March 08 in History
40AD#Vietnamese Trung Trac and sister Trung Nhi lead an uprising against northern Han (Chinese) domination, claiming independence for Viet Nam with Trung Trac as empress. One year later, the Han sent a 200,000-strong army to Viet Nam and reoccupied the country. The Trung sisters drowned themselves to preserve their honour.
974#Birth of Ly Cong Uan (died 1028), who later became King Ly Thai To, founder of the Vietnamese Ly dynasty (1009-1226); It was Ly Thai To who moved the nation's capital from Hoa Lu in present Ninh Binh Province to Thang Long (now Ha Noi) in 1010.
1910#The second International Women's Meeting is held in Copenhagen, Denmark, deciding this date to be celebrated as International Women's Day.
1917#Riots and strikes break out in St Petersburg, marking the start of the Russian Revolution.
1946 #Following the Preliminary Treaty signed on March 6 of this year between the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam and the Republic of France, the French embark on Hai Phong port city in northern Viet Nam.
1949#France creates in Viet Nam a client government headed by former King Bao Dai.
1954#The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam protests the US Government's direct involvement in the First Indochina War by sending American bombers and technicians to help the French.
1965 #The United States lands its first combat troops, about 3,500 Marines, in Da Nang, southern Viet Nam. More than 4,000 Marines landed in southern Viet Nam. They joined some 23,000 Americans who had been serving as military advisors to southern Viet Nam for several years.
1974 #Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris.
1999 #Britain and Ireland sign four treaties for the Northern Ireland peace accord. Formation of a new government was postponed.
2001#In Afghanistan the giant Buddhas at Bamiyan are destroyed by the Taliban.
2005#Kosovo's PM Ramush Haradinaj resigns after being indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal for his alleged part in atrocities during the fight against Serb forces.
2008#Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica dissolves Serbia's government and calls for new elections. — AP/REUTERS/VNS