Today in History
May 8
1541 Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto discovers the Mississippi River.
1794 Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, is executed on the guillotine during France’s Reign of Terror.
1886 The first Coca-Cola is sold at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, US.
1895 Japan surrenders Liao Tung Peninsula and Port Arthur to China.
1897 Greece asks major powers to intervene in its war with the Turks.
1902 Mount Pelee on the French West Indian island of Martinique erupts, wiping out city of St Pierre and killing all but two of its 30,000 residents.
1921 Sweden abolishes capital punishment.
1980 World Health Organisation announces that smallpox has been eradicated.
1984 Queen Elizabeth II opens the Thames Flood Barrier.
1990 Estonia declares itself a republic and drops the words ‘Soviet Socialist’ from its name.
1991 CIA director William H. Webster resigns.
1994 Erling Kagge becomes the first person to complete the Three Poles Challenge.
1995 Sharjah issues a decree to establish the biggest airport free zone facility.
1999 Nato mistakenly bombs Chinese embassy in Belgrade for a Yugoslav government office.
2000 British troops arrive in Freetown to evacuate foreign nationals from troubled Sierra Leone.
2002 A powerful car bomb set off by a suicide bomber outside the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi, kills 14 people.
2005 McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen wins the Spanish Grand Prix championship.
2006 South African court acquits former Deputy President Jacob Zuma on rape charge.
2007 Protestant leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein deputy leader Martin McGuinness are elected to the top posts of the new power-sharing government for Northern Ireland.
2009 The Dubai Mall is officially opened.
2010 Pakistan successfully test-fires two ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
2012 British Claire Lomas becomes the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic ReWalk suit, she crossed the finish line of the London Marathon after 16 days.
2013 Sir Alex Ferguson announces shock retirement from his job as Manchester United manager.
2015 A Pakistani military helicopter crashes, killing six people including the Norwegian and Philippine envoys.
2016 A prominent Pakistani rights and anti-militant activist Khurram Zaki is shot dead.
2017 Dh12 billion plan to develop the southern part of Yas Island by Miral is launched in Abu Dhabi.
HIGHLIGHT
1993
Lewis beats Tucker to retain WBC title
Briton Lennox Lewis knocked down American Tony Tucker twice and went on to a unanimous 12-round points decision to retain his World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title. Lewis landed a right hand to the head at about two minutes of the third round to knock Tucker down. Tucker got up quickly but Lewis greeted him with another right and landed yet another hard right hand to the head at the bell. Lewis knocked down Tucker again 12 seconds into the ninth round with a right hand to the head. Tucker, 33, got up and took a standing eight count. Lewis, 27, left Tucker wobbly at the end of the eighth round after a hard right cross to the head up against the ropes. Tucker seemed glassy-eyed and his legs were like rubber. That softened Tucker up for the knockdown at the beginning of the ninth round. The crowd of about 15,000 booed the fighters several times in reaction to their both playing cat and mouse on occasion in the fight. Lewis earned $9 million (Dh33 million) to about $1.5 million for Tucker.
