Holidays Calendar for July 8, 2018

July 8 is Sunniva Feast Day in Norway. Saint Sunniva is a patroness saint of Diocese of Bjørgvin, one of the dioceses, that make up the Church of Norway, as well as all of Western Norway.

The Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus is celebrated by various Christian denominations. While many churches do not regard it as one of the most important feasts, it is considered a very significant church holiday in Armenia.

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Day of the Russian Post is an annual professional holiday of Russian postal workers celebrated on the second Sunday in July. It was officially established by President Boris Yeltsin in 1994 to recognize the contribution of the postal service to the development of the Russian state.

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Fisherman’s Day is a holiday celebrated in Russia and Ukraine on the second Sunday in July. If was officially established during the Soviet era, but after the dissolution of the Soviet Union only Ukraine and Russia continued to celebrate it officially.

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The Day of Tax Office Workers is a professional holiday in Belarus celebrated on the second Sunday in July each year. It was officially established in 1998 by President Alexander Lukashenko.

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Fish farm workers of Tajikistan celebrate their professional holiday on the second Sunday of July. The government of Tajikistan established Fish Farmers Day to highlight the important contribution of fish farms to the country’s economy.

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Family, Love and Faith Day is a relatively new Russian celebration, that is dedicated to family and its values. The holiday was established in 2008 and it's annually observed on July 8.

July 8 is Family Day in Ukraine. This holiday was established by President of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych in 2011.

The nearest Sunday to July 11 is National Day of Commemoration in Ireland. All Irish soldiers, who died in past wars or the United Nations peacekeeping missions, are commemorated on this day.

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There are several informal holidays that pay homage to chocolate, National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day is one of them. It is celebrated every year on July 8.

July is National Blueberry Month in the United States, and July 8 is National Blueberry Day. This holiday was created to highlight the health benefits of blueberries and encourage people to enjoy these delicious berries in any form they can.

Disabled and Elderly Persons Day is an official observance in Tajikistan. Marked on July 8, it was established to demonstrate that people with disabilities and elderly people are full-fledged members of society, which must take into account their interests, needs and rights.

Father's Day in Uruguay is celebrated on the second Sunday in July. On this day, Uruguayans congratulate their fathers and express their love and gratitude.

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This Day in History

  • 2020 Died: Naya Rivera, American actress, singer and model best known for her role as Santana Lopez on Glee. She accidentally drowned in Lake Piru, California.
  • 2014 Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, in response to kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers.
  • 2006 Died: Catherine Leroy, French-American photojournalist and war photographer best remembered for her coverage of the Vietnam War.
  • 2003 Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashed at Port Sudan, killing all 117 people on board, due to a loss of power it experienced some 15 minutes after takeoff.
  • 2001 The Space Shuttle Atlantis was launched in the 135th and final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It landed on July 21, 2011.
  • 1994 Died: Kim Il-sung (born Kim Sŏng-ju), North Korean statesman who was the leader and architect of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
  • 1994 Died: Christian-Jaque (pseudonym of Christian Maudet), French filmmaker whose best known work is the 1952 film Fanfan la Tulipe.
  • 1982 Up to a dozen gunman attempted to assassinate Iraqi president Saddam Hussein during his visit to the small Shi'a town of Dujail.
  • 1979 Died: Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist who was awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics, sharing it with two other scientists.
  • 1979 Died: Robert Burns Woodward, American organic chemist who was awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his outstanding achievements.
  • 1968 Born: Billy Crudup, American actor best known for his roles as Russell Hammond in Almost Famous and Will Bloom in Big Fish.
  • 1966 King Mwambutsa IV Bangiricenge of Burundi was deposed by Michel Micombero in favor of his son, Crown Prince Charles Ndizeye.
  • 1961 Born: Andy Fletcher, English musician best known as a keyboardist and founding member of the electronic band Depeche Mode.
  • 1958 Born: Tzipi Livni, Israeli politician who served as a minister in the Israeli cabinet more then once. She also was the Leader of the Opposition.
  • 1958 Born: Kevin Bacon, American actor and musician known for his roles in Footloose, JFK, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Mystic River and many others.
  • 1957 Died: Grace Coolidge, the wife of the 306th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge and First Lady of the U.S. from 1923 to 1929.
  • 1917 Born: Pamela Brown, English stage and film actress known for her roles in Personal Affair, Richard III, Lust for Life, Lady Caroline Lamb.
  • 1895 Died: Johann Josef Loschmidt, Austrian scientist known for his ground-breaking work in chemistry and various branches of physics.
  • 1894 Born: Pyotr Kapitsa, Soviet physicist who was awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics for his inventions in the area of low-temperature physics.
  • 1889 The Wall Street Journal was published for the first time. It was founded by Charles Dow, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser.
  • 1885 Born: Ernst Bloch, German Marxist philosopher whose best known works include The Principle of Hope and Atheism in Christianity.
  • 1839 Born: John D. Rockefeller, American business magnate and philanthropist primarily remembered as a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company.
  • 1838 Born: Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and aircraft manufacture best known as the founder of the Zeppelin airship company.
  • 1822 Died: Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of the major English Romantic poets who is widely regarded as one of the best lyric poets in the English language.
  • 1808 Joseph Bonaparte, the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, approved the Bayonne Statute as the intended basis for his rule as King of Spain.
  • 1730 An estimated magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurred in Valparaíso. It triggered a major tsunami and caused severe damage from Chillan to La Serena.
  • 1721 Died: Elihu Yale, Welsh merchant and philanthropist. Yale University was named in his honor because he was a benefactor of the original college.
  • 1709 The Battle of Poltava was fought between Russia and Sweden during the Great Northern War. It resulted in decisive Russian victory.
  • 1695 Died: Christiaan Huygens, Dutch polymath. His work included discovery of Saturn's moon Titan and the invention of the pendulum clock.
  • 1621 Born: Jean de La Fontaine, French fabulist and poet. His Fables are classics of French literature, they provided a model for many subsequent fabulists.
  • 1497 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama set sail on his first voyage. His fleet consisting of four ships traveled around Africa to India and back.