EST. DECEMBER 1994 β’ 30+ YEARS ONLINE
yow.com π―
Owned continuously since 1994
TODAY IN HISTORY
May 8
Friday, May 8, 2026
Day 127 of 2026 | Week 19 | 232 days until Christmas π
HISTORIC EVENTS
The 2025 papal conclave elects Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, taking the name Leo XIV as the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church.
A car bomb explodes in front of a school in Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan killing at least 55 people and wounding over 150.
British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage therapy to treat a drug-resistant infection.
China Southern Airlines Flight 3456 crashes on approach into Bao'an International Airport, killing 35 people.
A fire at Illinois Bell's Hinsdale Central Office triggers an extended 1AESS network outage once considered to be the "worst telecommunications disaster in US telephone industry history".
The SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
Corporal Denis Lortie enters the Quebec National Assembly and opens fire, killing three people and wounding 13. RenΓ© Jalbert, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly, succeeds in calming him, for which he will later receive the Cross of Valour.
The Soviet Union announces a boycott upon the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles, later joined by 14 other countries.
The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.
The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS
born in Vienna
American rock bassist (Cinderella - "Heartbreak Station"; "Nobody's Fool")
Italian soccer defender (81 caps; AC Milan 532 games)
College and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back (10-time NFL Pro Bowl; Super Bowl 1981
American football coach (NFL Coach of the Year 2005 Chicago Bears; TB Buccaneers
American swimmer (Olympic gold 4x100m medley relay 1972)
Welsh rugby union #8 (16 caps; Cambridge University RFC
Canadian actor (Night Heat)
American session and touring drummer and vocalist (Eric Johnson
American actor (Back Roads
American contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter
American blues harmonica player (Cephas & Wiggins)
American actor (Animal House
Dutch-American rock drummer (Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher")
Danish author and composer
π― yow.com Connection
On March 9, 1994 - just months before yow.com would be registered - the internet was still in its infancy. There were only about 3,000 websites in existence, and most people accessed the web through 14.4kbps dial-up modems. Today, you're visiting a domain that has survived 30+ years of that incredible evolution.
Share today's history:
β‘ This page auto-updates daily at midnight. Bookmark it and check back tomorrow!