Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.
On 8, Thursday February 1894, Billy Bishop, Canadian World War I fighter ace, born (d. 1956)
On 8, Thursday February 1894, Ludwig Marcuse, German philosopher, born (d. 1971)
On 8, Thursday February 1894, Robert Michael Ballantyne, Scottish novelist, died (b. 1825)
On 8, Tuesday February 1944, WWII: 2,765 drown when USS Snook torpedoes Lima Maru.
On 8, Tuesday February 1944, 2,670 drown when HMS Sportsman torpedoes Petrella.
On 8, Tuesday February 1944, Bunky Henry, American professional golfer, born (d. 2018)
On 8, Tuesday February 1944, Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor, born (d. 2014)
On 8, Sunday February 1959, Andrew Hoy, equestrian rider, born
On 8, Sunday February 1959, Mauricio Macri, President of Argentina, born
On 8, Saturday February 1969, The Allende meteorite explodes over Mexico.
On 8, Saturday February 1969, After 147 years, the last weekly issue of The Saturday Evening Post is published. The magazine is later resurrected, briefly, as a monthly magazine.
On 8, Thursday February 1979, Josh Keaton, American actor, born
On 8, Thursday February 1979, Martin Rowlands, Irish footballer, born
On 8, Thursday February 1979, Art Williams, American baseball umpire, died (b. 1934)
On 8, Wednesday February 1989, Bronte Barratt, swimmer, born
On 8, Wednesday February 1989, Dani Harmer, British actress, born
On 8, Wednesday February 1989, Lael Rodrigues, Brazilian filmmaker, died (b. 1951)
On 8, Tuesday February 1994, Prime Minister Paul Keating introduces changes to Question Time, with a roster of ministers and at least 14 questions to be asked each sitting day. Response was mixed.
On 8, Tuesday February 1994, Nikki Yanofsky, Canadian singer, born
On 8, Monday February 1999, Dame Iris Murdoch, Anglo-Irish author, died (b. 1919)
On 8, Sunday February 2009, Neil McNeill, 87, politician, died
On 8, Saturday February 2014, Terri Butler retains the seat of Griffith (formerly held by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd) over Bill Glasson in the Griffith by-election.
On 8, Saturday February 2014, Baseball: The 2013–14 Australian Baseball League season concludes, with the Perth Heat defeating the Canberra Cavalry in the finals series.
On 8, Saturday February 2014, Michael Denborough, 84, medical researcher and politician, founder of the Nuclear Disarmament Party., died
Other On This Day days in history
Neville Buch
Latest posts by Neville Buch (see all)
- A right for paid work - January 18, 2025
- The Critical Review of Tom Holland: Great Errors in Apologetics and Historiographies - January 16, 2025
- The Old and New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) - January 15, 2025