August 8

August 9, 2023 - Reading time: 8 minutes

Saints Days : Domingo de Guzmán, Emiliano and Ciriaco

1235 - The crown of Aragón invades Ibiza island

1264 - Mudéjar revolt: Muslim rebel forces took the Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera after defeating the Castilian garrison

Sancho Gracia - Photo www.gomeranoticias.com

1588 - Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines: The naval engagement ends, ending the Spanish Armada's attempt to invade England.
1774 - Juan Pérez, Captain of the Spanish Navy Frigate, ‘Santiago’ discovers the island of Quadra, known today as Vancouver.
1992 - Spain wins her first Olympic Games in Football by beating Poland 3-2 in the Camp Nou in Barcelona

1992 - Fermín Cacho wins Spain's first ever Olympic gold medal in a running event when he takes out the 1,500, at the Barcelona Games

2018 - EPL club Chelsea sign Kepa Arrizabalaga from Spain's Athletic Bilbao for £ 72 million, world-record fee for a goalkeeper

2022 - Spanish bullet train service halted after fibre-optic cable stolen, hundreds of passengers were left stranded for hours after around 600m of fibre-optic signalling cables were stolen in Cataluña

Saint Dominic - www.catholic.org

Births

1170 - Saint Dominic, Castilian Catholic priest, founder of the Dominican Order, and patron saint of astronomers, born in Caleruega Dominic was born in Caleruega, halfway between Osma and Aranda de Duero in Old Castile, Spain. He was named after Saint Dominic of Silos. The Benedictine abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos lies a few miles north of Caleruega.

In the earliest narrative source, by Jordan of Saxony, Dominic's parents are not named. The story is told that before his birth his barren mother made a pilgrimage to the Abbey at Silos, and dreamt that a dog leapt from her womb carrying a flaming torch in its mouth, and seemed to set the earth on fire. This story is likely to have emerged when his order became known, after his name, as the Dominican order, Dominicanus in Latin and a play on words interpreted as Domini canis: "Dog of the Lord.” Jordan adds that Dominic was brought up by his parents and a maternal uncle who was an archbishop. (d. 1221)
1730 - Domingo de Bonechea, sailor and explorer (d. 1775)
1754 - Hipólito Ruiz López, botanist (d. 1816)
1904 - Ciriaco Errasti, footballer.
1922 - José María Fonollosa, poet.
1926 - Francisco Masip, cyclist.
1929 - José Luis Borau, filmmaker and member of the Royal Spanish Academy (d. 2012)
1934 - Román Gubern, writer, critic and journalist.
1944 - Silvio Fernández Melgarejo, rock musician.
1960 - Paco Clos, footballer.
1967 - Cristina Tárrega, journalist.
1971 - Jorge Fernández Madinabeitia, Mr. España 2000 and TV presenter.
1974 - Rubén Beloki, Navarra Pelota player.
1975 - Raquel Meroño, actress and TV presenter.

Deaths
1303 - Enrique de Castilla, Infante de Castilla (b. 1230)
1588 - Alonso Sánchez Coello, painter (b. 1532)
1897 - Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, politician.
1945 - Rafael Porlán, poet of the Generation of 27.
2007 - Nicolau Casaus de la Fuente i Jené, football manager (b. 1913)
2009 - Daniel Jarque, footballer (b. 1983)
2010 - José María López Piñero, historian and scientist (b. 1933)
2010 - Juan Marichal, essayist, literary critic and historian (b 1922)
2012 - Sancho Gracia, actor (b. 1936)