Local history

50 years ago: May 8, 1976

Universal Studios, filming a movie about ice hockey in Johnstown starring Paul Newman, invited the public to the War Memorial to watch the filming and win drawings, including a free trip to Hollywood and VIP tour of Universal Studios, in order to fill the stadium with people for the film.

25 years ago: May 8, 2001

Altoona City Council, former interim solicitor Mike Eggert consulting, was considering enacting a noise ordinance after receiving complaints like kids on bikes blasting stereos, dogs barking and refrigerated trucks running at night. Both the police and codes department would handle enforcement.

10 years ago: May 8, 2016

Elizabeth Mansley, assistant professor of criminology at Mount Aloysius College, started a program called Operation Storybook so female inmates at the Cambria County Prison could record audiobooks for their children.

— Compiled by Tim Doyle

World history

Today is Friday, May 8, the 128th day of 2026. There are 237 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 8, 1945, President Harry S. Truman announced in a radio address that Nazi Germany’s forces had surrendered, stating that “the flags of freedom fly all over Europe” on V-E (Victory in Europe) Day.

Also on this date:

– In 1886, the first serving of Coca-Cola, which contained cocaine, was sold at a pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. (The drink became fully cocaine-free in 1929.)

– In 1973, members of the American Indian Movement and the Oglala Lakota tribe, who had occupied the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for 10 weeks, surrendered to federal authorities.

— The Associated Press