File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise:

Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. ( ) was an American global financial services firm founded in 1847. Before Bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, filing for bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States (behind Gol ...

went bankrupt following the

Subprime mortgage crisis The United States subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010 that contributed to the Financial crisis of 2007–2008, 2007–2008 global financial crisis. It was triggered by a large decline ...

;

Cyclone Nargis Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis ( my, နာဂစ်, ur, نرگس ) was an extremely destructive and deadly tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar during early May 2008. The cyclone m ...

killed more than 138,000 in

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

; A scene from the opening ceremony of the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

; the 2008 Sichuan earthquake kills over 87,000; a destroyed Georgian T-72 tank during the Russo-Georgian War; the Trident Hotel in Mumbai was the site of the

November 2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks (also referred to as 26/11, pronounced "twenty six eleven") were a series of terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist terrorist organisation from Pakistan, c ...

;a line of

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...

in a backyard made during the December, 2008 resulting from the

Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill The Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill was an environmental and industrial disaster that occurred on Monday December 22, 2008, when a dike ruptured at a coal ash pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant in Roan ...

; Poster in

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

celebrating the

Independence of Kosovo The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, which proclaimed the Republic of Kosovo to be a state independent from Serbia, was adopted at a meeting held on 17 February 2008 by 109 out of the 120 members of the Assembly of Kosovo, including the P ...

from

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

., 300x300px, thumb rect 0 0 200 200

rect 200 0 400 200

rect 400 0 600 200

rect 0 200 300 400

2008 Kosovo declaration of independence The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, which proclaimed the Republic of Kosovo to be a state independent from Serbia, was adopted at a meeting held on 17 February 2008 by 109 out of the 120 members of the Assembly of Kosovo, including the P ...

rect 300 200 600 400 2008 Sichuan earthquake rect 0 400 200 600

rect 200 400 400 600

2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks (also referred to as 26/11, pronounced "twenty six eleven") were a series of Terrorism, terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist terrorist organisation from P ...

rect 400 400 600 600 Russo-Georgian War 2008 was designated as: * International Year of Languages *

International Year of Planet Earth The United Nations General Assembly declared 2008 as the International Year of Planet Earth to increase awareness of the importance of Earth sciences for the advancement of sustainable development. UNESCO was designated as the lead agency. The Ye ...

* International Year of Sanitation *

International Year of the Potato The year 2008 was declared the International Year of the Potato by the United Nations, noting that the potato is a staple food in the diet of the world's population, and affirming the need to focus world attention on the role that the potato can pla ...

The

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

, a worldwide recession which began in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, continued through the entirety of 2008.

Events

January–February

January 1 January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...

–

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

and

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

adopt the

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

currency. *

January 14 Events Pre-1600 *1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. *1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 *1639 – The "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Fundamenta ...

– At 19:04:39 UTC, the uncrewed

MESSENGER ''MESSENGER'' was a NASA robotic space probe that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015, studying Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field. The name is a backronym for "Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geoche ...

space probe A space probe is an artificial satellite that travels through space to collect scientific data. A space probe may orbit Earth; approach the Moon; travel through interplanetary space; flyby, orbit, or land or fly on other planetary bodies; or ent ...

is at its closest approach during its first flyby of the planet

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

. *

January 21 Events Pre-1600 * 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa. * 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Co ...

**Stock markets around the world plunge amid growing fears of a U.S.

, fueled by the 2007

subprime mortgage crisis The United States subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010 that contributed to the Financial crisis of 2007–2008, 2007–2008 global financial crisis. It was triggered by a large decline ...

. **

Online activist Internet activism is the use of electronic communication technologies such as social media, e-mail, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster and more effective communication by citizen movements, the delivery of particular infor ...

group

Anonymous Anonymous may refer to: * Anonymity, the state of an individual's identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown ** Anonymous work, a work of art or literature that has an unnamed or unknown creator or author * Anonym ...

initiates

Project Chanology Project Chanology (also called Operation Chanology) was a protest movement against the practices of the Church of Scientology by members of Anonymous, a leaderless Internet-based group. "Chanology" is a combination of "4chan" and "Scientology" ...

, after a leaked interview of

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

by the

Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a scientology as a business, bu ...

is published on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, and the Church of Scientology issued a "copyright infringement" claim. In response, Anonymous sympathizers took to the streets to

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

outside the church (after February 10), while the church's websites and centres were getting

DoS attacks In computing, a denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) is a cyber-attack in which the perpetrator seeks to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users by temporarily or indefinitely disrupting services of a host connect ...

, phone line nukes, and

black faxes The term black fax refers to a prank fax transmission, consisting of one or more pages entirely filled with a uniform black tone. The sender's intention is generally to use up as much of the recipient's fax ink, toner, or thermal paper as possible, ...

. *

January 24 Events Pre-1600 * 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula. * 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt. *1438 – The Cou ...

– A peace deal is signed in

Goma Goma is the capital of North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. The lake and the two cities are in the Albertine Rift, the weste ...

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, ending the Kivu conflict. *

February 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau. * 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of ...

–

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

formally declares independence from

, to a mixed response from the international community. *

February 18 Events Pre-1600 * 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy. * 1268 &ndas ...

–

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international Nonprofit organization, non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous Source (journalism), sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activism, Internet acti ...

releases

allegations In law, an allegation is a claim of an unproven fact by a party in a pleading, charge, or defense. Until they can be proved, allegations remain merely assertions.

illegal activities In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

carried out by the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

branch of

Swiss banking Banking in Switzerland dates to the early eighteenth century through Switzerland's merchant trade and has, over the centuries, grown into a complex, regulated, and international industry. Banking is seen as emblematic of Switzerland, along with ...

corporation

Julius Baer Julius Bär Group AG, known alternatively as Julius Baer Group Ltd., is a private banking corporation founded and based in Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, it is among the older Swiss banking institutions. In terms of assets under managemen ...

; a subsequent lawsuit against WikiLeaks prompts a temporary suspension of the website, but uproar about violations of

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

causes WikiLeaks to be brought back online.

March–April

March 2 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his ''bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...

–

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

move troops to the Colombian border, following a Colombian raid against FARC guerrillas inside Ecuadorian territory, in which senior commander

Raúl Reyes Luis Edgar Devia Silva (30 September 1948 – 1 March 2008), better known by his ''nom de guerre'' Raúl Reyes, was a leader, Secretariat member, spokesperson, and advisor to the Southern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–Pe ...

is killed. * March 8 – Barisan National loses two-thirds majority, for the first time since

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

, to opposition during the

2008 Malaysian general election A general election was held on Saturday, 8 March 2008 for members of the 12th Parliament of Malaysia. Voting took place in all 222 parliamentary constituencies of Malaysia, each electing one Member of Parliament to the Dewan Rakyat, the dominant ...

but still retains control of government. The coalition also loses majority control of five states to the opposition. *

March 9 Events Pre-1600 *141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. *1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. * 1226 – ...

– The first

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

Automated Transfer Vehicle, a cargo spacecraft for the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

, launches from Guiana Space Centre in

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. * March 19 – An

Energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...

release of a Gamma-ray burst called the

GRB 080319B __NOTOC__ GRB 080319B was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected by the Swift satellite at 06:12 UTC on March 19, 2008. The burst set a new record for the farthest object that was observable with the naked eye: it had a peak visual apparent magnitude ...

is the brightest event ever recorded in the

Universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. Acc ...

. * March 24 –

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...

holds its first-ever general elections following the adoption of a new

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

which changed the country from an

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constitut ...

to a multiparty democracy. *

March 25 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Italian city Venice is founded with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo di Rialto on the islet of Rialto. * 708 – Pope Constantine becomes the 88th pope. He would be the last pope to vi ...

–

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

and

Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...

forces invade the rebel-held island of

Anjouan Anjouan (; also known as Ndzuwani or Nzwani, and historically as Johanna or Hinzuan) is an autonomous high island in the Indian Ocean that forms part of the Union of the Comoros. Its chief town is Mutsamudu and, , its population is around 277,500. ...

, returning the island to Comorian control.

May–June

* May 3 –

passes through

, killing more than 138,000 people. * May 12 – An earthquake measuring 7.9 on the

moment magnitude scale The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mw, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. It was defined in a 1979 pape ...

strikes Sichuan, China, killing an estimated 87,000 people. *

May 20 Events Pre-1600 * 325 – The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. * 491 – Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed '' Augusta'' is able to choose her ...

– 24 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 takes place in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, and is won by Russian entrant Dima Bilan with the song "

Believe Believe may refer to: *Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition *Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven Arts, entertainment, and me ...

". * May 21 **

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

wins their third European Cup after they beat Chelsea in the first all-English final in the history of the European Cup. Manchester United won the match 6–5 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw after extra time. ** The

Union of South American Nations The Union of South American Nations (USAN; es, links=no, Unión de Naciones Suramericanas, UNASUR; pt, links=no, União de Nações Sul-Americanas, UNASUL; nl, links=no, Unie van Zuid-Amerikaanse Naties, UZAN; French: ''Union des nations s ...

, an intergovernmental organization between states in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, is founded. ** The

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

awards

Middle Rocks The Middle Rocks ( ms, Batuan Tengah; Jawi: باتون تڠه; ) are two uninhabited small rocks separated by of open water at the eastern opening of the Strait of Singapore on the western edge of the South China Sea. The islands were dispute ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and Pedra Branca to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries. * May 25 –

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

's uncrewed ''Phoenix'' spacecraft becomes the first to land on the northern polar region of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

. * May 28 – The

Legislature Parliament of Nepal The Second Constituent Assembly of Nepal, later converted to the Legislature Parliament ( ne, व्यवस्थापिका संसद), was a unicameral legislature of Nepal. It was elected in the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections af ...

votes overwhelmingly in favor of abolishing the country's 240-year-old monarchy, turning the country into a republic. *

May 30 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometres ...

– International

Convention on Cluster Munitions The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) is an international treaty that prohibits all use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions ("bomblets") over an area. Additionally, ...

is adopted in Dublin. * June 7– 29 –

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

jointly host the

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...

football tournament, which is won by

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. * June 11 ** The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is launched. ** Canadian Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

formally apologizes, on behalf of the Canadian government, to the country's First Nations for the Canadian Indian residential school system. * June 14 –

Expo 2008 Expo 2008 was an international exposition held in the year 2008 from 14 June (Saturday) to 14 September (Sunday) in Zaragoza, Spain, with the theme of "Water and Sustainable Development". The exposition was placed in a meander of the river Ebro. ...

opens in

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

, Spain, lasting to September 14, with the topic "Water and sustainable development". *

June 21 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date). * 1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mo ...

Chia Kikov is declared 2008 champion after beating Eli Sdayeb in combat

July–August

* July 2 –

Íngrid Betancourt Íngrid Betancourt Pulecio (; born 25 December 1961) is a Colombian politician, former senator and anti-corruption activist, especially opposing political corruption. Betancourt was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) ...

and 14 other hostages are

rescued "Rescued" is a song by American Rock music, rock band Foo Fighters. Released on April 19, 2023, it is the first single by the band since the death of longtime drummer, Taylor Hawkins, and the first from their eleventh studio album, ''But Here We Ar ...

from FARC rebels by

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n security forces. *

July 11 Events Pre-1600 * 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death. * 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abd ...

–

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

suspends all trips to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

's Mount Kumgang after a 53-year-old South Korean tourist is shot and killed by a North Korean sentry. *

July 21 Events Pre-1600 * 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson. * 230 – Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope. After being exiled to Sardinia, he became the ...

– Radovan Karadžić, the first president of the

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...

, is arrested in

, on allegations of war crimes, following a 12-year-long

manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...

. * August 1 – India and United States sign the historic Civil Nuclear deal. * August 1 – Eleven mountaineers from international expeditions die on K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth, in the worst single accident in the history of K2 mountaineering. *

August 6 Events Pre-1600 *1284 – The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean. * 1538 – Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada ...

– President

Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi ( ar, سيدي محمد ولد الشيخ عبد الله‎; 193822 November 2020) was a Mauritanian politician who was President of Mauritania from 2007 to 2008. He served in the government during the 1970s ...

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

is deposed in a

military coup d'état A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. * August 7 – Georgia invades the breakaway state of South Ossetia, sparking a war with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

as the latter intervenes in support of separatists in both South Ossetia and

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...

. * August 8– 24 – The

take place in Beijing, China. * August 20 – Spanair Flight 5022 crashes at Madrid–Barajas Airport, killing 154 people on board

September–October

* September 5 – Quentin Bryce becomes the first female

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.September 10 – The

proton A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' elementary charge. Its mass is slightly less than that of a neutron and 1,836 times the mass of an electron (the proton–electron mass ...

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

is circulated for the first time in the

Large Hadron Collider The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and hundred ...

, the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, located at

CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...

, near

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, under the Franco-Swiss border. *

September 15 Events Pre-1600 * 994 – Major Fatimid victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of the Orontes. *1440 – Gilles de Rais, one of the earliest known serial killers, is taken into custody upon an accusation brought against him by ...

– Stocks fall sharply Monday on a triptych of Wall Street woe:

' bankruptcy filing,

Merrill Lynch Merrill (officially Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated), previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investment bank ...

's acquisition by

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

, and AIG's unprecedented request for short-term financing from the

Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a ...

. * September 20 – A suicide truck bomb explosion destroys the

Marriott Hotel Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's brand of full-service hotels and resorts based in Bethesda, Maryland. As of June 30, 2020, there were 582 hotels and resorts with 205,053 rooms operating under the brand, in addition to 160 ...

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, killing at least 54 and injuring 266. *

September 28 Events Pre-1600 *48 BC – Pompey disembarks at Pelusium upon arriving in Egypt, whereupon he is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy XIII. * 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus ...

–

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...

Falcon 1 becomes the world's first privately developed space launch vehicle to successfully make orbit. * October 3 – Global financial crisis:

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

signs the revised

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, often called the "bank bailout of 2008", was proposed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, passed by the 110th United States Congress, and signed into law by President George W. Bush. It beca ...

into law, creating a 700 billion dollar Treasury fund to purchase failing bank

asset In financial accountancy, financial accounting, an asset is any resource owned or controlled by a business or an economic entity. It is anything (tangible or intangible) that can be used to produce positive economic value. Assets represent value ...

s. * October 6 – A controversial Peruvian tape regarding a Norwegian oil company causes the

2008 Peru oil scandal The 2008 Peru oil scandal started after a Peruvian TV station broadcast an audio tape of an alleged conversation between a government official and a lobbyist agreeing to help a firm win contracts. The speakers were allegedly Alberto Quimper, an ...

, sparking protests which cause Jorge de Castillo's resignation from office. * October 21 – The

(LHC) is officially inaugurated at

. * October 22 – The

Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...

successfully launches the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft on a

lunar exploration The physical exploration of the Moon began when ''Luna 2'', a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation ...

mission.

November–December

November 1 Events Pre-1600 * 365 – The Alemanni cross the Rhine and invade Gaul. Emperor Valentinian I moves to Paris to command the army and defend the Gallic cities. * 996 – Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk, Bishop of Freising, ...

– Satoshi Nakamoto publishes "

Bitcoin Bitcoin ( abbreviation: BTC; sign: ₿) is a decentralized digital currency that can be transferred on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network. Bitcoin transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distr ...

: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System". * November 2 – In a race won by Brazilian driver

Felipe Massa Felipe Massa (, born 25 April 1981) is a Brazilian racing driver. He competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between 2002 and 2017, where he scored 11 Grand Prix victories, 41 podiums and finished as championship runner-up in 2008 by one poin ...

, British driver Lewis Hamilton ends in 5th place in

2008 Brazilian Grand Prix The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2008) was a Formula One motor race held on 2 November 2008 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, in São Paulo, Brazil. It was the eighteenth and final rac ...

and becomes the first

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

driver to win the

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

World Championship, and the second youngest driver to achieve the feat at the age of 23. *

November 4 Events Pre-1600 *1429 – Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Joan of Arc liberates Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier. * 1493 – Christopher Columbus reaches Leeward Island and Puerto Rico. * 1501 – Catherine of Aragon (later Henry VIII's ...

– –

2008 United States presidential election The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from ...

: Democratic U.S. Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

defeats Republican candidate

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

and is elected the 44th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

, making him the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

to be elected to the office. *

November 19 Events Pre-1600 * 461 – Libius Severus is declared emperor of the Western Roman Empire. The real power is in the hands of the ''magister militum'' Ricimer. * 636 – The Rashidun Caliphate defeats the Sasanian Empire at the Battle o ...

– Claudia Castillo of Spain becomes the first person to have a successful

trachea The trachea, also known as the windpipe, is a Cartilage, cartilaginous tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi of the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all air-breathing animals with lungs. The trachea extends ...

transplant Transplant or Transplantation may refer to: Sciences *Transplanting a plant from one location to another *Organ transplantation, moving an organ from one body to another *Transplant thought experiment, an experiment similar to Trolley problem *Tra ...

using a tissue-engineered

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

. *

November 26 Events Pre-1600 * 783 – The Asturian queen Adosinda is held at a monastery to prevent her king from retaking the throne from Mauregatus. *1161 – Battle of Caishi: A Song dynasty fleet fights a naval engagement with Jin dynasty ...

– 29 – Members of

Lashkar-e-Taiba Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT; ur, ; literally ''Army of the Good'', translated as ''Army of the Righteous'', or ''Army of the Pure'' and alternatively spelled as ''Lashkar-e-Tayyiba'', ''Lashkar-e-Toiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Taiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Tayyeba'') ...

carry out four days of coordinated bombing and shooting attacks across

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, killing 164 people. * December 10 – The

Channel Island The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

of Sark, a British Crown dependency, holds its first fully democratic elections under a new constitutional arrangement, becoming the last European territory to abolish

feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...

. * December 18 – The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda finds

Théoneste Bagosora Théoneste Bagosora (16 August 1941 – 25 September 2021) was a Rwandan military officer. He was chiefly known for his key role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal ...

and two other senior Rwandan army officers guilty of

genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...

and war crimes and sentences them to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

for their role in the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

. * December 23 – A

deposes the government of

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

shortly after the death of longtime

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Lansana Conté. * December 27 – Israel invades the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

, in response to rockets being fired into Israeli territory by

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...

, and due to weapons being smuggled into the area. *

December 31 It is known by a collection of names including: Saint Sylvester's Day, New Year's Eve or Old Years Day/Night, as the following day is New Year's Day. It is the last day of the year; the following day is January 1, the first day of the followin ...

– An extra

leap second A leap second is a one-second adjustment that is occasionally applied to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), to accommodate the difference between precise time (International Atomic Time (TAI), as measured by atomic clocks) and imprecise observe ...

(23:59:60) is added to end the year. The last time this occurred was in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

Date unknown

European Certification and Qualification Association The European Certification and Qualification Association is a not-for-profit association that aims to unify the certification processes for various professions. It is joining institutions and thousands of professionals from all over Europe and a ...

is founded. *

National Disaster Recovery Fund The National Disaster Recovery Fund is a disaster management fund established by the Government of Jamaica in 2008 following the extensive damage done to the island of Jamaica following Hurricane Gustav Hurricane Gustav () was the second most de ...

, a disaster management fund is established by the Government of Jamaica.

Births

* April 16 – Princess Eléonore of Belgium *

June 3 Events Pre-1600 * 350 – The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. * 713 – The Byzantine Empire, Byzantine emperor Philippikos Ba ...

–

Harshaali Malhotra Harshaali Malhotra (born 3 June 2008) is an Indian actress and model who appears in Hindi-language films and television series. Early life Harshaali was born on 3 June 2008 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India into a Punjabi Hindu family. Career M ...

, Indian actress and model * June 10 –

Sara James Sara Zofia Egwu-James (born 10 June 2008) is a Polish singer and songwriter. She won the The Voice Kids (Polish series 4), fourth series of the Polish talent show ''The Voice Kids (Polish TV series), The Voice Kids'' and Poland in the Junior Eur ...

, Polish singer and songwriter

Deaths

January

January 2 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor. * 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empi ...

–

Galyani Vadhana Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Naradhiwas ( th, กัลยาณิวัฒนา; ; 6 May 1923 – 2 January 2008) was a princess of Thailand and the elder sister of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). She w ...

, Princess of Naradhiwas and Princess of Thailand (b.

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

) *

January 3 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. * 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...

Aleksandr Abdulov Aleksandr Gavrilovich AbdulovАбдулов Г. Д.
Ферганский г� ...

, Soviet/Russian actor (b.

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

) **

Choi Yo-sam Choi Yo-sam (; March 1, 1972 – January 3, 2008) was a Korean world boxing champion. He was born in Jeongeup, Jeollabukdo, South Korea. Pro career Choi turned pro in 1993 and won the Lineal and WBC light flyweight titles in 1999 with a de ...

, Korean boxer (b.

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

) *

January 7 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting. * 1325 – Alfonso IV ...

–

Philip Agee Philip Burnett Franklin Agee (; January 19, 1935 – January 7, 2008)Will Weissert"Ex-CIA Agent Philip Agee Dead in Cuba" Associated Press (sfgate.com), January 9, 2008. was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer and writer of t ...

, American spy and writer (b.

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

) *

January 10 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...

** Christopher Bowman, American figure skater (b.

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

) **

Maila Nurmi Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi (December 11, 1922 – January 10, 2008), known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was an American actress who created the campy 1950s character Vampira. She was raised in Astoria, Oregon, where she worked in tuna and sa ...

, Finnish-American actress and television personality (b.

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

) *

January 11 Events Pre-1600 * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. * 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhamma ...

– Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist (b.

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

) *

–

Judah Folkman Moses Judah Folkman (February 24, 1933 – January 14, 2008) was an American medical scientist best known for his research on tumor angiogenesis, the process by which a tumor attracts blood vessels to nourish itself and sustain its existence. He ...

, American medical scientist (b.

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

) *

January 15 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. * 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...

– Brad Renfro, American actor (b.

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

) *

January 16 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. * 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...

– Nikola Kljusev, first

Prime Minister of Macedonia } The prime minister of North Macedonia ( mk, Премиер на Северна Македонија, al, Kryeministri i Maqedonisë së Veriut), officially the President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Претсед ...

(b.

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

) *

January 17 Events Pre-1600 * 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on ...

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11� ...

, American chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion (b. 1943) ** Allan Melvin, American actor (b.

) * January 18 – Lois Nettleton, American actress (b.

) * January 19 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (b. 1937) *

– Marie Smith Jones, Native American speaker (b. 1918) * January 22 ** Cao Văn Viên, South Vietnamese general and Chair of the South Vietnamese Joint General Staff (b. 1921) ** Heath Ledger, Australian actor (b. 1979) ** Claude Piron, Swiss linguist and psychologist (b. 1931) * January 25 – Aziz Sedky, 36th prime minister of Egypt (b. 1920) * January 26 – George Habash, Palestinian politician (b. 1926) * January 27 ** Gordon B. Hinckley, American Mormon leader (b. 1910) ** Suharto, 2nd President of Indonesia (b. 1921) * January 28 – Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens (b. 1939) * January 29 – Margaret Truman, American singer and writer (b. 1924) * January 30 – Marcial Maciel, Mexican Catholic priest (b. 1920) * January 31 – František Čapek, Czechoslovakian canoeist (b. 1914)

February

* February 2 ** Joshua Lederberg, American Nobel molecular biologist (b. 1925) ** Barry Morse, English-Canadian actor (b. 1918) * February 5 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian spiritual leader (b. 1918) * February 6 – John Alvin, American cinematic artist and painter (b. 1948) * February 7 – Andrew Bertie, 78th Grand Master of the SMOM, Order of Malta (b. 1929) * February 9 – Baba Amte, Indian social activist (b. 1914) * February 10 – Roy Scheider, American actor (b. 1932) * February 11 ** Tom Lantos, Hungarian-American politician (b. 1928) ** Alfredo Reinado, East Timorese rebel (b.

) * February 12 ** Imad Mughniyah, Lebanese militant (b. 1962) ** Badri Patarkatsishvili, Georgian businessman and politician (b. 1955) * February 13 ** Kon Ichikawa, Japanese film director (b. 1915) ** Henri Salvador, French singer (b. 1917) * February 16 – Brendan Hughes, Northern Irish paramilitary leader (b. 1948) *

– Alain Robbe-Grillet, French writer and filmmaker (b.

) * February 19 ** Natalia Bessmertnova, Russian ballerina (b. 1941) ** Yegor Letov, Russian singer (b. 1964) * February 23 ** Janez Drnovšek, two-time prime minister and second president of Slovenia (b. 1950) ** Paul Frère, Belgian racing driver (b. 1917) * February 25 – Static Major, American musician (b. 1974) * February 27 ** William F. Buckley Jr., American author and conservative commentator (b. 1925) ** Ivan Rebroff, German singer (b. 1931)

March

* March 1 –

, Colombian guerrilla (b. 1948) *

** Sofiko Chiaureli, Georgian actress (b. 1937) ** Jeff Healey, Canadian musician (b. 1966) * March 3 ** Giuseppe Di Stefano, Italian operatic tenor (b. 1921) ** Norman Smith (record producer), Norman Smith, English singer and record producer (b.

) * March 4 – Gary Gygax, American writer and game designer (b. 1938) * March 5 – Joseph Weizenbaum, German-American author and computer scientist (b.

) * March 6 – Peter Poreku Dery, Ghanaian cardinal (b. 1918) * March 12 – Howard Metzenbaum, American politician (b. 1917) * March 14 – Chiara Lubich, Italian Catholic activist (b. 1920) * March 16 **Bill Brown (cricketer), Bill Brown, Australian cricketer (b. 1912) ** Ivan Dixon, American actor (b. 1931) * March 18 – Anthony Minghella, English film director and screenwriter (b. 1954) * March 19 ** Sir Arthur C. Clarke, English author, inventor, and futurist (b. 1917) ** Hugo Claus, Flemish writer, painter, and film director (b. 1929) ** Paul Scofield, English actor (b.

) * March 21 – Klaus Dinger, German musician (b. 1946) * March 22 – Adolfo Suárez Rivera, Mexican cardinal (b.

) * March 24 ** Neil Aspinall, British record producer and business executive (b. 1942) ** Richard Widmark, American actor (b. 1914) * March 26 – Manuel Marulanda, Colombian guerrilla (b. 1930) * March 27 – Jean-Marie Balestre, French sports executive (b. 1921) * March 30 – Dith Pran, Cambodian-American photojournalist (b. 1942) * March 31 – Jules Dassin, American film director (b. 1911)

April

* April 3 – Hrvoje Ćustić, Croatian footballer (b. 1983) * April 5 – Charlton Heston, American actor (b.

) * April 8 – Stanley Kamel, American actor (b. 1943) * April 10 – Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, Mexican cardinal (b.

) * April 12 – Patrick Hillery, 6th President of Ireland (b.

) * April 13 – John Archibald Wheeler, American theoretical physicist (b. 1911) * April 14 – Ollie Johnston, American animator (b. 1912) * April 15 – Benoît Lamy, Belgian motion picture writer and director (b. 1945) * April 16 – Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (b. 1917) * April 17 – Aimé Césaire, French Martinican poet and politician (b. 1913) * April 26 – Árpád Orbán, Hungarian footballer (b. 1938) * April 29 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and writer (b. 1906)

May

* May 1 ** Anthony Mamo, 1st president of Malta (b. 1909) ** Philipp von Boeselager, German Wehrmacht officer involved in the 20 July Plot (b. 1917) * May 3 – Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, Spanish prime minister (b. 1926) * May 8 ** Eddy Arnold, American country music singer (b. 1918) ** François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (b.

) * May 10 – Leyla Gencer, Turkish soprano (b. 1928) * May 11 – John Rutsey, Canadian musician (b. 1952) * May 12 ** Robert Rauschenberg, American pop artist (b. 1925) ** Irena Sendler, Polish humanitarian (b. 1910) * May 13 ** Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah, fourth Emir of Kuwait (b. 1930) ** Bernardin Gantin, Beninese cardinal (b.

) ** John Phillip Law, American actor (b. 1937) * May 15 ** Willis Lamb, American physicist and Nobel laureate (b. 1913) ** Tommy Burns (footballer), Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1956) * May 19 – Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright (b. 1928) * May 23 – Cornell Capa, Hungarian-American photographer (b. 1918) * May 24 – Rob Knox, English actor (b. 1989) * May 26 ** Sydney Pollack, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1934) ** Koloa Talake, seventh prime minister of Tuvalu (b. 1934) * May 28 – Sven Davidson, Swedish tennis player (b. 1928) * May 29 ** Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey defenceman (b. 1987) ** Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (b.

) *

– Boris Shakhlin, Soviet gymnast (b. 1932)

June

George Carlin 1975 (Little David Records) Publicity

* June 1 ** Tommy Lapid, Israeli television presenter, journalist, and politician (b. 1931) ** Yves Saint Laurent (designer), Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer (b. 1936) * June 2 ** Bo Diddley, American musician (b. 1928) ** Mel Ferrer, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1917) *June 4 – Agata Mróz-Olszewska, Polish volleyball player (b.

) *June 5 – Jameson Mbilini Dlamini, seventh prime minister of Swaziland (b. 1932) * June 7 ** Mustafa Khalil, 40th prime minister of Egypt (b. 1920) ** Dino Risi, Italian director (b. 1916) * June 8 – Šaban Bajramović, Serbian musician (b. 1936) * June 9 ** Karen Asrian, Armenian chess grandmaster (b. 1980) ** Algis Budrys, Lithuanian-American science fiction writer (b. 1931) * June 10 – Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyzstani writer (b. 1928) * June 11 ** Ove Andersson, Swedish rally driver (b. 1939) ** Võ Văn Kiệt, 5th prime minister of Vietnam (b.

) * June 13 – Tim Russert, American journalist (b. 1950) * June 15 – Stan Winston, American special effects and makeup artist (b. 1946) * June 17 – Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (b.

) * June 18 – Jean Delannoy, French film director (b. 1908) * June 22 – George Carlin, American author, actor, and comedian (b. 1937) * June 23 – Arthur Chung, first President of Guyana (b. 1918) * June 24 – Leonid Hurwicz, American Nobel economist and mathematician (b. 1917) * June 26 – Lilyan Chauvin, French-American actress, television host, and director (b. 1925) * June 27 – Sam Manekshaw, Indian Field Marshal (b. 1914) * June 28 – Ruslana Korshunova, Kazakhstani model (b. 1987) * June 29 – Don S. Davis, American actor (b. 1942)

July

* July 4 – Evelyn Keyes, American actress (b. 1916) * July 5 – René Harris, four-time president of Nauru (b. 1947) * July 11 – Michael E. DeBakey, American surgeon and inventor (b. 1908) * July 12 – Tony Snow, American political commentator (b. 1955) * July 13 – Bronisław Geremek, Polish social historian and politician (b. 1932) * July 15 – György Kolonics, Hungarian canoeist (b.

) * July 16 – Jo Stafford, American singer (b. 1917) * July 20 – Dinko Šakić, Croatian concentration camp commander (b. 1921) * July 22 – Estelle Getty, American actress (b.

) * July 25 ** Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist (b. 1928) ** Randy Pausch, American author and computer scientist (b. 1960) * July 27 – Youssef Chahine, Egyptian film director (b. 1926) * July 28 – Suzanne Tamim, Lebanese singer and actress (b. 1977) * July 29 – Mate Parlov, Croatian boxer (b. 1948)

August

* August 1 ** Pauline Baynes, English illustrator (b.

) ** Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Indian politician (b. 1916) * August 3 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian writer and Nobel laureate (b. 1918) * August 9 ** Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet (b. 1941) ** Bernie Mac, American actor and comedian (b. 1957) * August 10 – Isaac Hayes, American singer, songwriter, and actor (b. 1942) * August 11 – Fred Sinowatz, Austrian politician (b. 1929) * August 13 – Henri Cartan, French mathematician (b. 1904) * August 15 – Jerry Wexler, American music producer (b. 1917) * August 16 ** Ronnie Drew, Irish folk singer and actor (b. 1934) ** Masanobu Fukuoka, Japanese microbiologist (b. 1913) * August 19 ** Levy Mwanawasa, 3rd President of Zambia (b. 1948) ** LeRoi Moore, American saxophonist (b. 1961) * August 20 – Hua Guofeng, Chairman of the Communist Party and Chinese Premier (b. 1921) * August 23 – Thomas Huckle Weller, American virologist and Nobel laureate (b. 1915) * August 28 – Phil Hill, American race car driver (b.

)

September

* September 1 ** Don LaFontaine, American voice actor (b. 1940) ** Jerry Reed, American actor and country singer (b. 1937) * September 2 – Bill Melendez, Mexican-American character animator, film director, voice artist, and producer (b. 1916) * September 6 – Anita Page, American actress (b. 1910) * September 9 ** Nouhak Phoumsavanh, third president of Laos (b. 1910) ** Warith Deen Mohammed, American Muslim leader, theologian, philosopher, and revivalist (b.

) * September 12 – David Foster Wallace, American writer (b. 1962) *

– Richard Wright (musician), Richard Wright, English keyboardist (b. 1943) * September 18 – Mauricio Kagel, Argentine composer (b. 1931) * September 19 – Earl Palmer, American R&B Drummer (b. 1924) * September 21 – Dingiri Banda Wijetunga, ninth prime minister and fourth president of Sri Lanka (b. 1916) * September 26 – Paul Newman, American actor, film director, entrepreneur, and philanthropist (b. 1925)

October

* October 1 – Boris Yefimov, Russian political cartoonist (b. 1900) * October 6 – Paavo Haavikko, Finnish poet (b. 1931) * October 8 – George Emil Palade, Romanian cell biologist and Nobel laureate (b. 1912) * October 10 – Alexey Prokurorov, Russian cross-country skier (b. 1964) * October 11 – Jörg Haider, Austrian politician (b. 1950) * October 13 ** Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1989) ** Guillaume Depardieu, French actor (b. 1971) ** Antonio José González Zumárraga, Ecuadorian cardinal (b. 1925) * October 15 ** Edie Adams, American actress, singer, and businesswoman (b.

) ** Wang Yung-ching, Taiwanese entrepreneur (b. 1917) * October 20 – Sœur Emmanuelle, Belgian-born French nun (b. 1908) * October 25 ** Federico Luzzi, Italian tennis player (b. 1980) ** Muslim Magomayev (musician), Muslim Magomayev, Azerbaijani singer (b. 1942) ** Estelle Reiner, American actress and singer (b. 1914) * October 26 – Tony Hillerman, American writer (b. 1925) * October 29 – William Wharton (author), William Wharton, American author (b. 1925) * October 31 – Studs Terkel, American author and liberal commentator (b. 1912)

November

** Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer (b. 1938) ** Jacques Piccard, Swiss explorer and engineer (b.

) ** Yma Sumac, Peruvian soprano (b.

) *

** Michael Crichton, American author and producer (b. 1942) ** Juan Camilo Mouriño, Mexican politician (b. 1971) * November 6 – Larry James, American athlete (b. 1947) * November 8 – Mieczysław Rakowski, Polish politician, historian, and journalist (b. 1926) * November 9 – Miriam Makeba, South African singer and civil rights activist (b. 1932) * November 10 – Kiyosi Itô, Japanese mathematician (b. 1915) * November 12 – Mitch Mitchell, English drummer (b. 1946) * November 14 – Tsvetanka Khristova, Bulgarian athlete (b. 1962) * November 22 – Ibrahim Nasir, second president of the Maldives (b. 1926) *

– Edna Parker, American supercentenarian (b. 1893) * November 27 – V. P. Singh, seventh prime minister of India (b. 1931) * November 29 – Jørn Utzon, Danish architect (b. 1918)

December

* December 1 ** Paul Benedict, American actor (b. 1938) ** Mikel Laboa, Basque singer and songwriter (b. 1934) * December 2 ** Frank Crean, Australian politician (b. 1916) ** Odetta, American singer (b. 1930) * December 5 ** Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church (b. 1928) ** Nina Foch, Dutch-born American actress (b. 1924) ** Beverly Garland, American actress (b. 1926) * December 8 – Robert Prosky, American actor (b. 1930) * December 9 ** Yury Glazkov, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1939) ** Dražan Jerković, Croatian footballer and manager (b. 1936) * December 11 ** Daniel Carleton Gajdusek, American physician and Nobel laureate (b.

) ** Bettie Page, American pin-up model (b.

) ** Maddie Blaustein, American voice actress and comic writer (b. 1960) * December 12 ** Avery Dulles, American cardinal (b. 1918) ** Van Johnson, American actor (b. 1916) ** Tassos Papadopoulos, fifth president of Cyprus (b. 1934) * December 13 – Horst Tappert, German actor (b.

) * December 15 – León Febres Cordero, 35th president of Ecuador (b. 1931) * December 18 – Mark Felt, American FBI agent (b. 1913) * December 19 – James Bevel, Civil Rights Movement strategist (b. 1936) Rev

* December 20 ** Joseph Conombo, third prime minister of Burkina Faso (b. 1917) ** Olga Lepeshinskaya (dancer), Olga Lepeshinskaya, Russian ballerina (b. 1916) ** Robert Mulligan, American director (b. 1925) * December 22 – Lansana Conté, 2nd president of Guinea (b. 1934) * December 24 ** Samuel P. Huntington, American political scientist (b.

) ** Harold Pinter, English playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor (b. 1930) * December 25 – Eartha Kitt, American singer, actress, activist, and author (b.

) * December 29 – Freddie Hubbard, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1938)

Date unknown

* Wilfred Andrew Rose, Trinidad and Tobago diplomat and politician (b. 1922) * Victor Ruzo, Swiss painter (b. 1913)

Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Martin Chalfie, Osamu Shimomura, and Roger Y. Tsien * Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Economics – Paul Krugman * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – J. M. G. Le Clézio * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – Martti Ahtisaari * Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Makoto Kobayashi (physicist), Makoto Kobayashi, Toshihide Maskawa, and Yoichiro Nambu * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Harald zur Hausen, and Luc Montagnier

New English words

References

External links

2008 Calendar
at Internet Accuracy Project {{DEFAULTSORT:2008 2008, Leap years in the Gregorian calendar