| 8 September 1157 | England [births and deaths] | Richard I (‘Richard the Lionheart’), King of England 1189–99, who gained popularity through his bravery during the Third Crusade, born in Oxford, England (–1199). |
| 8 September 1276 | Papal States, Italy [administration] | Peter Juliani of Portugal is elected Pope John XXI. |
| 8 September 1298 | Genoa, Venice [wars] | The Genoese destroy the Venetian navy off the Dalmatian island of Curzola in their struggle to gain control of trade with the Byzantine Empire. As a result, Venice ‘closes’ its Great Council, a council of nobles who deal with administrative and legislative affairs, restricting its membership. |
| 8 September 1380 | Russia [Mongol conquests (1206–1405)] | Dmitri III of Moscow, Russia, Grand Duke of Vladimir, leads the Russians to victory over the ‘Golden Horde’ at Kulikovo Pole, on the upper River Don, Russia. The supremacy of Moscow in Russia is thus confirmed. |
| 8 September 1454 | Poland-Lithuania, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire, Germany [wars] | The forces of the Teutonic Order of Knights severely defeat Polish forces under King Casimir (Kazimierz) IV of Poland at Chojnice, Poland, in the first major battle of the Thirteen Years' War. |
| 8 September 1517–15 February 1518 | China, Ming Empire [political events] | The Chinese Ming dynasty emperor Zhengde leaves Beijing secretly to witness a military campaign on the frontier; this exceptional innovatory act is repeated, in spite of attempts by officials to confine him, until his death in 1521. |
| 8–28 September 1599 | England, Ireland [political events] | Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, after dilatory campaigning, signs a truce with the Irish rebel Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and, against orders, leaves Ireland, arriving at the court at Nonsuch on 28 September, where he is arrested. |
| 8 September 1621 | France [births and deaths] | Louis II de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, French noble, leader of the last of the Fronde uprisings (1648–53), later an outstanding general under King Louis XIV, born (–1686). |
| 8 September 1760 | UK, France, North America [political events] | British troops under General Jeffrey Amherst take the town of Montreal from the French, and gain control of Canada. |
| 8 September 1831 | Poland, Russian Empire [political events] | Russia takes the Polish capital, Warsaw, after a two-day battle and the Polish revolt for independence collapses. |
| 8 September 1926 | Germany [League of Nations] | Germany is admitted to the League of Nations. |
| 8 September 1933 | [births and deaths] | Faisal I, King of Iraq 1921–33 and promoter of pan-Arab nationalism, dies in Bern, Switzerland (48). |
| 8 September 1954 | Southeast Asia [treaties] | The South-East Asian Defence Treaty (for mutual defence) and Pacific Charter are signed in Manila, Philippines, by the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Britain, and France. The treaty establishes SEATO, the South-East Asia Treaty Organization, based in Bangkok, Thailand. |
| 8 September 1990 | UK [political events] | On the final day of the Labour Party Conference, the British Conservative government announces the entry of sterling into the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. |
| 8 September 1998 | UK [diplomacy] | Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams and Ulster first minister David Trimble hold talks in Northern Ireland, the first meeting between a Sinn Fein leader and an Ulster Unionist leader since 1922. |
| 8 September 2000 | [ecology] | US scientists announce that the hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic has reached a record size of 28 million sq km/11 million sq mi. |
