About the day » Monday May 8, 1939Calender converter

• Albertus Johannes Bernardus Henricus van Maasakker, 's Gravenhage († 2000)
• Elisabeth Gillesen, Bergen op Zoom, Noord-Brabant, Nederland († 1991)
• Jacob (Jaap) van Essen, Steenwijk († 1998)
• Imke Oosterhuis, Oostwold gemeente Oldambt Groningen († 2007)
• Gerard Adriaan de Borst, 's-Gravenhage († 2021)
• Harmanna Hollander, Odoorn, Drenthe, Nederland († 2000)
• Jacobus de Graaf, Leiden,Leiden,Zuid Holland,Nederland († 1956)
• Harmanna Hollander, Odoorn († 2000)
• Hendrikus Johannes Schreuder, Amersfoort, Gemeente Amersfoort, Utrecht, Nederland († 1940)
• Ina de Jong, Rotterdam († 2015)

• Catharina Anthonetta Bicker Caarten (69), Renkum
• Alida van Hilten (81), Utrecht
• Alida (Ali) Huijser. (36), Amsterdam
• Anna Maria Petronella Peters (76), Obbicht en Papenhoven, Born, Limburg, Netherlands
• Betty Jean Grotenhuis (18), Cedar Grove, Wisconsin
• Albert den Boer (44), Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Alice Oolman (43), Orange City, Sioux County, Iowa
• Anna Wesperbroek (74), Scharmer gem. Slochteren
• Anna Wesperbroek (74), Scharmer, Slochteren, Gr, Nederland
• Antonia Maria Kok (69), Bussum

• 1937 » Bernard Cleary, Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
• 1938 » Javed Burki, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
• 1938 » Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator († 2012)
• 1939 » Paul Drayton, American sprinter († 2010)
• 1940 » Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor, "Sesame Street"
• 1940 » Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice
• 1940 » James Blyth, Baron Blyth of Rowington, English businessman and academic
• 1940 » Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter († 2006)
• 1940 » Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor († 1985)
• 1940 » Toni Tennille, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player

• 1936 » Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (b. 1880)
• 1941 » Natalie, queen consort of Serbia (b. 1859)
• 1941 » Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (b. 1858)
• 1942 » Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1890)
• 1943 » Mordechai Anielewicz, Polish commander (b. 1919)
• 1944 » Themistoklis Diakidis, Greek high jumper (b. 1882)
• 1945 » Bernhard Rust, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1883)
• 1945 » Frank Bourne, British soldier, last survivor of the Battle of Rorke's Drift (b. 1854)
• 1945 » Josef Terboven, German lieutenant and politician (b. 1898)
• 1945 » Wilhelm Rediess, German SS officer (b. 1900)

• Koningin Wilhelmina (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1890 till 1948 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from June 24, 1937 to July 25, 1939 the cabinet Colijn IV, with Dr. H. Colijn (ARP) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from July 25, 1939 to August 10, 1939 the cabinet Colijn V, with Dr. H. Colijn (ARP) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from August 10, 1939 to September 3, 1940 the cabinet De Geer II, with Jonkheer mr. D.J. de Geer (CHU) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 8.7 million citizens.
• January 24 » The deadliest earthquake in Chilean history strikes Chillán, killing approximately 28,000 people.
• February 27 » United States labor law: The U.S. Supreme Court rules in NLRB v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp. that the National Labor Relations Board has no authority to force an employer to rehire workers who engage in sit-down strikes.
• March 15 » Germany occupies Czechoslovakia.
• July 4 » Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, informs a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth", then announces his retirement from major league baseball.
• October 6 » World War II: The Battle of Kock is the final combat of the September Campaign in Poland.
• December 27 » The 7.8 M_w  Erzincan earthquake shakes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). At least 32,700 people were killed.

The temperature on May 8, 1939 was between 7.2 °C and 14.0 °C and averaged 11.0 °C. The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the northeast.