1842 184 years ago Selected Events May 8 2 sources

A train derailed and caught fire near Versailles, France, killing at least 52 people.

On May 8, in the year 1842, A train derailed and caught fire near Versailles, France, killing at least 52 people. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of May 8, one of 390 recorded events on this date across all of history.

On 8 May 1842, a train crashed in the cutting between Meudon and Bellevue stations on the railway between Versailles and Paris, France. The train was travelling to Paris when it derailed after the leading locomotive broke an axle, and the carriages behind piled into it and caught fire. It was the first French railway disaster and the deadliest in the world at the time, causing between 52 and 200 deaths, including that of explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville. The derailment led the French to abandon the practice of locking passengers in their carriages.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on May 8, 1842 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 15 April 2026.

On This Date in History 390

Type Year Date Event
Historical Events 2025 May 8 The 2025 papal conclave elects Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, taking the name Leo XIV as the 267th Pope of the Catholi
Notable Deaths 2025 May 8 Simon Mann, British military officer and mercenary (born 1952)
Selected Events 2025 May 8 Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV (pictured), making him the first pope born in the United Sta
Notable Deaths 2024 May 8 Chris Cannon, American politician (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 8 Jimmy Johnson, American football player (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 8 Pete McCloskey, American politician (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 8 Ramón Fonseca Mora, Panamanian novelist and lawyer (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 8 Robert Gillmor, British wildlife artist and illustrator (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 8 Dennis Waterman, English actor and singer (born 1948)
Historical Events 2021 May 8 A car bomb explodes in front of a school in Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan killing at least 55 people and wounding o
Notable Deaths 2021 May 8 Helmut Jahn, German-American architect (born 1940)
Historical Events 2019 May 8 British 17-year-old Isabelle Holdaway is reported to be the first patient ever to receive a genetically modified phage t
Notable Deaths 2019 May 8 Sprent Dabwido, President of Nauru from 2011 to 2013 (born 1972)
Notable Deaths 2018 May 8 Big Bully Busick, American professional wrestler (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2018 May 8 Anne V
Notable Deaths 2016 May 8 William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 8 Zeki Alasya, Turkish actor and director (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 8 Mwepu Ilunga, Congolese footballer (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 8 Juan Schwanner, Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 8 Atanas Semerdzhiev, Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 8 Roger L
Notable Deaths 2014 May 8 Nancy Malone, American actress, director, and producer (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 8 Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 8 Joseph P
Notable Deaths 2013 May 8 Jeanne Cooper, American actress (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 8 Bryan Forbes, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 8 Juan José Muñoz, Argentinian businessman (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 8 Hugh J
Notable Deaths 2012 May 8 Maurice Sendak, American author and illustrator (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 8 Ampon Tangnoppakul, Thai criminal (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 8 Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (born 1911)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 8 Lionel Rose, Australian boxer (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 8 Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2008 May 8 Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2008 May 8 François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (born 1982)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 8 Philip R
Notable Deaths 2007 May 8 Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2006 May 8 Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer and author (born 1938)
Notable Births 2005 May 8 Oliver Bearman, English racing driver
Notable Deaths 2005 May 8 Jean Carrière, French author (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2005 May 8 Nicolás Vuyovich, Argentinian race car driver (born 1981)
Notable Births 2003 May 8 Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco
Notable Deaths 2003 May 8 Elvira Pagã, Brazilian vedette, singer, and artist (born 1920)
Notable Births 2001 May 8 Jordyn Huitema, Canadian soccer player
Notable Deaths 2000 May 8 Pita Amor, Mexican poet and author (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2000 May 8 Dédé Fortin, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2000 May 8 Henry Nicols, American activist (born 1973)
Notable Deaths 1999 May 8 Dirk Bogarde, English actor and screenwriter (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 1999 May 8 Ed Gilbert, American actor (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 1999 May 8 Dana Plato, American actress (born 1964)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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