Significant Events
- Jan 24 Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell publishes "Scouting for Boys" as a manual for self-instruction in outdoor skills and self-improvement. The book becomes the inspiration for the Scout Movement.
- Feb 1 King Carlos I of Portugal and his heir, Prince Luis Filipe are assassinated by Republican sympathizers in Terreiro do Paco, Lisbon
- May 26 At Masjed Soleyman (مسجد سليمان) in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made, rights acquired by the United Kingdom
- Jun 30 A giant fireball, most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet flattens 80 million trees near the Stony Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, in the largest impact event in recorded history
- Jul 26 United States Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte issues an order to immediately staff the Office of the Chief Examiner (later renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation)
- Aug 12 Henry Ford's company builds the first Model T car
- Sep 27 Henry Ford's first Ford Model T automobile leaves the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan
- Oct 1 Henry Ford introduces the Model T car (costs $825)
- Nov 14 Albert Einstein presents his quantum theory of light
- Dec 28 Earthquake strikes Messina, Italy, killing nearly 80,000
1908 in Film & TV
- May 21 1st horror movie (Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde) premieres in Chicago
1908 in Music
- Dec 3 Edward Elgar's 1st Symphony in A performed by the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Hans Richter, premieres in Manchester, England
1908 in Sport
- Mar 9 Italian football club Inter Milan founded as Foot-Ball Club Internazionale
- Mar 17 Tommy Burns KOs Jem Roche in 88 seconds in the quickest world heavyweight boxing title fight
Did You Know?
"SOS" (· · · – – – · · ·) distress signal becomes the worldwide standard for help
On July 1, 1908
World Leaders in 1908
Nicholas II
Tsar
Theodore Roosevelt
26th US President
Wilhelm II
German Emperor and King of Prussia
Famous People in 1908
Claude Monet
Impressionist Painter
Bette Davis
Bronko Nagurski
Donald Bradman
James Stewart
Lyndon B. Johnson
Sam GiancanaWould You Believe?
Katie Mulcahey is arrested for lighting a cigarette, violating the 1-day old "Sullivan Ordinance" banning women from smoking in public, and is fined $5. Appearing before the judge she stated “I’ve got as much right to smoke as you have. I never heard of this new law, and I don’t want to hear about it. No man shall dictate to me.”
On January 22, 1908
Famous Weddings
- May 19 Prime Minister of Canada Louis St. Laurent (26) weds Jeanne Renault
- Jun 3 NHL goaltender Georges Vezina (21) weds Marie Adelaide Stella Morin in Chicoutimi, Canada
- Jun 9 Poet Joyce Kilmer (21) weds author Aline Murray (19)
- Sep 2 Naval officer Robert Scott (40) weds sculptress Kathleen Bruce (30) at the Chapel Royal in London, England
- Sep 12 Politician Winston Churchill marries Clementine Hozier
Butch Cassidy
Grover Cleveland
Henri Becquerel
Henry Campbell-BannermanArticles on Events in 1908
Was Mystery Blast Caused by Aliens?
A massive mysterious explosion in eastern Siberia that destroyed wildlife and felled a vast number of trees remains a mystery to this day.
June 30, 1908
Ford Puts Millions in the Driving Seat
Henry Ford's Model T rolled off the assembly line on this day in automotive history, bringing affordable motoring to millions.
October 1, 1908