What Happened on February 8?

February 8 is National Boy Scouts Day, marking the founding of the BSA in 1910! It is also the birthday of Jules Verne, the father of science fiction.

• 1587 — Mary, Queen of Scots, executed at Fotheringhay Castle after 19 years captive

  After nearly two decades of imprisonment, Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded on February 8, 1587, having been found guilty of plotting against her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England. Read the full story →

• 1910 — Boy Scouts of America incorporated — born from a good deed in London fog

  Chicago publisher William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910, inspired — as the famous story goes — by an anonymous Scout who helped him in London fog and refused a tip. Read the full story →

• 1971 — NASDAQ opens as the world's first electronic stock market

  On February 8, 1971, NASDAQ began trading thousands of companies' stocks on computer screens instead of a noisy trading floor — the first electronic stock market in the world. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Jules Verne (1828–1905) · Dmitri Mendeleev (1834–1907) · James Dean (1931–1955)

Days & observances

National Boy Scouts Day · Opera Day · Laugh and Get Rich Day