1735 – SiR NATHANiEL DANCE-HOLLAND the English portrait painter and politician was born on the 8th day of May in 1735 (d. 1811) He was commissioned to paint actor David Garrick, King George III & his queen, plus Captain James Cook … 

1828 ~ JEAN HENRi DUNANAT the Founder of the Red Cross was born on the 8th day of May in 1828 (d. 1910).

1886 ~ COCA COLA was first sold as carbonated beverage on the 8th day of May in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton, as a patent medicine.

1911 ~ ROBERT JOHNSON the American blues musician was born on the 8th day of May in 1911 (d. 1938)

1920 ~ SAUL BASS the American graphic designer and filmmaker was born on the 8th day of May in 1920 (died in 1996 aged 75). Saul Bass is best known for his design of logos and film posters. He worked with Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese and many other great Hollywood filmmakers. Saul Bass designed some of the most iconic corporate logos in America and beyond, in their time, including Bell System, AT&T, General Foods, United Airlines, Avery International,Continental Airlines, Celanese, United Way, Rockwell International, Minolta, Girl Scouts of the USA, Lawry’s Foods,Quaker Oats, Kleenex, Frontier Airlines, Dixie, Warner Booksand Warner Communications and Fuller Paints. 

1912 ~ PARAMOUNT PiCTURES is founded on the 8th day of May in 1912.

1926 ~ DAViD ATTENBOROUGH the English naturalist was born on the 8th day of May in 1926.

1940 ~ RiCKY NELSON the American singer was born on the 8th day of May in 1940 (d. 1985)

1940 ~ TONi TENNiLLE the American singer from Captain & Tennille was born on the 8th day of May in 1940.

1944 ~ GARY GLiTTER the English singer was born on the 8th day of May in 1944.

1945 ~ ViCTORY iN EUROPE DAY begun on the 8th day of May in 1945.

1951 ~ PHiLiP BAiLEY the American singer from Earth, Wind & Fire was born on the 8th day of May in 1951. 

1953 ~ ALEX VAN HALEN the Dutch born American drummer from Van Halen was born on the 8th day of May in 1953.

1953 ~ BiLLY BURNETTE the American singer and guitarist from Fleetwood Mac was born on the 8th day of May in 1953.

1958 ~ KEViN McCLOUD the British designer, writer and television presenter best known for his work on GRAND DESiGNS, was born on the 8th day of May in 1958.

1964 ~ MELiSSA GiLBERT the American actress was born on the 8th day of May in 1964.  Melissa Gilbert is best known as Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the series Little House on the Prairie (1974–1984). 

1965 ~ DAVE O’NEiL the Melbourne made man and stand-up comedian, temporary TV type and radio ragamuffin, was born on this 8th day of May in 1965. Dave O’Neil can be seen in RiCKY The Movie (see movie trailer) directed by Liam Firmager

See Dave O’Neil and a well known celebrity cameo cast of many in RiCKY The Movie…

1972 ~ DARREN HAYES the UK-based Australian singer-songwriter and frontman of SAVAGE GARDEN was born on the 8th day of May in 1972.

1973 ~ Pablo Picasso the Spanish painter and sculptor died on the 8th May in 1973 (born 25th October 1881).

1978 ~ REiNHOLD MESSNER & PETER HABELER made the first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen on the 8th May in 1978.

2011 ~ LiONEL ROSE (MBE) the Australian bantamweight boxer died on the 8th May in 2011 aged 62. Lionel Rose was the 1st Indigenous Australian to win a world title. Lionel was born and raised in hardship at Jacksons Track and Warragul, where learned to box from his father, Roy. When he was 10 his teacher Ian Hawkins gave Lionel a pair of boxing gloves when he saw him shadow boxing. When he was about 15, he trained under Frank Oakes a Warragul trainer, whose daughter Jenny he later married). Lionel won the Australian amateur flyweight title at 15.

On the 26th February 1968 in Tokyo, Lionel Rose made history by becoming the 1st Aboriginal Australian to be a world champion boxer when he defeated Masahiko Harada aka Fighting Harada. See the whole fight on video: Lionel Rose vs Fighting Harada (Colour) 27 Feb 1968 Tokyo, Japan. This win made Lionel an instant national hero and icon in Australia, with more than 100,000 people coming to see him at a reception at Melbourne Town Hall. In 1969 Elvis Presley requested to see Lionel Rose. (see photo below)…

Lionel Rose started a singing career during his time off boxing, and had a nationwide hit in 1970 with I Thank You (1969) (written by Johnny Young). Lionel also recorded Please Remember Me (1970) and Good Old Country Song (1970). YouTube video: Lionel Rose singing I Thank You…

YouTube video: Lionel (2008) Lionel Rose Documentary…