1. On July 8, 1790, the Residence Act was signed by President George Washington, which designated the District of Columbia as the new capital of the United States.

2. On July 8, 1863, during the Civil War, Union troops under General George Meade defeated Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Jonesborough in Georgia.

3. On July 8, 1918, a deadly race riot broke out in Washington, D.C., resulting in the deaths of 15 people and the destruction of over 100 buildings.

4. On July 8, 1964, the Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, ending segregation in public places and prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

5. On July 8, 2019, the Washington, D.C. Council passed the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act, which aims to improve conditions for women in the correctional system, including access to menstrual products, pregnancy care, and parental visitation rights.