May 8

 Holidays and Observances
(Alphabetical Order)

2026 Daily Holidays that fall on May 8, include:

• Child Care Provider Day - May 8, 2026 (Friday before Mother's Day)
• Emancipation Day - (Columbus, Mississippi) 
• Fintastic Friday: Giving Sharks a Voice - May 8, 2026 (Second Friday in May)
• Free Trade Day 
• Iris Day 
• Military Spouse Appreciation Day - May 8, 2026 (Friday before Mother's Day)
• National Coconut Cream Pie Day
• National Empanada Day
• National Give Someone a Cupcake Day 
• National Have a Coke Day 
• National Provider Appreciation Day - May 8, 2026 (Friday before Mother's Day)
• National Public Gardens Day - May 8, 2026 (Friday before Mother's Day)
• National Student Nurses Day 
• No Socks Day 
• Truman Day - May 8, 2026 (On or around May 8)
  
• V-E Day 
• White Lotus Day
• World Donkey Day
• World Ovarian Cancer Day 
• World Red Cross Day

2026 Weekly Holidays that include May 8, are:

• Info. to Come!

2026 Monthly Holidays that include May 8, are:

There are too many monthly holidays to include here, so please check out our May Holidays page to see all of the holidays that are celebrated the entire month of May.

NOTE:

1. A page on each holiday will be coming soon and linked above.
2. If a date is a movable holiday, that is different every year, I'll include the year as well as the date rule above. Otherwise, the holiday falls on the same date each year.

Astrological Sign

The Astrological Sign for May 8 is Taurus.

Birth Flower of the Month

The Birth Flower(s) for the Month for May are:

• The Lily of the Valley - Humility, Chastity and Sweetness - signifies a return to happiness
• Hawthorn

Birthstone

The Birthstone(s) for May is the Emerald which is a symbol of rebirth and is believed to grant the owner foresight, good fortune, and youth.

Famous Birthdays

• 1884 - Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States from 1945-1953 (d.1972)
• 1926 - Don Rickles, American comedian and actor (Don Rickles Show)
• 1935 - Princess Elisabeth of Denmark
• 1940 - Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (Jaws, The Deep) (d. 2006)
• 1940 - Ricky Nelson, American singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor (Garden Party) (d. 1985)
• 1940 - Toni Tennille, American singer, songwriter (Captain & Tennille)
• 1964 - Melissa Gilbert, American actress and director (Little House on the Prairie)
• 1972 - Darren Hayes, Australian singer, songwriter (Savage Garden)
• 1975 - Enrique Iglesias, Spanish singer, songwriter, producer, actor (Hero)

Famous Deaths

• 1967 - LaVerne Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters (b. 1911) (See our January 2 page for their "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" song)
• 1994 - George Peppard, American actor and producer (The A-Team) (b. 1928)
• 1999 - Dana Plato, American actress (Different Strokes) (b. 1964)

Famous Weddings and Divorces

• 1783 - Betsy Ross, the seamstress for the first American flag marries John Claypoole
• 1967 - Actress Ann-Margaret marries actor and screenwriter Roger Smith
• 1978 - Singer Donny Osmond marries Debra Glenn
• 1981 - Author John Grisham marries Renee Jones

Quote of the Day

Healthy Diet Habit Tip of the Day 
or a Recipe of the Day

The month of May is Gifts From the Garden Month. Our Healthy Diet Habit Tip of the Day for May 8th, is to look at the Vegetable Guidelines that are recommended for a Healthy Diet, and some tips from Kerry of Healthy Diet Habits on how to meet the Vegetable Guidelines daily and enjoy eating healthy! (link goes to her website)

Season

May 8th falls within the Spring Season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Spring is one of the four seasons. It follows the Winter Season, and is before the Summer Season. The weather warms up from the dreary cold, rainy and snowy weather, and you can spend more time outside.

The land comes alive in Spring, with grass turning green and early flowers like daffodils, tulips and California poppy's and other wildflowers bringing beauty back into your life!

Check out our Spring Season page for information about Spring, Spring Dates, Major Spring Holidays and Observances, Major Spring Festivals, Fun Facts About Spring, Spring Food Tips, Spring Gardening, Spring Preparation, Spring Quotes, and Spring Weather Information.

Kerry has put together some great information and tips on Spring foods: 

• Spring Weight Loss Tips

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, this day falls in the Fall Season. 

• Fall Cooking

• Fall Foods

• Fall Snacks

• Fall Weight Loss Tips

This Day in History

• 1877 - The 1st Westminster Dog Show is held at Gilmore's Gardens in New York City
• 1886 - Pharmacist John Pemberton sells Coca-Cola for the 1st time as a patent medicine. The first coke recipe contained cocaine.
• 1901 - The Australian Labour Party is is formed
• 1902 - On Martinique, an island in the Caribbean Sea, Mount Pelee erups and destroys the town of Saint Pierre and kills over 30,000 people
• 1912 - Parmount Pictures is founded
• 1942 - U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington is attacked and sunk by the Japanese Imperial Navy
• 1945 - V-E Day - World War II ends in Europe with Germany signing an unconditional surrender
• 1952 - Mad Magazine debuts
• 1976 - The first steel roller coaster with a vertical loop, called the Revolution opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, CA
• 2021 - In Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, a car bomb explodes in front of a school killing 55 people and wounding over 150 people

This Day in Music

• 1969 - 'Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In' from the 5th Dimension hits #1
• 1970 - The Beatles release their 'Let It Be' album
• 1988 - 'Anything For You' from Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine hits #1
• 1993 - Aerosmith's 'Get a Grip' album debuts at #1 and goes on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide. Aerosmith wins two Grammy awards for the album
• 1999 - 'Livin La Vida Loca' by Ricky Martin hits #1 and stays on top for 5 weeks

Happy Birthday, Enrique Iglesias - with his song, Hero above, featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt!

This Day in Sports

• 1898 - The first games of the Italian football league are played
• 1946 - Johnny Pesky, of the Red Sox scores 6 runs in 1 game
• 1984 - USSR announces that it will boycott eh 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
• 1994 - The first all female pro baseball team, the Colorado Silver Bullets play their 1st game

Word of the Day from Wiktionary

Wishing You a Great Day Today!