Calendar date · March

What happened on March 8

On March 8, 1010: Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh.

Events

45

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Pisces

Featured moment · 1010

Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh.

Abolqasem Mansour bin Hassan Tusi (940–1025), better known by his pen name Ferdowsi, was a Persian poet and the author of Shahnameh, which is one of the world's longest epic poems created by a single poet, and the greatest epic of Persian-speaking countries. Ferdowsi is celebrated as one of the most influential figures of Persian literature and one of the greatest in the history of literature.

People

Born on March 8

Kit Connor 2004– English actor (born 2004)
Montana Jordan 2003– American actor (born 2003)
Nathan McSweeney 1999– Australian cricketer (born 1999)
Tijana Bošković 1997– Serbian volleyball player
Kyle Allen 1996– American football player (born 1996)
Marko Gudurić 1995– Serbian basketball player (born 1995)
Isaiah Whitehead 1995– American basketball player (born 1995)
Claire Emslie 1994– Scottish footballer (born 1994)
Rui Machida 1993– Japanese basketball player (born 1993)
Show 9 more — notable births on March 8
Yoon Ji-sung 1991– South Korean singer
Kristinia DeBarge 1990– American singer
Asier Illarramendi 1990– Spanish footballer
Brandon Kozun 1990– American-Canadian ice hockey player
Petra Kvitová 1990– Czech tennis player (born 1990)
Kevin Zeitler 1990– American football player (born 1990)
Robbie Hummel 1989– American basketball player (born 1989)
Benny Blanco 1988– American record producer (born 1988)
Tommy Pham 1988– American baseball player (born 1988)

People

Died on March 8

Athol Fugard South African playwright (1932–2025) Max von Sydow Swedish and French actor (1929–2020)
Marshall Brodien American magician (1934–2019)
Cedrick Hardman American football player (1948–2019)
Kate Wilhelm American science fiction writer (1928–2018)
George Martin English record producer (1926–2016)
Sam Simon American television writer and producer (1955–2015)
Leo Bretholz Holocaust survivor
William Guarnere US Army soldier
Show 9 more — notable deaths on March 8
John O'Connell Irish politician (1927–2013)
Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin German publisher, convenor of the Munich Conference on Security Policy
Simin Daneshvar Iranian writer (1921-2012)
Hank Locklin American country music singer (1918–2009)
John Inman English actor (1935–2007)
John Vukovich American baseball player, coach, and manager (1947–2007)
César Lattes Brazilian physicist (1924–2005)
Aslan Maskhadov Chechen politician and military commander (1951-2005)
Muhammad Zaidan Founder and leader of the Palestinian Liberation Front (1948–2004)

Timeline

Every March 8 on record

  1. 1010 Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh.

    Persian poet (940–1025)

    Abolqasem Mansour bin Hassan Tusi (940–1025), better known by his pen name Ferdowsi, was a Persian poet and the author of Shahnameh, which is one of the world's longest epic poems created by a single poet, and the greatest epic of Persian-speaking countries. Ferdowsi is celebrated as one of the most influential figures of Persian literature and one of the greatest in the history of literature.

  2. 1126 Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.

    Queen of León, Castile, and Galicia from 1109 to 1126

    Urraca, called the Reckless (La Temeraria), was Queen of León, Castile and Galicia from 1109 until her death. She claimed the imperial title as suo jure Empress of All Spain and Empress of All Galicia. She is considered to be the first European queen to reign in her own right.

  3. 1262 Battle of Hausbergen between bourgeois militias and the army of the bishop of Strasbourg.

    1262 conflict to free the city of Strasbourg

    The Battle of Hausbergen was a historic military engagement that took place in the Alsace region of northeastern France on 8 March 1262. The battle marked the release of the 'burghers' (citizens) of Strasbourg from episcopal authority and gave the bourgeoisie control over politics and commerce. The battle occurred on the fields of Hausbergen, an area of countryside a few miles northwest of the city of Strasbourg.

  4. 1558 The city of Pori (Swedish: Björneborg) is founded by Duke John on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia.

    City in Satakunta, Finland

    Pori is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately 83,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 128,000.

  5. 1658 Treaty of Roskilde: After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars (1655–1661), Frederick III, the King of Denmark–Norway is forced to give up nearly half his territory to Sweden.

    1658 territorial settlement between Denmark–Norway and Sweden

    The Treaty of Roskilde was negotiated at the parsonage of Høje Taastrup Church and was concluded on 26 February (OS) or 8 March 1658 (NS) in the Danish city of Roskilde during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Karl X Gustav of Sweden. After a devastating defeat, Denmark–Norway was forced to give up a third of its territory to save the rest, the ceded lands comprising Blekinge, Bornholm, Bohuslän, Scania and Trøndelag, as well as Halland.

  6. 1702 Queen Anne, the younger sister of Mary II, becomes Queen regnant of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
  7. 1722 The Safavid Empire of Iran is defeated by an army from Afghanistan at the Battle of Gulnabad.
  8. 1736 Nader Shah, founder of the Afsharid dynasty, is crowned Shah of Iran.
  9. 1775 An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes "African Slavery in America", the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.
  10. 1782 Gnadenhutten massacre: Ninety-six Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, who had converted to Christianity, are killed by Pennsylvania militiamen in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indian tribes.
  11. 1801 War of the Second Coalition: At the Battle of Abukir, a British force under Sir Ralph Abercromby lands in Egypt with the aim of ending the French campaign in Egypt and Syria.
  12. 1844 King Oscar I ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
  13. 1844 The Althing, the parliament of Iceland, is reopened after 45 years of closure.
  14. 1868 Sakai incident: Japanese samurai kill 11 French sailors in the port of Sakai, Osaka.
  15. 1910 French aviatrix Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot's license.
Show 15 earlier entries from March 8
  1. 1916 World War I: A British force unsuccessfully attempts to relieve the siege of Kut (present-day Iraq) in the Battle of Dujaila.
  2. 1917 International Women's Day protests in Petrograd mark the beginning of the February Revolution (February 23 in the Julian calendar).
  3. 1917 The United States Senate votes to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule.
  4. 1921 Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato Iradier is assassinated while on his way home from the parliament building in Madrid.
  5. 1924 A mine disaster kills 172 coal miners near Castle Gate, Utah.
  6. 1936 Daytona Beach and Road Course holds its first oval stock car race.
  7. 1937 Spanish Civil War: The Battle of Guadalajara begins.
  8. 1942 World War II: The Dutch East Indies surrender Java to the Imperial Japanese Army.
  9. 1942 World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces capture Rangoon, Burma from the British.
  10. 1949 President of France Vincent Auriol and ex-Vietnamese emperor Bảo Đại sign the Élysée Accords, giving Vietnam greater independence from France and creating the State of Vietnam to oppose Viet Minh-led Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
  11. 1950 The iconic Volkswagen Type 2 "Bus" begins production.
  12. 1962 A Turkish Airlines Fokker F27 Friendship crashes into Mount Medetsiz in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey, killing all 11 people on board.
  13. 1963 The Ba'ath Party comes to power in Syria in a coup d'état.
  14. 1965 Vietnam War: US Marines arrive at Da Nang.
  15. 1965 Aeroflot Flight 513 crashes during takeoff from Kuybyshev Airport, killing 30 and injuring 9.

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