May 8th Anniversaries

Santo Domingo.- The events of May 8th are marked by important historical events and international celebrations that left their mark on world history. Below are the main events of May 8th:

• World Donkey Day
• World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.
• World Ovarian Cancer Day.
• International Thalassemia Day.

Saint’s Day: Our Lady of Anguish. Saints Boniface, Beato, Renato, Pedro

National: May 8th Anniversaries

• 1804: Jean-Jacques Dessalines issues a proclamation to Dominicans to join his cause.
• 1880: Decree by Gregorio Luperón creates the first fire departments in several cities.
• 1916: Congress declares the mandate of Juan Isidro Jiménes Pereira headless.
• 1948: Archbishop Tomás Portes e Infante founds the Santo Tomás de Aquino Seminary.
• 1962: U.S. Ambassador denies intervention in Dominican elections.
• 1963: UN debates RD-Haiti conflict; accuses Duvalier and defends RD.
• 1964: Gladys Bello de Lachapelle denounces political persecution against her husband.
• 1965: U.S.A. reports that it has 42,412 military personnel on Dominican soil.
• 1967: Secret Service reports terrorist acts by Fragua and UCN against the government.
• 1981: El Nuevo Diario circulates for the first time under Juan Bolívar Díaz.
• 1994: Law of general salary increase of 20 and 30% is enacted.
• 2000: The Law 19-2000 of the Securities Market is enacted.
• 2005: Leonel Fernández accuses the previous government of a severe economic crisis.
• 2006: The “Civility Pact” is signed prior to municipal and legislative elections.
• 2007: Tornado in Dajabón causes injuries, destruction of homes and trees.
• 2018: Danilo Medina affirms that he will not participate in a new round of dialogue on Venezuela.
• 2019: Manuel Emilio Mesa Beltré (El Gringo) is sentenced to 30 years for drug trafficking.
• 2020: Covid-19 cases rise to 9,376 and deaths to 380.

International: May 8th Anniversaries

• 589: The Third Council of Toledo begins; Arianism is eliminated.
• 1527: Sebastián Caboto sights the Paraná River (Argentina).
• 1541: Hernando de Soto sights the Mississippi River.
• 1542: Hernando de Soto discovers the Mississippi River.
• 1627: Caboto discovers the Paraná.
• 1702: Holland declares war on France and Spain.
• 1704: Charles of Austria disembarks in Lisbon to dethrone Philip V.
• 1794: Chemist Antoine Lavoisier guillotined.
• 1826: Henry Clay orders the inclusion of the canal issue for Central America.
• 1842: 200 dead in a train accident in France.
• 1945: Germany surrenders in World War II.
• 1971: Mariner 8 mission to Mars fails.
• 1973: US and Sioux sign agreement for indigenous reservations.
• 1979: 23 dead in protest in El Salvador.
• 1980: US declares emergency in Florida due to Cuban immigrants.
• 1998: Miguel Ángel Rodríguez assumes the presidency of Costa Rica.
• 1999: PIP protests against the US Navy’s occupation of Vieques.
• 2006: Bush nominates Michael Hayden as director of the CIA.
• 2010: Laura Chinchilla assumes the presidency of Costa Rica.
• 2015: Guatemalan Vice President Roxana Baldetti resigns.
• 2018: Sun Zhengcai sentenced to life in prison for corruption in China.
• 2018: Carlos Alvarado assumes the presidency of Costa Rica.
• 2019: Michel Temer returns to prison for corruption.
• 2020: Racial bias in arrests for social distancing in NY is denounced.
• 2022: 40 dead in explosion at Hotel Saratoga, Havana.

Births: May 8th Anniversaries

• 1605: Marcela de San Félix, Spanish poet and nun, daughter of Lope de Vega.
• 1891: Pablo Teodoro Fels, Argentine airplane pilot, precursor and benefactor of Argentine Aeronautics.
• 1902: André Lwoff, French biologist and doctor of Russian-Polish origin, Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1965.
• 1916: João Havelange, Brazilian sports executive, politician and lawyer, president of FIFA.
• 1995: Jeonghwa, South Korean singer, from the band EXID.

Deaths: May 8th Anniversaries

• 685: Benedict II, Roman Pope.
• 1794: Chemist Antoine Lavoisier guillotined
• 2019: Sprent Dabwido, Nauruan politician, President of Nauru between 2011 and 2013.