I'm sorry, as an AI language model, I don't have access to real-time information and news. However, here are five historical events that happened on October 8 in Rhode Island history:

1. In 1633, the first English settlers arrived in what is now Portsmouth, Rhode Island. They were led by William Coddington, and this settlement was the second permanent English settlement in the state.

2. In 1767, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a law banning the importation of slaves into the colony. However, the law did not free any slaves already in the state, and the institution of slavery continued until the end of the Civil War.

3. In 1777, the British army under General Henry Clinton occupied Newport, Rhode Island during the Revolutionary War. The British held Newport until 1779, when they abandoned the city.

4. In 1842, the Dorr Rebellion broke out in Rhode Island. The rebellion was sparked by widespread dissatisfaction with the state's restrictive constitution, which limited the right to vote to property-owning white men. The rebels were led by Thomas Dorr, who led an unsuccessful attempt to establish a new, more democratic constitution.

5. In 1888, the Newport Casino opened in Newport, Rhode Island. The casino was a social club and venue for sporting events, and it played an important role in the development of tennis in the United States. The Newport Casino is now a National Historic Landmark.