Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

May 8

1992
Infertility doctor, Cecil Jacobson, is sentenced to five years in prison for inseminating women with his sperm, and fooling others into believing they were pregnant.

1980
First disease eradicated by man: Existing only as laboratory specimens, smallpox is certified as obsolete. So far, it has been the only disease eradicated by man.

1978
Son of Sam: David Berkowitz pleads guilty to killing six people in New York. He claimed he was acting under orders of his neighbor's dog.

1963
Dr. No premiers in the U.S., first in the James Bond series, it starred Sean Connery as 007.

1945
VE (Victory in Europe) Day: British and Americans celebrate Germany's unconditional surrender the previous day.

1919
First transatlantic flight, by two Navy seaplanes, from New York arriving in Nova Scotia May 27.

1915
First filly to win the Kentucky Derby: J. Nutter rides Regret to win the 41st running of the Kentucky Derby.

1914
Mother's Day: It is established by Congress as the second Sunday in May.

1912
First airplane take-off from the deck of a moving ship, Lt. Samson from the HMS Hibernia.

1886
Coca-Cola: The soft drink is invented by John S. Pemberton. He called it "Esteemed Brain Tonic and Intellectual Beverage."

1794
U.S. Post Office is permanently established by Congress.

1541
Ferdinand de Soto discovers the Mississippi River.

1964
Melissa Gilbert, American actress. TV: Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls).

1955
Alex Van Halen, Dutch-born American drummer, Eddie's older brother. Music: Runnin' With the Devil (1976) and Jump (1984, #1).

1951
Philip Bailey, American singer, with Earth, Wind & Fire. Music: Shining Star (1975, #1, Grammy), Best of My Love (1977, #1), and After the Love has Gone (1979, #2, Grammy).

1943
Toni Tennille, American singer, with Captain and Tennille. Music: Love Will Keep Us Together (1975, #1) and Muskrat Love (1976).

1940     d. 1985
Rick Nelson (Eric Hilliard Nelson), American actor, singer, teen-idol. TV: The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (playing himself). Music: Poor Little Fool (1958, #1) and Hello Mary Lou (1961, #1).

1940     d. 2006
Peter Bradford Benchley, American author, journalist, Jaws (1974).

1926
Don Rickles, American comedian, famous for his insults. TV: C.P.O. Sharkey (title role) and Daddy Dearest (title role). Film: Toy Story (1995, voice of Mr. Potato Head).

1919     d. 1973
Lex Barker (Alexander Crichlow Barker), American actor. Film: played Tarzan in five of the movies between 1949 and 1953.

1915
John Archer (Ralph Bowman), American actor. Film: I Saw What You Did (1965).

1911
Rudolf Flesch, American author, Why Johnny Can't Read (1955).

1895     d. 1979
Fulton J. Sheen (Peter John Sheen), American Emmy-winning Catholic evangelist. TV: Life Is Worth Living. He was the first TV preacher of note. He won an Emmy as Most Outstanding TV Personality (1952).  Actor Martin Sheen took his stage name from him.

1884     d. 1972
Harry S. Truman, 33rd U.S. President (1945-53) and 34th U.S. Vice-President.

1829     d. 1869
Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American pianist, composer, first internationally recognized U.S. pianist.

1828     d. 1910
Jean Henri Dunant, Swiss philanthropist. He founded the International Red Cross (1864) and was co-winner of the first Nobel Peace Prize (1901).

1737     d. 1794
Edward Gibbon, English author. Writings: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

1994     b. 1928
George Peppard, American actor. Film: Pork Chop Hill (1959) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). TV: Banacek (title role), Doctors' Hospital and The A-Team (Hannibal Smith).

1992     b. ????
Nila Wacaser, American murderess. She killed her two sons in 1987, claiming the sleeping drug Halcion had caused her to do it. She committed suicide after being convicted of first-degree murder earlier in the day.

1988     b. 1907
Robert Anson Heinlein, American science fiction author, Stranger in a Strange Land (1961). He won an unprecedented four Hugo awards.

1984     b. 1889
Lila Bell Acheson Wallace, American publisher. She and her husband DeWitt founded Reader's Digest (1921). It obtained the largest magazine circulation in the world.

1967     b. 1911
LaVerne Andrews, American singer, with the Andrews sisters.

1915     b. 1831
Henry McNeal Turner, American Methodist clergyman. He was the first black chaplain commissioned in the U.S. Army (1863). (Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church)

1904     b. 1830
Eadweard James Muybridge (Edward James Muggeridge), English-born pioneer in motion photography. His photographic studies of animal motion laid the foundation for modern motion pictures.

1903     b. 1848
Paul Gauguin, French post-impressionist painter and sculpture, known for his broad flat tones, bold colors, and use of distortion.

1880     b. 1821
Gustave Flaubert, French author. Writings: Madame Bovary.

1794     b. 1743
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, French chemist, founder of modern chemistry. He identified air as containing two principle elements (1778), one of which he named "oxygen," established the law of conservation of matter (1782), and showed that respiration was essentially a slow combustion of organic material using inhaled oxygen.. He was guillotined by the Revolutionary Tribunal for his association with the farmers general.

1655     b. 1595
Edward Winslow, American colonist, Mayflower pilgrim. He was the first person married in New England (May, 1621), brought the first cattle to New England (1624), and was governor the Plymouth Colony (1633-34, 36-37, 44-45).

1079     b. 1030
Saint Stanislaus, Bishop of Krakow, and patron saint of Poland.

685     b. ????
Saint Benedict II, Italian religious leader, 81st Pope (684-685).

615     b. ????
Saint Boniface IV, religious leader, 67th Pope (608-615).

535     b. ????
John II (Mercury), Italian religious leader, 56th Pope (532-535). He was the first pope to change his name.

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