2008 facts for kids
2008 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 184 days remain until the end of the year. This article shares important events, famous people born, and notable deaths that happened on this day throughout history. It also highlights special holidays and observances celebrated around the world.
Contents
Historical Events and Discoveries
Early Events (Before 1900)
- 1132 – A battle happened at Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily.
- 1148 – King Louis VII of France tried to capture Damascus during the Second Crusade.
- 1245 – Pope Innocent IV removed King Sancho II of Portugal from power.
- 1411 – The Battle of Harlaw, a very bloody battle, took place in Scotland.
- 1487 – People in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, went on strike because foreign beer was banned.
- 1534 – Explorer Jacques Cartier claimed land in what is now Quebec, Canada, for Francis I of France.
- 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, lost her throne. Her one-year-old son, King James VI, became king.
- 1701 – The city of Detroit, Michigan was founded.
- 1783 – The Kingdom of Georgia and the Russian Empire signed the Treaty of Georgievsk.
- 1814 – During the War of 1812, General Phineas Riall moved towards Niagara to stop American invaders.
- 1823 – Chile became one of the first countries to abolish Slavery.
- 1832 – Benjamin Bonneville led the first wagon train across the Rocky Mountains using Wyoming's South Pass.
- 1847 – After 17 months of travel, Brigham Young led 148 Mormon pioneers into Salt Lake Valley, starting Salt Lake City.
- 1864 – In the American Civil War, Confederate General Jubal Early defeated Union troops at the Battle of Kernstown.
- 1866 – Tennessee was the first U.S. state to rejoin the Union after the American Civil War.
Modern History (1901 – 1950)
- 1901 – Author O. Henry was released from prison in Austin, Texas.
- 1911 – Hiram Bingham III rediscovered Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas."
- 1915 – The passenger ship Eastland overturned in Chicago, causing 845 deaths.
- 1923 – The Treaty of Lausanne, which set the borders of modern Turkey, was signed in Switzerland.
- 1927 – The Menin Gate Memorial war memorial was opened in Ypres.
- 1929 – The Kellogg–Briand Pact, which aimed to prevent war, officially began.
- 1935 – The dust bowl heat wave reached its peak, with very high temperatures in Chicago and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 1938 – The Eiger North Face was successfully climbed for the first time.
- 1943 – During World War II, British, Canadian, and American planes began Operation Gomorrah, bombing Hamburg.
- 1950 – Bumper 8 became the first aircraft launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Recent History (1951 – 2000)
- 1956 – Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed their last comedy show together at the New York City Copacabana Club.
- 1959 – US Vice-President Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev had a famous "kitchen debate" in Moscow.
- 1965 – In the Vietnam War, American planes were attacked by anti-aircraft missiles for the first time.
- 1967 – French President Charles de Gaulle declared Vive le Québec libre! in Montreal, supporting Quebec independence.
- 1969 – The Apollo 11 spacecraft landed safely in the Pacific Ocean after its historic moon mission.
- 1974 – The Supreme Court of the United States ordered President Richard Nixon to hand over White House tapes during the Watergate scandal.
- 1977 – The short Libyan-Egyptian War ended.
- 1983 – Baseball player George Brett had a home run taken away in the "Pine Tar Incident."
- 1990 – Iraqi forces gathered on the Kuwaiti border, preparing for an invasion.
- 1998 – Russel Eugene Weston Jr. opened fire in the United States Capitol, killing two police officers.
21st Century Events (From 2001)
- 2001 – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria, became Prime Minister through a democratic election.
- 2005 – Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France for the seventh time. However, his titles were later removed due to doping.
- 2010 – At the Love Parade disaster music festival in Duisburg, Germany, 21 people died in a stampede.
- 2012 – President John Atta Mills of Ghana died. His Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, became President.
- 2013 – A passenger train crashed near Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, killing at least 80 people.
- 2014 – Air Algerie Flight 5017 crashed in Mali.
- 2014 – Reuven Rivlin became the 10th President of Israel.
- 2015 – Barack Obama made the first visit by a US President to Kenya.
- 2016 – The International Olympic Committee decided not to ban the entire Russian team from the 2016 Summer Olympics after a doping scandal.
Famous Birthdays
Born Before 1900
- 923 – Emperor Suzaku, Emperor of Japan (died 952)
- 1468 – Catherine of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria (died 1524)
- 1574 – Thomas Platter the Younger, Swiss physician (died 1629)
- 1720 – Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Prussian princess and Queen of Sweden (died 1782)
- 1725 – John Newton, cleric and hymnist (died 1807)
- 1737 – Alexander Dalrymple, Scottish geographer (died 1808)
- 1740 – Juan Ignacio Molina, Chilean naturalist (died 1829)
- 1757 – Vladimir Borovikovski, Russian painter (died 1825)
- 1759 – King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia (died 1824)
- 1783 – Simón Bolívar, a famous South American liberator (died 1830)
- 1783 – Frédéric de Lafresnaye, French ornithologist (died 1861)
- 1798 – John Adams Dix, American general and Governor of New York (died 1879)
- 1802 – Alexandre Dumas, père, famous French writer (died 1870)
- 1803 – Adolphe Charles Adam, French composer (died 1956)
- 1817 – Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (died 1905)
- 1826 – Ivan Bloch, Polish banker (died 1902)
- 1828 – Nikolay Chernyshevsky, Russian writer (died 1889)
- 1847 – Margarete Steiff, German seamstress, known for Steiff stuffed toys (died 1909)
- 1857 – Henrik Pontoppidan, Danish writer (died 1943)
- 1860 – Alphonse Mucha, Czech artist (died 1939)
- 1860 – Princess Charlotte of Prussia (died 1919)
- 1864 – Frank Wedekind, German writer (died 1918)
- 1878 – Lord Dunsany, writer (died 1957)
- 1880 – Ernest Bloch, Swiss composer (died 1959)
- 1883 – Katia Mann, wife of Thomas Mann (died 1980)
- 1884 – Maria Caserini, Italian actress (died 1969)
- 1886 – Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, Japanese writer (died 1965)
- 1895 – Robert Graves, English writer (died 1985)
- 1897 – Amelia Earhart, American aviator (died 1937)
- 1899 – Chief Dan George, Native American actor (died 1981)
- 1900 – Zelda Fitzgerald, American artist (died 1948)
Born 1901 – 1950
- 1908 – Cootie Williams, trumpeter (died 1985)
- 1914 – Frances Oldham Kelsey, Canadian physician (died 2015)
- 1916 – John D. MacDonald, novelist (died 1986)
- 1917 – Robert Farnon, conductor and composer (died 2005)
- 1918 – Ruggiero Ricci, American violinist (died 2012)
- 1920 – Bella Abzug, American politician and activist (died 1998)
- 1921 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, Italian tenor (died 2008)
- 1926 – Hans Günter Winkler, German equestrian jumper
- 1929 – Peter Yates, British movie director (died 2011)
- 1930 – Keshubhai Patel, Indian politician (former Chief Minister of Gujarat)
- 1931 – Ermanno Olmi, Italian director
- 1933 – John Aniston, Greek-American actor
- 1934 – Rudy Collins, American drummer (died 1988)
- 1935 – Pat Oliphant, Australian political cartoonist
- 1936 – Ruth Buzzi, comedienne
- 1937 – Manoj Kumar, Indian actor, director, and producer
- 1939 – Walt Bellamy, American basketball player (died 2013)
- 1942 – Chris Sarandon, American actor
- 1945 – Azim Premji, Indian businessman
- 1947 – Robert Hays, actor
- 1949 – Michael Richards, comedian
- 1949 – Jennifer Lopez, American actress, dancer, and singer
Born 1951 – 1975
- 1951 – Lynda Carter, American actress
- 1951 – Chris Smith, British politician
- 1952 – Gus Van Sant, American movie director
- 1953 – Claire McCaskill, American politician, United States Senator for Missouri
- 1956 – Charlie Crist, American politician, former Governor of Florida
- 1957 – Pam Tillis, American country music singer
- 1960 – Catherine Destivelle, French rock climber and mountaineer
- 1963 – Karl Malone, American basketball player
- 1964 – Pedro Passos Coelho, Prime Minister of Portugal
- 1964 – Barry Bonds, American Major League Baseball player
- 1964 – Banana Yoshimoto, Japanese writer
- 1965 – Andrew Gaze, Australian basketball player
- 1965 – Kadeem Hardison, actor
- 1966 – Martin Keown, English footballer
- 1968 – Kristin Chenoweth, American actress and singer
- 1968 – Laura Leighton, American actress
- 1969 – Rick Fox, American basketball player
- 1970 – Julia Bradbury, English journalist and presenter
- 1971 – Dino Baggio, Italian footballer
- 1975 – Tracey Crouch, English politician
Born From 1976
- 1977 – Danny Dyer, British actor
- 1977 – Mehdi Mahdavikia, Iranian footballer
- 1978 – Andy Irons, American surfer (died 2010)
- 1979 – Rose Byrne, Australian actress
- 1981 – Summer Glau, American actress
- 1982 – Elisabeth Moss, American actress
- 1982 – Anna Paquin, Canadian-born actress
- 1983 – Daniele De Rossi, Italian footballer
- 1985 – Lukas Rosol, Czech tennis player
- 1986 – Andrei Lutai, Russian figure skater
- 1986 – Vugar Gashimov, Azerbaijani chess player (died 2014)
- 1986 – Natalie Tran, Australian actress and writer
- 1987 – Mara Wilson, American actress
- 1989 – Kim Tae-Hwan, South Korean footballer
- 1989 – Felix Loch, German luger
- 1990 – Daveigh Chase, American actress
- 1990 – Jay McGuiness, English singer (The Wanted)
- 1991 – Lin Yue, Chinese diver
- 1991 – Emily Bett Rickards, Canadian actress
- 1992 – Mitch Grassi, American singer
- 1992 – Mikael Kingsbury, Canadian skier
- 1998 – Bindi Irwin, daughter of Steve Irwin
Notable Deaths
Died Before 1950
- 811 – Gao Yang, Chinese chancellor (born 740)
- 1115 – Matilda, Countess of Tuscany (born 1046)
- 1129 – Shirakawa, Emperor of Japan (born 1053)
- 1568 – Carlos, Prince of Asturias, son of Philip II of Spain (born 1545)
- 1594 – John Boste, English martyr and saint (born 1544)
- 1739 – Benedetto Marcello, Italian composer (born 1686)
- 1768 – Nathaniel Lardner, English theologian (born 1684)
- 1862 – Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States (born 1782)
- 1883 – Matthew Webb, British swimmer (born 1848)
- 1891 – Hermann Raster, German-American journalist and politician (born 1827)
- 1906 – Ferdinand von Saar, Austrian writer and poet (born 1833)
- 1908 – Vicente Acosta, El Salvadorean poet (born 1867)
- 1910 – Arkhip Kuindzhi, Russian painter (born 1841)
- 1920 – Ludwig Ganghofer, German writer (born 1855)
- 1922 – Saint George Ashe, British rower (born 1871)
- 1927 – Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Japanese writer (born 1892)
Died 1951 – 2000
- 1957 – Sacha Guitry, French actor and director (born 1885)
- 1960 – Hans Albers, German actor and singer (born 1891)
- 1962 – Wilfrid Noyce, English mountaineer (born 1917)
- 1965 – Constance Bennett, American actress (born 1904)
- 1969 – Witold Gombrowicz, Polish novelist (born 1904)
- 1970 – Beatrice Roberts, American actress (born 1901)
- 1973 – Konstantinos Dovas, Greek general and Prime Minister (born 1898)
- 1974 – James Chadwick, British physicist (born 1891)
- 1976 – Julius Döpfner, German cardinal (born 1913)
- 1980 – Peter Sellers, British actor (born 1925)
- 1980 – Uttam Kumar, Indian actor, director and producer (born 1926)
- 1985 – Ezechiele Ramini, Italian missionary (born 1953)
- 1986 – Fritz Albert Lipmann, American biochemist (born 1899)
- 1991 – Isaac Bashevis Singer, writer, received Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978 (born 1902)
- 1992 – Arletty, French singer and actress (born 1898)
- 1995 – Marjorie Cameron, American writer, painter, and actress (born 1922)
- 1997 – William J. Brennan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (born 1906)
- 1997 – Saw Maung, Burmese dictator (born 1928)
Died From 2001
- 2005 – Richard Doll, British epidemiologist (born 1912)
- 2008 – Norman Dello Joio, American composer (born 1913)
- 2010 – Alex Higgins, Northern Irish snooker player (born 1949)
- 2010 – Theo Albrecht, German businessman (Aldi Nord) (born 1922)
- 2011 – Virgilio Noe, Italian cardinal (born 1922)
- 2011 – Dan Peek, American singer (born 1951)
- 2012 – John Atta Mills, President of Ghana (born 1944)
- 2012 – Sherman Hemsley, American actor (born 1938)
- 2012 – Chad Everett, American actor (born 1936)
- 2013 – Fred Dretske, American philosopher (born 1932)
- 2013 – Steve Berrios, American drummer (born 1945)
- 2013 – Virginia E. Johnson, American sexologist (born 1925)
- 2014 – Yoo Chae-yeong, South Korean singer (born 1973)
- 2014 – Jaan Arder, Estonian singer (born 1952)
- 2014 – Dale Schlueter, American basketball player (born 1945)
- 2015 – Peg Lynch, American comedy writer and actress (born 1916)
- 2016 – Marni Nixon, American singer and actress (born 1930)
Holidays and Observances
- Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela – Simón Bolívar Day
- Utah – Pioneer Day (1847)
- Vanuatu – Children's Day
- Venezuela – Birth of the Libertador (Simón Bolívar Day)
- Ancient Latvia – Jekaupa Diena held
Images for kids
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Sir Arthur C. Clarke
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Horst Tappert
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Aerial view of Kingston Explosion site on December 23rd 2008
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Tibetan monks arrested after the March, 14 unrest
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XXIX Summer Olympics in Beijing, China
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South Ossetia war
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Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the subprime mortgage crisis
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See also
In Spanish: 2008 para niños
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2008 Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.