JUNE 8 | Birthdays and Events
Famous Birthdays
People born on June 8
Robert Morris
Died: December 12, 1882
Considered to be the first successful Black lawyer in the U.S.
Thomas J. Higgins
Died: August 15, 1917
Union Army recipient of the Medal of Honor for his valor during the Civil War.
Ida McKinley
Died: May 26, 1907
25th First Lady of the U.S. (President McKinley).
Frank Wright
Died: April 9, 1959
Architect considered the greatest architect of all time who designed the Price Tower and Fallingwater.
Robert Robinson Taylor
Died: December 13, 1942
The first Black student to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Gordon McLendon
Died: September 14, 1986
Radio broadcaster nicknamed the "Maverick of Radio" for perfecting the Top 40 radio format on air in the 1950s and 1960s.
Barbara Bush
Died: April 17, 2018
The 41st First Lady of the U.S. (George H. W. Bush).
Jerry Stiller
Died: May 11, 2020
Comedian who played Frank Costanza on Seinfeld and also the father of actor Ben Stiller.
Joan Rivers
Died: September 4, 2014
Comedian and television host.
Nancy Sinatra
Singer of These Boots Are Made for Walkin'.
Scott Adams
Died: January 13, 2026
Illustrator who created the Dilbert comic strip.
Historical Events on June 8
Events that occurred on June 8 throughout history
Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, is attacked.
Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, is attacked by the Paspahegh tribe a month after they settled in the area.
The first law regulating the practice of medicine is passed.
New York becomes the first state to pass a law regulating the practice of medicine. The Law required all prospective physicians and surgeons pass an examination before they received a license before practicing.
The thirteen American colonies declare their independence from Great Britain.
The Continental Congress formally debates whether the 13 colonies should become independent states. This action sets into motion the creation of the Declaration of Independence.
Ice cream is advertised commercially for the first time.
Commercially made ice cream is first advertised by a Mr. Hall in New York City. Before this, ice cream was only enjoyed privately.
James Madison introduces 12 proposed amendments to Constitution.
James Madison introduces 12 proposed amendments to Constitution that will become known as the Bill of Rights.
James Madison introduces a proposed Bill of Rights.
James Madison introduces a list of proposed amendments that would become the foundation of the Bill of Rights.
The U.S. Sanitary Commission is formed.
President Abraham Lincoln signed an executive order creating the U.S. Sanitary Commission. This civilian-led organization mobilized thousands of volunteers to improve camp hygiene, provide medical supplies, and nurse the sick and wounded during the American Civil War.
Congress endorses penny post card.
Congress endorses penny post car, authorizing the Post Office to begin printing and issuing pre-stamped government postal cards. The post card allowed people to send short messages, reducing the amount of standard letters being mailed.
President Theodore Roosevelt signs the Antiquities Act
President Roosevelt signs the Antiquities Act, authorizing the President of the U.S. to restrict the use of certain parcels of public land with historical or conservation value.
Discovery of element 93, neptunium, is announced.
Scientists Edwin McMillan and Philip Abelson publicly announced the discovery of neptunium (element 93. The element was the first synthetic transuranic element produced by bombarding uranium with neutrons using a cyclotron.
John Rudder becomes the first Black commissioned officer in Marines.
John Rudder becomes the first Black commissioned officer in Marines.
The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell) is published.
Secker & Warburg publishes George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, set in the totalitarian state of Oceania.
The first official missile mail lands in Jacksonville, Florida.
The first official "missile mail" lands Jacksonville, Florida, after the U.S. postal service and the defense department experiment with sending mail using a missile.
The American Heart Association campaigns against smoking.
The American Heart Association becomes the first agency to campaign against smoking.
U.S. troops are ordered to fight offensively in Vietnam for the first time.
U.S. troops are ordered to fight offensively in Vietnam, prompted by the realization that South Vietnam was losing the war to the Viet Cong.
NFL and AFL announce merger plans to form one league.
The NFL and AFL announce merger plans to form one league with two conferences (NFC and AFC) with 26 teams. The merger began in in 1970, putting professional football as one of the most successful televised sports.
James Earl Ray, alleged assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., is captured.
James Earl Ray, alleged assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., captured at London's Heathrow Airport. Ray was . attempting to board a flight to Brussels using a passport.