May 8 is the 128th day of the year. There are 237 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Friday or Sunday (58 in 400 years each) than on Wednesday or Thursday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Monday or Saturday (56).
+ 1794 – Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror by revolutionists, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the Ferme générale, is tried, convicted and guillotined in one day in Paris.
+ 1846 – Mexican–American War: The Battle of Palo Alto: Zachary Taylor defeats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.
+ 1912 – Paramount Pictures is founded.
+ 1972 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
(Births )
+ 1884 – Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
+ 1926 – Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (d. 2017)
+ 1940 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1985)
+ 1940 – Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
+ 1959 – Ronnie Lott, American football player and sportscaster