February 8th is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 326 days remaining until the end of the year (327 in leap years). This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday (58 in 400 years each) than on Saturday or Sunday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Tuesday or Thursday (56).

Historical Events:

1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

1837 – Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate.

1910 – The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce.

1915 – D. W. Griffith’s controversial film The Birth of a Nation premieres in Los Angeles.

1960 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issues an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name Mountbatten-Windsor. 

Celebrity Births:

Composer John Williams turns 86

Actor Nick Nolte turns 77

Actress Mary Steenburgen turns 65

Surfer Bethany Hamilton turns 28

Actor Seth Green turns 44