This Day In History : September 8

2016 United States

NASA launches Osiris-Rex probe

The OSIRIS-REx mission, launched by NASA on September 8, 2016, is a robotic spacecraft tasked with studying and retrieving a sample from the asteroid Bennu. Bennu is a carbon-rich asteroid believed to be a remnant from the early Solar System and is of particular interest to scientists studying the origins of life and the Solar System's formation.

Also on This Day in History September 8

Discover what happened on September 8 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, September 8

1903 Marthe Vogt

German-British pharmacologist who left Nazi Germany for Britain and became a leading authority on neurotransmitters in the brain.
1588 Marin Mersenne

French mathematician, natural philosopher and theologian who discovered Mersenne numbers, a pioneering effort to derive a formula that would represent all prime numbers.
1857 Ida Henrietta Hyde

Ida Henrietta Hyde was an American physiologist known for developing a micro-electrode powerful enough to stimulate tissue chemically or electronically, yet small enough to inject or remove tissue from a cell.
1848 Viktor Meyer

Viktor Meyer was a German chemist and significant contributor to both organic and inorganic chemistry.
1790 Canvass White

American civil engineer assisted Benjamin Wright in the construction of the Erie Canal from 1816.

Deaths on This Day, September 8

1989 Paul Alfred Weiss

Austrian-American biologist who researched nerve regeneration, wound healing and the mechanics of nerve development.
1981 Hideki Yukawa

Japanese physician and physicist who shared the 1949 Nobel Prize for Physics for “his prediction of the existence of mesons on the basis of theoretical work on nuclear forces.
1965 Joshua Lionel Cowen

American inventor of electric model trains who founded the Lionel Corporation (1901), which became the largest U.S. toy train manufacturer.
1920 Joseph Paxson Iddings

American geologist who advanced understanding in the field of petrology - the study of the origin, composition, structure, and alteration of rocks.
1761 Bernard Forest de Belidor

French military engineer and civil engineer who made early contributions to engineering mechanics.

1991

The Republic of Macedonia becomes independent

The Republic of Macedonia (now known as North Macedonia) became independent on September 8, 1991, following a referendum in which the majority of voters supported secession from the former Yugoslavia.

1961

Smoking and heart disease

In 1961, statistical evidence linking heavy smoking with heart disease was reported by the American Heart Association (AHA). This crucial finding was based on extensive research and epidemiological studies, highlighting the significant health risks associated with smoking and contributing to the growing awareness of its adverse effects on cardiovascular health.

1944

1st V-2 rockets land in London & Antwerp

The first V-2 rockets landed in London and Antwerp on September 8, 1944. These rockets, developed by Nazi Germany, were the world's first long-range guided ballistic missiles and represented a significant advancement in rocket technology during World War II.

1959

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) established

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) was established on September 8, 1959. Located in Thailand, AIT aims to promote technological change and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region through higher education, research, and outreach.