Box-office #1
The Empire Strikes Back
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
Sci-fiStar Wars $538M worldwide
On this day
December 8 Tuesday, December 8, 2026
A curious almanac of what happened on December 8 across the years — history, birthdays, the songs that ruled the charts, the films that packed cinemas, and the science that nudged the world forward.
12
Events
7
Birthdays
8
Holidays
1863
Disaster 163 years ago
Between two and three thousand churchgoers die in the Church of the Company Fire, possibly the largest single building fire by number of victims in modern history.
A fire at the Church of the Company in Santiago, Chile kills between 2,000 and 3,000 people, likely the deadliest single-building fire in history.
History
What happened on December 8
12 verified entries Full timeline
- 395War
Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope.
Later Yan suffers a decisive defeat against its former vassal, Northern Wei, at the Battle of Canhe Slope.
- 757Culture
The poet Du Fu returns to Chang'an as a member of Emperor Xuanzong's court, after having escaped the city during the An Lushan Rebellion.
Du Fu returns to Chang'an and joins Emperor Xuanzong's court.
- 877Royalty
Louis the Stammerer (son of Charles the Bald) is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne.
Louis the Stammerer is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom in Compiègne.
- 1504Religion
Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah writes his Oran fatwa, arguing for the relaxation of Islamic law requirements for the forcibly converted Muslims in Spain.
Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah issues his Oran fatwa, advocating leniency in Islamic legal requirements for Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity in Spain.
- 1660Culture
A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.
A woman, either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall, makes her debut on an English public stage as Desdemona in Othello.
- 1851War
Conservative Santiago-based government troops defeat rebels at the Battle of Loncomilla, signaling the end of the 1851 Chilean Revolution.
Government forces led by Conservatives defeat rebels in the Battle of Loncomilla, marking the end of the revolution.
- 1863Disaster
Between two and three thousand churchgoers die in the Church of the Company Fire, possibly the largest single building fire by number of victims in modern history.
A fire at the Church of the Company in Santiago, Chile kills between 2,000 and 3,000 people, likely the deadliest single-building fire in history.
- 1907Royalty
King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.
King Gustaf V becomes the new monarch of Sweden upon his father's abdication.
- 1987War
An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel-Gaza Strip border, which has been cited as one of the events which sparked the First Intifada.
A traffic accident involving an Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven at the Erez Crossing, contributing to tensions that spark the First Intifada.
- 2013Pop culture
Metallica performs a show in Antarctica, making them the first musical act to perform on all seven continents.
Metallica becomes the first band to perform on all seven continents with a concert in Antarctica.
- 2019World history
First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China.
A patient in Wuhan is identified as the first confirmed case of what would become the global COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2024War
Damascus falls to rebels after Syrian troops withdraw and president Bashar al-Assad leaves the country as his government collapses. Israel as a result invaded into the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Rebels seize Damascus as Syrian troops withdraw and President Bashar al-Assad flees the country, prompting Israel to move into the buffer zone near the Golan Heights.
Born today
Famous birthdays on December 8
7 this date All birthdays
Albert Gleizes
French painter
Albert Gleizes, the French painter and theorist who co-wrote the first major treatise on Cubism with Jean Metzinger and was a founding member of the Section d'Or group, was born today in 1881.
Born
1881
Died
1953
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Norwegian-French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
1832 – 1910
Rüdiger von der Goltz
German general
1865 – 1946
Tim Foli
American baseball player, coach, and manager
b. 1950 · 76
Aaron Allston
American game designer and author
1960 – 2014
Teresa Weatherspoon
American basketball player and coach
b. 1965 · 61
Andy Kapp
German curler
b. 1967 · 59
Music
The number one songs on December 8
Across the years Full chart history
🇬🇧 #1 on December 8, 1981
"Stand and Deliver"
by Adam and the Ants
The dandy highwayman spent five weeks at the top — a brash, glam-pop coronation.
#1 for 5 weeks
Also #1 on this day
- 1965"Ticket To Ride"— The Beatles
- 1972"Metal Guru"— T. Rex
- 2003"Make Luv"— Room 5 ft. Oliver Cheatham
Film & TV
At the movies
Box office #1 and premieres All releases
🏆 Sport December 8, 2013
Metallica performs a show in Antarctica, making them the first musical act to perform on all seven continents.
Metallica becomes the first band to perform on all seven continents with a concert in Antarctica.
Read the story
🔬 Science December 8, 2010
With the second launch of the Falcon 9, and the first launch of the Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.
SpaceX achieves a milestone by becoming the first private company to launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft with its Falcon 9 and Dragon vehicles.
Read the storyToday is also
Holidays & observances
8 celebrated today
Battle Day (Falkland Islands)
International
The Battle of the Falkland Islands was a First World War naval action between the British Royal Navy and Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 in the South Atlantic
Bodhi Day (Japan)
International
Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni) is said to have attained enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali
CARICOM-Cuba Day (Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba)
International
Cuba's foreign policy has been highly dynamic depending on world events throughout Latin America and the Caribbean
Constitution Day (Romania)
International
The following is a list of public holidays in Romania
Constitution Day (Uzbekistan)
International
Public holidays in Uzbekistan:
Liberation Day (Syria)
International
Liberation Day is a public holiday in Syria, celebrated on 8 December to mark the fall of the Assad regime, which began in 1971 when Hafez al-Assad seized power and was later succeeded by his son Bash
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The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.
— Albert Gleizes · born December 8, 1881