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American history, reported as it happened
Made for the 250thOn this day › May 8
What happened on May 8 in American history
May 8 is the 128th day of the year (the 129th in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 13 stories from May 8 spanning 1541 to 2025. Among them: in 1541, De Soto and his men reach the Mississippi; no gold, no passage to China in sight; and in 1639, Coddington founds Newport; a new settlement opens on Aquidneck Island for those driven out by the Antinomian Controversy.
1541Member story · 1776 Club
De Soto and his men reach the Mississippi; no gold, no passage to China in sight
The Spanish expedition, pushing deep into uncharted North America, stands at the edge of a vast river with no map for what lies beyond.
1639
Coddington founds Newport; a new settlement opens on Aquidneck Island for those driven out by the Antinomian Controversy
The colony takes shape as Coddington plants a settlement built around the promise of religious freedom in Rhode Island.
1846
Taylor's army beats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande; a war is now underway
American troops hold their ground in the first major engagement of the border dispute, with the armies still in the field and the outcome of the wider conflict far from settled.
1877Member story · 1776 Club
Hunters and breeders open a dog show at Gilmore's Gardens; 1,200 animals fill the floor
The Westminster Kennel Club stages its first competition in New York City, with breeds of every kind on display.
1886Member story · 1776 Club
Atlanta pharmacist Pemberton mixes a carbonated syrup he hopes will turn his fortunes around
Struggling with debt and morphine addiction, John Stith Pemberton puts a new cola-flavored drink on sale at his pharmacy.
1942Member story · 1776 Club
U.S. and Japanese fleets trade blows in the Coral Sea; neither side ever sees the other
Carrier aircraft do all the fighting as Allied forces move to block a Japanese thrust into the South Pacific.
1945Member story · 1776 Club
Germany signs the instrument of surrender; the war in Europe is over
The remnants of Hitler's military machine lay down arms as Allied commanders accept the unconditional capitulation of all German forces.
1957Member story · 1776 Club
Diem arrives in Washington; South Vietnam's president seeks U.S. support without surrendering independence
The state visit tests how far America's main client in Southeast Asia can press his sponsors for aid while insisting his government stands on its own terms.
1972Member story · 1776 Club
Nixon orders North Vietnamese ports mined; supply lines to Hanoi now at risk
The move is meant to choke off weapons and goods reaching the North, but it carries the danger of drawing a harder response from Moscow or Beijing.
1976
Six Flags opens the world's first modern looping coaster; the Great American Revolution launches at Magic Mountain
The ride debuts in the park's Bicentennial summer, sending riders through a complete vertical loop for the first time on a modern steel coaster.
1980Member story · 1776 Club
WHO declares smallpox eradicated; the disease that killed half a billion people is gone
After decades of mass vaccination campaigns across dozens of countries, the world body certifies that no known case of smallpox remains anywhere on Earth.
1984Member story · 1776 Club
Soviet Union announces it will not send athletes to Los Angeles; fourteen nations are expected to follow
Moscow cites security concerns for its citizens on U.S. soil, but the timing echoes America's 1980 boycott of the Moscow Games.
2025Member story · 1776 Club
Cardinals elect Robert Prevost pope on the fourth ballot; he takes the name Leo XIV
133 electors convened in the Sistine Chapel after the death of Francis; Prevost is the new leader of more than a billion Catholics worldwide.