Births on May 8

Päivi Alafrantti, Finnish javelin thrower

Päivi Jaana Maarit Alafrantti (born 8 May 1964 in Tervola, Lapland) is a retired female javelin thrower from Finland.

6 Mar

Muhammad Ali
Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad officially gives boxing champion Cassius Clay the name Muhammad Ali.
26 Apr

Tanzania
Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania.
12 Jun

Nelson Mandela
Anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in South Africa.
12 Aug

Apartheid in South Africa
South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games due to the country's racist policies.
28 Nov

Lyndon B. Johnson
Vietnam War: National Security Council members agree to recommend that U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson adopt a plan for a two-stage escalation of bombing in North Vietnam.