871day.year
Æthelred I and Alfred the Great lead a West Saxon army to repel an invasion by Danelaw Vikings.
In 871, King Æthelred I and his brother Alfred the Great mustered West Saxon forces to thwart a major Danelaw Viking invasion.
By the late ninth century, Viking forces had established footholds across the British Isles and regularly raided West Saxon territories. On January 8, 871, King Æthelred I joined his brother Alfred in leading Saxon levies to confront a large Danelaw Viking army. The two royal siblings coordinated tactics to exploit local terrain and supply lines. Their victory prevented the invaders from advancing further into Wessex. This battle demonstrated the emerging military prowess of Alfred, who would later earn the epithet the Great. The repelled invasion solidified the confidence of West Saxon forces and marked a turning point in the defense against Norse incursions.
871
Æthelred I
Alfred the Great
West Saxon
repel an invasion
Danelaw
Vikings
1746day.year
Second Jacobite rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Stirling.
During the Second Jacobite Rising of 1746, Charles Edward Stuart captured the strategic town of Stirling.
As part of the 1745–46 Jacobite campaign, Bonnie Prince Charlie's forces occupied Stirling on January 8, 1746. The town's capture boosted Jacobite morale by establishing a foothold in the Scottish Lowlands. Government troops under the Duke of Cumberland were compelled to divert resources to counter this bold move. Although the Jacobite army's advance would falter later that year, the Stirling occupation proved its capacity to challenge Hanoverian control. This episode remains a dramatic highlight of the uprising and a testament to its early successes.
1746
Second Jacobite rising
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Stirling
1806day.year
The Dutch Cape Colony in southern Africa becomes the British Cape Colony as a result of the Battle of Blaauwberg.
Following the 1806 Battle of Blaauwberg, British forces seized the Dutch Cape Colony, marking a key colonial transfer in southern Africa.
In January 1806, British troops defeated Dutch defenders at the Battle of Blaauwberg and assumed control of the Cape Colony. The takeover ended nearly two centuries of Dutch rule and integrated the territory into the British Empire. The Cape became a vital naval station and resupply port on the route to India. Under British administration, new policies shaped land tenure, immigration, and trade in the region. This colonial transfer laid groundwork for the eventual formation of modern South Africa and its complex colonial legacy.
1806
Dutch Cape Colony
Cape Colony
Battle of Blaauwberg
1811day.year
Charles Deslondes leads an unsuccessful slave revolt in the North American settlements of St. Charles and St. James, Louisiana.
In 1811, Charles Deslondes led the largest slave uprising in U.S. history along the plantations of St. Charles and St. James in Louisiana. Despite initial successes in capturing plantation materials, the revolt was quickly suppressed by colonial militias.
Tensions among enslaved people on Louisiana plantations culminated on January 8, 1811, when Charles Deslondes rallied hundreds of captives in a bid for freedom. They seized weapons, freed other enslaved people, and sought to march toward New Orleans. The uprising spread across the two parishes before local militias and settlers met them with superior force. Many rebels were captured, and Deslondes was executed, bringing a swift end to the insurrection. Although short-lived, the revolt sent shockwaves through the slaveholding South and foreshadowed the growing resistance that would eventually lead to emancipation.
1811
Charles Deslondes
an unsuccessful slave revolt
St. Charles
St. James, Louisiana
1815day.year
War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British.
The Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, saw Major General Andrew Jackson decisively defeat British forces, achieving a significant American victory in the War of 1812.
Fought after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, the Battle of New Orleans was the final major engagement of the War of 1812. Jackson assembled a diverse force of militia, free African Americans, Native Americans, and pirates to fortify positions along the Rodriguez Canal. On January 8, British troops launched an assault but suffered heavy casualties under American rifle and artillery fire. The triumph bolstered national pride and propelled Jackson to fame, setting the stage for his eventual presidency. Despite its timing after the peace treaty, the battle had a lasting impact on American identity and military lore.
1815
War of 1812
Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson
1863day.year
American Civil War: Second Battle of Springfield.
During the American Civil War on January 8, 1863, Union forces defended Springfield, Missouri, against a Confederate raid in the Second Battle of Springfield.
Led by Confederate cavalry commander John S. Marmaduke, the raid aimed to disrupt Union supply lines and recruit sympathizers in southwest Missouri. Union troops and local militia under Colonel Odon Guitar dug in around Springfield, anticipating the assault. The Confederates launched attacks on multiple fronts but met stiff resistance and lacked sufficient artillery support. By evening, Marmaduke withdrew his forces, having failed to capture the town. The skirmish reaffirmed Union control of a key Missouri stronghold and weakened Confederate morale in the Trans-Mississippi Theater.
1863
American Civil War
Second Battle of Springfield
1877day.year
Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle against the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory.
On January 8, 1877, Lakota leader Crazy Horse engaged U.S. Cavalry forces in his final battle at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory.
After months of evading capture following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse and his band sought winter refuge in the Bighorn Mountains. U.S. troops under Colonel Nelson A. Miles tracked them to Wolf Mountain, initiating a fierce engagement. Though the battle was tactically inconclusive, the harsh winter conditions and dwindling supplies forced Crazy Horse to surrender later that year. His capitulation effectively ended large-scale armed resistance by the Plains Indians against U.S. expansion in the Northern Great Plains.
1877
Crazy Horse
United States Cavalry
Wolf Mountain
Montana Territory
1933day.year
Anarchist insurrection of January 1933 breaks out in Barcelona, Spain.
An anarchist uprising erupts in Barcelona demanding radical social change.
On January 8, 1933, an anarchist insurrection erupts in Barcelona as militants seize key buildings and worker centers.
Inspired by libertarian socialist ideals, the uprising challenges the authority of the Spanish Republic.
Despite its bold start, the movement suffers from poor coordination and limited support beyond urban centers.
Government forces quickly suppress the revolt, arresting hundreds of participants and restoring order.
The failure weakens anarchist influence and contributes to deepening political tensions in pre-Civil War Spain.
The insurrection highlights the volatile mix of ideologies contending for power in 1930s Spain.
1933
Anarchist insurrection of January 1933
Barcelona
Spain
1945day.year
World War II: Philippine Commonwealth troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units enter the province of Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon and attack invading Japanese Imperial forces.
Philippine Commonwealth forces launch an offensive against Japanese troops in Ilocos Sur.
On January 8, 1945, units of the Philippine Commonwealth Army begin operations in Ilocos Sur province, Northern Luzon.
Troops advance against entrenched Japanese Imperial forces, marking a key phase in the liberation of the Philippines.
Supported by American air and naval bombardments, the Filipino soldiers push inland from the coast.
Fierce resistance and challenging terrain slow progress but highlight the determination of Commonwealth forces.
The offensive contributes to the broader Luzon campaign, aiming to recapture Manila and defeat Japanese occupation.
This battle demonstrates the growing capability and leadership of Filipino troops in World War II.
1945
Philippine Commonwealth
Japanese Imperial forces
1946day.year
Andrei Zhdanov, Chairman of the Finnish Allied Commission, submitted to the Finnish War Criminal Court an interrogation report by General Erich Buschenhagen, a German prisoner of war, on the contacts between Finnish and German military personnel before the Continuation War and a copy of Hitler's Barbarossa plan.
Soviet official Andrei Zhdanov delivers a report on Finnish–German contacts and Hitler’s Barbarossa plan to the Finnish War Criminal Court.
On January 8, 1946, Andrei Zhdanov, chairman of the Finnish Allied Commission, forwards a German POW interrogation report to the Finnish War Criminal Court.
The report by General Erich Buschenhagen details clandestine contacts between Finnish and German military officers before the Continuation War.
Alongside this testimony, Zhdanov provides a copy of Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa plan.
The documents aim to establish evidence of Finland’s wartime collaboration with Nazi Germany.
These submissions shape postwar legal proceedings and influence Finland’s political alignment in the early Cold War.
The case highlights the complex intersection of justice, politics, and historical accountability after World War II.
1946
Andrei Zhdanov
Finnish War Criminal Court
Erich Buschenhagen
Continuation War
Hitler
Barbarossa plan
1977day.year
Three bombs explode in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
A series of bombs detonates in Moscow, killing seven and attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
On January 8, 1977, three powerful explosions ripped through Moscow’s streets within 37 minutes, resulting in the deaths of seven individuals and injuries to dozens more. The coordinated attacks targeted crowded areas and public transport hubs, sending shockwaves through the Soviet capital. Authorities quickly blamed an underground Armenian separatist organization seeking greater autonomy from the USSR. The bombings intensified security measures across the city and led to numerous arrests and trials. Soviet media condemned the violence as an attempt to destabilize the state, heightening tensions between Moscow and minority populations. The incident remains one of the deadliest domestic terror attacks in Soviet history. It underscored the complexities of ethnic and political struggles within the USSR.
1977
Three bombs
Armenian
2010day.year
Gunmen from an offshoot of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attack a bus carrying the Togo national football team on its way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, killing three people and injuring another nine.
Gunmen attacked the Togo national football team’s bus en route to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, killing three and injuring nine.
On January 8, 2010, armed members of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda ambushed a bus carrying Togo’s national football team.
The assault occurred near the border between Cabinda and Republic of Congo.
Shots rang out, and the driver was killed as players and staff scrambled for cover.
Three people, including the assistant coach, died and nine others were wounded in the attack.
The incident led to Togo’s withdrawal from the Africa Cup of Nations and international condemnation.
It highlighted the ongoing conflict and instability in the Cabinda region.
2010
Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
attack a bus
Togo national football team
2010 Africa Cup of Nations