Singapore
Singapore, under the government's approval, published its now-declassified Albatross file, comprising information relating to the Proclamation of Singapore dating back six decades ago.
What happened on December 8
34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1504 to 2025.
Standout on December 8
2025
Singapore
Singapore, under the government's approval, published its now-declassified Albatross file, comprising information relating to the Proclamation of Singapore dating back six decades ago.
About December 8
December 8 is the 342nd day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 342 of 365 (343 in leap years)23 days left in the year (23 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Tuesday in 2026, Wednesday in 2027, Friday in 2028, Saturday in 2029, Sunday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 50 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♐ Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
- Season
- Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
- December birthstone
- Turquoise / Tanzanite / Zircongood fortune, wisdom and success
- December birth flower
- Narcissus / Holly / Poinsettiarespect, hope and good wishes
- Next occurrence
- In 42 days
- Roman numerals
- VIII.XIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 30thScott McTominay1996
- 25thInternal Security Department (Singapore)2001
- 25thJosh Christopher2001
- 10thJohn Glenn2016
- 5thRobbie Shakespeare2021
- 1stSingapore2025
December 8 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- John Glenn
- 25 years ago2001
- Internal Security Department (Singapore) · Josh Christopher
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on December 8 — ages this year
- 2004Billie Starkzturns 22
- 2004Momoe Moriturns 22
- 2002Sunghoon (singer, born 2002)turns 24
- 2001Josh Christopherturns 25
- 2000Bayron Matosturns 26
- 2000Andy Pagesturns 26
Historical events 34
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Syrian civil war
The Syrian civil war ended when Bashar al-Assad's party, the Syrian Ba'ath Party, surrendered to the Syrian opposition.
Fall of Damascus (2024)
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.
COVID-19
First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China.
2013 Little India riot
Riots break out in Singapore, after a fatal accident in Little India.
Little India, Singapore
After a fatal bus accident in the Little India subzone of Singapore, angry mobs of workers attacked the bus involved and emergency vehicles, the first riot in the country in over 40 years.
Metallica
Metallica (pictured) played a concert in Antarctica, becoming the first band to perform on all seven continents.
SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 1
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.
IKAROS
The Japanese experimental spacecraft IKAROS flew by Venus at a distance of 80,800 km (50,200 mi), completing its planned mission to demonstrate solar-sail technology.
Solar sail
The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km (50,200 mi).
December 2009 Baghdad bombings
Bombings in Baghdad carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq killed at least 127 people and injured at least 448 others.
Cusco Declaration
The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.
Columbus nightclub shooting
Columbus nightclub shooting: Nathan Gale opens fire at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, killing former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell and three others before being shot dead by a police officer.
Internal Security Department (Singapore)
A raid conducted by the Internal Security Department (ISD) of Singapore foils a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot to bomb foreign embassies in Singapore.
Cricket Australia
The Australian Cricket Board's cover-up of Shane Warne and Mark Waugh's involvement with bookmakers was revealed.
Tadjena massacre
Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.
Belovezha Accords
Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian leaders signed the Belovezh Accords, agreeing to dissolve the Soviet Union and establish the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Belarus
The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
United States Air Force
A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany, killing five people and injuring 50 others.
Queen Street massacre
A man shot and killed eight people at the Australia Post building in Melbourne, before jumping to his death.
Cold War
Cold War: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the White House.
Arab–Israeli conflict
Arab–Israeli conflict: An Israeli army tank transporter killed four Palestinian refugees and injured seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border, sparking the First Intifada.
Palestinian refugees
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.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia, is established.
John Lennon
English musician John Lennon was murdered at the entrance of the Dakota, where he resided in New York City.
1974 Greek republic referendum
A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.
United Air Lines Flight 553
United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45. This is the first-ever loss of a Boeing 737.
Holding (aeronautics)
After being struck by lightning while in a holding pattern, Pan Am Flight 214 crashed near Elkton, Maryland, U.S., killing all 81 people on board.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: The Chełmno extermination camp in occupied Poland, the first such Nazi camp to kill Jews, began operations.
Boers
At an assembly of 10,000 Boers, Paul Kruger announced the fulfilment of the decision to restore the government and volksraad of the South African Republic.
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX promulgated the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, proclaiming the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was conceived free of original sin.
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: British commander-in-chief Sir William Howe withdrew his troops from the Battle of White Marsh to Philadelphia.
Margaret Hughes
Margaret Hughes (pictured) appeared professionally on the English stage; she is thought to have been the first woman to do so.
Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah
Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah wrote his Oran fatwa, arguing for the relaxation of Islamic law for forcibly converted Muslims in Spain.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Robbie Shakespeare
Robbie Shakespeare, Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer (born 1953)
David Weatherall
David Weatherall, English physician, geneticist, and academic (born 1933)
John Glenn
John Glenn, American astronaut and senator, first American to go into orbit (born 1921)
Douglas Tompkins
Douglas Tompkins, American businessman, co-founded The North Face and Esprit Holdings (born 1943)
John Cornforth
John Cornforth, Australian-English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Public holidays in Bulgaria
Christian feast day: Clement of Ohrid (Julian Calendar), and its related observances: Student's Day (Bulgaria)
Budoc
Christian feast day: Budoc (Beuzec) of Dol
Eucharius
Christian feast day: Eucharius
Patronages of the Immaculate Conception
Christian feast day: Feast of the Immaculate Conception (public holiday in several countries, a holy day of obligation in others), and its related observances: Festa da Conceição da Praia, celebrating Yemanjá, Queen of the Ocean in Umbanda (Salvador, Bahia)
Calendar of saints (Church of England)
Christian feast day: Feast of the Immaculate Conception (public holiday in several countries, a holy day of obligation in others), and its related observances: Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Anglican Communion), lesser commemoration
Battle of the Falkland Islands
Battle Day (Falkland Islands)
Bodhi Day
Bodhi Day (Japan)
Foreign relations of Cuba
CARICOM–Cuba Day (Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba)
Spread across the centuries
- 16th century1
- 17th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century2
- 20th century31
- 21st century38
Earliest: Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah (1504). Most recent: Singapore (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about December 8
What day of the year is December 8?
December 8 is the 342nd day of the year, with 23 days left after it.
What star sign is December 8?
December 8 falls under Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21), a fire sign ruled by Jupiter. The birthstone for the month is Turquoise or Tanzanite or Zircon.
How many things happened on December 8?
We record 82 entries for December 8: 34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1504 to 2025.
Who was born on December 8?
Billie Starkz (2004) is among the notable births on December 8. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the December 8 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like December 8
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.