Summary of the Day ✨ 8 September (08/09)
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, passed away after 70 years on the throne, with her son Charles ascending as King Charles III, while a devastating 6.9 earthquake in Morocco killed nearly 3,000 people and damaged historic sites in Marrakesh. The 2023 Rugby World Cup kicked off in France with a host nation victory over New Zealand, as Turkey mourned a police station shooting that claimed four lives and Syrian forces announced a campaign to eliminate Islamic State from the Deir ez-Zor region.
Historical Events 📜
- 2025: Balçova police station shooting: 4 people, including the perpetrator are killed an attack on a police station in Turkey.
- 2023: A magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes Morocco, killing nearly 3,000 people and damaging historic sites in Marrakesh.
- 2023: The 2023 Rugby World Cup, the tenth men’s Rugby World Cup is held in France. The opening ceremony, directed and written by Jean Dujardin, Olivier Ferracci and Nora Matthey, took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, before the opening match between France and New Zealand, which saw the host nation winning 27 to 13.
- 2022: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her son Charles, Prince of Wales, ascends the throne upon her death as Charles III.
- 2017: Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announce the beginning of the Deir ez-Zor campaign, with the stated aim of eliminating the Islamic State (IS) from all areas north and east of the Euphrates.
- 2016: NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe visited 101955 Bennu and returned with samples in September 2023.
- 2005: Two Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft from EMERCOM land at a disaster aid staging area at Little Rock Air Force Base; the first time Russia has flown such a mission to North America.
- 2004: NASA’s uncrewed spacecraft Genesis crash-lands when its parachute fails to open.
- 2000: NASA launches Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-106 to resupply the International Space Station.
- 1994: USAir Flight 427, on approach to Pittsburgh International Airport, suddenly crashes in clear weather killing all 132 aboard, resulting in the most extensive aviation investigation in world history and altering manufacturing practices in the industry.
- 1989: Partnair Flight 394 dives into the North Sea, killing 55 people. The investigation showed that the tail of the plane vibrated loose in flight due to sub-standard connecting bolts that had been fraudulently sold as aircraft-grade.
- 1988: Yellowstone National Park is closed for the first time in U.S. history due to ongoing fires.
- 1986: Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, is indicted on charges of espionage by the Soviet Union.
- 1978: Black Friday, a massacre by soldiers against protesters in Tehran, results in 88 deaths, it marks the beginning of the end of the monarchy in Iran.
- 1975: Gays in the military: US Air Force Tech Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, appears in his Air Force uniform on the cover of Time magazine with the headline “I Am A Homosexual”. He is given a general discharge, later upgraded to honorable.
Famous Births 👶
- 2004: Lewis Hall, English footballer
- 2003: Nicolas Cantu, American actor and internet personality
- 2002: Gaten Matarazzo, American actor and singer
- 2001: Bill Mamadou, Singaporean footballer
- 2000: Zak Butters, Australian footballer
- 2000: Miles McBride, American basketball player
- 1999: Shubman Gill, Indian cricketer
- 1998: Matheus Leist, Brazilian race car driver
- 1997: Lars Nootbaar, American baseball player
- 1996: Tim Gajser, Slovenian motocross racer
- 1995: Ellie Black, Canadian gymnast
- 1994: Marco Benassi, Italian footballer
- 1994: Cameron Dallas, American internet personality
- 1994: Bruno Fernandes, Portuguese footballer
- 1994: Ćamila Mičijević, Croatian-Bosnian handball player
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2024: Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, Salvadoran police officer (born 1964)
- 2024: Ed Kranepool, American baseball player (born 1944)
- 2024: Henny Moan, Norwegian actress (born 1936)
- 2024: Zoot Money, English musician (born 1942)
- 2024: Peter Renaday, American voice actor (born 1935)
- 2024: Emi Shinohara, Japanese voice actress and singer (born 1963)
- 2022: Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms (born 1926)
- 2022: Gwyneth Powell, English actress (born 1946)
- 2021: Luis Villafuerte, Filipino politician, former congressman and governor of Camarines Sur (born 1935)
- 2019: S. Rajasekar, Indian cinematographer, film director, and actor (born 1957)
- 2018: Gennadi Gagulia, Prime Minister of Abkhazia (born 1948)
- 2018: Chelsi Smith, American singer and beauty pageant winner (born 1973)
- 2017: Pierre Bergé, French businessman (born 1930)
- 2017: Blake Heron, American actor (born 1982)
- 2017: Jerry Pournelle, American author and journalist (born 1933)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Christian Feast Day:
Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia (Roman Catholic Church) - Christian Feast Day:
Corbinian - Christian Feast Day:
Disibod - Christian Feast Day:
Nativity of Mary (Roman Catholic Church), (Anglo-Catholicism)
Monti Fest (Mangalorean Catholic) - Christian Feast Day:
Our Lady of Charity - Christian Feast Day:
Our Lady of Covadonga (national holiday in Asturias) - Christian Feast Day:
Our Lady of Good Health of Vailankanni - Christian Feast Day:
Pope Sergius I - Christian Feast Day:
September 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - Christian Feast Day:
Feast Day of Our Lady of Meritxell (national holiday in Andorra) - Accession Day (United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms) (during the reign of Charles III)
- Independence Day (North Macedonia)
- International Literacy Day (International)
- Martyrs’ Day (Afghanistan) (date may fall on September 9, follows a non-Gregorian calendar)
- National Day (Andorra), also the feast of Our Lady of Meritxell