sack of Constantinople a few months later on April 12, 1204.
Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed on February 8, 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle, in Northamptonshire. After nineteen years in captivity, she was found guilty of plotting the assassination of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I and was beheaded at age 44 becoming the first anointed English monarch to be executed.
Peter I, also known as Peter the Great dies from bladder gangrene on February 8, 1725, at he age of 52. He was a very controversial and absolute monarch that managed to expand and westernize Russia's culture and to establish it as a major European power and an empire.
Peter the Great moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg. where it remained the capital of Russia until the communist revolution in 1918. More
The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia on February 8, 1726. by Empress Catherine I. The Council was designed to advise the sovereign and streamline administration, effectively surpassing the Senate influence and increasing executive power. It functioned from 1726 to 1730, when it was abolished following Anna Ioannovna's ascension.
The French defeat the Austrians at the Battle of Campo Santo on February 8, 1743, during the War of the Austrian Succession.
Japan launches a surprise attack on the night of February 8, 1904, against the Russian-held Port Arthur, along the coast of Manchuria, The assault, launched without a formal declaration of war, began the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905).
Russia faced many defeats as it battled Japan while also fighting a revolution on the home front. In September 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt negotiates peace between the two countries, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize. More
The U.S. Senate votes on December 10, 1974, to confirm Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President of the United States under President Gerald Ford by a vote of 90 to 7. Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st vice president of the United States on December 19, 1974
On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon (a Republican) was forced to resign amid the Watergate scandal and Vice President Gerald Ford ascended to the presidency, leaving the office of vice president vacant. the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, states that a vice presidential vacancy is filled when the president nominates a candidate who is confirmed by both houses of Congress, which were controlled by the Democrats.
