Historical Events in 2008

Events 1 - 200 of 380

• Jan 1 74th Sugar Bowl: #5 Georgia beats #10 Hawai'i, 41-10
• Jan 1 94th Rose Bowl: #6 Southern California beats #13 Illinois, 49-17

• Jan 1 A New Hampshire law legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples comes into effect.
• Jan 1 Malta and Cyprus officially adopt the Euro currency and become the fourteenth and fifteenth Eurozone countries.
• Jan 2 37th Fiesta Bowl: #11 West Virginia beats #3 Oklahoma, 48-28
• Jan 3 74th Orange Bowl: #8 Kansas beats #5 Virginia Tech, 24-21

• Jan 7 13th Critics' Choice Movie Awards: "No Country for Old Men" wins Best Film
• Jan 7 College Football, 10th BCS National Championship Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans: #2 LSU beats #1 Ohio State, 38-24

• Jan 8 New Jersey officially apologizes for slavery, becoming the first Northern state to do so.

• Jan 13 Orlando Magic knock down a then NBA-record 23 3-pointers in 37 attempts (62.2%); Jameer Nelson goes 5-for-5 from beyond the arc as Magic beat the Sacramento Kings, 139-107
• Jan 14 MESSENGER spacecraft performs a Mercury flyby
• Jan 15 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority members celebrate 100th anniversary by donating $1 million to scholarship funds at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

• Jan 20 AFC Championship, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough: New England Patriots beat San Diego Chargers, 21-12
• Jan 20 NFC Championship, Lambeau Field, Green Bay: New York Giants beat Green Bay Packers, 23-20 (OT)
• Jan 21 Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 9/11, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15%.
• Jan 21 The Eyak language in Alaska becomes extinct as its last native speaker dies

• Jan 27 24th Sundance Film Festival: "Frozen River", directed by Courtney Hunt, wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
• Jan 27 56th NHL All-Star Game, Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 8-7; MVP: Eric Staal, Carolina, C

• Feb 1 Canadian jockey Russell Baze rides his 10,000th career winner aboard Two Step Cat in 3rd race at Golden Gate Fields, Albany, CA; prevails in a 3-horse photo finish
• Feb 1 Minnesota starter Johan Santana signs a 6-year, $137.5 million deal with the New York Mets to become the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history; trade from Twins to Mets official the next day

• Feb 5 A major tornado outbreak across the Southern United States leaves at least 58 dead, the most since the May 31, 1985 outbreak that killed 88.
• Feb 7 58th Berlin International Film Festival: "Elite Squad" wins the Golden Bear
• Feb 8 Nebraska bans electric chair as sole execution method

• Feb 10 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 42-30; MVP: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings, RB
• Feb 10 The 2008 Namdaemun fire severely damages Namdaemun, the first National Treasure of South Korea.
• Feb 11 In East Timor, assassination attempts were made on Xanana Gusmao and Jose Ramos-Horta. Both failed.
• Feb 13 Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes an historic apology to Indigenous Australians, especially to the Stolen Generations who suffered forced child removal and assimilation [1]
• Feb 13 The LZR Racer Suit is unveiled in NYC; line of competition swimsuits made by Speedo using high-tech fabric of woven elastane-nylon & polyurethane; times went down dramatically; rules changed 2010
• Feb 14 39th NAACP Image Awards: "The Great Debaters" wins Outstanding Motion Picture
• Feb 14 Northern Illinois University shooting: a gunman opened fire in a lecture hall of the DeKalb County, Illinois university resulting in 24 casualties; 6 fatalities (including gunman) and 18 injured.
• Feb 17 50th Daytona 500: Ryan Newman wins shootout going into the final turn from Tony Stewart, and the Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle

• Feb 17 Kosovo declares independence from Serbia

• Feb 19 Serzh Sargsyan wins the Armenian Presidential Election
• Feb 19 Toshiba announces its formal recall of its HD DVD video format, ending the format war between it and Sony's Blu-Ray Disc
• Feb 23 28th Golden Raspberry Awards: "I Know Who Killed Me" wins
• Feb 23 B-2 Spirit of the USAF crashes at Guam. Crew survives but aircraft written off, the most expensive air crash in human history (aircraft alone cost $1.2Bn). B-2 had a perfect safety record before the crash; not one B-2 ever crashed.

• Feb 28 Former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra is arrested on corruption charges upon returning to Thailand after months of exile.
• Mar 2 Riots in Yerevan, Armenia concerning the Armenian presidential election, 2008 come to a fatal end, with police forces clashing with civilians in their peaceful protest, resulting in 8 deaths.

• Mar 12 Streaming service Hulu launches for public access in the United States
• Mar 13 Gold prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange hit $1,000.00 an ounce for the first time.
• Mar 15 29th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Pittsburgh beats Georgetown, 74-65
• Mar 15 Wales beats France, 29-12 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff to complete a Grand Slam and win the Six Nations Rugby Championship with a 19th Triple Crown
• Mar 16 49th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Georgia beats Arkansas, 66-57
• Mar 16 55th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #1 North Carolina beats #22 Clemson, 86-81
• Mar 17 New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns after a scandal involving a high-end prostitute. David Paterson becomes acting New York State governor.
• Mar 17 The popular online game for children, Fantage, is launched
• Mar 19 GRB 080319B: A cosmic burst that is the farthest object visible to the naked eye is briefly observed
• Mar 22 French Swimmer Alain Bernard sets world record of 47.50 for 100m freestyle long course after winning the European LC Championships 2008
• Mar 24 Bhutan officially becomes a democracy, with its first ever general election.

• Mar 31 Aloha Airlines, a bankrupt airline, permanently ends passenger service
• Apr 1 New York Yankees set a MLB record by winning their 11th straight home opener, 3-2 against Toronto Blue Jays

• Apr 4 Raid on Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints owned YFZ Ranch in Texas; 401 children and 133 women taken into state custody
• Apr 5 161st Grand National: 7/1 joint favourite Comply or Die wins in Irish jockey Timmy Murphy's 11th attempt, 4 lengths ahead of King John's Castle

• Apr 7 70th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beats Memphis, 75-68; first time since seeding began, all 4 top seeds advance to the Final Four
• Apr 8 27th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Stanford, 64-48; Volunteers' back-to-back titles; coach Pat Summitt, 8 national championships
• Apr 8 The construction of the world's first building to integrate wind turbines completes, in Bahrain.

• Apr 18 NBA owners give approval of a potential Seattle SuperSonics' relocation to Oklahoma City in a 28–2 vote by the Board of Governors
• Apr 20 54th British Academy Television Awards: "Fonejacker" Best Comedy, "The Street" best Drama
• Apr 20 Danica Patrick driving for Andretti Green Racing wins the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi; first female driver in history to win an IndyCar Series race

• Apr 21 The United States Air Force retires the F-117 Nighthawk stealth surface-attack aircraft
• Apr 26 NFL Draft: University of Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long first pick by Miami Dolphins

• May 1 The London Agreement on translation of European patents, concluded in 2000, enters into force in 14 of the 34 Contracting States to the European Patent Convention.
• May 2 Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless

• May 6 Chaiten Volcano erupts in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.

• May 12 Wenchuan earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 87,000, injuring 374,643 and leaving homeless between 4.8 million and 11 million people
• May 15 California becomes the second U.S. state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state's own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional.
• May 17 133rd Preakness: Kent Desormeaux aboard Big Brown wins in 1:54.80
• May 17 English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (82,752): Portsmouth beats Cardiff City, 1-0; Nwankwo Kanu scores 37' winner

• May 18 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 1
• May 19 NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Dallas Stars, 4 games to 2
• May 21 UEFA Champions League Final, Moscow: Manchester United beats Chelsea, 6-5 on penalties after scores tied at 1-1 after extra time; first all-English final in the competition's history
• May 23 The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.
• May 24 53rd Eurovision Song Contest: Dima Bilan for Russia wins singing "Believe" in Belgrade
• May 25 61st Cannes Film Festival: "The Class" directed by Laurent Cantet wins the Palme d'Or
• May 25 Indianapolis 500: Scott Dixon of New Zealand wins ahead of Vítor Meira and Marco Andretti; 19th winner from pole and first victor from NZ

• May 28 The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.

• Jun 1 A fire at the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood destroys several icons from movies, such as Courthouse Square, the clock tower from Back to the Future, and the King Kong exhibit on the studio tour.
• Jun 1 IPL Cricket Final, DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai: Rajasthan Royals win inaugural event; beat Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets; Yusuf Pathan top scores with 56 (39)

• Jun 4 Stanley Cup Final, Civic Center, Pittsburgh, PA: Detroit Red Wings defeat Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2 for a 4-2 series win; Red Wings' 11th Championship
• Jun 7 140th Belmont: Alan Garcia aboard Da Tara wins in 2:29.65

• Jun 7 Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland formed as second-largest European national park, combining Skaftafell and Jökulsárgljúfur parks and the Vatnajökull ice cap (World Heritage Site 2019) [1]

• Jun 8 The Akihabara massacre took place on the Sunday-pedestrian-zoned Chūōdōri street. A man killed seven in an attack on a crowd using a truck and a dagger.
• Jun 10 The Gora Prai airstrike by the United States reportedly kills 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops.

• Jun 12 Ireland rejects the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum, thus putting into question the reform programme of the European Union.
• Jun 13 "Viva la Vida" single released by Coldplay, - their 1st US No. 1, (Grammy Song of the Year)
• Jun 15 62nd Tony Awards: "In the Heights" (musical) & "August: Osage County" (play) win
• Jun 16 US Open Men's Golf, Torrey Pines GC: Tiger Woods wins his 3rd US Open and 14th major title, beating Rocco Mediate on the 1st hole of sudden-death, following a Monday 18-hole playoff
• Jun 17 First day of legal same-sex marriage in California
• Jun 17 NBA Finals: Boston Celtics beat Los Angeles Lakers, 131-92 in Game 6 for first title since 1986 and 17th overall; MVP: Paul Pierce

• Jun 23 Félix Hernández of the Seattle Mariners hits a grand slam home run against New York Mets, 1st pitcher since Steve Dunning in 1971
• Jun 25 Atlantis Plastics shooting, An employee shot and killed five people after an argument, which ended in the gunman's suicide in Henderson, Kentucky
• Jun 26 NBA Draft: Memphis point guard Derrick Rose first pick by Chicago Bulls
• Jun 26 The U.S. Supreme Court rules in District of Columbia v. Heller that the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia is unconstitutional.

• Jun 29 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England; Leonard Cohen the highlight singing "Hallelujah"
• Jun 29 Thomas Beatie, the world's first pregnant man, gives birth to a daughter
• Jun 29 UEFA European Championship Final, Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria: Fernando Torres scores as Spain beats Germany, 1-0
• Jun 29 US Open Women's Golf, Interlachen CC: 19-year-old South Korean Inbee Park wins the first of her 7 major titles by 4 strokes ahead of runner-up Helen Alfredsson

• Jul 1 Denmark is the first European economy to confirm it is in recession since the global credit crunch began; its GDP shrinks 0.6% in the first quarter after a 0.2% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2007
• Jul 2 A settlement is reached allowing former NBA franchise the Seattle SuperSonics to move to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; new owner Clay Bennett agrees to pay City of Seattle $45 million to wriggle out of last 2 years of KeyArena lease
• Jul 2 Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other FARC hostages are rescued by the Colombian armed forces.

• Jul 6 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Rafael Nadal of Spain ends Roger Federer's 5 year reign at Wimbledon 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7

• Jul 10 Former Macedonian Interior Minister Ljube Boškoski is acquitted of all charges by a UN Tribunal accusing him of war crimes
• Jul 12 Canadian harness racer John Campbell wins his 10,000th race as a driver by guiding 'Share the Delight' to victory in the 6th race at Meadowlands Racetrack

• Jul 16 79th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 4-3 at Yankee Stadium, New York City
• Jul 16 Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim is arrested on sodomy charges in Malaysia

• Jul 20 16th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Candace Parker win
• Jul 20 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Irishman Pádraig Harrington successfully defends his Open title; shoots 4-under par over the final 9 to be 4 strokes clear of runner-up Ian Poulter

• Jul 23 Cape Verde joins the World Trade Organization, becoming its 153rd member.
• Jul 24 41st San Diego Comic-Con International opens at San Diego Convention Center
• Jul 27 95th Tour de France won by Carlos Sastre of Spain
• Jul 27 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Royal Troon: Bruce Vaughan birdies first extra playoff hole to beat fellow American John Cook by a stroke
• Jul 28 Historic Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier burns down for a second time in 80 years

• Aug 3 British Open Women's Golf, Sunningdale GC: Jiyai Shin of South Korea shoots final round 66 (−6) to win her first major championship, 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Yani Tseng

• Aug 3 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Broadmoor GC: Eduardo Romero of Argentina wins by 4 strokes ahead of Fred Funk for his second Champions Tour major title
• Aug 6 A military junta led by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz stages a coup d'etat in Mauritania, overthrowing president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi
• Aug 6 Access 31 TV stops broadcasting in Perth, Western Australia
• Aug 7 Beginning of the Russo-Georgian War: Georgia moves troops into self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Tskhinva who are supported by Russia. First European war of the 21st century.
• Aug 8 XXIX Summer Olympic Games open in Beijing, China
• Aug 9 United States takes all 3 medals in women's fencing sabre event at the Beijing Olympics; first US podium sweep of a fencing event since 1904; Mariel Zagunis takes gold ahead of Sada Jacobson & Rebecca Ward

• Aug 10 British cyclist Nicole Cooke wins the road race at the Beijing Olympics; Great Britain's 200th gold in the modern Olympics
• Aug 10 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Irishman Pádraig Harrington wins his second straight major by 2 shots from Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis
• Aug 11 Abhinav Bindra wins men's 10m air rifle at the Beijing Olympics, the first ever individual Olympic gold medal for India, and India's first gold medal in any Olympic event since 1980

• Aug 11 Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima repeats 1st leg of his Athens Olympics 100/200m breaststroke double at the Beijing Games winning the 100m in world record 58.91; goes on to win 200m event
• Aug 11 The US 4 x 100m freestyle replay team of Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones & Jason Lezak beats France by 8 seconds to win gold and smash world record at the Beijing Olympics
• Aug 12 American super-swimmer Michael Phelps wins his 3rd of 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics when he takes the 200m freestyle in world record 1:42.96
• Aug 12 American swimmer Natalie Coughlin becomes the first to successfully defend the gold medal in the women's 100 m backstroke when she wins event at the Beijing Olympics

• Aug 12 Ceasefire negotiated in Russo-Georgian War after 5 days
• Aug 13 American super-swimmer Michael Phelps wins 3 gold medals, all in world record time, in the one day at the Beijing Olympics; 200m I/M (1:54.23), 200m butterfly (1.52.03) and 4 x 200m freestyle relay (6:58.56)
• Aug 13 Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice wraps up the medley double at the Beijing Olympics when she swims world record 2:08.45 to win the 200m I/M gold medal
• Aug 13 Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini sets new world record 1:54.82 to claim 200m freestyle gold medal at the Beijing Olympics; runner-up Sara Isaković is Slovenia's first Olympic swim medal winner
• Aug 13 The Baltic state slides into recession with a 0.9% fall in second-quarter GDP after a drop of 0.5% in the first quarter; it falls deeper into recession in the third quarter when the economy contracted 3.3%
• Aug 14 A popular Chinese 1-2 in the 200m butterfly at the Beijing Olympics with Liu Zige swimming world record 2:04.18 to beat teammate Jiao Liuyang
• Aug 14 Australian women's 4 x 200m freestyle relay team of Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer & Linda Mackenzie swims world record 7:44.31 to beat China and take the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics
• Aug 14 French swimmer Alain Bernard wins the coveted 100m freestyle gold medal at the Beijing Olympics beating Eamon O'Sullivan of Australia by 0.11
• Aug 14 Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima repeats his Athens Olympics 100/200m breaststroke double at the Beijing Games winning the 200m in Olympic record 2:07.64
• Aug 15 American breaststroker Rebecca Soni avenges her defeat to Leisel Jones of Australia in the 100m when she swims world record 2:20.22 to beat Jones in 200m at the Beijing Olympics

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