This Day in History: May 8

1660: English parliament declares Charles Stuart to be King Charles II of England

Following the death of his father, King Charles I, in 1649, Charles Stuart went into exile in France. He returned to England after the collapse of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth and was declared King in 1660 by the English parliament.

1835: 1st installment of Hans Christian Andersen "Fairy Tales" published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark

Hans Christian Andersen's collection of fairy tales is a beloved classic of children's literature. The first installment, published in 1835, included stories such as "The Princess and the Pea" and "The Little Mermaid."

1886: Coca-Cola is invented

Coca-Cola was created by Dr. John Styth Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist who was seeking a cure for headaches. He produced the syrup in a brass pot in his backyard and marketed it as a patent medicine. Today, Coca-Cola is one of the most popular soft drinks in the world.

1895: China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki

The Treaty of Shimonoseki marked the end of the First Sino-Japanese War and resulted in China ceding Taiwan to Japan. The treaty also saw the cession of the Liaodong Peninsula, Korea's independence, and the opening of several treaty ports in China to Japanese trade.

1902: Mount Pelée on the French overseas island of Martinique erupts, wiping out the city of Saint-Pierre, killing 30,000 and leaving only two survivors

The eruption of Mount Pelée was one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in history. The city of Saint-Pierre was completely destroyed, with only two people surviving the disaster. The eruption is believed to have been caused by the collapse of the volcano's dome.

1927: The White Bird and its crew mysteriously disappear

French aviators Charles Nungesser and François Coli attempted to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight, taking off from Paris in their Levasseur PL.8 biplane. However, they and their plane disappeared, and their fate remains a mystery. Two weeks later, Charles Lindbergh succeeded in making the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic.

1970: The Beatles release the album Let It Be

Let It Be was the final studio album released by The Beatles before the band's dissolution. It features classic songs such as "Let It Be," "The Long and Winding Road," and "Get Back."

1978: Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler climb Mount Everest without oxygen supply

Messner and Habeler were the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest without using supplemental oxygen. Prior to their ascent, it was believed that climbing the world's highest mountain without oxygen was impossible.

1980: World Health Organization announces smallpox has been eradicated

The eradication of smallpox was a major achievement in the history of medicine. The World Health Organization officially declared the disease eradicated after a global campaign of vaccination and surveillance.