History of 8 January
- 1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that authorized $1.5 billion in loans for the bail out of Chrysler Corp.
- 1989 – Crown Prince Akihito became the emperor of Japan following the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito.
- 1990 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public. The accelerated rate of “leaning” raised fears for the safety of its visitors.
- 1996 – Alvaro Arzu was elected president of Guatemala.
- 1996 – One of the biggest blizzards in U.S. history hit the eastern states. More than 100 deaths were later blamed on the severe weather.
- 1998 – Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky signed an affidavit denying that she had an affair with U.S. President Clinton.
- 1999 – U.S. President Clinton went on trial before the Senate. It was only the second time in U.S. history that an impeached president had gone to trial. Clinton was later acquitted of perjury and obstruction of justice charges.
- 2002 – Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates introduced a new device code named Mira. The device was tablet-like and was a cross between a handheld computer and a TV remote control.
- 2009 – Russia shut off all gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin publicly endorsed the move and urged greater international involvement in the energy dispute.
- 2012– A hot air balloon crashes near Carterton, New Zealand, killing all 11 people on board.
- 2015– Two gunmen commit mass murder at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, shooting twelve people execution style, and wounding eleven others.
- 2015 – A car bomb explodes outside a police college in the Yemeni capital Sana’a with at least 38 people reported dead and more than 63 injured.
- 2020– The 6.4M 2020 Guayanilla earthquake kills one and injures eight in southern Puerto Rico
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Alex Auld, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Marquis Daniels, American basketball player
- 1981 – Travis Friend, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1982 – Francisco Rodríguez, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1982 – Hannah Stockbauer, German swimmer
- 1982 – Ianina Zanazzi, Argentinian racing driver
- 1983 – Edwin Encarnación, Dominican baseball player
- 1983 – Natalie Gulbis, American golfer
- 1984 – Diego Balbinot, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Antonino Saviano, Italian footballer
- 1985 – Bănel Nicoliță, Romanian footballer and manager
- 1985 – Lewis Hamilton, English racing driver
- 1986 – Wayne Routledge, English footballer winger
- 1987 – Stefan Babović, Serbian footballer
- 1987 – Lyndsy Fonseca, American actress
- 1987 – Olga Panova, Russian tennis player
- 1987 – Jimmy Smith, English footballer
- 1987 – Davide Astori, Italian footballer (d. 2018)
- 1988 – Scott Pendlebury, Australian footballer
- 1988 – Lim Ju-eun, South Korean actress
- 1989 – Miles Addison, English footballer
- 1990 – Michael Sam, American football player
- 1990 – Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austrian ski jumper
- 1991 – Eden Hazard, Belgian footballer
- 1991 – Caster Semenya, South African sprinter
- 1992 – Tohu Harris, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1993 – Jan Oblak, Slovenian footballer
- 1997 – Ozzie Albies, Curaçaoan baseball player