Editing December 8 (section)

===1901–present===
*[[1907]] &ndash; [[Gustaf V|King Gustaf V of Sweden]] accedes to the [[Monarchy of Sweden|Swedish throne]].
*[[1912]] &ndash; Leaders of the [[German Empire]] hold an [[German Imperial War Council of 8 December 1912|Imperial War Council]] to discuss the possibility that war might break out.
*[[1914]] &ndash; [[World War I]]: A squadron of Britain's [[Royal Navy]] defeats the Imperial German [[East Asia Squadron]] in the [[Battle of the Falkland Islands]] in the South Atlantic.
*[[1922]] &ndash; Two days after coming into existence, the [[Irish Free State]] executes four leaders of the [[Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)|Irish Republican Army]]: [[Liam Mellows]], [[Rory O'Connor (Irish republican)|Rory O'Connor]], [[Joe McKelvey]] and [[Richard Barrett (Irish republican)|Dick Barrett]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Mac Donncha |first=Micheal |date=6 December 2022 |title=''The new Free State slays four Republicans in Mountjoy'' |url=https://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/28444 |work=An Phoblacht |location=Remembering the Past - Centenary of executions |access-date=6 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[1933]] &ndash; [[Anarchist insurrection of December 1933|Anarchist insurrection]] breaks out in [[Zaragoza]], [[Second Spanish Republic|Spain]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Casanova|first=Julián|author-link=Julián Casanova|year=2005|chapter=On the road to insurrection|title=Anarchism, the Republic and Civil War in Spain: 1931–1939|publisher=[[Routledge]]|translator-first1=Andrew|translator-last1=Dowling|translator-first2=Graham|translator-last2=Pollok|editor-first=Paul|editor-last=Preston|editor-link=Paul Preston|pp=74–75|isbn=0-415-32095-X}}</ref>
*[[1941]] &ndash; [[World War II]]: U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] declares [[December 7]] to be "[[Infamy Speech|a date which will live in infamy]]", after which [[United States declaration of war upon Japan|the U.S. declares war on Japan]].
*  1941   &ndash; World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invade [[Shanghai International Settlement]], [[Japanese invasion of Malaya|Malaya]], [[Japanese invasion of Thailand|Thailand]], [[Battle of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]], [[Philippines campaign (1941–1942)|the Philippines]], and [[Dutch East Indies campaign|the Dutch East Indies]]. (See [[December 7]] for the concurrent [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in the [[Western Hemisphere]].)
*[[1943]] &ndash; World War II: The German [[117th Jäger Division (Wehrmacht)|117th Jäger Division]] destroys the monastery of [[Mega Spilaio]] in Greece and executes 22 monks and visitors as part of [[reprisals]] that culminated a few days later with the [[Massacre of Kalavryta]].
*[[1953]] &ndash; U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] delivers his "[[Atoms for Peace]]" speech, which leads to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.
*[[1955]] &ndash; The [[Flag of Europe]] is adopted by [[Council of Europe]].
*[[1962]] &ndash; Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) [[1962–63 New York City newspaper strike|go on strike]] for 114 days.
*[[1963]] &ndash; [[Pan Am Flight 214]], a [[Boeing 707]], is struck by [[lightning]] and crashes near [[Elkton, Maryland]], killing all 81 people on board.
*[[1966]] &ndash; The Greek ship {{SS|Heraklion}} sinks in a storm in the [[Aegean Sea]], killing over 200.
*[[1969]] &ndash; [[Olympic Airways Flight 954]] strikes a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece, killing 90 people in the worst crash of a [[Douglas DC-6]] in history.
*[[1971]] &ndash; [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|Indo-Pakistani War]]: The [[Indian Navy]] [[Operation Python|launches an attack]] on [[West Pakistan]]'s port city of [[Karachi]].
*[[1972]] &ndash; [[United Airlines Flight 553]], a [[Boeing 737]], crashes after aborting its landing attempt at [[Chicago Midway International Airport]], killing 45. This is the first-ever loss of a Boeing 737.
*[[1974]] &ndash; A [[Greek republic referendum, 1974|plebiscite]] results in the abolition of [[Monarchy of Greece|monarchy in Greece]].
*[[1980]] &ndash; [[John Lennon]] is [[Murder of John Lennon|murdered]] by [[Mark David Chapman]] in front of [[The Dakota]] in [[New York City]].<ref name=badman2001>{{citation | last=Badman | first=Keith | title=The Beatles After the Breakup 1970–2000: A Day-by-Day Diary | publisher=Omnibus Press | year=2001 | page= 272 | isbn=978-0-7119-8307-6}}</ref> 
*[[1985]] &ndash; The [[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation]], the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia, is established.
*[[1987]] &ndash; [[Cold War]]: The [[Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty]] is signed by U.S. President [[Ronald Reagan]] and Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] in the [[White House]].
*  1987   &ndash; An Israeli army tank transporter kills four [[Palestinian refugee]]s and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the [[Erez Crossing]] on the [[Israel–Gaza barrier|Israel–Gaza Strip border]], which has been cited as one of the events which sparked the [[First Intifada]].
*[[1988]] &ndash; A [[United States Air Force]] [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II|A-10 Thunderbolt II]] [[1988 Remscheid A-10 crash|crashes]] into an apartment complex in [[Remscheid]], Germany, killing five people and injuring 50 others.
*[[1990]] &ndash; The [[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo spacecraft]] flies past Earth for the first time.
*[[1991]] &ndash; The leaders of Russia, [[Belarus]] and [[Ukraine]] sign an [[Belovezh Accords|agreement]] dissolving the [[Soviet Union]] and establishing the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]].
*[[1992]] &ndash; The [[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo spacecraft]] flies past Earth for the second time.
*[[1998]] &ndash; [[Tadjena massacre|Eighty-one people are killed]] by armed groups in [[Algeria]].
*[[2001]] &ndash; A raid conducted by the [[Internal Security Department (Singapore)|Internal Security Department (ISD) of Singapore]] foils a [[Jemaah Islamiyah|Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)]] [[Singapore embassies attack plot|plot to bomb foreign embassies in Singapore]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Six Things You Should Know About ISD's Operation Against JI in Singapore |url=http://www.mha.gov.sg/home-team-news/story/detail/six-things-you-should-know-about-isd-s-operation-against-ji-in-singapore/ |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=Ministry of Home Affairs |language=en}}</ref>
*[[2004]] &ndash; The [[Cusco Declaration]] is signed in [[Cusco]], [[Peru]], establishing the [[South American Community of Nations]].
*  2004   &ndash; [[Columbus nightclub shooting]]: Nathan Gale opens fire at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in [[Columbus, Ohio]], killing former [[Pantera]] guitarist [[Dimebag Darrell]] and three others before being shot dead by a police officer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|last=Wilkinson|first=Peter|date=2004-12-30|title=Behind the Murder of 'Dimebag' Darrell|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/behind-the-murder-of-dimebag-darrell-233541/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310023452/https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/behind-the-murder-of-dimebag-darrell-233541/|archive-date=2021-03-10|access-date=2021-07-04|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> 
*[[2009]] &ndash; [[December 2009 Baghdad bombings|Bombings]] in [[Baghdad|Baghdad, Iraq]] kill 127 people and injure 448 others.
*[[2010]] &ndash; With the [[COTS Demo Flight 1|second launch]] of the [[Falcon 9]], and the first launch of the [[SpaceX Dragon 1|Dragon]], [[SpaceX]] becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a [[spacecraft]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/08/space.flight/index.html |title=A space-age first: A commercial craft returns from low-Earth orbit |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=8 December 2010}}</ref>
*  2010   &ndash; The Japanese [[solar-sail]] spacecraft [[IKAROS]] passes the planet [[Venus]] at a distance of about {{cvt|80,800|km}}.
*[[2013]] &ndash; [[2013 Little India riot|Riots break out]] in [[Singapore]], after a fatal accident in [[Little India, Singapore|Little India]].
*  2013   &ndash; [[Metallica]] performs a show in [[Antarctica]], making them the first musical act to perform on all seven continents.
*[[2019]] &ndash; First confirmed case of [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]] in China.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WHO {{!}} Novel Coronavirus – China|url=http://www.who.int/csr/don/12-january-2020-novel-coronavirus-china/en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114185815/https://www.who.int/csr/don/12-january-2020-novel-coronavirus-china/en/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 14, 2020|access-date=2020-12-01|website=WHO}}</ref>
*[[2024]] &ndash; [[Fall of Damascus (2024)|Damascus falls]] to rebels after Syrian troops withdraw and president [[Bashar al-Assad]] leaves the country as [[Fall of the Assad regime|his government collapses]]. Israel as a result [[2024 Israeli invasion of Syria|invaded]] into the [[buffer zone]] between Syria and the Israeli-occupied [[Golan Heights]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Al-Khalidi |first=Suleiman |last2=Azhari |first2=Timour |date=8 December 2024 |title=Syrian rebels topple President Assad, difficult times lie ahead |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-rebels-celebrate-captured-homs-set-sights-damascus-2024-12-07/ |access-date=8 December 2024 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Israel seizes Golan buffer zone after Syrian troops leave posts |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77jrrxxn07o |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>