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Calendar year
2008 by topic By international organization
2008 (MMVIII ) was aleap year starting on Tuesday of theGregorian calendar , the 2008th year of theCommon Era (CE) andAnno Domini 3rd millennium and the21st century , and the 9th year of the2000s decade.
Calendar year
2008 is designated as:
TheGreat Recession , a worldwide recession which began in2007 , continued through the entirety of 2008.
Theworld population on January 1, 2008, was estimated to be 6.801 billion people and increased to 6.888 billion people by January 1, 2009.[ 5] [ 5] life expectancy was 69.3 years, an increase of 0.3 years from 2007.[ 5] [ 6] [ 7]
There were 37 conflicts in 2008 that resulted in at least 25 fatalities, five of which resulted in at least 1,000 fatalities: theIraqi insurgency , theTaliban insurgency , conflict with thePakistani Taliban ,Eelam War IV in Sri Lanka, and theSomali Civil War .[ 8] [ 9] A border conflict broke out for two days between Djibouti and Eritrea, ending with Eritrean occupation of the disputed area,Ras Doumeira . This was the first conflict in four years where two sovereign states fought each other directly.[ 10] Russo-Georgian War occurred in August when Georgia engaged in warfare with the breakaway state South Ossetia following a series of skirmishes. Russia backed South Ossetia and sent 10,000 soldiers into the fight, progressing further into Georgia until a ceasefire was established.[ 11] Dima Halam Daogah sought aDimasa state and theUnited National Liberation Front sought aManipuri state.[ 12]
Peace talks were held between Uganda and theLord's Resistance Army (LRA) to endthe LRA's insurgency , but LRA leaderJoseph Kony refused to attend a final peace agreement and government operations against the LRA resumed in December.[ 13] Central African Bush War and theSomali Civil War , but rebels were unable to reach final agreements in these conflicts. TheNational Forces of Liberation resumed its insurgency in Burundi when peace talks collapsed in January, but a ceasefire was established in December. Progress was made toward peace in theFirst Ivorian Civil War with preparations to integrate theForces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire into the Ivorian military.[ 14]
The highest-grossing film globally in 2008 wasThe Dark Knight Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Kung Fu Panda [ 15] Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends Coldplay , followed byBlack Ice AC/DC andMamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack [ 16]
The economy underwenta global financial crisis in 2008 following the Americansubprime mortgage crisis from the previous year,causing the worst recession since theGreat Depression . The economy was affected bybank failures ,stock market crashes , andcredit freezes .[ 17] consumer confidence and resolve credit freezes. Measures such asbailouts for financial institutions andliquidity injections were implemented throughout the year.[ 18]
Gross world product increased by approximately 2.5% in 2008.[ 17] International trade grew by 4.3%, slowing from the 6.4% growth in 2007. Commodity prices continued theirprevious upward trajectory until half way into the year when they dropped sharply. Theprice of oil was especially affected with its 60% drop.[ 19]
TheFollow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus was held in November and December inDoha to continue talks on global economic reform.[ 20]
April 29 –Grand Theft Auto IV [ 42] September 5 –Quentin Bryce becomes the first femaleGovernor-General of Australia .[ 64] September 10 – Theproton beam is circulated for the first time in theLarge Hadron Collider , theworld's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator , located atCERN , nearGeneva , under the Franco-Swiss border.[ 65] [ 66] September 12 – Atrain collision occurred inChatsworth, California , when aMetrolink train andUnion Pacific local collided head-on.September 13 –Hurricane Ike makes landfall as a category 2 hurricane inTexas , killing 113 and causing over $30 billion in damages.September 15 – Stocks fall sharply Monday on a triptych of Wall Street woe:Lehman Brothers ' bankruptcy filing,Merrill Lynch 's acquisition byBank of America , andAIG 's unprecedented request for short-term financing from theFederal Reserve .[ 67] September 20 – Asuicide truck bomb explosion destroys theMarriott Hotel inIslamabad ,Pakistan , killing at least 54 and injuring 266.[ 68] [ 69] [ 70] September 23 –HTC Dream , the first smartphone powered byAndroid , was launched.[ 71] [ 72] September 28 –SpaceX Falcon 1 becomes the world's first privately developedspace launch vehicle to successfullymake orbit .[ 73] [ 74] November 1 –Satoshi Nakamoto publishes "Bitcoin : A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System".[ 87] November 2 – In a race won byBrazilian driverFelipe Massa ,British driver Lewis Hamilton ends in 5th place in2008 Brazilian Grand Prix and becomes the firstblack driver to win theFormula One World Championship, and the second youngest driver to achieve the feat at the age of 23.November 4 –2008 United States presidential election :Democratic U.S. SenatorBarack Obama defeatsRepublican candidateJohn McCain and is elected the 44thPresident of the United States , making him the firstAfrican-American to be elected to the office.[ 88] [ 89] [ 90] November 19 – Claudia Castillo of Spain becomes the first person to have a successfultrachea transplant using atissue-engineered organ .[ 91] November 20 – TheBuzzard Coulee meteorite falls inSaskatchewan . Reported to be 5 times brighter than the full moon and is seen in Alberta, Manitoba, and even North Dakota.November 26 –29 – Ten terrorists of theLashkar-e-Taiba , a Pakistan-based terror group, carry out four days of coordinated bombing and shootingattacks acrossMumbai , killing 166 people. One terrorist,Ajmal Kasab , was captured alive and executed in 2012.[ 92] November 27 –XL Airways Germany Flight 888T . AnAirbus A320 due to be redelivered toAir New Zealand stalls and crashes overMediterranean Sea resulting the deaths of 7^ "General Assembly Proclaims 2008 International Year of Languages, in Effort to Promote Unity in Diversity, Global Understanding" . United Nations. Archived fromthe original on November 1, 2008. RetrievedNovember 2, 2008 .^ United Nations General Assembly Session 60 Resolution 192 . A/RES/60/192 December 22, 2005. Retrieved accessdate.^ United Nations General Assembly Session 60 Resolution 191 . International Year of the Potato, 2008 A/RES/60/191^ United Nations General Assembly Session 61 Resolution 192 . A/RES/61/192 page 2. December 20, 2006. Retrieved accessdate.^a b c UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2024 .^ UN High Commissioner for Refugees 2009 , p. 8.^ UN High Commissioner for Refugees 2009 , p. 9.^ Harbom & Wallensteen 2009 , pp. 577, 579, 583–586.^ Harbom, Lotta; Wallensteen, Peter (2010)."Armed Conflicts, 1946-2009" .Journal of Peace Research 47 (4):501– 509.doi :10.1177/0022343310376887 .ISSN 0022-3433 .JSTOR 20752204 . ^ Harbom & Wallensteen 2009 , p. 579.^ Harbom & Wallensteen 2009 , pp. 580–581.^ Harbom & Wallensteen 2009 , p. 581.^ Harbom & Wallensteen 2009 , pp. 580, 582.^ Harbom & Wallensteen 2009 , p. 580.^ "2008 Worldwide Box Office" .Box Office Mojo .^ Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2008 (PDF) (Report). IFPI. 2008.^a b UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2009 , p. iii.^ UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2009 , pp. v–vi.^ UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2009 , p. vi.^ UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2009 , p. xiv.^ Cyprus and Malta set to join eurozone in 2008 Archived January 30, 2009, at theWayback Machine , EurActiv^ Akrotiri and Dhekelia adopt the euro , EUbusiness (ISO 4217 code: VEF).Archived July 6, 2009, at theWayback Machine ^ "Mercury Flyby 1" .Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory . Archived fromthe original on May 16, 2008. RetrievedJanuary 12, 2008 .^ Landler, Mark; Timmons, Heather (January 21, 2008)."Stocks Plunge Worldwide on Fears of a U.S. Recession" .The New York Times .Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. RetrievedNovember 21, 2008 . ^ MAR."Online group declares war on Scientology" .National Post .ISSN 1486-8008 . Archived fromthe original on January 28, 2008. 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RetrievedMarch 15, 2009 .^ "Tibet protests" .the Guardian . March 14, 2008.ISSN 0261-3077 . RetrievedJuly 23, 2025 .^ "Tibetan riots spread outside region" .The New York Times . March 16, 2008.ISSN 0362-4331 . RetrievedJuly 23, 2025 .^ Schilling, Govert (March 21, 2008)."Universe's most powerful blast visible to the naked eye" .New Scientist Archived from the original on August 2, 2013. RetrievedAugust 28, 2017 . ^ Sengupta, Somini (March 25, 2008)."Heavy Turnout in First Bhutan Election" .The New York Times .ISSN 0362-4331 .Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2017 . ^ " .BBC News . March 18, 2008.Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. RetrievedDecember 21, 2023 .^ I. G. N. Staff (May 13, 2008)."Grand Theft Auto IV Breaks Guinness World Records with Biggest Entertainment Release of All-Time" .IGN . RetrievedJanuary 29, 2024 . ^ "Cameron urges aid drops for Burma" .BBC News . May 12, 2008.Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. RetrievedDecember 21, 2023 .^ "Sichuan 2008: A disaster on an immense scale" .BBC News . May 9, 2013.Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2017 .^ Panić, Velibor; Vlašić, Boris (May 13, 2008)."Ležala mrtva u stanu 35 godina!" .Jutarnji list Archived from the original on February 24, 2025. RetrievedMarch 11, 2025 . ^ "Woman's Body Found In Her Apartment 42 Years After She Died" .CityNews Toronto . May 16, 2008.Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. RetrievedNovember 3, 2023 .^ "South America nations found union" .BBC News . May 23, 2008.Archived from the original on January 23, 2017. RetrievedDecember 21, 2023 .^ Koh, Tommy (June 10, 2015)."The Asian way to settle disputes" .The Straits Times .Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2017 . ^ "Phoenix Mars Mission" . Archived fromthe original on February 28, 2008.^ "Nepal votes to abolish monarchy" .BBC News . May 28, 2008.Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. RetrievedDecember 21, 2023 .^ "6. Convention on Cluster Munitions" (PDF) .United Nations Treaty Collection .Archived (PDF) from the original on November 21, 2022. RetrievedDecember 21, 2023 .^ MSFC, Jennifer Wall (May 21, 2015)."What Is the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope?" .NASA .Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2017 . ^ "Harper apologizes for residential school abuse" .CTV . June 11, 2008. Archived fromthe original on July 9, 2008. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2017 .^ "Spain's Expo 2008 on world water opens" .Reuters . June 14, 2017.Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2017 .^ "Magnitude 6.9 - EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN" . U.S. Geological Survey. June 14, 2008. Archived fromthe original on September 22, 2008. RetrievedJune 5, 2024 .^ "Mongolia Enforces Martial Law in Capital Amid Political Unrest" .The New York Times . July 3, 2008.ISSN 0362-4331 . RetrievedSeptember 10, 2022 .^ Kraul, Chris (July 4, 2008)."The ultimate fake-out" .Los Angeles Times .ISSN 0458-3035 .Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2017 . ^ "Apple's App Store launches with more than 500 apps" .AppleInsider . July 10, 2008.Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. RetrievedMarch 31, 2017 .^ "North Korea issues warning over Mount Kumgang tour ban" .BBC News the original on October 14, 2021.^ "Serbia captures fugitive Karadzic" .BBC News . July 22, 2008.Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2010 .^ Bowley, Graham (November 13, 2010)."K2 tragedy: 'We had no body, no funeral, no farewell ...' .The Guardian . RetrievedJune 5, 2024 . ^ "Troops stage coup in Mauritania" .BBC News . August 6, 2008.Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. RetrievedDecember 21, 2023 .^ "Beijing 2008 – It's a wrap" .The Boston Globe . August 25, 2008.Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. RetrievedJuly 8, 2011 .^ "Biography – The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO" .The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia . Archived fromthe original on August 19, 2021. RetrievedAugust 19, 2021 .^ "First beam in the LHC – accelerating science" .Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. RetrievedNovember 20, 2016 .^ "Large Hadron Collider fired up in 'God particle' hunt" .CNN . September 10, 2008.Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. RetrievedApril 14, 2010 .^ "The Financial Crisis: This Day—One Year Ago, Sept. 15, 2008" .CNBC . September 14, 2009. Archived fromthe original on October 14, 2021.^ "At Least 40 Killed in Huge Explosion at Pakistan Hotel" .The New York Times . RetrievedJuly 8, 2011 .[dead link ^ "Deadly blast targets Marriott Hotel in Islamabad" .CNN . September 21, 2008.Archived from the original on April 23, 2009. RetrievedApril 14, 2010 .^ "Dozens killed in Pakistan attack" .BBC News . September 20, 2008.Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2010 .^ Cheng, Jacqui (September 23, 2008)."T-Mobile, Google finally unveil the first Android phone" .Ars Technica . RetrievedNovember 30, 2024 . ^ Sholtz, Matthew (September 23, 2024)."This day in tech: The HTC Dream was revealed as the first Android phone" .Android Police . RetrievedNovember 30, 2024 . ^ "Space Exploration Technologies Corporation – Falcon 1 Flight 4" . Archived fromthe original on July 25, 2011. RetrievedJuly 8, 2011 .^ "Falcon rocket success for SpaceX" .BBC News . September 29, 2008.Archived from the original on September 29, 2009. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2010 .^ Raum, Tom (October 3, 2008)Bush signs $700 billion bailout bill Archived October 28, 2008, at theWayback Machine Associated Press . Retrieved October 3, 2008. ^ "Oil contract scandal shakes Peru" . October 7, 2008. Archived fromthe original on October 14, 2021. 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RetrievedNovember 5, 2008 .^ Roberts, Michelle (November 19, 2008)."Windpipe transplant breakthrough" .BBC News .Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2010 . ^ "Mumbai Terror Attacks Fast Facts" .CNN . November 24, 2016.Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. RetrievedOctober 24, 2017 .^ "Protests as Athens funeral held" .BBC News . RetrievedNovember 12, 2025 .^ "Sark Election: the candidates" .BBC Guernsey Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. RetrievedDecember 11, 2008 .^ "Trio found guilty of Rwandan genocide" .CNN the original on December 19, 2008. RetrievedDecember 18, 2008 .^ Bourne, Joel K. (February 19, 2019)."Coal's other dark side: Toxic ash that can poison water, destroy life and toxify people" .National Geographic . Archived fromthe original on February 19, 2019. RetrievedMay 22, 2020 . ^ "Coup fear as Guinea president dies" .CNN Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. RetrievedDecember 24, 2008 .^ Prusher, Ilene R. (January 13, 2009)."Hamas remains defiant despite pounding" .Christian Science Monitor .Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. RetrievedJune 5, 2010 . ^ "Report: Israel set to launch 'limited operation' in Gaza" .Christian Science Monitor . December 26, 2008.ISSN 0882-7729 .Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. RetrievedDecember 21, 2023 .^ McCarthy, Rory (September 16, 2009)."Israel rejects war crimes findings of UN Gaza inquiry – World news" .The Guardian . London.Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. RetrievedMay 8, 2010 . ^ Messnarz, Richard; and, others."The Architecture of the ECQA – European Certification and Qualification Association" (PDF) .ETCAATS .Archived (PDF) from the original on May 24, 2022. RetrievedJuly 22, 2022 . ^ "US-Based Jamaicans Urged to Support National Disaster Recovery Fund" . The Jamaican Diaspora. September 2008. Archived fromthe original on July 22, 2011. 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