| 8 March 1118 | Papal States, Italy, Holy Roman Empire [Catholicism] | Emperor Henry V of Germany has Maurice Bourdin, archbishop of Braga, elected as Pope Gregory VIII and installs him in Rome, forcing the recently elected Pope Gelasius II to flee. |
| 8 March 1169 | Russia, Kiev [wars] | Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky of Suzdal seizes and sacks Kiev; now the most powerful Russian prince, he assumes the title of great prince and establishes his capital at Vladimir (after which his principality subsequently takes its name). |
| 8 March 1393 | India, Delhi Sultanate [political events] | Sikandar, Sultan of Delhi, India, dies and is succeeded by his brother, Mahmud. The kingdom of Delhi is dissolving into feudal anarchy. |
| 8 March 1702 | Britain, United Netherlands [political events] | When King William III of Britain dies at Hampton Court Palace, outside London, England, after a fall from his horse, he is succeeded by his sister-in-law, Queen Anne. She has no claim to be stadtholder (ruler, with limited powers) in the United Netherlands, as William had been, and control of Dutch affairs passes to the States General (parliament) under Anthony Heinsius. |
| 8 March 1702 | United Netherlands, England [births and deaths] | William III, stadtholder (provincial governor) of the United Netherlands 1672–1702, king of England 1689–1702, dies in London, England (51). |
| 8 March 1844 | Sweden [political events] | King Oscar I of Sweden accedes to the throne on the death of his father, Charles XIV (the former Napoleonic marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte). |
| 8–9 March 1862 | USA, Confederate States of America [American Civil War (1861–65)] | The Confederate warship Merrimack and the ironclad warship Virginia sink the Union Cumberland and Congress at Hampton Roads, Virginia, but are forced to withdraw by the ironclad Union vessel Monitor, in the first battle between two ironclad warships. |
| 8–15 March 1917 | Russian Empire [Russian Revolution] | The ‘February Revolution’ takes place in Russia, striking workers being joined on 10 March by soldiers. On 14 March the duma (parliament) establishes a provisional government headed by Prince George Lvov. The revolution is called the ‘February Revolution’ on the basis of the old Julian calendar, under which the revolution takes place in the period 23 February–2 March. |
| 8 March 1952 | USA [surgery] | An artificial heart keeps a patient alive for 80 minutes at the Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, USA. |
| 8 March 1965 | USA, South Vietnam [Vietnam War (1954–75)] | Two battalions of US Marines, 3,500 soldiers, land to defend Danang airbase in South Vietnam. They are the first US combat troops to enter the war. |
| 8 March 1971 | USA [boxing] | US boxer Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali of the USA over 15 rounds at Madison Square Garden, New York City, and retains the world heavyweight title. With takings from closed-circuit television the fight grosses almost $20 million. |
| 8 March 1973 | Northern Ireland [law and government] | In a Northern Ireland referendum, 591,820 people vote to remain in the United Kingdom and 6,463 to join the Republic of Ireland. |
| 8 March 1984 | UK [industrial relations] | The leaders of the British National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) support planned strikes in Yorkshire and Scotland over proposed pit closures. |
