Two interesting things about the previous list:

1. It didn't include people who were born on August 8 who are now dead (which makes sense). So happy birthday to the dear departed Charles Bullfinch, Sylvia Sidney, Matthew Henson, Emiliano Zapata, Ernest Lawrence, Paul Dirac, and Andy Warhol, among others.

2. It's also interesting to see who is (as far as I can tell) still alive and not on the list. Not making the news feature cut include Mel Tillis, Robin Quivers, Nigel Mansell, Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman on The Six Million Dollar Man), Frank Howard, and Jose Cruz.

Among the interesting events that happened on this day in history:

* Napoleon sets sail for exile on St. Helena
* Brigham Young takes over the Mormon church
* First known ascent in a hot air balloon (indoors)
* Bhutan and the Ivory Coast become independent
* Goose Gossage records 300th save, Carlton Fisk ties Johnny Bench for most home runs by a catcher
* NYC has high temperature of 88 degrees on 8/8/88

I also seem to be coming up with today as Afghanistan's independence day, not the 18th as some would have you think.