On This Day
What Happened on January 8 in History
8 events that happened on January 8, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.
Colonial America and the Revolution
1642
Astronomer Galileo Galilei died in Italy at age 77.
Galileo was the first to turn a telescope on the skies, discovering the moons of Jupiter, sunspots and the rotation of the Sun. He is often called the father of modern astronomy.
Source: history.com; history.com
The Young Republic and the Civil War Era
1790
George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address to Congress in New York City.
Washington opened by welcoming North Carolina's decision to join the Union. The state had first rejected the Constitution in 1788 because it lacked a bill of rights.
Source: millercenter.org; history.com
1815
Andrew Jackson's forces won the Battle of New Orleans, the greatest American land victory of the War of 1812.
The battle stopped a British attempt to take the key port and made Jackson a national hero. It came about two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent was signed, before news of peace reached America.
Source: battlefields.org; history.com
1877
Crazy Horse and his Lakota warriors fought their last battle against the U.S. Cavalry in Montana.
Outnumbered, short of ammunition and using outdated weapons, Crazy Horse's men lost the fight known as the Battle of Wolf Mountain.
Source: history.com
The Early 1900s and the World Wars
1918
Woodrow Wilson presented his Fourteen Points for peace after World War I to Congress.
Speaking to a joint meeting of Congress, Wilson outlined his vision for a stable, lasting peace in Europe, the Americas and the rest of the world once the war ended.
Source: millercenter.org; archive.nytimes.com
The Cold War
1973
The Soviet Union launched Luna 21, which carried a rover to the Moon.
Luna 21 was one of the Soviet Luna missions that explored the Moon with robotic landers and rovers in the 1960s and 1970s.
Source: nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov
The Modern Era
2002
George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law.
The sweeping update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 set new standards for public schools and imposed corrective measures on schools that fell short.
Source: millercenter.org; history.com
2011
A gunman shot Representative Gabrielle Giffords and others at a constituent event near Tucson, Arizona.
Six people were killed and 13, including Giffords, were wounded outside a supermarket where she was meeting voters. The 22-year-old gunman was arrested at the scene.
Source: history.com