Wednesday · November 11, 2026
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WHO declares smallpox eradicated; the disease that killed half a billion people is gone

After decades of mass vaccination campaigns across dozens of countries, the world body certifies that no known case of smallpox remains anywhere on Earth.

In 1980, the World Health Organization confirmed the eradication of smallpox, marking a monumental victory in global health. This achievement was the result of decades of relentless effort, international collaboration, and innovative strategies. The eradication of smallpox not only saved countless lives but also demonstrated the power of global unity in combating deadly diseases…

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More from May 8
1639

Coddington founds Newport; a new settlement opens on Aquidneck Island for those driven out by the Antinomian Controversy

The colony takes shape as Coddington plants a settlement built around the promise of religious freedom in Rhode Island.
1846

Taylor's army beats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande; a war is now underway

American troops hold their ground in the first major engagement of the border dispute, with the armies still in the field and the outcome of the wider conflict far from settled.
1976

Six Flags opens the world's first modern looping coaster; the Great American Revolution launches at Magic Mountain

The ride debuts in the park's Bicentennial summer, sending riders through a complete vertical loop for the first time on a modern steel coaster.
19421776 Club
Carrier aircraft do all the fighting as Allied forces move to block a Japanese thrust into the South Pacific.
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More from Cold War America
1950

Pyongyang falls to UN troops; by nightfall, China's army is already crossing the border

Church bells rang over the North Korean capital hours before Beijing's soldiers began wading the Yalu.
1973

Two Justice Department chiefs quit in one night rather than fire the Watergate prosecutor

Nixon finally finds a third official willing to do it: Solicitor General Robert Bork.
1959

Eisenhower signs over the Army's rocket men; von Braun now works for NASA

The order strips most of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and hands its hardware and people to the year-old civilian space agency.
1959

Wright's spiral museum opens its doors on Fifth Avenue

The architect died in April; the building he fought sixteen years to see built opened without him in October.
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