May 8
1541 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.
1794 - Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was guillotined during France's Reign of Terror.
1846 - The first major battle of the Mexican-American War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas; U.S. forces led by Gen. Zachary Taylor were able to beat back Mexican forces.
1877 - The first Westminster Dog Show was held.
1884 - Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, was born in Lamar, Missouri.
1886 - Atlanta pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invented the flavor syrup for Coca-Cola.
1902 - Mount Pelee on Martinique erupted, destroying the town of St. Pierre and killing more than 40,000 people.
1921 - Sweden's Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty.
1945 - The Allies celebrated V-E Day as the European conflict of World War II came to an end. President Harry S. Truman announced nationwide on radio of Nazi Germany's surrender saying, "the flags of freedom fly all over Europe."
1958 - Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.
1970 - Construction workers broke up an anti-war protest on New York City's Wall Street.
1970 - The album "Let It Be" by the Beatles was released.
1973 - The 10-week Wounded Knee occupation ended when members of the American Indian Movement surrendered.
1978 - David Berkowitz, also known as the "Son of Sam", plead guilty to killing six people in New York City.
1987 - Gary Hart, dogged by questions about his personal life, including his relationship with Miami model Donna Rice, withdrew from the Democratic race for the presidential nomination.
1996 - South Africa took another step from apartheid to democracy by adopting a constitution that guaranteed equal rights for blacks and whites.
1999 - The Citadel, South Carolina's state military institution, graduated its first female cadet, Nancy Mace.
2012 - Six-term veteran Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar lost a bitter Republican primary challenge, his nearly four-decade career in the Senate ended by tea party-backed state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who was defeated the following November by Democrat Joe Donnelly.
2012 - North Carolina voters decided overwhelmingly to strengthen their state's gay marriage ban.
2016 - London's newly elected Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, paid respect to the millions of Jews slain in the Holocaust as his first public engagement in office — and received a hero's welcome from London's Jewish community at the end.
Birthdays
25 - Olivia Culpo (model)
25 - Ana Mulvoy-Ten (actress)
27 - Kemba Walker (basketball player)
28 - Katy B (singer)
35 - Adrian Gonzalez (baseball player)
36 - Stephen Amell (actor)
39 - Matthew Davis (actor)
42 - Enrique Iglesias (singer)
53 - Melissa Gilbert (actress)
54 - Anthony Field (singer)
91 - David Attenborough (TV host)
============================
Today in Sports History - May 8
1866 - Australian Rules Football is created.
1878 - Paul Hines records baseball's first unassisted triple play.
1915 - Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby.
1920 - Paul Jones wins the Kentucky Derby.
1937 - War Admiral wins the Kentucky Derby.
1946 - Boston Red Sox' player Johnny Pesky scores six runs in one game.
1947 - A movement among Saint Louis Cardinals' players to protest its first meeting with Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers is aborted by a talk from owner Sam Breadon.
1954 - Perry O'Brien becomes the first person to throw a shot put over 60-feet (60' 5.25").
1961 - New Yorkers selected a new name for their new National League baseball franchise: Mets.
1965 - Randy Matson becomes the first person to throw a shot put over 70-feet (70' 7").
1967 - Muhammad Ali was indicted for refusing induction in U.S. Army.
1968 - Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland Athletics pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins in Oakland.
1970 - The New York Knicks defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games to win the NBA championship.
1971 - Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden, New York. It was Ali's first loss in his professional career.
1973 - In Cincinnati, Ralph Miller, the last of the 19th century baseball players, died at the age of 100.
1984 - The Soviet Union announced it was boycotting the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
1984 - Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins makes his major league debut with four hits.
1984 - The Chicago White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings. The game was actually completed on May 9.
1995 - Mark Messier (New York Rangers) became the third player to reach 100 playoff goals.
1996 - New York Yankees' pitcher Dwight Gooden wins his first American League game beating Detroit Tigers 10-3.
2000 - Jason and Jeremy Giambi (Oakland) became the 10th set of brothers to hit home runs in the same game.
2012 - Josh Hamilton became the 16th player in major league history to hit four home runs in a game, leading the Texas Rangers to a 10-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
2014 - The Houston Texans selected South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
2014 - The following Huskers were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft: CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste (2nd round, New Orleans); OG Spencer Long (3rd round, Washington); and WR Quincy Enunwa (6th round, New York Jets)
1541 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.
1794 - Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was guillotined during France's Reign of Terror.
1846 - The first major battle of the Mexican-American War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas; U.S. forces led by Gen. Zachary Taylor were able to beat back Mexican forces.
1877 - The first Westminster Dog Show was held.
1884 - Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, was born in Lamar, Missouri.
1886 - Atlanta pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invented the flavor syrup for Coca-Cola.
1902 - Mount Pelee on Martinique erupted, destroying the town of St. Pierre and killing more than 40,000 people.
1921 - Sweden's Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty.
1945 - The Allies celebrated V-E Day as the European conflict of World War II came to an end. President Harry S. Truman announced nationwide on radio of Nazi Germany's surrender saying, "the flags of freedom fly all over Europe."
1958 - Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.
1970 - Construction workers broke up an anti-war protest on New York City's Wall Street.
1970 - The album "Let It Be" by the Beatles was released.
1973 - The 10-week Wounded Knee occupation ended when members of the American Indian Movement surrendered.
1978 - David Berkowitz, also known as the "Son of Sam", plead guilty to killing six people in New York City.
1987 - Gary Hart, dogged by questions about his personal life, including his relationship with Miami model Donna Rice, withdrew from the Democratic race for the presidential nomination.
1996 - South Africa took another step from apartheid to democracy by adopting a constitution that guaranteed equal rights for blacks and whites.
1999 - The Citadel, South Carolina's state military institution, graduated its first female cadet, Nancy Mace.
2012 - Six-term veteran Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar lost a bitter Republican primary challenge, his nearly four-decade career in the Senate ended by tea party-backed state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who was defeated the following November by Democrat Joe Donnelly.
2012 - North Carolina voters decided overwhelmingly to strengthen their state's gay marriage ban.
2016 - London's newly elected Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, paid respect to the millions of Jews slain in the Holocaust as his first public engagement in office — and received a hero's welcome from London's Jewish community at the end.
Birthdays
25 - Olivia Culpo (model)
25 - Ana Mulvoy-Ten (actress)
27 - Kemba Walker (basketball player)
28 - Katy B (singer)
35 - Adrian Gonzalez (baseball player)
36 - Stephen Amell (actor)
39 - Matthew Davis (actor)
42 - Enrique Iglesias (singer)
53 - Melissa Gilbert (actress)
54 - Anthony Field (singer)
91 - David Attenborough (TV host)
============================
Today in Sports History - May 8
1866 - Australian Rules Football is created.
1878 - Paul Hines records baseball's first unassisted triple play.
1915 - Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby.
1920 - Paul Jones wins the Kentucky Derby.
1937 - War Admiral wins the Kentucky Derby.
1946 - Boston Red Sox' player Johnny Pesky scores six runs in one game.
1947 - A movement among Saint Louis Cardinals' players to protest its first meeting with Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers is aborted by a talk from owner Sam Breadon.
1954 - Perry O'Brien becomes the first person to throw a shot put over 60-feet (60' 5.25").
1961 - New Yorkers selected a new name for their new National League baseball franchise: Mets.
1965 - Randy Matson becomes the first person to throw a shot put over 70-feet (70' 7").
1967 - Muhammad Ali was indicted for refusing induction in U.S. Army.
1968 - Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland Athletics pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins in Oakland.
1970 - The New York Knicks defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games to win the NBA championship.
1971 - Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden, New York. It was Ali's first loss in his professional career.
1973 - In Cincinnati, Ralph Miller, the last of the 19th century baseball players, died at the age of 100.
1984 - The Soviet Union announced it was boycotting the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
1984 - Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins makes his major league debut with four hits.
1984 - The Chicago White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings. The game was actually completed on May 9.
1995 - Mark Messier (New York Rangers) became the third player to reach 100 playoff goals.
1996 - New York Yankees' pitcher Dwight Gooden wins his first American League game beating Detroit Tigers 10-3.
2000 - Jason and Jeremy Giambi (Oakland) became the 10th set of brothers to hit home runs in the same game.
2012 - Josh Hamilton became the 16th player in major league history to hit four home runs in a game, leading the Texas Rangers to a 10-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
2014 - The Houston Texans selected South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
2014 - The following Huskers were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft: CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste (2nd round, New Orleans); OG Spencer Long (3rd round, Washington); and WR Quincy Enunwa (6th round, New York Jets)
