May 8:
A.D. 1847: The rubber tire is patented.
A.D. 1879: George Selden applies for a patent for the first gasoline-driven vehicle.
A.D. 1933: Mahatma Ghandi begins a 21 day fast in protest of British oppression in India.
A.D. 1942: The U.S.S. Lexington, an aircraft carrier, is sunk by Japanese fighter pilots.