December 8 in History
December 8 is the birthday of Billie Starkz (2004) and the anniversary of the death of Jill Jacobson (2024). Below are famous birthdays, deaths, events for December 8, plus editor's picks and genealogy records.
Ancestry
Holiday Sale: 65% off AncestryDNA. Offer ends 11/19. Terms apply.
Discover your ethnicity and find relatives with AncestryDNA.
Horace, Roman poet was born in 65 BC, while Drogo of Metz, illegitimate son of Charlemagne died in 855.
Ancestry
AncestryDNA® with Traits
Ethnicity estimate, DNA matches and personal traits.
Famous people born on December 8
Famous people who died on December 8
2015
Douglas Tompkins (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
Chilean-American businessman and environmentalist (1943–2015)
2015
John Trudell (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
Native American activist, author, and poet (1946–2015)
2012
Jerry Brown (gridiron football) (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American gridiron football player (1987–2012)
What happened on December 8
- 2025
Singapore, under the government's approval, published its now-declassified Albatross file, comprising information relating to the Proclamation of Singapore dating back six decades ago.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2024
Damascus falls to rebels after Syrian troops withdraw and president Bashar al-Assad leaves the country as his government collapses. Israel as a result invaded into the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2019
First confirmed case of COVID-19 in China.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2013
Riots break out in Singapore, after a fatal accident in Little India.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2013
Metallica performs a show in Antarctica, making them the first musical act to perform on all seven continents.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2010
With the second launch of the Falcon 9, and the first launch of the Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2010
The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km (50,200 mi).
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2009
Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq kill 127 people and injure 448 others.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2004
The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2004
Columbus nightclub shooting: Nathan Gale opens fire at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, killing former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell and three others before being shot dead by a police officer.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2001
A raid conducted by the Internal Security Department (ISD) of Singapore foils a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot to bomb foreign embassies in Singapore.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1998
Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1991
The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1988
A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany, killing five people and injuring 50 others.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1987
Cold War: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the White House.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab)
Births, deaths and events from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).
Editor's picks
Born on December 8
- 65 BC — Horace, Roman poet (died 8 BC)
- 1021 — Wang Anshi, Chinese economist and chancellor (died 1086)
- 1412 — Astorre II Manfredi, Italian lord (died 1468)
Died on December 8
- 855 — Drogo of Metz, illegitimate son of Charlemagne (born 801)
- 899 — Arnulf of Carinthia (born 850)
- 964 — Zhou the Elder, Chinese queen consort
Source: Wikipedia historical listings for December 8
Quick answers
Who was born on December 8? Billie Starkz (2004), Momoe Mori (2004), Sunghoon (singer, born 2002) (2002).
Who died on December 8? Jill Jacobson (2024), Clarke Reed (2024), Ryan O'Neal (2023).
Explore genealogy records
Researching someone born in December? Search birth records
Live genealogy events
This calendar is live and has its own date controls; it is separate from the December 8 historical article above.
Ancestry
Holiday Sale: 65% off AncestryDNA. Offer ends 11/19. Terms apply.
Discover your ethnicity and find relatives with AncestryDNA.
Ancestry
AncestryDNA® with Traits
Ethnicity estimate, DNA matches and personal traits.