Discover what happened on July 8 in history, along with notable events, inventions, milestones, and moments that shaped America and the world.
What Happened on July 8 in History?
Important events on this day include the creation of the ice cream sundae, the first publication of The Wall Street Journal, the patenting of the game Twister, the launch of the final Space Shuttle mission, and the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence following its adoption.
JULY 8 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1776 – Church bells (and the Liberty Bell) rang after Col. John Nixon delivered the first public reading of the United States Declaration of Independence at Independence Square in Philadelphia, PA.
1865 – C.E. Barnes received a patent for the machine gun.
1879 – The first ship to use electric lights departed from San Francisco, CA.
1881 – Edward Berner, druggist in Two Rivers, WI, poured chocolate syrup on ice cream in a dish to create an ice cream sundae. Prior to this, chocolate syrup had only been used for making ice-cream sodas.
1889 – “The Wall Street Journal” was first published.
1889 – The last bare-knuckle fight championship took place on this date. John L. Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain in 75 rounds (yes, 75!).
1907 – Florenz Ziegfeld staged his first “Follies” on the roof of the New York Theater in New York, NY.
1932 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached its lowest level of the Great Depression, closing at 41.22.
1948 – The U.S. Air Force accepted its first female recruits into a program called Women of the Air Force (WAF).
1958 – The first gold record album was presented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The award went to the soundtrack “Oklahoma!”
1969 – The game “Twister” received a patent from the U.S. Patent Office.
1978 – The movie “Foul Play” opened in San Francisco, CA. This was the first movie for “Saturday Night Live” star Chevy Chase.
1985 – “Playboy” and “Penthouse” magazines went on sale that both featured nude pictures of Madonna.
1988 – Stevie Wonder announced he would run for mayor of Detroit in 1992. He never ended up doing so.
1991 – The TV game show “Shop ’til You Drop” debuted.
1992 – The primetime TV soap opera “Melrose Place” premiered on CBS.
2000 – J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was released. It was the fourth book in the Harry Potter series.
2011 – Former First Lady Betty Ford passed away at the age of 93.
2011 – Space Shuttle Atlantis was launched for the final mission of the Space Shuttle program.
2011 – The movie “Horrible Bosses”, starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx, premiered in theaters.
2016 – The animated film “The Secret Life of Pets” premiered in theaters.
2021 – President Joe Biden announced that the official conclusion of the United States involvement in the War in Afghanistan would be on August 31, 2021.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JULY 8:
Phil Gramm – 84 years old (1942) – Economist and politician
Jaimoe – 82 years old (1944) – Drummer
Jeffrey Tambor – 82 years old (1944) – Actor and singer
Kim Darby – 79 years old (1947) – Actress
Ruby Sales – 78 years old (1948) – Civil-rights activist
Wolfgang Puck – 77 years old (1949) – Austrian-American chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur
Alan Ashby – 75 years old (1951) – Baseball player, manager, and sportscaster
Anjelica Huston – 75 years old (1951) – Actress and director
Larry Garner – 74 years old (1952) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Jack Lambert – 74 years old (1952) – Football player and sportscaster
Anna Quindlen – 74 years old (1952) – Columnist (1992 Pulitzer Prize)
Marianne Williamson – 74 years old (1952) – Author and activist
Carlos Cavazo – 69 years old (1957) – Mexican-American guitarist and songwriter
Kevin Bacon – 68 years old (1958) – Actor and musician
Yann LeCun – 66 years old (1960) – French-American computer scientist
Joan Osborne – 64 years old (1962) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Mark Christopher – 63 years old (1963) – Director and screenwriter
Dan Levinson – 61 years old (1965) – Clarinet player, saxophonist, and bandleader
Billy Crudup – 58 years old (1968) – Actor
Beck – 56 years old (1970) – Singer-songwriter and producer
Todd Martin – 56 years old (1970) – Tennis player and coach
Milo Ventimiglia – 49 years old (1977) – Actor, director, and producer
Mat McBriar – 47 years old (1979) – Football player
Ben Jelen – 47 years old (1979) – Scottish-American singer-songwriter
Eric Chouinard – 46 years old (1980) – American-Canadian ice hockey player
Sophia Bush – 44 years old (1982) – Actress and director
Hakim Warrick – 44 years old (1982) – Basketball player
John Bowker – 43 years old (1983) – Baseball player
Josh Harrison – 39 years old (1987) – Baseball player
David Corenswet – 33 years old (1993) – Actor
Marlon Humphrey – 30 years old (1996) – Football player
Bryce Love – 29 years old (1997) – Football player
Maya Hawke – 28 years old (1998) – Actress
Jaden Smith – 28 years old (1998) – Actor and rapper
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JULY 8:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
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