2008

The events of 2008 were dominated largely by the global financial crisis of the day, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession.

2008

Even so, there were certainly some other developments that are worth mentioning. This was the year, for instance, that an exploding star halfway across the visible universe became visible to the naked eye. It was the farthest known object that was visible to the unaided human eye at the time.

Also in the field of space, this was the year that the Falcon 1 spacecraft of SpaceX was successfully launched into Earth’s orbit. It was the first privately developed spacecraft to do so. As space exploration through government agencies such as NASA began to wane, SpaceX offered the world a glimpse at a possible new future of space exploration.

2008 was also the year of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. It was at these games that American swimmer, Michael Phelps, broke the record for Gold Medals earned at a single Olympics by winning eight Gold Medals. This broke fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz’s previous record of seven. Phelps would go on to become the most highly decorated Olympian of all time.

In politics, the change in leadership of two countries is particularly noteworthy. In February of 2008, Fidel Castro of Cuba resigned from leadership, being succeeded by his brother, Raul Castro. As one leader stepped down, another noteworthy leader stepped into office. In November of 2008, Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the office.

This was, of course, a year of economic turmoil. Sparked by the subprime mortgage crisis that began in 2007, the year of 2008 saw unprecedented measures taken by governments and central banks as they desperately tried to avoid a major economic depression. In addition to economic stimulus measures taken by central banks through a policy of quantitative easing, governments also bailed out failing financial institutions that were deemed “too big to fail.” One of the notable programs was the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, signed by U.S. President George W. Bush. This bill authorized the Treasury Secretary to provide up to $700 billion in aid to troubled institutions with the aim of stabilizing financial markets. While many academic and policy experts deemed these measures necessary, some economists, particularly those of the Austrian School, heavily criticized the bailouts and quantitative easing.

Discover how the world looked like in 2008

Looking for 2008 Calendar ? Here it is: January 2008, February 2008, March 2008, April 2008, May 2008, June 2008, July 2008, August 2008, September 2008, October 2008, November 2008, December 2008

Your place in the Universe on 2008

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Oscar

Oscar Winners

All Academy Awards Prize winners of the 81st edition of the Oscar ceremony


Best picture

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire

Directed by: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan

Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor

Country: United States of America

Best director

Danny Boyle

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire

Directed by: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan

Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor

Country: United States of America

Best actor

Sean Penn

Milk

Milk

Directed by: Gus Van Sant

Starring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna

Best actress

Kate Winslet

The Reader

The Reader

Directed by: Stephen Daldry

Starring: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Jeanette Hain

Country: United States of America

Best supporting actor

Heath Ledger

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine

Country: United States of America

Best supporting actress

Penélope Cruz

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Directed by: Woody Allen

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Christopher Evan Welch

Country: United States of America

world population

Time Person of the Year

Who was the person of the year of 2008?


Barack Obama
In 2008, Obama was elected President of the United States, defeating John McCain.

Books

Which were the most popular books released in 2008 ?
Unlimited books on any devices, try your first month free

The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria

The Post-American World

By:

"Zakaria . . . Fareed Zakaria, an international bestseller, describes "the rise of Fareed Zakaria" as having more intellectual range and insight than any other public thinker in West.

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

A New Earth

By:

"A wake-up call to the whole planet. . . [A New Earth] helps you to stop creating your own suffering and obsessing about the past or the future, and instead to live in the present.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Twilight

By:

Isabella Swan moved to Forks in Washington. It was a small and rainy place. Isabella's life changes dramatically when she meets Edward Cullen.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns

By:

A Thousand Splendid suns, a story about love, family, friendship and faith that is driven by the same amazing instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a classic, is a fascinating chronicle of 30 years of Afghan history. After

The Shack by William P. Young

The Shack

By:

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest child, Missy, was abducted while on a family vacation. Evidence that she might have been brutally killed is found in an abandoned cabin deep in the Oregon wilderness.

Have a look at the old UK newspapers from 2008 and get them!

Get UK historic newspapers from 2008
The Times

Do you remember those beautiful old magazines?

Browse your magazine from 2008
life magazines
Nobel Prize

Nobel Prizes

All Nobel Prize winners of 2008


Peace Prize

  • Martti Ahtisaari

Literature

  • J. M. G. Le Clézio

Physics

  • Yoichiro Nambu
  • Makoto Kobayashi
  • Toshihide Maskawa

Economic Sciences

  • Paul Krugman

Chemistry

  • Osamu Shimomura
  • Martin Chalfie
  • Roger Y. Tsien

Physiology or Medicine

  • Harald zur Hausen
  • Françoise Barré-Sinoussi
  • Luc Montagnier
vinyl songs

Music charts

Which were the top hits of 2008?


Top #1 songs in the USA

  • - Bleeding Loveyoutube
  • - Lollipop
  • - Love Song
  • - Whatever You Likeyoutube
  • - Low
  • - Love In This Club
  • - Take A Bow
  • - With You
  • - Viva La Vidayoutube
  • - No Air

Top #1 songs in the UK

  • - Rockstar
  • - Mercy
  • - Now You're Gone
  • - Low
  • - Stop And Stare
  • - Bleeding Loveyoutube
  • - When You Believe
  • - What's It Gonna Be
  • - Crank That (Soulja Boy)
  • - Don't Stop The Music

Movies

Which were the most popular Movies released in those months?
Watch popular movies, TV series and live events, start your 30-day free trial

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

Release year: 2008

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine

Country: United States of America

Moon Machines

Moon Machines

Release year: 2008

Starring: Robert Seamans, Wernher von Braun, John F. Kennedy, Frank Borman

Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Under One Roof

Under One Roof

Release year: 2008

Directed by: Todd Wilson

The Shift

The Shift

Release year: 2008

Directed by: Lee Cipolla

The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners

Release year: 2008

Directed by: Ben Palmer

2008 Chinese Zodiac and Horoscope

According to the Chinese Zodiac and Astrology 2008 is the year of the Rat

chinese zodiac sign

Popular names

Which were the top popular names given to babies born in 2008 in the USA ?

world population

World Population

Demographic statistics of the year 2008


Population statistics

  • Total population: 6.8 billion (6,789,088,686 to be precise!)
  • Urban population: 3.5 billion, that is 51.0% of the total population of 2008 lives in cities
  • Yearly change: +83.2 million, corresponding to a percentage increase of +1.24%
  • Average density: 46.0 persons per km2
history

Historical Events

Which were the important events of 2008?


Events

  • 01 Jan 2008 Officially adopting the Euro currency, Malta and Cyprus become the fourteenth and 15th Eurozone members.
  • 02 Jan 2008 The US$100 per barrel price for crude oil is the highest ever recorded.
  • 03 Jan 2008 The Democratic caucuses in Iowa, USA choose Barack Obama to be their presidential candidate on November 8. Hillary Clinton, the national front-runner, is third behind John Edwards. Mike Huckabee was chosen by the Republican caucuses over Mitt Romney.
  • 04 Jan 2008 Warner Bros. USA announces that it will cease support for HD DVD video discs on June 1 and will only release high-definition DVDs using Sony's Bluray format. Warner Bros is Hollywood’s largest DVD seller, accounting for around 19% of all sales in the United States.
  • 05 Jan 2008 In Georgia, early presidential elections are being held.
  • 06 Jan 2008 A magnitude of 6.5 earthquake strikes Greece. The epicenter lies 70km (43 miles) below Leonidio. There were no reports of injuries or casualties.
  • 07 Jan 2008 The Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments about whether execution by lethal injection is an offense to the Constitution's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments.
  • 08 Jan 2008 The Democratic caucuses in New Hampshire, USA choose Hillary Clinton to be the candidate for the November presidential election. John McCain is the Republican candidate.
  • 09 Jan 2008 Fog and smoke caused a 70-car pileup on Interstate 4 in Florida, USA. Five deaths.
  • 10 Jan 2008 New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson resigns from the Presidential race
  • 11 Jan 2008 Lithuanian government confirms the existence of a nuclear waste facility.
  • 12 Jan 2008 At least 30 people are killed in a tanker accident, explosion, and fire at Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
  • 13 Jan 2008 The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the winners of the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California at a press conference. Due to striker threats and a boycott, the usual three-hour broadcast was canceled.
  • 14 Jan 2008 Alvaro Colom is elected President of Guatemala.
  • 15 Jan 2008 Through sovereign-wealth funds, the governments of South Korea, Kuwait, Singapore and Kuwait invest US$21 Billion in American financial companies Citigroup and Merrill Lynch.
  • 16 Jan 2008 Oracle Corp announced that it would acquire BEA Systems in Boston, Massachusetts, USA for US$8.5 Billion in cash.
  • 17 Jan 2008 British Airways Flight 38 crashes just short of London Heathrow Airport, England. There are no fatalities. This is the first time a Boeing 777 has suffered a complete hull collapse.
  • 18 Jan 2008 Matthew Higa, a former psychiatric patient, is accused of killing a 2-year-old boy in Honolulu by throwing him off a pedestrian bridge and into the oncoming traffic on Interstate H-1.
  • 19 Jan 2008 Adolfo Nicolas is elected the thirtieth Superior general of the Society of Jesus.
  • 20 Jan 2008 NFL playoffs, 2007/08:
  • 21 Jan 2008 Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. The FTSE 100 saw its largest ever one-day point drop, European stocks posted their worst results since September 11, 2001, while Asian stocks dropped as high as 14%.
  • 22 Jan 2008 The U.S. Federal Reserve lowers the federal funds rates by 0.75 points to 3.5 percent. This is the largest single drop in 23-years.
  • 23 Jan 2008 Virgin Galactic, a New York-based company, unveils its next generation of space vehicles at the American Museum of Natural History.
  • 24 Jan 2008 After almost 130 years of publication, Australia's oldest magazine, "The Bulletin", is ending its run.
  • 25 Jan 2008 The Monte Carlo Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA is evacuated because of a fire that engulfed portions of its upper floors, roof, and facade before it was brought under control.
  • 26 Jan 2008 The Democratic caucuses of South Carolina, USA choose Barack Obama to be their presidential candidate on November 8. John McCain is the Republican candidate.
  • 27 Jan 2008 2007-2008 Kenyan Crisis: Reports claim that at least nine people were killed in west Kenya in violence linked to the disputed elections last month.
  • 28 Jan 2008 The Rupublican caucuses in Florida, USA choose John McCain to be the candidate for the November presidential election. Hillary Clinton was chosen by the Democratic caucuses.
  • 29 Jan 2008 Twenty civilians, including 11 children, are killed and 14 are injured when a mine explodes on a school bus in Madhu (Sri Lanka).
  • 30 Jan 2008 Stanwood Duval, United States District Court Judge, dismisses a case against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flooding caused by a breach of the levee in New Orleans, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina.
  • 31 Jan 2008 Microsoft offers to purchase Yahoo! for US$44.6 Billion: US$31 per share, stock and cash.
  • 01 Feb 2008 Six people were killed when a small plane crashed at Mount Airy in North Carolina.
  • 02 Feb 2008 Iran opens its first space centre and launches a rocket into orbit, Associated Press
  • 03 Feb 2008 The NFL's Super Bowl XLII takes place in Glendale, Arizona. With a victory of 17-14, the New York Giants defeated the previously undefeated New England Patriots. Giants' Quarterback Eli Manning is the Most Valuable Player.
  • 04 Feb 2008 The record-breaking US$3.1 trillion spending plan by President George W. Bush for fiscal 2009 is revealed. This includes US$515 billion in military spending and US$70 billion to support Iraq and Afghanistan. Domestic programs will be drastically cut. The budget will be the first electronically presented.
  • 05 Feb 2008 (February 6 - A tornado outbreak kills 58 people in the Southern United States.
  • 06 Feb 2008 In just two days, more than 60 tornadoes struck the US South. They killed 48 people and injured over 150.
  • 07 Feb 2008 STS-122 Space Shuttle Atlantis launches in order to transport the European-built Columbus science laboratory from Europe to the International Space Station.
  • 08 Feb 2008 The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that the electric chair was unconstitutional. This is the only state that has allowed electric chairs to be used for death.
  • 09 Feb 2008 A 24-cent US Postage Stamp of 1869, Declaration of Independence, with an inverted-center error, sells at a Philip Weiss Auction for US$1.27 Million, a record for a single US stamp.
  • 10 Feb 2008 A suspicious fire has destroyed the wooden section of Namdaemun Gate, Seoul, South Korea.
  • 11 Feb 2008 President Jose Ramos-Horta is seriously wounded by rebel East Timorese soldiers. The attack results in the death of Alfredo Reinado, a rebel leader.
  • 12 Feb 2008 Los Angeles and New York film and television writers voted to end their 100-day-old strike at major studios. Writers Guild of America members voted 92.5 per cent in favor of ending strike. A new, three-year contract was approved in principle.
  • 13 Feb 2008 The US President George Bush signs legislation for individuals tax rebates and investment incentives that is worth US$168 billion.
  • 14 Feb 2008 Stephen Kazmierczak, a former student at Northern Illinois University, fires more than 50 shots. He kills five students and injures 16 others.
  • 15 Feb 2008 Five months after his plane disappeared from Nevada, Steve Fossett was declared legally dead by the Cook County Circuit Court of Chicago, Illinois.
  • 16 Feb 2008 According to reports, 37 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a Pakistani tribal area after attending a meeting with the Pakistan Peoples Party.
  • 17 Feb 2008 Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company recalls over 143 million pounds beef. This recall is the largest in California and the USA due to the slaughtering of unfit cattle for human consumption.
  • 18 Feb 2008 The independence of Kosovo is recognized by the United States and Europe's major powers.
  • 19 Feb 2008 Reports of a fireball and sonic blast were made in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
  • 20 Feb 2008 Barack Obama wins the Democratic caucus in Wisconsin and Hawaii over Hillary Clinton as the Presidential candidate. John McCain wins Wisconsin for the Republican side.
  • 21 Feb 2008 Monaco Rare Coins of California offers a 1861 Coronet Paquet Reverse Double Eagle for US$2.5 Million
  • 22 Feb 2008 Russian President Vladimir Putin described the recognition by several world powers of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence as a "terrible precedent" that could have unintended consequences for other parts of the world, and that would be a blow to the West.
  • 23 Feb 2008 Guam: A United States Air Force B-2 Spirit crashes onto Guam. This is the first operational loss for a B-2.
  • 24 Feb 2008 Electronic Arts makes Take-Two a hostile offer of US$2 Billion.
  • 25 Feb 2008 The New York Philharmonic is the first American musical group to perform in North Korea.
  • 26 Feb 2008 Millions of Florida residents will lose electricity due to a shutdown at Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station.
  • 27 Feb 2008 The fourth quarter 2007 loss at Fannie Mae, a government-backed mortgage company in the USA, was due to an increase in foreclosures.
  • 28 Feb 2008 Pew Center's report on the United States states that the penal system in America held over 2.3 million adult prisoners at the beginning of the year. This means that more than one out of every 100 American adults was in prison or jail. It is the highest percentage in American history. According to the report, the United States imprisons more people than any other nation in the world.
  • 29 Feb 2008 Since December 1988, American television show The Young and the Restless is the highest-rated daytime drama in America. It has been ranked number one for over 1000 consecutive weeks.
  • 01 Mar 2008 Aquatica, a water park covering 59 acres, opens at Sea World Orlando, Florida, USA.
  • 02 Mar 2008 High winds caused by high winds almost caused a Lufthansa Airbus 320 to crash while landing in Hamburg. Pilot was able stabilize the plane and successfully landed the plane on the second attempt. Nobody was hurt.
  • 03 Mar 2008 Exhumed are the remains of Padre pio, a Capuchin monk who died after suffering for decades from inexplicable bleeding wounds to his feet and hands.
  • 04 Mar 2008 Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers quarterback, announces his retirement from NFL after 17 years.
  • 05 Mar 2008 China's first plenary session begins at the 11th National People's Congress. Premier Wen Jiabao presents the final annual government report for his first term.
  • 06 Mar 2008 In Jerusalem, Israel, a gunman from Palestine shoots and kills 8 students, and injures 11 others in the library at the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva.
  • 07 Mar 2008 In northern Florida and southern Georgia, a dozen tornadoes cause extensive damage. Two people are killed when cars are flipped, power poles and trees are torn down, businesses and homes are damaged and cars are flipped.
  • 08 Mar 2008 The Spectacular Spider-Man makes its debut on TV in Canada and the US.
  • 09 Mar 2008 Carl Bildt, the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, says Kosovo could become a member of European Union even though it is not a United Nations member.
  • 10 Mar 2008 According to the New York Times, Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York had patronized a prostitute service.
  • 11 Mar 2008 The US Federal Reserve has promised to lend up US$200 Billion of Treasury bonds monthly with collateral in the form of mortgage-backed securities.
  • 12 Mar 2008 Oil prices hit a record high of US$110 per barrel
  • 13 Mar 2008 For the first time in 12 year, the US dollar falls below 100 Japanese yen and gold climbs to US$1000 an ounce.
  • 14 Mar 2008 Lhasa and other parts of Tibet were rocked by a series of protests and riots.
  • 15 Mar 2008 Wales wins the Grand Slam beating France 29-12 in final match of Rugby Union's 2008 RBS Six Nations.
  • 16 Mar 2008 JP Morgan Chase buys American investment bank Bear Stearns for $2 per share. This totals $236 million. Bear Stearns' share price was $200 in mid-2006. The Federal Reserve offers a loan of US$30 Billion and announced that it will loan directly to brokers and investment banks.
  • 17 Mar 2008 The US dollar has fallen to an all-time low at US$1.59 per euro
  • 18 Mar 2008 Closes at 420 points higher than previous day's Dow Jones Industrial Average.
  • 19 Mar 2008 GRB 080319B - A brief observation of a cosmic burst, which is the furthest object visible to our naked eyes.
  • 20 Mar 2008 Yves Leterme is sworn into office as the Prime Minister of Belgium.
  • 21 Mar 2008 West China is hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
  • 22 Mar 2008 Magdi Allam is the most prominent Italian Muslim and converts to Catholicism. He is baptized in Rome by Pope Benedict XVI.
  • 23 Mar 2008 After five years of fighting, the death toll for US soldiers in Iraq has reached 4000.
  • 24 Mar 2008 Former bank executive Steven Sueppel is facing embezzlement charges in Iowa City, Iowa. He beat his wife Sheryl Sueppel to death and their four adopted children. Then, he kills himself by driving his car into a signpost on the highway.
  • 25 Mar 2008 Liechtenstein recognizes Kosovo as an independent state.
  • 26 Mar 2008 Advanced Micro Devices announces the "Phenom", a microprocessor that can be used to build desktop computers.
  • 27 Mar 2008 Revolt 2008 Mahdi Army: Iraqi authorities have imposed a curfew from Sunday to prevent clashes between Shiite militants and the Iraqi government.
  • 28 Mar 2008 Norway and South Korea recognize Kosovo's independence.
  • 29 Mar 2008 Earth Hour is a first-ever event that brings together 35 countries and more than 370 cities.
  • 30 Mar 2008 Wrestlemania XXIV will be held at the Citrus Bowl. The stadium has an all-time attendance record of over 70,000.
  • 31 Mar 2008 Juana Barraza is one of Mexico's most prolific serial killers. She was nicknamed the "Mataviejitas" (Little Old Lady Killer) and received multiple life sentences for the murders at least 11 women.
  • 01 Apr 2008 Sri Lankan human rights groups have accused the government of covering up the killings of 17 aid workers and blamed local security forces.
  • 02 Apr 2008 Harriet Harman, Leader of the House of Commons, becomes the first Labour woman to answer Prime Minister's Questions.
  • 03 Apr 2008 ATA Airlines, once the largest U.S. charter airline and passenger airline, declares bankruptcy and suspends all operations.
  • 04 Apr 2008 Ramush Haradinaj, former commander of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army in the 1998-1999 war is exonerated by the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia of war crimes charges.
  • 05 Apr 2008 Charlton Heston, born John Charles Carter, is an American actor (Moses, The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur, Planet of the Apes), and activist (1960s Civil Rights and National Rifle Association). He dies in Beverly Hills at the age of 84. Heston was awarded the Best Actor Academy Award in Ben Hur. Heston was also president of Screen Actors Guild, and chairman of American Film Institute.
  • 06 Apr 2008 Mark Penn has resigned as chief strategist for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. This is in light of allegations that Penn lobbied for the Colombian government regarding a free trade agreement Senator Clinton opposes.
  • 07 Apr 2008 Child Protective Services of Texas removed 401 children from a ranch west of Texas owned by Warren Jeffs, a polygamist leader in prison. Several women were also taken away or expelled in an investigation into child and sexual abuse.
  • 08 Apr 2008 Bahrain is home to the first building that integrates wind turbines.
  • 09 Apr 2008 As the Olympic torch relay through San Francisco falls into chaos, the first runner in an elaborately planned relay disappears into the warehouse at a waterfront pier.
  • 10 Apr 2008 According to Mayor Anders Lago, Sodertalje (Sweden), his small town of around 80,000 houses nearly 6,000 Iraqis. ampquotThere are more refugees in Sweden than in the United States or Canada.
  • 11 Apr 2008 Cuba's President Raul Castro gives thousands of renters title to their houses.
  • 12 Apr 2008 After a week of food riots that saw six deaths, the National Assembly of Haiti expelled Jacques-Edouard Alexis, Haiti's Prime Minister.
  • 13 Apr 2008 The final round of U.S. Masters golf tournament takes place in Augusta, Georgia. Trevor Immelman beat Tiger Woods by three shots. He scored 75 and became the first South African winner of the U.S. Masters for 30 years.
  • 14 Apr 2008 Delta Air Lines announced it would acquire Northwest Airlines for US$3B stock. This will make the airline the largest in the world.
  • 15 Apr 2008 Effectively midnight (MST) marks the expiration of a five-year ban that prevented Anwar Ibrahim, a prominent Malaysian Opposition figure, from running for office.
  • 16 Apr 2008 Heritage Auction Galleries sells the Queller collection. The Mickley specimen from the Class I US 1804 Dollar sells at $3,737,000.500
  • 17 Apr 2008 Heritage Auction Galleries will host the US Coin Signature Auction at the Central States Numismatic Society convention in Rosemont, Illinois.
  • 18 Apr 2008 The earthquake, which was centered in Illinois, USA, at 5.2-5.4 magnitude, was felt 350 miles away.
  • 19 Apr 2008 Muqtada Al-Sadr warns of a new rebellion should the United States-Iraqi crackdown on his followers continue.
  • 20 Apr 2008 Danica Patrick wins Indy Japan 300, becoming the first female driver to win an Indy race.
  • 21 Apr 2008 Bank of America, America's largest retail bank, reported a 77 per cent decline in its quarter ended March 31. This is the third consecutive quarterly loss. This loss was mainly due to credit-related and write-downs that totalled more than US$5 billion.
  • 22 Apr 2008 The United States Air Force has retired the last F-117 Nighthawks in service.
  • 23 Apr 2008 Sri Lankan Civil War. The military declares victory in fighting in the North. 43 soldiers were killed, 33 are missing and more than 100 Tamil Tigers were killed. Rebels claim victory as well, claiming that they killed 100 soldiers, wounded 500, and lost 16 of their own.
  • 24 Apr 2008 Final results from the Nepal Constituent Assembly election showed that the Communist Party of Nepal, (Maoist), won twice the number of seats of its nearest rival party.
  • 25 Apr 2008 After a semitrailer collides with a Chicago Transit Authority station during rush hour, two people are killed and over a dozen others were injured.
  • 26 Apr 2008 Casablanca's Hay Hassani District sees 55 deaths from a fire at a mattress factory.
  • 27 Apr 2008 India breaks a world record when it launches 10 satellites in orbit in one launch.
  • 28 Apr 2008 Berkshire Hathaway and Mars Incorporated team up to purchase Wm Wrigley Jr Company, chewing gum manufacturer. This will create the largest confectionery company in the world. Warren Buffet will lend US$4.4 billion to Wrigley for a 20% stake.
  • 29 Apr 2008 Take-Two Interactive Software has released Grand Theft Auto IV for the PlayStation III in the USA and Xbox 360 in UK. UK sales record: 609,000 copies sold in the first day. Six million copies sold worldwide in the first week, US$500 millions.
  • 30 Apr 2008 Russian scientists have confirmed that two skeletal remains discovered near Ekaterinburg in Russia were the remains of Alexei Nikolaevich and Tsarevich (Russia)
  • 01 May 2008 A US navy ship is off Somalia's coast and launches a missile attack against Aden Hashi Ayro's home in Dusamareb. It kills him along with at least ten others. Ayro was the military leader of al-Shabab and held most of Somalia under his control.
  • 02 May 2008 Marvel Entertainment has released Iron Man in theaters across the USA. The film was produced by Marvel at a cost approximately US$150m plus US$75m in marketing.
  • 03 May 2008 The 134th Kentucky Derby takes place at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky. Big Brown, the favorite of the race, wins by almost five lengths. Eight Belles, second place finisher, broke both of her front ankles and was immediately put down. The race attendance was 157.770, which is the second largest in the history of the race.
  • 04 May 2008 Cyclone Nargis - Myanmar's State Peace and Development Council declared five states of the Irrawaddy river delta a disaster area after the cyclone that claimed at least 351 lives.
  • 05 May 2008 The record-breaking US$120.36 barrel was the price of crude oil for June delivery.
  • 06 May 2008 William Earl Lynd, 53, is executed in Jackson, Georgia USA by lethal injection. Lynd was convicted in December 1988 of the murder of Ginger Moore.
  • 07 May 2008 Dmitry Medvedev is elected Russia's president.
  • 08 May 2008 H.R. H.R. 5512 The Coin Modernization and Taxpayer Savings Act of 2008." is passed by the House of Representatives. The bill proposes to change the 1-cent and 5-cent coins into a core made of steel.
  • 09 May 2008 Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's main coalition leader, and Nawaz Sharif, meet in London for talks about the removal of judges from Musharraf
  • 10 May 2008 A tornado EF4 strikes the Oklahoma-Kansas border, killing 21 and injuring more than 100.
  • 11 May 2008 Tornadoes and strong thunderstorms in central America kill 22 people and cause severe damage to the towns of Picher (Oklahoma) and Seneca (Missouri).
  • 12 May 2008 A magnitude of 8.0 earthquake causes over 69,000 deaths in Sichuan, China.
  • 13 May 2008 Many people are killed in the Jaipur bombings, Rajasthan, India.
  • 14 May 2008 Because of the global warming effects, the U.S. government has listed polar bears in its Endangered Species Act as a threatened species.
  • 15 May 2008 After the state's Supreme Court declared a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, California became the second U.S. State to legalize it in 2004, after Massachusetts.
  • 16 May 2008 Ten people were killed and one critically injured at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation branch in Cabuyao (Laguna, Philippines) during what may have been the most bloody bank robberies in Philippine history. USA Today.com: 9 people were killed in a bank robbery in the Philippines
  • 17 May 2008 The 133rd Preakness Stakes takes place in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Kent Desormeaux rode the 3-year-old Big Brown, who won by 5 1/4 lengths.
  • 18 May 2008 The 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards is held at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, Nevada. Entertainer of The Year: Kenny Chesney
  • 19 May 2008 11 people were killed when Sunni insurgents attacked a minibus transporting police recruits close to the border of Syria and Iraq.
  • 20 May 2008 The US Presidential Democratic Race: Caucus voting results from Kentucky and Oregon give Senator Barak Obama in Illinois a majority pledged delegates.
  • 21 May 2008 The U.S. crude oil prices have risen $5 to US$130/barrel, surpassing the previous day's record of US$134.
  • 22 May 2008 Between 22 May 2008 and 31 May 2008, 235 tornadoes were unleashed by the tornado outbreak sequence. The tornadoes ravaged 19 states and one Canadian province.
  • 23 May 2008 The International Court of Justice (ICJ), awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia, and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh), to Singapore. This ends a 29-year-old territorial dispute between the countries.
  • 24 May 2008 Three people were killed and three others injured in a helicopter accident on Santa Catalina Island near Two Harbors, California.
  • 25 May 2008 NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander touches down in Mars' far north, sending back pictures from a region that was never before seen.
  • 26 May 2008 International Atomic Energy Agency released a report accusing Iran, accusing it of concealing information about alleged nuclear warhead production studies and refusing to stop its uranium enrichment.
  • 27 May 2008 The prices of single-family homes fell by 14.4% in March according to a composite index from Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller of 20 US metropolitan areas. This is a record, compared to a year ago. According to the US Commerce Department, April's sales of new homes were 42 percent lower than a year earlier. This is the largest annual drop in almost 27 years.
  • 28 May 2008 The Constituent Assembly of Nepal officially declares Nepal a republic at its first meeting. This ends the 240-year rule of the Shah dynasty.
  • 29 May 2008 Bear Stearns shareholders voted 84 percent to sell the 85-year old investment banking company to JPMorgan Chase & Company at US$9.32 per share. This would amount to US$1.5 billion. In January 2007, shares of the company reached a record high trading at US$173.
  • 30 May 2008 In the United States, Sameer Mishra wins the 81st Scripps National Spelling Bee, the winning word was ampquotguerdonampquot, a noun meaning a reward. ''(USA Today)''
  • 31 May 2008 NASA's Discovery spacecraft launches from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on a 14-day mission towards the International Space Station. It carries a cylinder for Japan’s Kibo science laboratory and a pump to fix the station's toilet.
  • 01 Jun 2008 Los Angeles' Universal Studios is ravaged by a large fire that destroyed a King Kong attraction as well as a set from the movie Back to the Future. The fire was tackled by more than 300 firefighters.
  • 02 Jun 2008 The 2008 Arizona quarter-dollar coin has been released by the US Mint. Joseph F. Menna, US Mint Medallic Artist, created the reverse design for Grand Canyon and a Saguaro Cactus.
  • 03 Jun 2008 Barack Obama, the US Democratic Party presidential candidate, wins support from a group uncommitted delegate. This gives him more than 2118 votes to win the nomination.
  • 04 Jun 2008 In a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the NHL's Stanley Cup was won by the Detroit Red Wings.
  • 05 Jun 2008 Verizon Wireless announces that it will buy Alltel, a mobile phone service provider, for US$28.1billion.
  • 06 Jun 2008 The official extermination of the Caribbean Monk Seal has been declared after five years of research
  • 07 Jun 2008 US Senator Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign to be the Democratic nominee for president and asked her supporters to vote for Barack Obama.
  • 08 Jun 2008 The Akihabara massacre occurs in Chiyoda's Akihabara shopping area in Tokyo, Japan. Tomohiro Kato drives his two-ton truck through a crowd, before he leaves the truck and attacks people with a knife.
  • 09 Jun 2008 Lake Delton in Wisconsin drains due to heavy flooding that has broken the dam holding back the lake.
  • 10 Jun 2008 After it lands in Khartoum on Sudan Airways Flight 109, fire engulfs the aircraft and kills 44.
  • 11 Jun 2008 Kosovo adopts "Europe", a national anthem composed by Mendi Menxhiqi. It is not sung in any language in order to not offend the newly independent state of Serbia.
  • 12 Jun 2008 Representative Ron Paul, Texas, withdraws his candidacy to be President of the United States.
  • 13 Jun 2008 Robert Manuel was rejected by the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti. He was second candidate for the position of prime minister, after Jacques-Edouard Alexis resigned.
  • 14 Jun 2008 After a 14-day mission, the space shuttle Discovery returned to Earth, landing at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Garrett Reisman is one of the returning astronauts after spending 95 days in space.
  • 15 Jun 2008 The Tony Awards are given in New York City. Lifetime achievement award: Stephen Sondheim.
  • 16 Jun 2008 California holds its first legal recognized same-sex marriages.
  • 17 Jun 2008 The Boston Celtics won a record 17th NBA title by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Six 131-92.
  • 18 Jun 2008 Brazil celebrates 100 years of Japanese immigration
  • 19 Jun 2008 Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela, threatens to cease selling oil to European countries that apply new EU legislation on illegal immigration.
  • 20 Jun 2008 The Janus-2 satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on a Delta-2 rocket. This satellite will measure the shape of the oceans around the world.
  • 21 Jun 2008 France and Algeria sign an accord that could see French nuclear power technology used in Algerian reactors.
  • 22 Jun 2008 American comedian George Carlin, 71, dies in Los Angeles from heart failure.
  • 23 Jun 2008 Malaysia releases Buhary Sayed Abu Tahir as a business associate to Pakistani nuclear scientist A. Q. Khan.
  • 24 Jun 2008 As Pope Benedict XVI's representative, the Colombian Cardinal Dario CastrillonHoyos is pressing traditionalist Society of St. Pius X for five conditions. These include respecting the pope and his authority as part of a reconciliation deal.
  • 25 Jun 2008 Pieter Feith, EU representative in Kosovo, says he believes Montenegro will soon recognize Kosovo's unilateral independence as soon as possibleampquot. This would contribute to regional stabilityampquot.
  • 26 Jun 2008 After Goldman Sachs rates the stock "sell", General Motors Corporation shares drop to their lowest point since 1955.
  • 27 Jun 2008 Bill Gates, founder of the company, has resigned from his executive position at Microsoft to concentrate on his philanthropic organization Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • 28 Jun 2008 After widespread protests, the Indian state government Jammu and Kashmir has rejected the decision to transfer forested land at Amarnath shrine.
  • 29 Jun 2008 As part of an agreement between the United States and North Korea, a ship arrives in North Korea with food aid.
  • 30 Jun 2008 US President George Bush signs US$162 Billion war spending bill to Afghanistan and Iraq.
  • 01 Jul 2008 Starbucks Coffee announces that it will close 500 additional stores in the USA on top of 100 already closed.
  • 02 Jul 2008 The Colombian armed forces rescue Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages being held by FARC rebels.
  • 03 Jul 2008 The Pentagon extends the tour in Afghanistan for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
  • 04 Jul 2008 Parts of the 115-year old landmark are severely damaged and charred by a fire that swept through Djurgarden, Stockholm's Biological Museum.
  • 05 Jul 2008 New Zealand defeated South Africa 19ndash8 to win the Rugby Union World Cup in the opening match at the Tri Nations.
  • 06 Jul 2008 Gunmen shoot and kill a United Nations official from Mogadishu, as he is leaving a mosque.
  • 07 Jul 2008 Wilhelm Molterer, leader of Austria's People's Party, pulls his party from the ruling grand coalition and calls for a snap election.
  • 08 Jul 2008 An agreement is signed between the United States and the Czech Republic to establish a United States missile defense system here.
  • 09 Jul 2008 When asked about conspiratorial ties during a Portsmouth, Ohio town hall meeting, Senator John McCain did not deny that he was president the New Citizenship Project (precursor of the neoconservative Project for the New American Century). He instead praised the 9/11 Commission.
  • 10 Jul 2008 A United Nations Tribunal has acquitted Ljube Boskoski, the former Macedonian Interior Minister, of all charges he was facing for war crimes.
  • 11 Jul 2008 The record-breaking price of crude oil at the New York Mercantile Exchange was US$147.27 per bar.
  • 12 Jul 2008 Mid America Auctions in Monterey, California sells a 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer motorcycle at a record US$520,000 during the Inaugural Monterey Motorcycle Auction.
  • 13 Jul 2008 US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson announces an emergency plan for Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac mortgage holders valued at US$5.2 trillion.
  • 14 Jul 2008 Standard & Poor's 500 stock exchange index is experiencing its worst single-day fall since 1989, when it was created.
  • 15 Jul 2008 In the 79th All-Star Game, the American League beat the National League by a score of 4-3 at Yankee Stadium in New York. The longest All-Star game ever, the 15th inning, lasted four hours and fifty minutes.
  • 16 Jul 2008 At least 42 people are killed in a train accident near Marsa Matrouh, northern Egypt. Another 40 were injured.
  • 17 Jul 2008 American investment bank Merrill Lynch & Company reports a quarterly loss of US$4.89Billion after writing down bad loans. It also announces plans to sell billions in assets.
  • 18 Jul 2008 Warner Bros. Pictures has released The Dark Knight in theaters across the USA and Canada. The film's opening day ticket sales generated US$66.4 millions, setting a new record at the US box office. It also set a record with a gross of US$155million in its opening weekend.
  • 19 Jul 2008 Ten Indian soldiers killed in landmine attack by Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir
  • 20 Jul 2008 Padraig Harrington, a golfer from Ireland, wins the second consecutive Open Championship (British Open).
  • 21 Jul 2008 The Congress of France (the National Assembly, the Senate, and together the Senate) votes for a bill to make significant changes to the Constitution of France. With a margin of just one vote, this bill is intended to strengthen Parliament while also establishing a limit on the presidential term to two terms and allowing the President the right to address Parliament.
  • 22 Jul 2008 Estelle Getty, Actor (Sophia-The Golden Girls, Golden Palace, Nurses, Blossom, Empty Nest, films Tootsie, Mask, Copacabana, Stop, Or My Mom will Shoot, Stuart Little, Emmy (1988), and Golden Globe (1986). She was born in 1923.
  • 23 Jul 2008 Girija Prasad, the Prime Minister of Nepal, resigns to President Ram Baran Yadav in order to open the door to the formation of a new government.
  • 24 Jul 2008 Ford Motor Company of the USA reports a record quarterly loss of US$8.7 Billion due to slumping SUV and truck operations.
  • 25 Jul 2008 Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic congressman from Ohio, presents the articles to impeach President George W. Bush before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
  • 26 Jul 2008 In 21 bomb explosions, more than 200 people are hurt in Ahmedabad Bombing in India. 56 people were killed.
  • 27 Jul 2008 In a shooting at a Knoxville Unitarian Universalist church, seven people were injured and two others were killed.
  • 28 Jul 2008 Stack's holds an auction before the ANA convention in Baltimore.
  • 29 Jul 2008 Merrill Lynch, a Wall Street brokerage and investment bank Merrill Lynch, reports that it will write down US$5.7 billion in third quarter due to high-risk debt.
  • 30 Jul 2008 Heritage Numismatic Auctions sells an 1944-S steel Lincoln Cent graded MS66 by NGC for US$373,450. This is a record-breaking small cent.
  • 31 Jul 2008 Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California, acts to end a state budget crisis by firing 22,000 California workers and cutting the salaries of another 200,000.
  • 01 Aug 2008 General Motors of the USA reports a second quarter loss of US$15.5Billion, the worst in the company’s history.
  • 02 Aug 2008 Latvia held a constitutional referendum to decide whether it would allow referendums on the dissolution of parliament and early elections. The vote was null because turnout was not at the required 50% level, but the results (96% for the change) will likely push politicians to adopt similar measures.
  • 03 Aug 2008 North Korea says that it will expel ampquotunnecessaryampquot South Korean staff from the Kumgangsan resort and threatens military action in an escalation of tension over the shooting of a South Korean tourist. (Reuters)amp/bramp
  • 04 Aug 2008 Robert Novak, a conservative American political commentator, has retired after 45 years. A previously diagnosed brain tumour was the only reason Novak decided to retire. Novak was also implicated in the CIA leak scandal.
  • 05 Aug 2008 Rwanda officially accuses French officials, including Dominique de Villepin, former Prime Minister, and Francois Mitterrand, for their involvement in the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.
  • 06 Aug 2008 Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, a military junta, organizes a coup d’etat in Mauritania to overthrow Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.
  • 07 Aug 2008 Georgia launches a military offensive on South Ossetia in response to the alleged Russian invasion. This is the start of the South Ossetia War.
  • 08 Aug 2008 Fannie Mae, the US mortgage lender, posts a loss of US$2.3B in its second quarter. This is its fourth consecutive quarter loss. Its total loss for the year has been US$9.44B.
  • 09 Aug 2008 At 50 years old, American comedian Bernie Mac dies from complications of pneumonia in a Chicago hospital.
  • 10 Aug 2008 American singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes, who was 65 years old, has died at his Memphis home.
  • 11 Aug 2008 25 Taliban militants are killed in an air raid by the United States. 8 civilians were also killed in Oruzgan Province, southern Afghanistan.
  • 12 Aug 2008 A class action lawsuit was filed against Facebook Inc., Blockbuster Inc. and Overstock.com. Fandango.com. Hotwire.com. GameFly.com. Zappos.com. And any other ampquotJohn Doeampquot companies that activated Facebook Beacon to release their common members' personal information to their Facebook friend without their consent through Facebook Beacon. The lawsuit claims that the information was released in violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act.
  • 13 Aug 2008 American swimmer Michael Phelps won his 10th and 11th career Gold Medals at the Beijing Olympics. He was in the men's 200m butterfly and in the 4x200 freestyle relay. His world record time of 6:58.56 is the fastest. Phelps holds the record for most Olympic gold medals in a career.
  • 14 Aug 2008 Donald Tusk is the Prime Minister of Poland and announces that the United States has reached an agreement with Poland to base missile defense in Poland.
  • 15 Aug 2008 The US and Poland have signed a deal to share a part of their new missile defense shield. The US will place ten interceptor missiles on a base along the Baltic coast and strengthen Polish air defenses.
  • 16 Aug 2008 2008 South Ossetia war:
  • 17 Aug 2008 Michael Phelps won his eighth record-breaking gold medal at the Beijing Games in the 4x100 Medley Relay in record time of 3;29.34. Phelps holds the Olympic record for most gold medals.
  • 18 Aug 2008 Pressure from the opposition forces Pervez Musharaf, President of Pakistan, to resign.
  • 19 Aug 2008 Frank Bainimarama, Fiji's leader, boycotts the 39th Annual Pacific Islands Leaders Forum in Niue.
  • 20 Aug 2008 Spanair Flight 5022 from Madrid to Gran Canaria skids off of the runway and crashes at Barajas Airport. The crash results in the deaths of 146 people and 8 more. Only 18 survivors survive the crash.
  • 21 Aug 2008 Somali pirates captured three vessels in just two days.
  • 22 Aug 2008 Ten people, including four Americans, were killed in an aircraft crash in Guatemala. They were on a humanitarian mission.
  • 23 Aug 2008 War in Somalia (2006-09). Two journalists and three others are taken hostage by gunmen close to Elasha, Somalia.
  • 24 Aug 2008 Ten people, including four Americans on humanitarian missions, were killed when an aircraft crashed in Guatemala.
  • 25 Aug 2008 The 2008 Alaska quarter-dollar coin is now in circulation at the US Mint
  • 26 Aug 2008 Russia unilaterally recognizes independence of former Georgian separatist republics Abkhazia, South Ossetia.
  • 27 Aug 2008 Alberto Gonzales resigns as US Attorney General as of September 17.
  • 28 Aug 2008 September 7, 2007 - Hurricane Hanna causes seven deaths in the United States and 529 in Haiti. This is mainly due to deluges or mudslides.
  • 29 Aug 2008 At the Alaska State Fair, the US Mint officially launched the 2008 Alaska State quarter-dollar coin.
  • 30 Aug 2008 More than 70 cities in Mexico host mass marches calling for stronger enforcement of laws against violent crime.
  • 31 Aug 2008 Hurricane Gustav:
  • 01 Sep 2008 September 14, 2005 - Hurricane Ike hits Texas as Category 2, killing 27 people. It is the second hurricane to hit the United States since the Cuban and Dominican Republic disasters.
  • 02 Sep 2008 Thailand's political crisis: Samak Sundaravej, the Prime Minister of Thailand, declares an emergency in Bangkok.
  • 03 Sep 2008 The new 90210 TV Show is launched by the CW Network in the USA.
  • 04 Sep 2008 Jack Abramoff, a former United States political lobbyist, is sentenced for his involvement in the Jack Abramoff scandals.
  • 05 Sep 2008 Arizona Senator John McCain has been nominated for the US Presidential Candidate for the Republican Party, with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin serving as Vice Presidential Candidate.
  • 06 Sep 2008 After being invited by Armenian President Serzh Sarikyan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul attended an Armenian association football match. He is the first Turkish head-of-state to visit Armenia.
  • 07 Sep 2008 The US government has taken over American mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, due to their economic risk. These two companies are responsible for almost half of all home mortgages in America. The Federal Housing Finance Agency will manage the two companies until they are decided on their long-term future. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac jointly own or guarantee approximately US$5.3 trillion in mortgages. They have also suffered a combined loss around US$14 billion over the past year.
  • 08 Sep 2008 2008 Legislative Election: Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola.
  • 09 Sep 2008 The Large Hadron Collider is the largest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world, which is located near Geneva, at CERN.
  • 10 Sep 2008 New York's Lehman Brothers Investment Bank posts record quarterly losses of US$3.9 Billion.
  • 11 Sep 2008 Ayman al-Zawahiri is the number two leader of al Qaeda. He questions Abu Ayyub al-Masri’s ability to lead al Qaeda into Iraq and accuses the Islamic State of Iraq of lying to the media about the organization's activities.
  • 12 Sep 2008 25 people were killed in the 2008 Chatsworth train collision between a Metrolink commuter train, and a Union Pacific freight railroad in Los Angeles.
  • 13 Sep 2008 Hurricane Ike hits the Texas Gulf Coast of America, causing severe damage to Galveston Island and Houston, as well as other areas.
  • 14 Sep 2008 From September 16 to 16, the Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles Prelong Beach auction will be held.
  • 15 Sep 2008 Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, an American investment bank that dates back to 158 years, files for bankruptcy protection. This is the largest U.S. bankruptcy. Lehman's assets are approximately US$639Billion, with only US$30 Billion of equity.
  • 16 Sep 2008 The U.S. Federal Reserve Board announced that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York would lend up to US$85billion to American International Group. Additionally, the U.S. government would receive a 79.9% equity interest in AIG.
  • 17 Sep 2008 Evidence of official coverup during the Olympics is evident in the 2008 baby-milk scandal.
  • 18 Sep 2008 2008 South Ossetia war:
  • 19 Sep 2008 September 25, 2005 - Typhoon Hagupit causes 17 deaths in China, eight in Philippines and one in Taiwan.
  • 20 Sep 2008 At least 60 people are killed and 266 injured when a suicide truck bomb explodes at the Marriott Hotel Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • 21 Sep 2008 Jose Molina's last home run in Yankee Stadium's 85-year history gave the New York Yankees victory over the Baltimore Orioles 7-3. The existing stadium will be demolished and replaced by the new Yankee Stadium, which is estimated to cost US$1.3 billion.
  • 22 Sep 2008 Microsoft announces that it will spend US$40 Billion to buy back shares from investors. This is the largest single buy-back plan ever.
  • 23 Sep 2008 Kauhajoki school shooting: Matti Saari kills 10 people before committing suicide.
  • 24 Sep 2008 The US premieres Knight Rider, a TV series.
  • 25 Sep 2008 U.S. regulators take bank Washington Mutual, which was the largest bank failure in American history, and sell it to JPMorgan Chase & Company, for US$1.9billion. Washington Mutual, which had $307 billion in assets and $188 million of deposits, was the largest savings-and-loan bank with $37 billion.
  • 26 Sep 2008 Yves Rossy, a Swiss pilot and inventor, becomes the first person to fly a jet-engine-powered wing across England Channel.
  • 27 Sep 2008 Paul Newman, an American actor and director, has died from cancer in Connecticut at the age of 83. Notable films include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Hustler. Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and The Color of Money.
  • 28 Sep 2008 SpaceX launches Falcon 1 the first private spacecraft into orbit.
  • 29 Sep 2008 778 points is the largest ever point drop in Dow Jones industrial average, or 6.98 percent of its total value. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the benchmark index, has suffered its worst day since 1987's crisis. It lost 8.8% or 106.59 points. The Nasdaq Composite index loses 199.61 point, or 9.14 percent. Latin American stocks fall 13 percent, the largest decline in over a decade. The gold price rises and US crude oil falls $10 to close at US$96.37/barrel. The world stocks as measured by
  • 30 Sep 2008 The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 485.21 points (4.68%), the third-largest one-day point gain.
  • 01 Oct 2008 Russia's supreme court has declared the imperial dynasty victims under political repression. This marks the official rehabilitation of the house Romanov. This decision reverses a lower court ruling which classified the killings plain murder and exonerates Emperor Nicholas 2 and his family from the alleged crimes that the Bolshevik regime used as justification for their execution.
  • 02 Oct 2008 The U.S. Senate votes with 74 to 25 for a revised US$700billion bank bailout plan. The Treasury will buy bad loans from institutions. The House rejected the plan earlier and it was reworked to include a tax cut as well as extended federal protection for bank depositors.
  • 03 Oct 2008 The modified US$700billion bank bailout plan is approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. 263 votes were cast in favor and 171 against. The bill was quickly signed by President George Bush.
  • 04 Oct 2008 The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls below 10,000
  • 05 Oct 2008 The Clone Wars is an animated TV series that debuts in the USA.
  • 06 Oct 2008 Another earthquake of magnitude 6.4, with two aftershocks of magnitude 5., strikes Damxung in Tibet, People's Republic of China. There are conflicting reports about casualties ranging from 9 to 30.
  • 07 Oct 2008 New York stocks fell for the fifth consecutive day. This resulted in the Dow Jones Industrial Average's largest five-day point drop ever. It lost more than 1400 points or almost 13 percent.
  • 08 Oct 2008 For the first time, central banks across the globe cut their interest rates in unison. Financial policymakers made the coordinated rate cuts in response to the global credit crisis. The main lending rates of the USA, China and Europe were all reduced by half a percent.
  • 09 Oct 2008 General Motors Corp shares drop to US$4.65, their lowest level since 1950. The market capitalization falls to US$2.6billion, lower than the value of $4billion in March 1929.
  • 10 Oct 2008 110 people were killed and 200 injured in the Orakzai bombing on October 10, 2008.
  • 11 Oct 2008 After Robert Mugabe took control of the ministries that command the military or the police, the Movement for Democratic Change's former president Thabo Mbeki will act as mediator between Mugabe and his government. This is a move that is allegedly in violation of the power-sharing agreement that was reached last month.
  • 12 Oct 2008 Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes win the 2008 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Ford and Triple 8.
  • 13 Oct 2008 The Dow Jones Industrial Average has recouped 936.42 point, almost doubling its largest daily point gain in historical times. This brings the index back to 9,000 points. Based on a 9.3 percent record gain in the MSCI global equity index, stocks worldwide have added more than US$1.7 trillion.
  • 14 Oct 2008 Henry Paulson, U.S. Treasury Secretary, announces plans for taking equity stakes in financial institutions totaling $250 billion.
  • 15 Oct 2008 The US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Swiss National Bank announced that they will allow unlimited loans in US Dollars.
  • 16 Oct 2008 Citigroup, the second-largest bank in America, posts a fourth consecutive quarterly loss of $13 Billion due to credit losses and write-downs. Over five quarters, the bank has suffered losses of US$71 billion.
  • 17 Oct 2008 Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, withdraws tacit support to the Quebec sovereignty movement that some of his predecessors showed during a visit in Quebec City.
  • 18 Oct 2008 NASA launches Interstellar Boundary Exploration satellite, which will study the edges of the solar system.
  • 19 Oct 2008 Officials in Afghanistan claim that Taliban officials have executed up to 30 of 50 people who were captured on a bus in Kandahar Province.
  • 20 Oct 2008 Sri Lankan Civil War - The Sri Lankan military reports they have broken a critical defensive line close to the Tamil Tiger headquarters in Northern Sri Lanka.
  • 21 Oct 2008 Global financial crisis of September/October 2008: Iceland's Kaupthing Bank fails its bondholders in Japan with 50-billion yen (US$493 Million) interest.
  • 22 Oct 2008 Wachovia Corp reported a loss of US$23.9billion in its third quarter, an unprecedented quarterly deficit for a bank company during the global credit crisis.
  • 23 Oct 2008 New York City Council votes 29-22 for extending the term limit on Mayor Bloomberg's office to three consecutive four year terms, instead of two consecutive four-year terms. This allows Michael Bloomberg, the current mayor of New York City to run again for office in the November 2009 mayoral election.
  • 24 Oct 2008 Many stock exchanges around the world experienced the worst declines in history on Friday, with a drop of approximately 10% in many indices.
  • 25 Oct 2008 War in Darfur: Human Rights Watch reports that over 40 civilians were killed in an attack by pro-government Arab militias in South Darfur on rebel-held villages.
  • 26 Oct 2008 American commandos raid a farm in Syria across from Iraq. Eight civilians were killed by the Syrian government.
  • 27 Oct 2008 Ted Stevens, an Alaska senator, is found guilty of all seven counts related to lying in financial documents for the United States Senate.
  • 28 Oct 2008 The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 889.35 points or 10.88 percent to 9,065.12, making it its second-largest point gain. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index increases 91.59 point, or 10.79%, to 940.51, its second largest point gain. The Nasdaq Composite index rises by 143.57 points (9.53 percent) to 1,649.47.
  • 29 Oct 2008 Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries is selling a US 1868 3-cent rose George Washington stamp with "B” grill embossing. It sells for US$900,000. (US$1,035,000 plus buyer's fees). This stamp is one among four.
  • 30 Oct 2008 The World Series of Baseball was won by the Philadelphia Phillies, their first win since 1980. They defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in four games. Rain forced Game Five to be suspended in the sixth inning, and the score was tied at 2-2.
  • 31 Oct 2008 Libya has paid US$1.5 billion to compensate for terrorist attacks on the United States in the past. This will allow for normal diplomatic relations between the two countries.
  • 01 Nov 2008 24 Vietnamese are killed by floods, including 11 from the central province Nghe An.
  • 02 Nov 2008 Felipe Massa loses the 2008 Formula One Drivers Championship to Lewis Hamilton, who wins the title of youngest Formula One World Champion and the first black Formula One driver's championship.
  • 03 Nov 2008 Circuit City Stores, a U.S. electronics retailer, begins liquidation sales in 155 of its stores to leave it with 566 U.S. shops.
  • 04 Nov 2008 California approves a ban on gay marriage in the constitution
  • 05 Nov 2008 Michael Crichton, best-selling author (The Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park), dies in Los Angeles, at the age of 66, from complications caused by cancer.
  • 06 Nov 2008 Lindsay Roy, of the Scottish Labour Party, wins the Glenrothes By-election, despite fears that his party might lose the seat to The Scottish National Party.
  • 07 Nov 2008 Hurricane Paloma increases to Category 2 strength after it batters the Cayman Islands.
  • 08 Nov 2008 Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, meets with African leaders in order to resolve the ongoing Kivu conflict within the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • 09 Nov 2008 In the largest ever seizure of cocaine in Ireland's history, a total of EUR750million was seized from the Irish coast.
  • 10 Nov 2008 Circuit City Stores, the second-largest U.S. retailer of consumer electronics, files for bankruptcy protection.
  • 11 Nov 2008 RMS Queen Elizabeth 2(QE2) sails on her last voyage to Dubai.
  • 12 Nov 2008 The US Treasury has decided not to use Troubled Asset Relief Program money to purchase mortgage-backed securities but to instead inject cash directly into select banks.
  • 13 Nov 2008 Blizzard Entertainment has released the Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack for the popular computer game MMORPG World of Warcraft.
  • 14 Nov 2008 NASA launches Endeavour from Florida to continue construction on the International Space Station.
  • 15 Nov 2008 Washington, D.C. - The first ever economic summit was held by the leaders of the G20 nations, which account for 90 percent of the global GDP.
  • 16 Nov 2008 The Iraqi cabinet approves a withdrawal plan for American troops to be evacuated from Iraqi cities and villages by June 2009 and then by 2011.
  • 17 Nov 2008 Citigroup will reduce 75,000 jobs in the first half of 2009.
  • 18 Nov 2008 To request financial assistance, the heads of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler appear before a Senate Banking Committee.
  • 19 Nov 2008 The Dow Jones Industrial Average is below 8000.
  • 20 Nov 2008 The Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen to its lowest level since 1997, after the US financial system suffered critical failures.
  • 21 Nov 2008 Financial crises in Russia and the world:
  • 22 Nov 2008 Colombia's government confirms that there have been at least 10 deaths from the recent eruption of Nevado del Huila (a volcano in southern Colombia) and 12,000 people evacuated.
  • 23 Nov 2008 Citigroup Inc is saved by the United States government. The bank will accept losses of approximately $250 billion and invest $20 billion in new capital.
  • 24 Nov 2008 Greenland has a referendum to gain more autonomy from Denmark. Over 75% voted in favor.
  • 25 Nov 2008 The US Federal Reserve announced that it will purchase up to US$100 Billion of debt from mortgage companies and up to US$500 Billion of mortgage securities.
  • 26 Nov 2008 Fireworks are used to launch the first of many attacks against Mumbai, India. These ten coordinated attacks, carried out by terrorists from Pakistan, kill 166 people and injure over 300 others in Mumbai.
  • 27 Nov 2008 QE2, the longest-serving Ocean Liner in history is now retired.
  • 28 Nov 2008 An investigation into the murder of Brahim Deby (a son of President Chad Idriss deby) has led to five arrests in France and Romania.
  • 29 Nov 2008 Jos, Nigeria: Riots kill 381, injure at most 300.
  • 30 Nov 2008 After a 16-day mission, Endeavour was able to land in California.
  • 01 Dec 2008 A barrel of light crude oil costs between US$5.15 and US$49.28.
  • 02 Dec 2008 Barack Obama, the US President-elect, names Hillary Clinton, a New York Senator as his secretary of state nominee and asks Robert Gates, U.S. Defense Secretary to stay in office.
  • 03 Dec 2008 Ref name=cluster/
  • 04 Dec 2008 The Iraq Presidency Council approved a security agreement with the United States. It requires that U.S. troops withdraw from Iraqi cities by mid-2009 and leave by the end 2011.
  • 05 Dec 2008 The US White House and the congressional democrats have agreed to a plan to provide an emergency loan of US$15 billion to the country's automakers.
  • 06 Dec 2008 After 28 years in a vegetative state, Martha "Sunny" von Bulow, a US heiress, dies in New York at the age of 76.
  • 07 Dec 2008 Jamie Whincup won the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship series by Ford and Triple 8 Racing.
  • 08 Dec 2008 The Tribune Company in the USA files for bankruptcy.
  • 09 Dec 2008 Federal officials have arrested Rod Blagojevich (the Governor of Illinois) for various alleged offenses, including trying to sell the United States Senate seat that President-elect Barack Obama had vacated.
  • 10 Dec 2008 In dispute over verification, talks on North Korea's nuke program are stalled.
  • 11 Dec 2008 Bernard Madoff was arrested and charged with securities fraud in connection to a Ponzi scheme worth $50 billion.
  • 12 Dec 2008 Bernard Madoff, former chairman of Nasdaq Stock Exchange, is being charged with running a Ponzi scheme worth $50 billion. This case is one of the most serious fraud cases in history.
  • 13 Dec 2008 Leaders from China and South Korea meet on Kyushu for a discussion about the financial crisis.
  • 14 Dec 2008 President George W. Bush is on his fourth and final trip to Iraq. He almost gets stomped by the two shoes that Muntadhar Al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist, throws at him during a news conference held in Baghdad.
  • 15 Dec 2008 Montenegro submits its official application to the European Union to Nicolas Sarkozy (current EU Council President), hoping to be granted candidate status in 2009.
  • 16 Dec 2008 The U.S. Federal Reserve reduced the country's Federal Funds Interest Rate to zero to 0.25 percent. This is the lowest rate ever recorded in the United States.
  • 17 Dec 2008 Sammy Baugh, a football player who established numerous passing records with Washington Redskins (1937-1952), has died at the age of 94 in Rotan Texas.
  • 18 Dec 2008 Mark Felt, a mysterious source from the "Deep Throat", who helped Bob Woodward (Bob Woodward) and Carl Bernstein crack Watergate, which led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon, has died at 95 years old in Santa Rosa, California.
  • 19 Dec 2008 US President George W. Bush announced US$17.4 Billion in emergency loans to U.S. automakers to stop the collapse of the industry, and to save hundreds of thousands more jobs.
  • 20 Dec 2008 The Swedish Academy, which selects the Nobel Prize in Literature winner, has announced that Horace Engdahl will now be replaced by Peter Englund as its permanent secretary.
  • 21 Dec 2008 Gwadar Port, Pakistan, becomes fully operational.ref name=quotThe_Dawnquot
  • 22 Dec 2008 The American Environmental Protection Agency has published a Clean Water Act General Permit allowing cruise ships to dump unlimited amounts of untreated "graywater", within a mile of U.S. shores.
  • 23 Dec 2008 H.R. Public Law 110-456 has passed 6184, the "America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008." This program includes a new series of non-circulating and circulating coins that depict national sites in each state and territory. It began in 2010 and will continue for five years. Each design will be available in five-ounce silver coins.
  • 24 Dec 2008 Lord's Resistance Army is a rebel group from Uganda that launches a series of attacks against Democratic Republic of the Congo. It kills more than 400 people.
  • 25 Dec 2008 Eartha Kitt, American sultry singer ("Santa Baby") and dancer, dies in New York from colon cancer at the age of 81.
  • 26 Dec 2008 China's People's Liberation Army Navy starts escorting three warships, two destroyers and one replenishment oer to the Gulf of Aden in an effort to fight piracy in Somalia.
  • 27 Dec 2008 Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, acknowledges the existence of non-state actors in Pakistan and promises to eradicate terrorism.
  • 28 Dec 2008 Operation Cast Lead
  • 29 Dec 2008 After two years of political unrest, Bangladesh holds its general election.
  • 30 Dec 2008 Eighteen of the eleven snowmobilers who were killed in avalanches in British Columbia (Canada) are now dead.
  • 31 Dec 2008 U.S. crude oil prices rise 14 percent on the last trading day of 2008. February futures settled up US$5.57 to US$44.60 per barrel.