Thursday, 8th May 2025
Welcome to Thursday, 8th May! It's World Red Cross Day and Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for WW2. Explore 55 historical events, birthdays, deaths, and milestones that shaped this day. From remarkable moments in local and world history to the people who left their mark — find out what makes today special. Tonight's moon is in its waning crescent phase, and the zodiac sign of the day is Taurus. If you're curious about the history of a day — this page brings together everything worth knowing about this Thursday, 8th May.
On Thursday, 8th May 2025, the world witnesses a significant moment in religious history as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV, a watershed for the Roman Catholic Church. His election marks the first time the papacy has been held by someone born in the United States, bringing together the distinctions of both US and Peruvian citizenship whilst representing the Order of Saint Augustine. This elevation carries profound symbolic weight for a church navigating its role in an increasingly diverse global context.
Historical resonance marks this date across centuries. In 1950, workers in a peat bog near Silkeborg, Denmark, discovered the Tollund Man, a naturally mummified corpse that would become one of Europe’s most significant archaeological finds, offering unprecedented insight into Iron Age life and ritual practices. The Danish bog preservation captured a human form from approximately 400 BCE with remarkable clarity, revealing details of clothing, final meal and execution method. Decades earlier, in 1927, French aviators Charles Nungesser and François Coli departed Paris aboard the biplane L’Oiseau Blanc in their bid to achieve the first non-stop transatlantic flight to New York, a pioneering attempt that ended mysteriously when the aircraft disappeared before reaching its destination.
On 8th May 2025, the location in question experiences typical spring conditions for the Northern Hemisphere. The weather on this day brings moderate temperatures appropriate for late spring, whilst the moon appears as a waning crescent in the night sky. Those born on this date fall under the zodiac sign of Taurus, known for its association with stability and determination.
DayAtlas provides comprehensive information for any date and location, displaying weather patterns, historical events, and records of notable births and deaths. The platform enables users to explore how specific dates have shaped history whilst understanding the atmospheric conditions and celestial circumstances of those moments in time.
Explore everything about today 8th April.
8th May in the Stars – Star Sign Pisces
Personality Profile
Personality Those born on May 8th embody Taurus in its purest, most grounded form. They are dependable, sensual, and naturally elegant through Venus's influence. Their patience and determination make them genuinely reliable and steadfast companions.
Strengths & Weaknesses These individuals shine through their stability, sensory appreciation, and practical wisdom. However, stubbornness and resistance to change can limit their growth. Inertia and comfort-seeking require conscious effort to overcome.
Love May 8th natives love deeply and loyally, seeking stable, long-term relationships with sensual intimacy and emotional security. Their partners value their unwavering devotion and romantic consistency. They build enduring bonds through steady presence.
Caree & Finance Professionally, these people excel in roles demanding persistence and practical skill. They have natural aptitude for managing finances and building lasting wealth. Their reliable work ethic yields solid, sustainable success over time.
Health Those born this day thrive with regular movement balanced against genuine relaxation. Combating natural inertia and monitoring comfort-seeking tendencies supports wellbeing. Sensory pleasures and grounded activities nourish their vitality.
That night, the moon was in its waning crescent phase.
Chinese year of the Snake (Wood).
Fun Facts About 8th May
Name Days in Your Language: Acacia, Ace, Hal, Harold, Harriet, Harris, Harrison, Harry, Hattie
Someone born on this day would be just 335 days old today — roughly 8,053 hours, 483,233 minutes, or 28,994,034 seconds spent on Earth so far.
It's the 128. day of the year.
There are 237 days still to come.
We’re currently in Week 19 — the year marches on.
Famous Birthdays on 8th May
- Oliver Bearman, English racing driver (2005)
- Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco (2003)
- Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player (2001)
- 6ix9ine, American rapper (1996)
- Pat Cummins, Australian cricketer (1993)
- Olivia Culpo, American model and actress (1992)
- Kevin Hayes, American ice hockey player (1992)
- Lane Johnson, American football player (1990)
- Iyo Sky, Japanese wrestler (1990)
- Kemba Walker, American basketball player (1990)
Lives Remembered on 8th May
- Simon Mann, British military officer and mercenary (born 1952) (2025)
- Chris Cannon, American politician (born 1950) (2024)
- Jimmy Johnson, American football player (born 1938) (2024)
- Pete McCloskey, American politician (born 1927) (2024)
- Ramón Fonseca Mora, Panamanian novelist and lawyer (born 1952) (2024)
- Robert Gillmor, British wildlife artist and illustrator (born 1936) (2022)
- Dennis Waterman, English actor and singer (born 1948) (2022)
Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 8th May
- Christian feast day: Amato Ronconi
- Christian feast day: Apparition of Saint Michael
- Christian feast day: Arsenius the Great
- Christian feast day: Desideratus
- Christian feast day: Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine
- Christian feast day: Julian of Norwich (Anglican, Lutheran)
- Christian feast day: Magdalene of Canossa
- Christian feast day: Our Lady of Luján
- Christian feast day: Peter II of Tarentaise
- Christian feast day: Blessed Teresa Demjanovich (Ruthenian Catholic Church)
- Christian feast day: 19 Martyrs of Algeria
- Christian feast day: May 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Emancipation Day (Columbus, Mississippi)
- Furry Dance (Helston, UK)
- Liberation Day (Czech Republic)
- Miguel Hidalgo's birthday (Mexico)
- Parents' Day (South Korea)
- Truman Day (Missouri)
- Veterans Day (Norway)
- Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe): Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, continues to May 9
- Victory in Europe Day, and its related observances (Europe): Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II 1939 – 1945 (Ukraine)
- White Lotus Day (Theosophy)
- World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (International)
What Happened on 8th May?
- The 2025 papal conclave elects Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, taking the name Leo XIV as the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church. (2025)
- A car bomb explodes in front of a school in Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan killing at least 55 people and wounding over 150. (2021)
- British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection. (2019)
- China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao'an International Airport, killing 35 people. (1997)
- A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history". (1988)
- The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland. (1987)
- Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. René Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour. (1984)
- The Soviet Union announces a boycott upon the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles, later joined by 14 other countries. (1984)
- The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances. (1984)
- The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox. (1980)