About the day » Friday May 8, 1868Calender converter

• Aaltje Veerman, Volendam, Noord-Holland, Nederland
• Albertus Johannes Smits, Laren († 1941)
• Adriana Johanna Roest, Lekkerkerk, Zuid Holland, Nederland
• Adriana Bons, Bleskensgraaf (Molenlanden), Zuid-Holland, Nederland († 1927)
• Aaltje Pietersd Brugman, Westzaan († 1951)
• Adrianus Ringelberg, Zierikzee († 1947)
• Agatha Tersteeg, IJsselstein († 1919)
• Amalia Caroline Ida Maria van Cetto, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg († 1940)
• Aden Jones Wesley [Wk-sWks=3 PwkFwkMonAL], Kentucky († 1953)
• Aaltje Brugman, Westzaan, Noord-Holland, Nederland († 1951)

• Antonius Wilhelmus Reijnen (7), Echt, Lim, Nederland
• Annigje Hogendoorn (0), Wilnis, Utrecht, Nederland
• Bartholomeus Degen (58), Herveld, Gelderland, Netherlands
• Adriana Koren (0), 's-Heeraartsberg en Bergambacht
• (2) Pieter Ligthart (55), Lutjebroek, Noord-Holland, Nederland Nederland
• Albert Lamberts Jonker (42), Hollandscheveld
• * Levenloos kind Bos (0), Culemborg, Gelderland, NL
• Auguste Piette (27), La Reid, 4910, Liège, Belgique
• Adriana Bredenbeek (43), Weststellingwerf
• Anna Catharina Anthonia van Zuijlen (31), Delft, Zuid-Holland, Nederland

• 1850 » Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager († 1915)
• 1853 » Dan Brouthers, American baseball player and manager († 1932)
• 1856 » Pedro Lascuráin, Mexican politician, president for 45 minutes on February 13, 1913. († 1952)
• 1858 » Heinrich Berté, Slovak-Austrian composer († 1924)
• 1858 » J. Meade Falkner, English author and poet († 1932)
• 1859 » Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer († 1925)
• 1867 » Margarete Böhme, German novelist († 1939)
• 1879 » Wesley Coe, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor († 1926)
• 1884 » Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States († 1972)
• 1885 » Thomas B. Costain, Canadian journalist and author († 1965)

• 1828 » Mauro Giuliani, Italian guitarist, cellist, and composer (b. 1781)
• 1837 » Alexander Balashov, Russian general and politician, Russian Minister of Police (b. 1770)
• 1842 » Jules Dumont d'Urville, French admiral and explorer (b. 1790)
• 1853 » Jan Roothaan, Dutch priest, 21st Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1785)
• 1880 » Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (b. 1821)
• 1891 » Helena Blavatsky, Russian-English mystic and author (b. 1831)
• 1891 » John Robertson, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1816)
• 1893 » Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president, 1880–1884 (b. 1833)
• 1903 » Paul Gauguin, French painter and sculptor (b. 1848)
• 1907 » Edmund G. Ross, American soldier and politician, 13th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1826)

• Koning Willem III (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1849 till 1890 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• From June 1, 1866 till June 4, 1868 the Netherlands had a cabinet Van Zuijlen van Nijevelt - Heemskerk with the prime ministers Mr. J.P.J.A. graaf Van Zuijlen van Nijevelt (AR) and Mr. J. Heemskerk Azn. (conservatief).
• From June 4, 1868 till January 4, 1871 the Netherlands had a cabinet Van Bosse - Fock with the prime ministers Mr. P.P. van Bosse (liberaal) and Mr. C. Fock (liberaal).
• The Netherlands had about 3.6 million citizens.
• March 8 » Sakai incident: Japanese samurai kill 11 French sailors in the port of Sakai, Osaka.
• August 13 » The 8.5–9.0 M_w  Arica earthquake struck southern Peru with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), causing 25,000+ deaths and a destructive basin wide tsunami that affected Hawaii and New Zealand.
• August 18 » French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovers helium.
• November 27 » American Indian Wars: Battle of Washita River: United States Army Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer leads an attack on Cheyenne living on reservation land.
• November 30 » A statue of King Charles XII of Sweden is inaugurated in Stockholm's Kungsträdgården.
• December 11 » Paraguayan War: Brazilian troops defeat Paraguayan at the Battle of Avay.

The temperature on May 8, 1868 was about 22.7 °C. The air pressure was 1 kgf/m² and came mainly from the south-southeast. The airpressure was 76 cm mercury. The atmospheric humidity was 32%.