About the day » Wednesday May 8, 1940Calender converter

• Hein van der Post († 2000)
• Jay Sumner Haverstick, Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, Verenigde Staten († 2009)
• Levenloos Kind, Diepenveen, Overijssel, Nederland († 1940)
• Agatha Theresia van Konijnenburg, Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Nederland († 1945)
• Gerrit Schepers, Emmen, Nederland († 1948)
• Marijke Frijlink, Den Haag
• Geert ten Kate, Nieuwleusen {OV} († 1976)
• Hans van Breda, Berghem, 5351 († 2016)
• Freerktje Broekman, Emmen, Drenthe, Netherlands († 1940)
• Dick de BOCK, 's Gravenhage,Zuid Holland,Nederland († 2013)

• Bertie DAWSON (41), Offley, Hitchin, Hertfordshire
• Alida Blommaert (83), Heemstede
• Adriana Johanna den Rooijen (86), Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands
• Adriana Johanna den Rooijen (86), Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe
• Antoine Charles Sluyterman (69), Wassenaar
• Aukje Dirks VAN LOON (70), Leeuwarden
• Berendina Derksen (72), Zeist, Utrecht, Netherlands
• Anna Clara Simons (74), Eygelshoven
• Anna Theijssen (57), Maastricht (Maastricht) (Limburg)
• Aukje van LOON (70), Franeker

• 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
• 1941 » Bill Lockyer, American academic and politician, 30th Attorney General of California
• 1941 » James Traficant, American lawyer and politician († 2014)
• 1941 » John Fred, American singer-songwriter († 2005)

• 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)

1. Jan
2. Johannes
3. Cornelis
4. Hendrik
5. Willem
6. Gerrit
7. Pieter
8. Jacob
9. Robert
10. Adrianus
11. Petrus
12. Jacobus
13. Wilhelmus
14. Gerardus
15. Dirk
16. Arie

1. Maria
2. Johanna
3. Anna
4. Cornelia
5. Elisabeth
6. Wilhelmina
7. Hendrika
8. Adriana
9. Catharina
10. Petronella
11. Geertruida
12. Jacoba
13. Annie
14. Margaretha
15. Marie
16. Helena

• 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 August 10, 1939 to September 3, 1940 the cabinet De Geer II, with Jonkheer mr. D.J. de Geer (CHU) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from September 3, 1940 to July 27, 1941 the cabinet Gerbrandy I, with Prof. dr. P.S. Gerbrandy (ARP) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 8.8 million citizens.
• June 3 » Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland", an idea that had first been considered by 19th century journalist Theodor Herzl.
• August 20 » In Mexico City, exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky is fatally wounded with an ice axe by Ramón Mercader. He dies the next day.
• September 27 » World War II: The Tripartite Pact is signed in Berlin by Germany, Japan and Italy.
• October 28 » Second World War: Greece rejects Italy's ultimatum. Italy invades Greece through Albania a few hours later.
• November 18 » World War II: German leader Adolf Hitler and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano meet to discuss Benito Mussolini's disastrous Italian invasion of Greece.
• December 29 » World War II: In the Second Great Fire of London, the Luftwaffe fire-bombs London, England, killing almost 200 civilians.

The temperature on May 8, 1940 was between 7.7 °C and 14.6 °C and averaged 10.9 °C. There was 5.4 hours of sunshine (35%). The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the north-northeast.