On This Day December 8th

  OTD

December 8th is the 342nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 23 days remain until the end of the year.

 

 Events

1660 – A woman (Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.

1854 – In his Apostolic constitution, Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived free of Original Sin.

1922 – Two days after coming into existence, the Irish Free State executes four leaders of the Irish Republican Army.

1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 7 "a date which will live in infamy," after which the U.S. declared war on Japan.

1953 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his "Atoms for Peace" speech, leading to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions worldwide.

1980 – Mark David Chapman murders John Lennon in front of The Dakota in New York City.

2013 – Metallica performs a show in Antarctica, making them the first band to perform on all seven continents.

 

Birthdays

65 BC – Horace, Roman poet (d. 8 BC)

1765 – Eli Whitney, an American engineer, invented the cotton gin (d. 1825)

1886 – Diego Rivera, Mexican painter, and educator (d. 1957)

1894 – E. C. Segar, American cartoonist, created Popeye (d. 1938)

1925 – Sammy Davis, Jr., American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1990)

1932 – Claus Luthe, German automotive designer (d. 2008)

1939 – James Galway, Irish flute player

1947 – Gregg Allman, American musician (d. 2017)

1950 – Rick Baker, American actor, and makeup artist

1961 – Ann Coulter, American political commentator and author

1994 – Raheem Sterling, English footballer


Holiday Spotlight

Bodhi Day is observed to mark the moment that took place 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha or ‘awakened one.’ The story goes that, rejecting the luxurious lifestyle of a prince, Siddharta left the comforts of the palace at the age of 29 and went on a journey of deep introspection to seek meaning in life.

He meditated in Bodh Gaya, a town in northeastern India, under a Peepal tree (a species of Banyan fig), now famously known as the Bodhi Tree, and resolved to continue meditating until he achieved ‘bodhi’ (‘enlightenment’). He attained bodhi at age 35, after 49 days of continuous meditation. He was now able to see how everyone and everything was connected. He, therefore, reached a state of enlightenment that would lead him to create the Four Noble Truths: Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), Samudaya (arising), Nirodha (cessation), and Magga (path) in which the Eightfold Path is set out.

Buddhists commemorate this day by meditating, studying the ‘dharma’ (‘universal truth or law’), chanting sutras (Buddhist texts), and performing kind acts towards other beings. Some people mark the day in a more traditional sense by cooking a meal of tea and cakes. Bodhi tree plantings are held throughout the month. Tea ceremonies usually accompany them, while incense and multi-colored lights are displayed during the following month in the capital city of Tokyo and in towns and villages across the country.

 

Other Include

Bodhi Day

Christmas Jumper Day

Constitution Day of Uzbekistan

Feast of the Immaculate Conception - (Catholic)

Mother’s Day in Panama

National Chocolate Brownie Day

National Christmas Tree Day

National Lard Day

National Salesperson Day

Santa Marian Kamalen Day

Official Lost & Found Day

Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day

Please take it in the Ear Day

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