- Dec 1 The US economy has been in recession since December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research announces today
- Dec 2 Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigns after the 2008 Thailand political crisis
Football Awards
Dec 2 Ballon d'Or: Manchester United's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo wins his first award as best football player in the world; Barcelona forward Lionel Messi 2nd, Liverpool striker Fernando Torres 3rd
Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi
Event of Interest
Dec 5 Human remains previously found in 1991 are finally identified by Russian and American scientists as those of Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II
Event of Interest
Dec 5 Former NFL star O.J. Simpson is sentenced to 33 years in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery
O.J. Simpson
Event of Interest
Dec 6 American pin-up model Bettie Page (85) is hospitalized in critical condition after suffering a heart attack
Bettie Page
- Dec 6 17th SEC Championship Game: #2 Florida beats #1 Alabama, 31-20
- Dec 6 4th ACC Championship Game: Virginia Tech beats #18 Boston College, 30-12
- Dec 6 13th Big 12 Championship Game: #4 Oklahoma beats #19 Missouri, 62-21
- Dec 8 Kirsty Williams elected as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. The first female leader of a political party in Wales.
Event of Interest
Dec 9 The Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is arrested by federal officials for a number of alleged crimes including attempting to sell the United States Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama's election to the Presidency
Barack Obama
- Dec 11 Bernard Madoff arrested and charged with securities fraud in $50 billion Ponzi scheme
- Dec 12 Andrei Klepach, a deputy economics minister of Russia, states that Russia has entered the recession, with two quarters of contraction expected, meaning Russia will fall short of reaching the 6.8% growth forecast for 2008
Conference of Interest
Dec 14 President George W. Bush make his fourth and final trip to Iraq as president and is almost struck by two shoes thrown at him by Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi during a farewell conference in Baghdad
George W. Bush
- Dec 15 74th Heisman Trophy Award: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma (QB)
Event of Interest
Dec 19 Chanda Kochhar is named as the successor of K. V. Kamath to the post of CEO and Managing Director of ICICI Bank
Chanda Kochhar
NBA Record
Dec 25 Phil Jackson becomes the sixth coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games
Phil Jackson
Event of Interest
Dec 30 NFL head coach Mike Shanahan is fired by the Denver Broncos
Mike Shanahan