Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on February 8th?

Pope Leo VIII dies, ending the only reign by a layman in papal history.

Otto III becomes Holy Roman Emperor at the age of 16.

King Edward of England calls for a parliamentary assembly to discuss taxation and other issues.

King Edward II of England marries Isabella of France.

Birth of William of Ockham, a prominent philosopher and theologian known for Occam's Razor.

Treaty of Brétigny: A peace treaty ends the first phase of the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

Construction begins on the Holy Trinity Bridge in Paris, France.

Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed at Fotheringhay Castle, in Northamptonshire. After nineteen years in captivity, she was found guilty of plotting the assassination of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. More

The first recorded performance of Shakespeare's play "Henry VI, Part 1" takes place.

Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher and astronomer, is burned at the stake for heresy by the Roman Inquisition in Rome.

Peter I, also known as Peter the Great dies from bladder gangrene at he age of 52. He was a very controversial and absolute monarch that managed to expand and westernize Russia's culture and to establish it as a major European power and an empire. Peter the Great moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg. where it remained the capital of Russia until the communist revolution in 1918. More

The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia, streamlining administrative processes.

The British recapture Calcutta when Robert Clive led forces defeat Siraj-ud-daullah on the battlefield of Plassey. More

Japan launches a surprise attack against the Russian-held Port Arthur, along the coast of Manchuria, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. Russia faced many defeats as it battled Japan while also fighting a revolution on the home front. In September 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt negotiates peace between the two countries, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize. More

The U.S. Senate votes to confirm Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President of the United States under President Gerald Ford.