Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/May 8
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![Battle of the Coral Sea](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/A_heavy_explosion_on_board_USS_Lexington_%28CV-2%29_blows_an_aircraft_over_her_side%2C_8_May_1942_%2880-G-7413%29.jpg/100px-A_heavy_explosion_on_board_USS_Lexington_%28CV-2%29_blows_an_aircraft_over_her_side%2C_8_May_1942_%2880-G-7413%29.jpg)
On May 8: Victory in Europe Day celebrated (2004)
- 1541 - Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River naming it Rio de Espiritu Santo.
- 1886 - A beverage that would later be named Coca-Cola, was sold for the first time.
- 1902 - In Martinique, Mount Pelée erupted and destroyed the town of St. Pierre, killing over 30,000 people.
- 1942 - World War II: The Battle of the Coral Sea ended with an Allied victory.
- 1967 - The Philippine province of Davao was split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.