Famous people born on January 8 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is January 8, you share it with Elvis Presley, Stephen Hawking, David Bowie — and you were born under Capricorn, the sign of the ambitious, disciplined, and built for the long game.
Birthday basics for January 8
Capricorn ♑
Zodiac sign
Garnet
Birthstone
Carnation
Birth flower
8th
Day of the year
January 8 is the 8th day of the year, with 357 days still to come.
Famous people born on January 8
Elvis Presley — American singer known as the King of Rock and Roll (born 1935).
Stephen Hawking — English theoretical physicist and author of A Brief History of Time (born 1942).
David Bowie — English rock icon known for Space Oddity and Ziggy Stardust (born 1947).
Also sharing the day:
Wilkie Collins (b. 1824) — English novelist whose The Moonstone helped invent the detective story.
Shirley Bassey (b. 1937) — Welsh singer famous for performing three James Bond theme songs.
Sarah Polley (b. 1979) — Canadian actress turned Oscar-winning screenwriter of Women Talking.
January 8 in history
1889 — Herman Hollerith received a patent for his punch-card tabulating machine, a forerunner of the modern computer.
1918 — President Woodrow Wilson announced his Fourteen Points plan for peace after World War I.
1964 — President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a War on Poverty in his State of the Union address.
1790 — George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address.
1835 — The United States national debt hit zero for the only time in its history.
1994 — Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov launched on Soyuz TM-18, beginning the longest spaceflight in history at 437 days.
January 8 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is January 8?
Anyone born on January 8 is a Capricorn — ambitious, disciplined, and built for the long game.
What is the birthstone for January 8?
The birthstone for a January 8 birthday is Garnet, and the birth flower is the Carnation.
Who is the most famous person born on January 8?
Elvis Presley is among the best known — American singer known as the King of Rock and Roll (born 1935).
What happened on January 8?
In 1889, Herman Hollerith received a patent for his punch-card tabulating machine, a forerunner of the modern computer.
What day of the year is January 8?
January 8 is the 8th day of the year, with 357 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on January 8? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.