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.

December 8th


- Afflux (Discordianism)
- Bodhi Day (Japan)
- CARICOM-Cuba Day, celebrate diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba.
- Christian Feast Day
- Constitution Day (Romania)
- Constitution Day, official holiday since 1992. (Uzbekistan)
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception (public holidays in several countries, a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States, the Philippines and Ireland)
Christmas on Campus (University of Dayton)
- Day of the National Army of Spain (Spain)
- Festa da Conceição da Praia, celebrating Yemanjá, Queen of the Ocean (Salvador, Bahia)
- Festival of Lights (Lyon)
- Mother's Day (Panama)
- National Students' Day (Bulgaria)

December 8th


- 1993 - The North American Free Trade Agreement is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton.
- 2009 - Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq kill 127 and injure 448.
- 2008 - Kirsty Williams is elected as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. She becomes the first female leader of a political party in Wales.
- 2005 - Ante Gotovina, a Croatian army general accused of war crimes, is captured in the Playa de las Américas, Tenerife by the Spanish police.
- 2004 - The Cuzco Declaration is signed in Cuzco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.
- 2004 - Darrell Lance Abbott, also known as "Diamond Darrell" "Dimebag Darrell", "Dimebag" or simply "Dime" was murdered onstage during a Damageplan performance at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. He was 38
- 2002 - The Caribbean Community Heads of Government meet with the Government of Cuba and declare the date to be "CARICOM-Cuba Day"—to celebrate diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba.
- 1998 - Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.
- 1998 - The Australian Cricket Board's cover-up of Shane Warne and Mark Waugh's involvement with bookmakers is revealed.
- 1991 - The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.
- 1991 - The Romanian Constitution is adopted in a referendum.
- 1987 - The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed.
- 1987 - Croat Frank Vitkovic shoots and kills eight people at the offices of the Australia Post in Melbourne, before being killed himself.
- 1987 - The Alianza Lima air disaster occurs.
- 1982 - In Suriname, several opponents of the military government are killed.
- 1980 - John Lennon, an English musician and peace activist, is assassinated by Mark David Chapman, a mentally unstable fan, in front of the Dakota apartment building in New York City.
- 1974 - A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.
- 1972 - United Airlines Flight 553 crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45.
- 1966 - The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.
- 1963 - Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by positive lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, United States, killing all 81 people on board.
- 1949 - The capital of the Republic of China is moved from Nanjing to Taipei, Taiwan.
- 1941 - The United States and the Republic of China declare war against Japan.
- 1941 - Japanese forces invade Thailand's southern peninsula. They face a heavy resistance, however, Plaek Phibunsongkhram ordered a ceasefire.
- 1907 - King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.
- 1854 - Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogma of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin.
- 1660 - Margaret Hughes becomes the first actress to appear on an English public stage, playing the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.
- 1432 - the first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund K?stutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the civil war in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

December 8th


- 1993 - AnnaSophia Robb, American actress and singer
- 1989 - Drew Doughty, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 - Susanne Riesch, German alpine skier
- 1986 - Amir Khan, English boxer
- 1986 - Kate Voegele, American musician
- 1985 - Meagan Duhamel, Canadian figure skater
- 1985 - Dwight Howard, American basketball player
- 1985 - Oleksiy Pecherov, American basketball player
- 1984 - Badr Hari, Dutch kickboxer
- 1984 - Nicki Minaj, American rapper
- 1984 - Greg Halford, English footballer
- 1983 - Neel Jani, Swiss racing driver
- 1983 - Liu Song, Chinese snooker player
- 1982 - Alfredo Aceves, American Baseball Player
- 1982 - Hamit Alt?ntop, Turkish footballer
- 1982 - Jang Ja-yeon, South Korean actress (d. 2009)
- 1982 - Noelle Pikus-Pace, American skeleton racer
- 1982 - Jimmy Rave, American wrestler
- 1982 - Dee Dee Trotter, American athlete
- 1981 - Jeremy Accardo, American baseball player
- 1981 - Philip Rivers, American football player
- 1979 - Daniel Fitzhenry, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1979 - Johan Forssell, Swedish politician
- 1979 - Raymond Lam, Hong Kong actor and singer
- 1979 - Ingrid Michaelson, American indie-pop singer-songwriter
- 1979 - José Peña Quevedo, Venezuelan track and field athlete
- 1979 - Christian Wilhelmsson, Swedish footballer
- 1978 - John Oster, Welsh footballer
- 1978 - Anwar Siraj, Ethiopian footballer
- 1978 - Ian Somerhalder, American actor
- 1978 - Vernon Wells, American baseball player
- 1978 - Park Kyung-lim, South Korean entertainer
- 1977 - Elsa Benítez, Mexican supermodel
- 1977 - Sébastien Chabal, French rugby union footballer
- 1977 - Ryan Newman, American racing driver
- 1976 - Naimee Coleman, Irish singer and songwriter
- 1976 - Reed Johnson, American baseball player
- 1976 - Dominic Monaghan, English actor
- 1976 - Joshua Butler, Celebrity Chef
- 1975 - Jerrelle Clark, American wrestler
- 1975 - Kevin Harvick, American racing driver
- 1974 - Nick Zinner, American guitarist (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
- 1974 - Cristian Castro, Mexican singer
- 1974 - Tony Simmons, American football player
- 1973 - Doron Bell Jr., Canadian actor
- 1973 - Corey Taylor, American singer (Slipknot, Stone Sour)
- 1972 - Marco Abreu, Angolan footballer
- 1972 - Frank Shamrock, American mixed martial artist
- 1969 - Steve Van Wormer, American actor
- 1968 - Michael Cole, American professional wrestling commentator
- 1968 - Mike Mussina, American baseball player
- 1967 - Jeff George, American football player
- 1967 - Kotono Mitsuishi, Japanese seiyu (voice actress)
- 1967 - Darren Sheridan, English footballer and manager
- 1967 - Andy Kapp, German curler
- 1966 - Sinéad O'Connor, Irish musician
- 1966 - Jeff Tremaine, American television and film director
- 1965 - Carina Lau, Hong Kong actress
- 1964 - James Blundell, Australian country singer
- 1964 - Sandy Burnett, English record producer
- 1964 - Teri Hatcher, American actress
- 1964 - Chigusa Nagayo, Japanese wrestler
- 1963 - Greg Howe, Americal guitarist
- 1963 - Toshiaki Kawada, Japanese wrestler
- 1962 - Marty Friedman, American guitarist
- 1961 - Ann Coulter, American political commentator
- 1961 - Mikey Robins, Australian comedian
- 1960 - Lim Guan Eng, Malaysian statesman
- 1959 - Stephen Jefferies, South African cricketer
- 1959 - Mark Steyn, Canadian writer and cultural critic
- 1958 - Bird McIntyre, Thai pop singer, musician
- 1957 - Phil Collen, English guitarist (Def Leppard)
- 1956 - Warren Cuccurullo, American musician
- 1956 - Andrew Edge English musician
- 1954 - Harold Hongju Koh, American lawyer and Obama Administration advisor
- 1954 - Gadowar Singh Sahota, Indian professional wrestler
- 1953 - Kim Basinger, American actress
- 1953 - Roy Firestone, American sports announcer
- 1953 - Norman Finkelstein, American professor
- 1953 - Sam Kinison, American comedian (d. 1992)
- 1952 - Khaw Boon Wan, Singapore Health Minister
- 1951 - Bill Bryson, American author
- 1951 - Jan Eggum, Norwegian singer and songwriter
- 1950 - Rick Baker, American film makeup artist
- 1950 - Tim Foli, American baseball player
- 1950 - Dan Hartman, American musician (Edgar Winter Group) (d. 1994)
- 1949 - Mary Gordon, American writer
- 1949 - Nancy Meyers, American film director, producer and screenwriter
- 1949 - Ray Shulman, English musician
- 1949 - Robert Sternberg, American psychologist and psychometrician
- 1948 - Luis Caffarelli, Argentine-born American mathematician
- 1947 - Gregg Allman, American musician
- 1947 - Thomas R. Cech, American chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1947 - Kati-Claudia Fofonoff, Finnish author
- 1947 - Gérard Blanc, French singer
- 1946 - John Rubinstein, American actor, composer, director
- 1946 - Sharmila Tagore, Indian Actress
- 1945 - John Banville, Irish novelist and journalist
- 1943 - Ken Johnson, American professional wrestling manager
- 1943 - Jim Morrison, American singer (The Doors) (d. 1971)
- 1943 - Bodo Tümmler, German middle-distance runner
- 1943 - Mary Woronov, American actress
- 1941 - Ed Brinkman, American baseball player
- 1941 - Bob Brown, American football player
- 1941 - Randall Cunningham, First Navy Vietnam Ace, American politician
- 1941 - Sir Geoff Hurst, English footballer
- 1940 - Brant Alyea, American baseball player
- 1939 - Red Berenson, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1939 - Jerry "The Iceman" Butler, American soul singer
- 1939 - Sir James Galway, Northern Irish flautist
- 1939 - Soko Richardson, American rhythm and blues drummer (d. 2004)
- 1937 - James MacArthur, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1937 - Arne Næss Jr., Norwegian mountain climber and businessman (d. 2004)
- 1936 - David Carradine, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1935 - Dharmendra, Indian actor
- 1935 - Tatiana Zatulovskaya, Israeli chess player
- 1933 - Flip Wilson, American comedian (d. 1998)
- 1931 - Bob Arum, American boxing promoter
- 1930 - Julian Critchley, British politician (d. 2000)
- 1930 - Maximilian Schell, Austrian-born Swiss actor and film director
- 1928 - Bill Hewitt, Canadian sportscaster (d. 1996)
- 1927 - Ferdie Pacheco, American boxing trainer
- 1927 - Vladimir Shatalov, Soviet cosmonaut
- 1925 - Sammy Davis Jr., American actor and singer (d. 1990)
- 1925 - Carmen Martín Gaite, Spanish author (d. 2000)
- 1925 - Jimmy Smith, American jazz organist (d. 2005)
- 1923 - Rudolph Pariser, Chinese-born American chemist
- 1922 - Lucian Freud, English painter
- 1922 - Jean Ritchie, American folk singer
- 1919 - Peter Tali Coleman, American politician (d. 1997)
- 1918 - Gérard Souzay, French baritone (d. 2004)
- 1916 - Richard Fleischer, American film director (d. 2006)
- 1915 - Ernest Lehman, American screenwriter (d. 2005)
- 1913 - Delmore Schwartz, American poet (d. 1966)
- 1911 - Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and lyricist (d. 1992)
- 1909 - Lesslie Newbigin, English theologian and bishop (d. 1998))
- 1909 - Gratien Gélinas, French-Canadian playwright and producer (d. 1999)
- 1908 - John A. Volpe, American politician (d. 1994)
- 1902 - Wifredo Lam, Cuban artist (d. 1982)
- 1900 - Sun Li-jen, Chinese general (d. 1990)
- 1899 - John Qualen, Canadian actor (d. 1987)
- 1894 - E.C. Segar, American cartoonist (Popeye) (d. 1938)
- 1894 - James Thurber, American humorist and cartoonist (d. 1961)
- 1890 - Bohuslav Martin?, Czech composer (d. 1959)
- 1886 - Diego Rivera, Mexican painter (d. 1957)
- 1874 - Ernst Moro, Austrian physician (d. 1951)
- 1865 - Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician (d. 1963)
- 1865 - Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer (d. 1957)
- 1864 - Camille Claudel, French graphic artist and sculptor (d. 1943)
- 1862 - Georges Feydeau, French playwright (d. 1921)
- 1861 - William C. Durant, American automobile executive (d. 1947)
- 1861 - Aristide Maillol, French sculptor (d. 1944)
- 1861 - Georges Méliès, French filmmaker (d. 1938)
- 1860 - Amanda McKittrick Ros, Irish novelist and poet (d. 1939)
- 1832 - Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian author and Nobel laureate (d. 1910)
- 1817 - Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish nobleman and politician (d. 1896)
- 1816 - August Belmont, Sr., Prussian-born American financier (d. 1890)
- 1815 - Adolph Menzel, German painter and graphic artist (d. 1905)
- 1795 - Peter Andreas Hansen, Danish astronomer (d. 1874)
- 1765 - Eli Whitney, American inventor (d. 1825)
- 1756 - Archduke Maximilian Franz of Austria (d. 1801)
- 1730 - Jan Ingenhousz, Dutch physician, physiologist and botanist (d. 1799)
- 1708 - Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1765)
- 1699 - Queen Maria Josepha of Poland (d. 1757)
- 1678 - Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole of Wolterton, English diplomat (d. 1757)
- 1626 - Queen Christina of Sweden (d. 1689)
- 1574 - Maria Anna of Bavaria, consort of Ferdinand II (d. 1616)
- 1542 - Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1587)
- -65 - Horace, Roman poet (d. 8 BC)