So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

August 8th


- Earliest day on which Melon Day can fall, while August 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday in August. (Turkmenistan)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Farmer’s Day or Nane Nane, Swahili for "8-8". (Tanzania)
- Father's Day or B? b? Day (???), B? B? is Mandarin for "father" and "8-8", or August 8. (Taiwan)
- Flag Day, namesday of Queen Silvia. (Sweden)

August 8th


- 2009 - Typhoon Morakot makes landfall in Taiwan, and almost the entire southern region of Taiwan is flooded by record-breaking rainfall.
- 2008 - opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
- 2007 - An EF2 tornado touches down in Kings County and Richmond County, New York State, the most powerful tornado in New York to date and the first in Brooklyn since 1889.
- 2000 - Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor and 30 years after its discovery by undersea explorer E. Lee Spence and 5 years after being filmed by a dive team funded by novelist Clive Cussler.
- 1991 - The Warsaw radio mast, at one time the tallest construction ever built, collapses.
- 1990 - Iraq occupies Kuwait and the state is annexed to Iraq. This would lead to the Gulf War shortly afterward.
- 1989 - Space Shuttle program: STS-28 Mission – Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission.
- 1988 - The "8888 Uprising" occurs in Burma.
- 1988 - The lights are turned on at Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last major league stadium to host night games. (The game, against the Philadelphia Phillies, is rained out after three-and-a-half innings.)
- 1980 - The Central Hotel Fire, Bundoran occurs in Ireland.
- 1976 - As part of the ABA-NBA merger agreement, a dispersal draft was conducted to assign teams for the players on the two ABA franchises which had folded.
- 1974 - Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his resignation, effective the next day.
- 1973 - U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew appears on television to denounce accusations he had taken kickbacks while governor of Maryland.
- 1973 - Kim Dae-Jung, a South Korean politician and later president of South Korea, is kidnapped.
- 1968 - Jur? Wada successfully performs Japan's first heart transplant.
- 1967 - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
- 1963 - Great Train Robbery: in England, a gang of 15 train robbers steal 2.6 million pounds in bank notes.
- 1960 - South Kasai secedes from the Congo.
- 1949 - Bhutan becomes independent.
- 1946 - First flight of the Convair B-36.
- 1945 - World War II: the Soviet Union declares war on Japan and begins the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation.
- 1945 - The United Nations Charter is signed by the United States, which becomes the third nation to join.
- 1942 - World War II: in Washington, DC, six German would-be saboteurs (Operation Pastorius) are executed.
- 1942 - The Quit India resolution is passed by the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee in Bombay, and Mahatma Gandhi gave the "Quit India speech" at Gowalia Tank, leading to the start of a civil disobedience movement across British India.
- 1940 - The "Aufbau Ost" directive is signed by Wilhelm Keitel.
- 1938 - The building of Mauthausen concentration camp begins.
- 1931 - Workers go on strike at the Hoover dam.
- 1929 - The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight.
- 1918 - World War I: the Battle of Amiens begins a string of almost continuous victories with a push through the German front lines (Hundred Days Offensive).
- 1913 - 1911 – Public Law 62-5 sets the number of representatives in the United States House of Representatives at 435. The law would come into effect in .
- 1911 - The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire.
- 1910 - The US Army installs the first tricycle landing gear on the Army's Wright Flyer.
- 1908 - Wilbur Wright makes his first flight at a racecourse at Le Mans, France. It is the Wright Brothers' first public flight.
- 1876 - Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph.
- 1870 - The Republic of Ploie?ti, a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania.
- 1863 - American Civil War: following his defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (which is refused upon receipt).
- 1844 - The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, headed by Brigham Young, is reaffirmed as the leading body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS or Mormon Church).
- 1839 - Beta Theta Pi is founded in Oxford, Ohio.
- 1794 - Joseph Whidbey and George Vancouver lead an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage near Juneau, Alaska.
- 1793 - The insurrection of Lyon occurs during the French Revolution.
- 1786 - Mont Blanc on the French – Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
- 1709 - Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrates the lifting power of hot air in an audience before the King of Portugal in Lisbon
- 1647 - The Irish Confederate Wars and Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Dungans Hill – English Parliamentary forces defeat Irish forces.
- 1605 - The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden.
- 1588 - Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines – The naval engagement ends, ending the Spanish Armada's attempt to invade England.
- 1585 - John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in search of the Northwest Passage.
- 1576 - The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on Hven.
- 1509 - The Emperor Krishnadeva Raya is crowned, marking the beginning of the regeneration of the Vijayanagara Empire.
- 1503 - King James IV of Scotland marries Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England at Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, Scotland.
- 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula.

August 8th


- 1995 - Malin Reitan, Norwegian singer
- 1989 - Sesil Karatantcheva, Bulgarian tennis player
- 1989 - Hannah Miley, British swimmer
- 1988 - Princess Beatrice of York , Princess of York and British princess
- 1988 - Danilo Gallinari, Italian basketball player
- 1987 - Pradeep Patil, Electrical Engineer
- 1987 - Katie Leung, Scottish actress
- 1987 - Pierre Boulanger, French actor
- 1986 - Pierre Garçon, American football player
- 1986 - Peyton List, American actress
- 1986 - Chris Pressley, American football player
- 1985 - Brett Ratliff, American football player
- 1985 - Brayan Ruiz, Costa Rican football player
- 1984 - Kirk Broadfoot, Scottish footballer
- 1984 - Martrez Milner, American football player
- 1984 - Devon McTavish, American footballer
- 1983 - Guy Burnet, British actor
- 1981 - Vanessa Amorosi, Australian singer and songwriter
- 1981 - Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player
- 1981 - Meagan Good, American actress
- 1981 - Kaori Iida, Japanese singer and actress
- 1981 - Bradley McIntosh, British pop singer
- 1981 - Harel Skaat, Israeli singer
- 1980 - Mike Hindert, American musician
- 1980 - Sabine Klaschka, German tennis player
- 1980 - Pat Noonan, American footballer
- 1980 - Michael Urie, American actor and director
- 1980 - Denisse Guerrero, Mexican Singer (Belanova)
- 1979 - Sam Totman, English musician (Dragonforce)
- 1979 - Dan Smith, English musician (Noisettes)
- 1979 - Richard Harwood, British cellist
- 1979 - Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson, Icelandic handball player
- 1979 - Paris Latsis, Greek shipping heir
- 1979 - Rashard Lewis, American basketball player
- 1978 - Alan Maybury, Irish footballer
- 1978 - Louis Saha, French footballer
- 1978 - Miho Shiraishi, Japanese actress
- 1978 - Louis Saha, French footballer
- 1978 - Countess Vaughn, American actress and singer
- 1977 - Kurt Bernard, Costa Rican footballer
- 1977 - Szilard Nemeth, Slovak footballer
- 1977 - Lindsay Sloane, American actress
- 1977 - Rocky Thompson, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 - Mohammad Wasim, Pakistani cricketer
- 1977 - Nicolas Vogondy, French cyclist
- 1976 - JC Chasez, American singer (*NSYNC)
- 1976 - Tawny Cypress, American actress
- 1976 - Drew Lachey, American singer
- 1976 - Seung-Yeop Lee, Korean baseball player
- 1976 - Jeff Simmons, American race car driver
- 1974 - Scott D'Amore, Canadian professional wrestler and manager
- 1974 - Brian Harvey, English singer
- 1974 - Andy Priaulx, British racing driver
- 1973 - Toby Allen, Australian singer (Human Nature)
- 1973 - Shane Lee, Australian cricketer
- 1973 - Senta Moses, American actress
- 1973 - Scott Stapp, American singer (Creed)
- 1972 - Joely Collins, Canadian actress
- 1972 - Andrea de Rossi, Italian rugby player and coach
- 1972 - Axel Merckx, Belgian bicycle racer
- 1972 - Lüpüs Thünder, American musician (The Bloodhound Gang)
- 1970 - Pascal Duquenne, Belgian actor
- 1970 - Trev Alberts, American football player
- 1969 - Faye Wong, Hong Kong singer and actress
- 1969 - Dick Togo, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1969 - Yvie Burnett, British television vocal coach
- 1968 - Abey Kuruvilla, Indian cricketer
- 1968 - Huey Morgan, American singer / guitarist (Fun Lovin' Criminals)
- 1967 - Eric Angle, American wrestler
- 1967 - Marcelo Balboa, American soccer player
- 1967 - Rena Mero, American wrestler
- 1967 - Jessica Moore, Italian actress
- 1967 - Lee Unkrich, American director and film editor
- 1966 - Chris Eubank, English boxer
- 1966 - John Hudek, American baseball player
- 1965 - Kate Langbroek, Australian media personality
- 1965 - Aaron Abeyta, American musician
- 1965 - Angus Fraser, England cricketer
- 1964 - Anastasia Ashman, American writer
- 1964 - Paul Taylor, England cricketer
- 1963 - Jon Turteltaub, American director
- 1963 - Stephen Walkom, Canadian ice hockey official and executive
- 1962 - Mike Zanier, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1962 - Kool Moe Dee, American rapper
- 1961 - The Edge, Irish guitarist (U2)
- 1961 - Daniel House, American music executive
- 1961 - Bruce Matthews, American football player
- 1961 - Rikki Rockett, American drummer (Poison)
- 1960 - Ulrich Maly, German politician
- 1958 - Deborah Norville, American television host
- 1956 - David Grant, English singer and vocal coach
- 1956 - Branscombe Richmond, American actor
- 1956 - Chris Foreman, English guitarist (Madness)
- 1956 - Cecilia Roth, Argentine actress
- 1955 - Diddú, Icelandic soprano and songwriter
- 1955 - Herbert Prohaska, Austrian footballer
- 1953 - Nigel Mansell, English race car driver
- 1953 - Don Most, American actor
- 1953 - Mark Lazarowicz, British Politician
- 1952 - Jostein Gaarder, Norwegian author
- 1952 - Robin Quivers, American radio personality
- 1952 - Sudhakar Rao, Indian cricketer
- 1952 - Anton Fig, South African Drummer (David Letterman Band, ex-Frehley's Comet)
- 1951 - Mamoru Oshii, Japanese film director
- 1951 - Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (d. 1994)
- 1951 - Phil Carlson, Australian cricketer
- 1950 - Ken Kutaragi, Founder of PlayStation
- 1950 - Willie Hall, American drummer
- 1949 - Keith Carradine, American actor
- 1949 - Ricardo Londoño, Colombian racing driver
- 1948 - Svetlana Savitskaya, Russian cosmonaut
- 1947 - José Cruz, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1947 - Ken Dryden, Canadian ice hockey player and parliamentarian
- 1947 - Larry Wilcox, American actor
- 1947 - Terangi Adam, Nauruan politician
- 1946 - James W. Lewis, American convicted extortionist
- 1944 - Brooke Bundy, American actress
- 1944 - John Holmes, American pornographic actor (d. 1988)
- 1944 - John Renbourn, English musician
- 1940 - Dennis Tito, American businessman and space tourist
- 1940 - Dilip Sardesai, Indian cricketer (d. 2007)
- 1939 - Alexander Watson, American ambassador and diplomat
- 1938 - Jacques Hétu, French Canadian composer
- 1938 - Connie Stevens, American singer and actress
- 1937 - Dustin Hoffman, American actor
- 1936 - Frank Howard, American baseball player
- 1936 - Keith Barron, English actor
- 1935 - Donald P. Bellisario, American television producer
- 1935 - John Laws, Australia radio personality
- 1933 - Joe Tex, American singer (d. 1982)
- 1933 - Serena Wilson, American belly dancer (d. 2007)
- 1932 - Luis García Meza Tejada, Bolivian dictator
- 1932 - Mel Tillis, American singer
- 1931 - Sir Roger Penrose, British physicist
- 1930 - Terry Nation, Welsh novelist and screenwriter (d. 1997)
- 1930 - Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball coach
- 1929 - Ronald Biggs, British criminal
- 1929 - Larisa Bogoraz, Soviet dissident (d. 2004)
- 1928 - Don Burrows, Australian musician
- 1927 - Johnny Temple, American baseball player (d. 1994)
- 1926 - Richard Anderson, American actor
- 1925 - Alija Izetbegovi?, Bosniak politician (d. 2003)
- 1922 - Rory Calhoun, American actor (d. 1999)
- 1922 - Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-born fashion designer (d. 1985)
- 1922 - Gertrude Himmelfarb, American historian
- 1921 - William Asher, American film producer
- 1921 - John Herbert Chapman, British physicist (d. 1979)
- 1921 - Webb Pierce, American singer (d. 1991)
- 1921 - Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, Indian medical scientist (d. 2001)
- 1921 - Esther Williams, American actress and swimmer
- 1920 - Leo Chiosso, Italian lyricist (d. 2006)
- 1920 - Carol Lambrino, son of Carol II of Romania and Zizi Lambrino (d. 2006)
- 1920 - Jimmy Witherspoon, American singer (d. 1997)
- 1919 - Dino De Laurentiis, Italian film producer
- 1915 - Jumbo Elliott, American track coach (d. 1981)
- 1911 - Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (d. 2002)
- 1910 - Sylvia Sidney, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1909 - Bill Voce, England cricketer (d. 1984)
- 1908 - Arthur Goldberg, U.S. Supreme Court justice (d. 1990)
- 1907 - Benny Carter, American musician (d. 2003)
- 1905 - André Jolivet, French composer (d. 1974)
- 1904 - Achille Varzi, Italian race car driver (d. 1948)
- 1902 - Paul Dirac, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
- 1901 - Ernest O. Lawrence, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
- 1898 - Alexis Minotis, Greek actor (d. 1990)
- 1896 - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, American author (d. 1953)
- 1892 - Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, Spanish footballer (d. 1922)
- 1891 - Adolf Busch, German violinist (d. 1952)
- 1889 - Jack Ryder, Australian cricketer (d. 1977)
- 1884 - Sara Teasdale, American poet (d. 1933)
- 1882 - Ladislas Starevich, Polish animator (d. 1965)
- 1881 - Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist, German field marshal (d. 1954)
- 1880 - Earle Page, Australian politician (d. 1961)
- 1879 - Bob Smith, American founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (d. 1950)
- 1879 - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican revolutionary (d. 1919)
- 1875 - Artur da Silva Bernardes, President of Brazil (d. 1955)
- 1857 - Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (d. 1944)
- 1839 - Nelson Miles, American general (d. 1925)
- 1824 - Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse), Tsarina of Russia (d. 1880)
- 1814 - Esther Morris, American jurist (d. 1902)
- 1807 - Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish novelist (d. 1892)
- 1720 - Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish politician (d. 1796)
- 1694 - Francis Hutcheson, Irish philosopher (d. 1746)
- 1693 - Laurent Belissen, French composer (d. 1762)
- 1673 - John Ker, Scottish spy (d. 1726)
- 1646 - Godfrey Kneller, German-born painter (d. 1723)
- 1605 - Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, British colonial Governor of Maryland (d. 1675)
- 1518 - Conrad Lycosthenes, French-born German humanist and encyclopedist (d. 1561)
- 1079 - Emperor Horikawa of Japan (d. 1107)