User:Wrad/Sandbox2

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.

Events

=January=

January 1 - Slovenia takes over the presidency of European Union as the first of new member states.[http://www.svlr.gov.si/en/eu_presidency/ Slovenian EU presidency]
January 2 - The price of petroleum hits US$100 per barrel for the first time.
January 3 - A car bomb detonates, killing at least 4 and injuring 68, in Diyarbakır, Turkey. Police blame Kurdish rebels.
January 8 - An attempted assassination of Maldivian president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is thwarted after a Boy Scout grabbed the attacker's knife. The Boy Scout was injured, but after a scuffle ensued police arrested the attacker.
January 12 - The Kuomintang (KMT)-led Pan-Blue Coalition wins the legislative elections in Taiwan with over 70% of the votes.

Image:MESSENGER Assembly.jpg assembly at Astrotech.]]

January 14 - At 19:04:39 UTC, the MESSENGER space probe is at its closest approach during its first flyby of the planet Mercury.{{cite web |url=http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/mer_flyby1.html |title=Mercury Flyby 1 |accessdate = 2008-01-12 |work=The MESSENGER website |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory}}
January 15 - Federal Court of Australia orders a Japanese whaling company to stop research whaling within their Exclusive Economic Zone.
January 21 - Stock markets around the world plunge amid growing fears of a U.S. recession, fueled by the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis.
January 22 - Russia stages the largest naval exercise since the fall of the Soviet Union in the Bay of Biscay, amid deteriorating relations with the West. The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, along with 11 support vessels and 47 long-range bomber aircraft, practised strike tactics off the coast of France and Spain, and test-launched nuclear-capable missiles on foreign waters.

January 23 - Thousands of Palestinians cross into Egypt, as the border wall with Gaza in Rafah is blown up by militants.
January 24 - A peace deal ends the Kivu conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
January 24 - Peter Hain resigns as British Wales Secretary and British Work and Pensions Secretary after the Electoral Commission refers the failure to report donations to the Metropolitan Police.

Image:Flag of Iraq.svg.]]

January 24 - Iraqi Parliament adopts a new national flag, removing three stars associated with the Baath Party; a permanent design is expected within the next year.
January 24 - Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi resigns his post after losing the vote of confidence in the Senate.
January 25 - China's worst snowstorm since 1954 kills 133, delays traffic, and causes massive power outages in central and southern parts of the country.[http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYjkVz76Icsk&refer=home Bloomberg.com: Worldwide]
January 29 - Iran's judiciary sentences to prison 54 Bahá'í religion followers for charity work.[http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080129/wl_afp/iranjusticereligionbahai_080129141019 Iran sentences Bahai religious followers for 'anti-regime propaganda'], Yahoo News[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=84239 Iran sentences Bahais for 'anti-regime propaganda'], Aljazeera

=February=

February 2 - Rebels attack the capital of Chad, N'Djamena.[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5giKcI3QP0XalF1HcFaYMcTi9DWlA AFP Announcement]
February 4 - Iran opens its first space center and launches a rocket to space.[http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jT51OiEA0SJDaROarScEXi0wEdBQD8UJN86O5 Iran Opens Space Center, Launches Rocket], Associated Press

Image:Image-Super Duper Tuesday 2008.svg are held in 24 states.]]

February 5-February 6 - A tornado outbreak, the deadliest in 23 years, kills 58 in the Southern United States.
February 7 - Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on mission STS-122 to deliver the European-built Columbus science laboratory to the International Space Station.
February 11 - President of East Timor José Ramos-Horta is seriously wounded in an attack on his home by rebel soldiers. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado is killed by Ramos-Horta's security guards during the attack.[http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/attack-on-ramoshorta/2008/02/11/1202578640733.html Gunmen attack Timor leader Ramos-Horta], The Sydney Morning Herald, February 11, 2008.
February 13 - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia delivers a formal apology to the Stolen Generations.[http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rudd-says-sorry/2008/02/13/1202760342960.html "Rudd says sorry"], Dylan Welch, Sydney Morning Herald, February 13, 2008
February 13 - Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dissolves the Malaysian parliament.[http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ixXpE3pWHF0m-a8iWcv55g2_XHXwD8UPTE9O0]{{Dead link|date=March 2008}}

Image:Flag of Kosovo.svg]]

February 17 - A suicide bombing by a Taliban member kills up to 80 in Kandahar, Afghanistan[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iKEIeybKvU7Vo42SLz_ZF4WjZsQg AFP: Scores dead in one of Afghanistan's deadliest attacks]
February 17 - Kosovo formally declares independence from Serbia, despite opposition from Serbia, Russia, China, Spain, Romania, and other nations. However Albania, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, U.K., and U.S. express support after an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.[http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=anGy1wIN83Sg&refer=home Bloomberg.com: Worldwide]
February 18 - General election is held in Pakistan, delayed from January 8 due to riots in the wake of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Opposition parties, including Bhutto's, take more than half of the seats, while President Pervez Musharraf's party suffers a huge defeat.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7254124.stm BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Musharraf rules out resignation]
February 19 - Fidel Castro announces his resignation as President of Cuba, to be effective on February 24.
February 19 - Crude oil closes above $100 USD per barrel for the first time ever, settling at $100.01.
February 20 - United States Navy destroys a spy satellite containing toxic fuel by shooting it down with a missile launched from USS Lake Erie in the Pacific ocean.[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gXfTZB0a8NU_H4vSMdlS6YxBeTow AFP: Satellite strike shows US missile defense works: Gates]
February 20 - Total lunar eclipse - North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Western Asia.
February 21 - Hundreds of thousands of Serbs take to the streets in Belgrade to protest against Kosovo's declaration of independence and the partial international recognition of it.

Image:Raúl Castro.JPG]]

February 22 – The Australian Parliament descends into chaos with opposition frontbenchers ejected, question time suspended and speakers unable to control the house. A cardboard cut-out of the Prime Minister is brought into the parliament by opposition members angry about sitting time on a Friday.[http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/wheres-kevin-day-pm-was-flat-out/2008/02/22/1203467388856.html Report in Sydney Morning Herald]
February 24 - Raúl Castro is unanimously elected as President of Cuba by the National Assembly.
February 25 - Lee Myung-bak starts his five-year term as the 17th President of South Korea.
February 28 - Former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra is arrested on corruption charges upon returning to Thailand after months of exile.[http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iGyl8id3WaUZT4V3dWbNkTxKe42QD8V372VG0 The Associated Press: Thaksin Out on Bail in Thailand]

= March =

March 1 - Singapore Flyer, the world's tallest ferris wheel, opens to the public.
March 1 - In Gaza Strip at least 52 Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers are killed in the most intense Israeli air strikes since 2005.
March 2 - 2008 Russian presidential election: Dmitry Medvedev is elected President of Russia with about 70% of the vote. He is scheduled to succeed Vladimir Putin in May.{{cite web|url= http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/12/14/presedentialelection.shtml|title=Russia’s Presidential Election Set for March, 2008| date=December 14, 2006|publisher=mosnews.com}}
March 2 - 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis: Venezuela and Ecuador move troops to the Colombian border following a Colombian raid against FARC guerrillas inside Ecuador's national territory in which senior commander Raúl Reyes was killed.
March 3 - UN Security Council Resolution 1803 on Iran's Nuclear Program.[http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sc9268.doc.htm], UN Security Council[http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/fs/102891.htm UN Security Council Resolution 1803 on Iran's Nuclear Program], U.S. Department of State
March 3 - U.S.-based Sea Shepherd conservation group injures four Japanese whalers near Antarctica by throwing bottles of butyric acid at their vessel.[http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=ae22sMBhdoVA&refer=asia Bloomberg.com: Asia]
March 6 - No one is injured when a small bomb explodes at an unoccupied U.S. military recruiting station in Times Square, New York City.
March 6 - Eight Israeli civilians are killed and nine wounded when a Palestinian attacker opens fire at a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem.
March 6 - The United States Department of Defense banned Google from taking street-level photographs of US Military installations.[http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-google7mar07,1,6259319.story Google mappers banned from U.S. bases - Los Angeles Times]
March 8 - General election in Malaysia: First time since the 1969 elections that the Barisan Nasional coalition fails to win a two-thirds supermajority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Image:MedvedevD.jpg]]

March 8 - General election in Malta.
March 9 - Medical and higher education fees referendum in Hungary.
March 9 - General election in Spain: The governing PSOE led by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is re-elected with the most seats in the Congress of Deputies.
March 9 - First European Space Agency Automated Transfer Vehicle, a cargo spacecraft for the International Space Station, launches from Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.
March 14 - Demonstrations by Tibetan separatists turn violent as rioters target government and Han Chinese-owned buildings.
March 14 - Queen Elizabeth II opens the new Heathrow Terminal 5 building at London Heathrow Airport. It will be available for public use from March 27.
March 14 - Legislative election in Iran.
March 15 - In Albania a huge explosion of a gun factory in Gerdec kills more than 30 people. On the next week, Albania, Kosovo and some surrounding countries supply and support Gerdec's population with food, blood etc.
March 15 - Second set of international protests against the Church of Scientology as part of Project Chanology.
March 17 - In Adelaide, South Australia, a 15-day heatwave, a once-in-3,000-years occurrence, comes to an end.[http://news.theage.com.au/adelaide-heatwave-one-in-3000-years/20080318-2034.html Adelaide heatwave 'one in 3,000 years' - Breaking News - National - Breaking News]
March 19 - An exploding star halfway across the visible universe becomes the farthest known object ever visible to the naked eye.[http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/03/21/exploding.star.ap/index.html Star explodes halfway across universe - CNN.com]
March 20 - A permanent coalition government agreement is reached in Belgium, ending a nine-month stalemate, as Yves Leterme is sworn in as Prime Minister.
March 20 - The United States enacts economic sanctions against Iran.{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}
March 22 - Republic of China presidential election is held in Taiwan. The Kuomintang (KMT) nominee Ma Ying-jeou won
March 24 - Bhutan holds its first-ever general elections.[http://www.france24.com/en/20080324-bhutan-votes-status-quo-jigmi-thinley-election-parliament&navi=MONDE "Bhutan votes for status quo"], France 24, March 24, 2008

Image:Anjouan-invasion-2008.png]]

March 25 - Yousaf Raza Gillani becomes the 27th Prime Minister of Pakistan.
March 25 - A 160-square-mile (414 km²) chunk of Antarctica's Wilkins Ice Shelf disintegrates, leaving the entire Connecticut-sized shelf at risk.
March 25 - African Union and Comoros forces invade the rebel-held island of Anjouan.
March 29 - Presidential and parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe.{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200801250793.html|title=Election Date Finally Fixed As March 29, 2008}}
March 29 - An oil depot in Dagestan, Russia explodes.[http://russiatoday.ru/news/news/22746 RussiaToday : News : Oil depot explodes in RussiaБ─≥s south]
March 29 - Earth Hour (8 - 9 PM local time) in locations worldwide.
March 29 - Brazilian 5-year-old girl Isabella Nardoni is thrown out of the window of her father's apartment, triggering extensive media coverage throughout the country.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7340797.stm BBC News - Child death raises tough questions]
March 30 - A plane crashed into a row of houses in Farnborough, London, England, killing two pilots and three passengers.{{cite web|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1311171,00.html|title=No Survivors After Jet Slams Into Homes|accessdate=2008-03-30}}
March 30 - Smoking is banned in all public places (including bars and restaurants) on the Isle of Man.
March 31 - Milan, Italy is selected to host Expo 2015.
March-April - Rising food and fuel prices trigger riots and unrest in the Third World.

=April=

April 2 - The 20th NATO summit begins in Bucharest, Romania.
April 3 - Jules Verne ATV docks to the International Space Station.
April 3 - Albania and Croatia are invited to join NATO in 2009. The membership bid of the Republic of Macedonia is rejected due to opposition by Greece.{{cite news |url=http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/5716368/NATO-chief-welcomes-Albania-and-Croatia-for-2009 |title= NATO chief welcomes Albania and Croatia for 2009 |accessdate=2008-06-24 |publisher=Radio Netherlands Worldwide |date=2008-04-03}} Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro engage in an Intensified Dialogue with NATO.
April 3 - Officers in the U.S. state of Texas raid the YFZ Ranch,[http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080405/NEWS01/804050310 52 children taken during raid | thespectrum.com | The Spectrum][http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695268544,00.html Deseret News | Affidavit: FLDS raid spurred by girl's reports of physical, sexual abuse] ultimately removing more than 500 women and children,[http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=8132554 KRDO.com Colorado Springs, Pueblo - Weather, News, Sports - Police Search for Missing Sect Teen; 533 Women, Children Are in Custody] following allegations of abuse by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
April 6 - Presidential election in Montenegro.
April 6 - The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 comes into force in the UK.{{ cite web | title=Understanding the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 | publisher=Ministry of Justice | url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/manslaughterhomicideact07.pdf | format=pdf | accessdate=2007-10-17 }}
April 8 - Sark dismantled its feudal system to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. The Privy Council approved the Sark law reforms,[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/7339172.stm Sark democracy plans are approved], BBC News Online, 9 April 2008 and the first elections under the new law will be held in December 2008 and the new chamber will first convene in January 2009.[http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1704703,00.html A Revolution Not Televised], Time.com, January 17, 2008[http://podcast.timesonline.co.uk/serve.php/1503/thebugle13.mp3 After 443 years, Sark gets democracy], The Bugle, Episode 13, January 2008. The Bugle is a satirical podcast of the Times Online.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/guernsey/7258214.stm Sark agrees switch to democracy], BBC News Online, 22 February 2008
April 9 - Parliamentary elections in South Korea.

Image:Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges the cheers of the crowd.jpg waves to a crowd upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, United States.]]

April 10 - Assembly elections in Nepal: Maoists win a plurality of seats in the Assembly in the first election in Nepal in nine years.
April 13 - Elections in Italy: The Silvio Berlusconi-led coalition, which consists of the People of Freedom, Lega Nord, and Movement for Autonomy parties, wins a majority of seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
April 13 - Trevor Immelman wins the 2008 Masters Tournament.
April 15 - A Hewa Bora Airways DC-9 commercial airplane crashes into a residential area of Goma, DR Congo.
April 15–April 20 - Pope Benedict XVI visits the United States. Among his destinations are the White House, The Catholic University of America, the United Nations General Assembly, and the site of the fallen World Trade Center. Benedict XVI also celebrated Mass at Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium.
April 18 - A magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurs outside of West Salem, Illinois. It is one of the strongest earthquakes in the midwestern states in 40 years.
April 20 - Fernando Lugo is elected President of Paraguay. This is the first time in 61 years that the Colorado Party has lost a presidential election.
April 22 - Surgeons at London's Moorfields Eye Hospital perform the first operations using bionic eyes, implanting them into two blind patients.
April 23 - In the Canadian province of Ontario, a bill banning pesticides is passed, making it the only place in North America to pass pesticide restriction laws of this degree. Pesticide use is permitted only on golf courses and selected other places.
April 24 - Teachers in England and Wales stage the first national strike in more than 20 years over issues of pay.
April 27 - The Taliban attempts to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a military parade in Kabul.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7369540.stm Karzai unhurt after parade attack], BBC News
April 28 - India sets a world record by sending 10 satellites into orbit in a single launch.[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/PSLV-C9_places_10_satellites_into_orbit/articleshow/2989685.cms India setting world record by sending 10 satellites into orbit]
April 28 - 71 die in a train crash in Shandong, China.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7370375.stm 'Dozens die' in China train crash], BBC News
April 28 - The Fritzl incest case is widely publicized after a 42-year-old Austrian woman tells local authorities that she has been imprisoned and abused by her father, Josef Fritzl, since 1984.

=May=

Image:Nargis 2008 track.png]]

Image:2008 Sichuan earthquake map no labels.svg]]

May 1 - Local elections, for 137 English councils and all Welsh councils, take place in the United Kingdom.
May 1 - Elections for the London Mayor and London Assembly take place with Boris Johnson becoming the second Mayor of London.
May 1 - Entry into force of the London Agreement, aimed at reducing the translation costs associated with European patents.
May 2 - A volcanic eruption forces the evacuation of more than 4,000 people from the Chilean town of Chaitén.
May 2 - May 3 - The Presidents of Central European States meet in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia.
May 3 - Over 133,000 people in Myanmar are killed by Cyclone Nargis, the deadliest natural disaster since the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004.
May 7 - Violence breaks out in Beirut, Lebanon and spreads to nearby areas over the next few days.
May 7 - Brian Cowen is elected the 11th Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, succeeding Bertie Ahern, after a vote in the Dáil Éireann.
May 7 - Dmitry Medvedev is sworn in as the President of Russia.
May 8 - Vladimir Putin is confirmed as the 10th Prime Minister of Russia after a vote in the State Duma.
May 8 - Silvio Berlusconi is sworn in as the 81st Prime Minister of Italy.
May 10 - Myanmar holds a constitutional referendum.
May 11 - Local and parliamentary elections in Serbia.
May 12 - Over 69,000 are killed in central China by an earthquake measuring 7.9M_w. The epicenter is 90 kilometers (55 miles) west-northwest of Chengdu.
May 13 - A series of bomb blasts kills at least 63 and injures 216 in Jaipur, India.
May 14 - Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg defeat Rangers of Scotland in the 2008 UEFA Cup Final.
May 14 - Six Iranian Baha'i Faith leaders are arrested in Iran.[http://news.bahai.org/story/632 Six Bahá'í leaders arrested in Iran; pattern matches deadly sweeps of early 1980s], Bahá'í World News Service
May 15 - An oil pipeline explodes in Ijegun, Nigeria, killing 100.
May 15 - California becomes the second U.S. state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state's Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional.[http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4866721 ABC News: Calif. Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage, Sparks Celebration, Outrage]
May 16 - Presidential election in the Dominican Republic.
May 16 - The fifth Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union Summit is held in Lima, Peru.
May 17 - Parliamentary elections are held in Kuwait.
May 18 - Russia wins the Men's Ice Hockey World Championship 2008 in Canada. Canada wins silver, and Finland wins bronze.{{cite web |url=http://www.eurohockey.net/news/story.html?id=20080518212139russiaworldchampions2008 |title=Russia World Champions 2008 |date=2008-05-18 |accessdate=2008-05-18 |publisher=European Hockey.Net}}
May 21 - Manchester United defeat Chelsea on penalties to win the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
May 21 - Legislative elections are held in Georgia.
May 22 - Council of the Presidents of Ukraine and Azerbaijan is formed.
May 23 - The Union of South American Nations, a supranational union, is created by a union between the Andean Community and Mercosur.
May 23 - The International Court of Justice awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.
May 24 - Russia wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia.{{cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=899&Itemid=239|title=Reference Group concludes Belgrade visit|publisher=Eurovision.TV|date=|accessdate=2007-11-13}}
May 25 - Michel Sleiman is elected President of Lebanon by the Parliament. The election had been postponed 19 times due to a parliamentary stalemate.
May 25 - NASA's Phoenix spacecraft lands on Mars.
May 25 - The 2008 French Open, one of four major tennis "grand slam" tournaments, begins.
May 28 - The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal is established after the Assembly votes overwhemingly in favor of abolishing the country's 240-year-old monarchy. Girija Prasad Koirala becomes temporary Head of State.
May 31 - STS-124, Space Shuttle Discovery is launched at 5:02 EDT.

=June=

Image:Euro 2008.png.]]

June 1 - A large fire engulfs parts of Universal Studios in Universal City, California.
June 1 - Parliamentary elections in the Republic of Macedonia.
June 1 - Referendum on the process of naturalization fails by a wide margin in Switzerland, leaving in place a system in which applicants are approved by elected bodies rather than popular votes.
June 1 - In the European Union, regulations on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals start to come into force.
June 2 - A car bomb explodes outside the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing at least five.
June 3 - Barack Obama becomes the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, becoming the first African-American to do so in a major U.S. politicial party.http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/03/election.democrats/index.html
June 7–June 29 - Switzerland and Austria host the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, Spain wins by defeating Germany 1-0 in the final game.http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/index.html Retrieved 22 August 2007
June 7 - Ana Ivanovic wins her first Grand Slam title at the French Open by defeating Dinara Safina.
June 7 - Big Brown, previously undefeated, fails to become the first winner of the Triple Crown since 1978, finishing last at the 2008 Belmont Stakes.
June 8 - In the Akihabara area of Tokyo, Japan, a 25-year-old man stabs 7 to death, and wounds 11 more, before being arrested.
June 8 - A magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits western Peloponese in Greece, killing two, injuring at least 220, and leaving more than 3,000 homeless.
June 8 - A gas pipe explosion causes a collapse in the Karl Marx mine in Yenakiieve, Ukraine, killing 1 and temporarily trapping dozens.
June 8 - Rafael Nadal wins his fourth straight French Open grand slam by defeating Roger Federer for the third straight year.
June 10 - Fire engulfs Sudan Airways Flight 109 after landing in Khartoum, Sudan, killing 44.
June 11 - The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope is launched.
June 11 - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologizes to Canada's First Nations for the Canadian residential school system.
June 12 - Ireland votes to reject the Treaty of Lisbon, in the only referendum to be held by a European Union member state on the treaty.
June 14 - Expo 2008 begins in Zaragoza, Spain.
June 14 - A 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, kills several and injures more than 300.
June 21 - The first veneration ever held outside Vatican City is held in Beirut, Lebanon.
June 22 - Typhoon Fengshen hits the Philippines and capsizes the ferry MV Princess of the Stars, leaving hundreds dead or missing.
June 27 - President Robert Mugabe is re-elected with 85.5% of the vote in the second round of the controversial Zimbabwean presidential election.
June 27 - Two ministers of the Guatemalan government are killed in a helicopter crash in Alta Verapaz.
June 28 - A 17-year-old boy is decapitated after being struck by a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=6871329&version=8&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1
June 28 - Pope Benedict XVI opens the Pauline Year for the Roman Catholic Church in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. It will last until July 29, 2009.
June 29 - Legislative elections are held in Mongolia.
June 29 - Spain defeats Germany in the UEFA Euro 2008 Final in Vienna, Austria.

=July=

July 1 - Smoking is banned in all public places (including bars and restaurants) in the Netherlands.[http://www.nu.nl/news/1106995/11/Horeca_in_juli_2008_rookvrij.html nu.nl/algemeen | Horeca in juli 2008 rookvrij] The US state of Iowa also goes smoke-free (excluding casinos).
July 1 - In the U.S. state of California, a law forbidding drivers from using hand-held cellular phones goes into effect.
July 2 - Íngrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages are rescued from FARC by Colombian security forces.
July 2 - LDU Quito defeats Fluminense on penalties to win 2008 Copa Libertadores final in Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
July 4 - A homemade bomb explodes in Minsk, Belarus, injuring at least 50. The government blames hooligans.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}
July 5 - Tens of thousands of South Koreans continue to protest against the Lee Myung-bak administration's decision to allow U.S. beef imports to resume.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}

Predicted and scheduled events

=July=

July 7–July 9 - 34th G8 summit will be held in Tōyako, Hokkaidō in Japan.
July 8–July 20 - World Gliding Championships will be held in Rieti, Italy.[http://www.wgcrieti.it 30th FAI world Gliding Championship, 8th-20th July 2008 Rieti]

July 10-15 - The Camp for Climate Action will be held in Newcastle, Australia, involving the largest campaign of civil disobedience in Australian history. Up to 1000 people are expected to block a train line to protest the expansion of the world's biggest coal export port.[http://www.climatecamp.org.au Camp for Climate Action homepage]
July 15–July 20 - World Youth Day, the largest youth gathering in the Southern Hemisphere, will take place in Sydney, Australia. Pope Benedict XVI will appear at the event.[http://www.wyd2008.org/index.php/en WYD08 :: Home]
July 30–August 5 - The XXII World Congress of Philosophy will take place in Seoul, South Korea.
July 31 - After three decades as the Chairman of Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates will step down from daily duties.[http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jun06/06-15CorpNewsPR.mspx Microsoft Announces Plans for July 2008 Transition for Bill Gates: Working full time at Microsoft through June 2008, Gates then will continue as chairman and advisor while increasing Foundation efforts; Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie to assume expanded roles]

=August=

Image:Beijing 2008 Tiananmen Square1.jpg in Beijing.]]

August 1 - Beijing south railway station, the largest passenger station in Asia, will reopen following a reconstruction project.[http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/olympiccities/beijing/reconstruction/s214239670/n214238138.shtml Beijing South Railway Station to be ready in August - The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games]
August 1 - Total solar eclipse visible from northern Canada (Nunavut), northern part of Russia, western Mongolia, and China; and seen as partial elsewhere in eastern North America, Europe, and Asia.
August 2–August 16 - World Gliding Championships will be held in Lüsse, Germany.[http://www.wgc2008.org WGC 2008, Lüsse Germany : HOME]
August 6–August 10 - Denvention 3, the 66th World Science Fiction Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado.[http://www.denvention.org/ Denvention 3 Home Page - 66th World Science Fiction Convention - Denver, August 6-10, 2008 - Guests of Honor: Lois McMaster Bujold, Rick Sternbach, Tom Whitmore, Wil McCarthy, Kathy Mar, Robert Heinlein (ghost of honor)]
August 7 - The Large Hadron Collider (located at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland) is to begin operation; it will be the world’s largest particle physics laboratory.[http://www.lhcountdown.com Large Hadron Collider Countdown Timer]
August 8–August 24 - The 2008 Summer Olympics will take place in Beijing, China.
August 11 - Computerized elections to be held in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Regional Governor, Regional Vice Governor and Members of the Regional Legislative Assembly following [http://www.comelec.gov.ph/laws/ra9333.html Republic Act No. 9333].[http://www.comelec.gov.ph/laws/ra9333.html Republic Act No. 9333]
August 22 - 2008 Formula Zero Championship begins in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.[http://www.formulazero.nl/ Formula Zero - Home]
August 25—August 28 - Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado for U.S. presidential election.

=September=

September 1 to September 4 - Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota for U.S. presidential election.
September 7 - Landmark Broadway musical Rent will end its run after 12 years and more than 4,300 shows.http://www.playbill.com/news/article/116252.html
September 19 - ISRO's Chandrayaan (Lunar Craft) will be launched.
September 21 - Slovenian parliamentary election
September 27 - The Australian Football League Grand Final will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

=October=

October 6 - NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft makes its second flyby of Mercury (will be captured into Mercury's orbit on March 18 2011).
October 8 - Space Shuttle Atlantis will begin mission STS-125, the final maintenance mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/hst_sm4/index.html NASA - STS-125: Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4]
October 30 - November 16 - The inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will be held in New Zealand.{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/u17womenworldcup/index.html |title=FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup New Zealand 2008 |publisher=FIFA |accessdate=2007-10-26}}

=November=

November 4 - Election of the 44th President of the United States. There will also be elections for many other US public offices, including the entire House of Representatives, a third of the Senate, and several state Governorships.
November 5 - First round of the AFC Champions League final to be held.
November 10 - STS 126, Space Shuttle Endeavour will be launched and it will deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station.
November 11 - RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her last voyage from Southampton to Dubai.
November 15 - New Zealand will hold a general election on or before this date.
November 20 - December 7 - 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup to be held in Chile.{{cite web|url= http://www.fifa.com/u20womenworldcup/index.html |title=FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Chile 2008 |publisher=FIFA |accessdate=2007-11-26}}
November 22 - APEC Peru 2008 Summit in Lima.
November 22 - Second round of the AFC Champions League final to be held.
November 23 - 96th Grey Cup to be held at Montreal's Olympic Stadium.
November 24 - NASA will launch Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and LCROSS impactor, to the moon.
November 25 - Greenland holds election for increased autonomy from Denmark.
November 28 - Legislative election in Romania.

=December=

December 4 - STS-119, Space Shuttle Discovery will bring the Integrated Truss Segment to the International Space Station.
December 6 - 14 - The 2008 Men's World Floorball Championships will take place in the Czech Republic.
December 15 - The Electoral College meets in 51 locations officially to elect the 44th President of the United States.
December - Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Ghana.
December 24 - The new I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis is scheduled to be completed after the bridge collapsed in August of 2007.

=Unknown dates=

The United Nations is to review drug policies around the world.[http://www.un.org/ga/president/57/pages/speeches/statement030408-Vienna-Narcotics.htm President of the UN General Assembly: Statements]http://www.drug-policy.org/modules/countdown_2008
The "Simón Bolívar" Satellite, a result of an agreement between Venezuela and China, will be launched this year.[http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7BB227BE8C-156B-468D-9143-EA0A86EAE9AF%7D)&language=EN The Year of the Chinese Satellite in Venezuela]

=Ongoing events=

Deaths

=January=

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January 1 - Salvatore Bonanno, American mobster (b. 1932)
January 1 - Peter Caffrey, Irish actor (b. 1949)
January 1 - Erich Kästner, last German veteran of World War I (b. 1900)
January 1 - Thiyagarajah Maheswaran, Sri Lankan Tamil politician (b. 1960)
January 2 - George MacDonald Fraser, British author (b. 1925)
January 2 - Galyani Vadhana, Thai princess (b. 1923)
January 3 - Aleksandr Abdulov, Russian actor (b. 1953)
January 3 - Yo-Sam Choi, Korean boxer (b. 1972)
January 3 - Werner Dollinger, German politician (b. 1918)
January 5 - Raymond Forni, French politician (b. 1941)
January 5 - Clinton Grybas, Australian sports commentator (b. 1975)
January 6 - Fr. John O'Brien, Irish priest and musician (b. 1931)
January 7 - Edward "Buddy" LeRoux, American businessman (b. 1930)
January 7 - Philip Agee, American spy (b. 1935)
January 8 - Moshe Levi, Israeli military commander (b. 1936)
January 9 - John Harvey-Jones, English businessman (b. 1924)
January 10 - Christopher Bowman, American figure skater (b. 1967)
January 10 - Andrés Henestrosa, Mexican writer and politician (b. 1906)
January 10 - Maila Nurmi, Finnish-American actress and television personality (b. 1921)
January 11 - Sir Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist (b. 1919)
January 11 - Carl Karcher, American businessman (b. 1917)
January 12 - Adriano González León, Venezuelan poet and writer (b. 1931)
January 13 - Johnny Podres, American baseball player (b. 1932)
January 15 - Brad Renfro, American actor (b. 1982)
January 15 - Jason MacIntyre, Scottish racing cyclist (b. 1973)
January 16 - Nikola Kljusev, Macedonian prime minister (b. 1927)
January 17 - Bobby Fischer, American-Icelandic chess grandmaster (b. 1943)
January 17 - Ernie Holmes, American football player (b. 1948)
January 17 - Allan Melvin, American actor (b. 1922)
January 18 - Georgia Frontiere, American businesswoman (b. 1927)
January 18 - Lois Nettleton, American actress (b. 1927)
January 19 - Don Wittman, Canadian sportscaster (b. 1936)
January 19 - Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (b. 1937)
January 19 - Frances Lewine, American journalist (b. 1921)
January 19 - Morris Maddocks, English Anglican priest (b.1928)
January 19 - John Stewart, American Singer-Songwriter (b. 1939)
January 20 - Louis de Cazenave, French veteran of World War I (b. 1897)
January 22 - Heath Ledger, Australian actor (b. 1979)
January 22 - Roberto Gari, American actor (b. unknown)
January 22 - Miles Lerman, Polish-American activist (b. 1920)
January 23 - Andrzej Andrzejewski, Polish brigadier general (b. 1961)
January 24 - Randy Salerno, American news anchor (b. 1963)
January 27 - Anna Loginova, Russian bodyguard and model (b. 1978)
January 27 - Gordon B. Hinckley, American Mormon leader (b. 1910)
January 27 - Suharto, 2nd President of Indonesia (b. 1921)
January 28 - Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens (b. 1939)
January 29 - Margaret Truman, American writer (b. 1924)
January 30 - Jeremy Beadle, English television presenter (b. 1948)

=February=

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February 1 - Beto Carrero, Brazilian businessman (b. 1937)
February 1 - Shell Kepler, American actress (b. 1958)
February 2 - Earl Butz, American government official (b. 1909)
February 2 - Barry Morse, Canadian actor (b. 1918)
February 3 - Sheldon Brown, American bicycle mechanic (b. 1944)
February 4 - Harry Richard Landis, American World War I veteran (b. 1899)
February 5 - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian spiritual leader (b. 1917)
February 6 - John McWethy, American print and television journalist (b. 1947)
February 7 - Tamara Desni, German-born English actress (b. 1913)
February 7 - Hoang Minh Chinh, Vietnamese politician and dissident (b. 1922)
February 7 - Guy Severin, Russian academician and engineer (b. 1926)
February 8 - Chua Ek Kay, Singaporean painter (b. 1947)
February 8 - Ah Meng, Singaporean orangutan and tourism icon (b. 1960)
February 8 - Phyllis Whitney, American mystery writer (b. 1903)
February 9 - Jazeh Tabatabai, Iranian artist and writer (b. 1931)
February 9 - Trichen Jurme Kunzang Wangyal, Tibetan spiritual leader (b. 1930)
February 10 - Ron Leavitt, American television producer (b. 1947)
February 10 - Roy Scheider, American actor (b. 1932)
February 11 - Alfredo Reinado, East Timorese rebel (b. 1967)
February 11 - Tom Lantos, American politician (b. 1928)
February 12 - Oscar Brodney, American screenwriter (b. 1907)
February 12 - Imad Mugniyah, Lebanese militant (b. 1962)
February 12 - Badri Patarkatsishvili, Georgian businessman and politician (b. 1955)
February 13 - Kon Ichikawa, Japanese film director (b. 1915)
February 13 - Henri Salvador, French singer (b. 1917)
February 13 - Roger Voisin, French-American classical musician (b. 1918)
February 15 - Amnon Netzer, Iranian-Israeli historian (b. 1934)
February 15 - Steve Fossett, American adventurerFossett was declared legally dead on February 15, having been missing since 3 September 2007. (b. 1944)
February 15 - Ashley Callie, South African Actress (b. 1976)
February 18 - Alain Robbe-Grillet, French writer (b. 1922)
February 18 - Mihaela Mitrache, Romanian actress (b. 1955)
February 19 - Natalia Bessmertnova, Russian ballerina (b. 1941)
February 19 - Lydia Shum, Hong Kong comedian and actress (b. 1945)
February 21 - Ben Chapman, American actor (b. 1928)
February 23 - Janez Drnovšek, 2nd President and 2nd Prime Minister of Slovenia (b. 1950)
February 23 - Denis Lazure, Canadian politician (b. 1925)
February 24 - Larry Norman, American musician (b. 1947)
February 26 - Buddy Miles, American musician (b. 1947)
February 26 - Dan Shomron, Israeli military leader (b. 1937)
February 27 - William F. Buckley, Jr., American author and conservative commentator (b. 1925)
February 27 - Myron Cope, American sportscaster (b. 1929)
February 27 - Sujatha, Tamil writer (b. 1935)
February 27 - Boyd Coddington, American car-builder (b. 1944)
February 28 - Joseph M. Juran, American engineer and philanthropist (b. 1904)
February 28 - Philip Rabinowitz, South African sprinter (b. 1904)
February 28 - Mike Smith, English singer (b. 1943)

=March=

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March 1 - Raúl Reyes, Colombian guerrilla (b. 1948)
March 2 - Sofiko Chiaureli, Georgian actress (b. 1937)
March 2 - Jeff Healey, Canadian musician (b. 1966)
March 3 - Giuseppe Di Stefano, Italian operatic tenor (b. 1921)
March 3 - Iván Ríos, Colombian guerrilla (b. 1961)
March 4 - Gary Gygax, American writer and game designer (b. 1938)
March 4 - Elena Nathanael, Greek film actress (b. 1941)
March 5 - Joseph Weizenbaum, German-American author and computer scientist (b. 1923)
March 6 - Gustaw Holoubek, Polish actor and director (b. 1923)
March 7 - Isaías Carrasco, Basque politician (b. 1964)
March 7 - Francis Pym, British politician (b. 1922)
March 8 - Carol Barnes, English newsreader (b. 1944)
March 9 - Gus Giordano, Jazz dancer (b. 1923)
March 12 - Lazare Ponticelli, last French veteran of World War I (b. 1897)
March 12 - Erwin Geschonneck, German actor (b. 1906)
March 12 - Howard Metzenbaum, American politician (b. 1917)
March 14 - Chiara Lubich, Italian Catholic activist (b. 1920)
March 15 - Mikey Dread, Jamaican singer, producer and broadcaster (b. 1954)
March 15 - Vytautas Kernagis, Lithuanian singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
March 15 - Vicki Van Meter, American former child pilot (b. 1982)
March 16 - Ivan Dixon, American actor and director (b. 1931)
March 16 - Gary Hart, American wrestler (b. 1942)
March 18 - Anthony Minghella, English film director and screenwriter (b. 1954)
March 19 - Arthur C. Clarke, English author, inventor, and futurist (b. 1917)
March 19 - Hugo Claus, Flemish writer, painter and film director (b.1929)
March 19 - Raghuvaran, Indian actor (b. 1948)
March 19 - Paul Scofield, English actor (b. 1922)
March 20 - Brian Wilde, English actor (b. 1927)
March 21 - Gabriel París Gordillo, Colombian military governor (b. 1910)
March 22 - Cachao López, Cuban-American musician (b. 1918)
March 23 - Al Copeland, American entreprenueur (b. 1944)
March 24 - Neil Aspinall, British record producer and business executive (b. 1942)
March 24 - Rafael Azcona, Spanish screenwriter (b. 1926)
March 24 - Richard Widmark, American actor (b. 1914)
March 26 - Manuel Marulanda, Colombian guerrilla (b. 1930)
March 27 - George Pruteanu, Romanian literary critic and politician (b. 1947)
March 27 - Jean-Marie Balestre, French sports executive (b. 1921)
March 30 - Dith Pran, Cambodian-American photojournalist (b. 1942)
March 31 - Nikolai Baibakov, Russian statesman and economist (b. 1911)
March 31 - Jules Dassin, American film director (b. 1911)

=April=

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April 1 - Jim Finney, English football referee (b. 1924)
April 1 - Sabin Balasa, Romanian painter (b. 1932)
April 2 - Yakup Satar, last Turkish veteran of World War I (b. 1898)
April 3 - Hrvoje Ćustić, Croatian footballer (b. 1983)
April 3 - Johnny Byrne, Irish writer (b. 1935)
April 5 - Charlton Heston, American actor (b. 1923)
April 8 - John Button, Australian politician (b. 1933)
April 8 - Stanley Kamel, American actor (b. 1943)
April 9 - Cedella Booker, Jamaican singer and writer (b. 1926)
April 10 - Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, Mexican cardinal (b. 1919)
April 11 - Merlin German, American soldier and charity founder (b. 1985)
April 12 - Patrick Hillery, 6th President of Ireland (b. 1923)
April 12 - Barbara McDermott, last American survivor of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania (b. 1912)
April 13 - Mark Speight, English television presenterSpeight's body was found on this date after he had been missing since April 7. (b. 1965)
April 13 - John Archibald Wheeler, American theoretical physicist (b. 1911)
April 14 - Ollie Johnston, American animator (b. 1912)
April 14 - Miguel Galván, Mexican actor and comedian (b. 1957)
April 15 - Benoît Lamy, Belgian motion picture writer-director (b. 1945)
April 16 - Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (b. 1917)
April 16 - Joe Feeney, American-born Irish tenor (b. 1931)
April 17 - Aimé Césaire, French Martinican poet and politician (b. 1913)
April 17 - Gwyneth Dunwoody, British politician (b. 1930)
April 17 - Danny Federici, American musician (b. 1950)
April 19 - Germaine Tillion, French anthropologist, member of French Resistance (b. 1907)
April 21 - Al Wilson, American singer (b. 1939)
April 22 - Paul Davis, American musician (b. 1948)
April 25 - Humphrey Lyttelton, English musician and broadcaster (b. 1921)
April 27 - Marios Tokas, Cypriot composer (b. 1954)
April 29 - Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist (b. 1906)

=May=

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May 1 - Aden Hashi Farah, Somali militant (b. unknown)
May 1 - Anthony Mamo, 1st President of Malta (b. 1909)
May 2 - Philipp von Boeselager, German military officer (b. 1917)
May 2 - Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (b. 1940)
May 3 - Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, 74th Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1926)
May 4 - Fredric J. Baur, American chemist and inventor (b. 1918)
May 5 - Irv Robbins, Canadian-American entrepreneur (b. 1917)
May 8 - Eddy Arnold, American country music singer (b. 1918)
May 8 - François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (b. 1982)
May 9 - Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league coach (b. 1929)
May 9 - Sinan Sofuoğlu, Turkish motocycle racer (b. 1983)
May 10 - Leyla Gencer, Turkish soprano (b. 1928)
May 10 - Nuala O'Faolain, Irish journalist (b. 1940)
May 10 - Jessica Jacobs, Australian actress (b. 1990)
May 11 - Dottie Rambo, American singer (b. 1934)
May 11 - John Rutsey, Canadian drummer (b. 1953)
May 12 - Irena Sendler, Polish humanitarian (b. 1910)
May 13 - Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1930)
May 13 - John Phillip Law, American actor (b. 1937)
May 15 - Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1956)
May 15 - Alexander Courage, American composer (b. 1919)
May 15 - Willis Lamb, American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
May 16 - Robert Mondavi, American winemaker (b. 1913)
May 18 - Joseph Pevney, American director (b. 1911)
May 19 - Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright (b. 1928)
May 20 - Crispin Beltran, Filipino politician and labor leader (b. 1933)
May 20 - Hamilton Jordan, American political strategist (b. 1944)
May 22 - Robert Asprin, American science fiction writer (b. 1946)
May 23 - David Mitton, British producer, director, model maker, and author (b. 1939)
May 23 - Roberto Freire, Brazilian psychiatrist (b. 1927)
May 24 - Dick Martin, American comedian (b. 1922)
May 24 - Rob Knox, British actor (b. 1989)
May 25 - Geremi González, Venezuelan baseball player (b. 1975)
May 26 - Earle Hagen, American composer (b. 1919)
May 26 - Sydney Pollack, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1934)
May 27 - Franz Künstler, last Austrian-Hungarian veteran of World War I (b. 1900)
May 28 - Beryl Cook, English painter (b. 1926)
May 28 - Robert Justman, American producer (b. 1926)
May 29 - Luc Bourdon, Canadian hockey player (b. 1987)
May 29 - Romeo A. Brawner, Filipino election official and justice (b. 1935)
May 29 - Harvey Korman, American actor (b. 1927)

=June=

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June 1 - Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer (b. 1936)
June 1 - Tommy Lapid, Israeli television presenter, journalist and politician (b. 1931)
June 2 - Bo Diddley, American musician (b. 1928)
June 2 - Ferenc Fejtő, Hungarian-born French journalist and political scientist (b. 1909)
June 3 - Mel Ferrer, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1917)
June 3 - Grigory Romanov, Russian politician (b. 1923)
June 4 - Agata Mróz-Olszewska, Polish volleyball player (b. 1982)
June 6 - Dwight White, American football player (b. 1949)
June 7 - Rudy Fernandez, Filipino actor (b. 1952)
June 7 - Dino Risi, Italian director (b. 1916)
June 7 - Jim McKay, American television sports journalist (b. 1921)
June 7 - Mustafa Khalil, Egyptian prime minister (b. 1920)
June 8 - Peter Rühmkorf, German writer (b. 1929)
June 8 - Šaban Bajramović, Serbian musician (b. 1936)
June 9 - Algis Budrys, American science fiction writer (b. 1931)
June 9 - Karen Asrian, Armenian chess grandmaster (b. 1980)
June 10 - Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyzstani writer (b. 1928)
June 10 - John Rauch, American football player and coach (b. 1927)
June 11 - Ove Andersson, Swedish rally driver (b. 1939)
June 11 - Võ Văn Kiệt, Vietnamese prime minister (b. 1922)
June 11 - Adam Ledwoń, Polish footballer (b. 1974)
June 11 - Taras Kermauner, Slovenian playwright, historian, and philosopher (b. 1930)
June 11 - James Reaney, Canadian playwright (b. 1926)
June 12 - Charlie Jones, American sportscaster (b. 1930)
June 12 - Derek Tapscott, Welsh footballer (b. 1932)
June 13 - Tim Russert, American journalist (b. 1950)
June 14 - Jamelão, Brazilian singer (b. 1913)
June 14 - Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish jazz musician (b. 1964)
June 15 - Johnathan Goddard, American football player (b. 1981)
June 15 - Ray Getliffe, Canadian hockey player (b. 1914)
June 15 - Stan Winston, American special effects and make up artist (b. 1946)
June 17 - Tsutomu Miyazaki, Japanese serial killer (b. 1962)
June 17 - Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (b. 1922)
June 18 - Jean Delannoy, French film director (b. 1908)
June 19 - Tim Carter, English footballer (b. 1967)
June 21 - Scott Kalitta, American drag racer (b. 1962)
June 21 - Kermit Love, American costume designer (b. 1916)
June 22 - George Carlin, American author, actor, and comedian (b. 1937)
June 22 - Dody Goodman, American actress (b. 1914)
June 22 - Jane McGrath, British-born Australian activist and philanthropist (b. 1966)
June 23 - Arthur Chung, President of Guyana (b. 1918)
June 23 - Ruth Cardoso, former Brazilian First Lady (b. 1930)
June 24 - Leonid Hurwicz, American economist, mathematician, and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
June 25 - Alla Kazanskaya, Russian actress (b. 1920)
June 25 - G. M. Banatwala, Indian politician (b. 1933)
June 27 - Polk Robison, American basketball coach (b. 1912)
June 27 - Sam Manekshaw, Indian Army officer (b. 1914)
June 27 - Michael Turner, American comic book artist (b. 1971)
June 27 - Francesco Domenico Chiarello, Italian World War I survivor (b. 1898)
June 27 - Nicolae Linca, Romanian boxer (b. 1929)
June 28 - Ruslana Korshunova, Kazakhstani model (b. 1987)
June 29 - Don S. Davis, American actor (b. 1942)

=July=

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July 1 - John Pont, American football coach (b. 1927)
July 1 - Mel Galley, English guitarist (b. 1948)
July 1 - Mark Dean Schwab, American murderer (b. 1968)
July 2 - Elizabeth Spriggs, British actress (b. 1929)
July 2 - Natasha Shneider, Russian musician (b. 1956)
July 3 - Harald Heide-Steen Jr., Norwegian comedian and actor (b. 1939)
July 3 - Larry Harmon, American entertainer (b. 1925)
July 3 - Clive Hornby, English actor (b. 1944)
July 4 - Jesse Helms, American politician (b. 1921)
July 4 - Charles Wheeler, British journalist and broadcaster (b. 1923)
July 4 - Terrence Kiel, American football player (b. 1980)
July 5 - Hasan Doğan, Turkish football administrator (b. 1956)
July 6 - Nonna Mordyukova, Russian actress (b. 1925)
July 6 - Jack C. Collins, Australian footballer (b. 1930)
July 7 - Yitzchok Dovid Groner, Australian rabbi (b. 1924)

Major religious holidays

January 7 - Christmas in Eastern Christianity
January 10 - Islamic New Year by Lunar calendar
February 5 - Carnival (Shrove Tuesday)
February 6 - Ash Wednesday, observance of Lent begins
February 7 - Chinese New Year (also Lunar New Year / Spring Festival)
March 1 - Saint David's Day, national holiday of Wales
March 15 - St. Patrick's Day, celebrated in Ireland, the United States, and most of the English-speaking world. (Held on March 15 instead of the usual 17th to avoid the second day in Holy Week.){{cite news|title=St Patrick's 'day' moved to 15th|url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0718/breaking85.html|work=ireland.com Online|publisher=Irish Times Trust|date=2007-07-18|accessdate=2007-07-21}} This March 17 will be the last one to fall within Holy Week until 2160.{{cite web |url=http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=194136 |title=No St. Pat's Day Mass allowed in Holy Week |accessdate=2008-03-13 |author=Nevans-Pederson, Mary |date=2008-03-13 |work= Dubuque Telegraph Herald |publisher= Woodward Communications, Inc. }}
March 20 - March Equinox, also known as Ostara
March 20 - Purim
March 21 - Nowruz (Iranian new year holiday)
March 22 - Holi
March 21 - Good Friday
March 23 - Easter Sunday, the earliest Easter has fallen since 1913
April 13 - Baisakhi
April 20 - Passover, Palm Sunday in Eastern Christianity
April 23 - St. George's Day
April 27 - Pascha (or Easter) in Eastern Christianity
May 1 - Ascension of Jesus in Western Christianity
May 1 - Beltane, a Cross-quarter day
May 19 or May 20 - Vesak (Buddha day) in Buddhism
June 5 - Ascension of Jesus in Eastern Christianity
June 9 - Shavuot
June 15 - Pentecost in Eastern Christianity
June 20 - June Solstice, also known as Midsummer or Litha
June 22 - All Saints' Day in Eastern Christianity
July 5 - Saints Cyril and Methodius day in Eastern Christianity
August 1 - Lammas, a Cross-quarter day
August 15 - Assumption of Mary
September 1 - New Liturgical Year in Eastern Christianity
September 22 - September Equinox, also known as Mabon
September 30 - Rosh Hashana
October 2 - Eid al-Fitr
October 9 - Yom Kippur
October 28 - Diwali
November 1 - Samhain, a Cross-quarter day and Neopagan new year
November 30 - St. Andrew's Day, Scottish national day
December 8 - Immaculate Conception
December 8 - Eid ul-Adha
December 21 - Hanukkah begins at sundown
December 21 - December Solstice, also known as Yule
December 25 - Christmas in Western Christianity

2008 in fiction

=Books=

Isaac Asimov's 1955 short story Franchise takes place in 2008, the premise being that the U.S. president will be selected by a computer program looking for the "most representative citizen".
John Barnes, Mother of Storms (1995) begins with a 2008 UN resolution barring any nation from acquiring nuclear weapons after June 1, 2008, subject to penalty of preemptive strike.
Gregory Benford's books The Jupiter War and The Threads of Time are set in 2008.
The Galactic Milieu Series by Julian May features Earth's first contact with an alien race on June 20, 2008.
In Francis Anderson's 1992 book "Future Undetermined" the UN bans civilians from owning handguns on March 29.
Ian McDonald's "Chaga Saga" (Evolution's Shore and Kirinya) begins with the March 13, 2008 impact arrival of the plant form Chaga from outer space.
Alan E. Nourse's 1957 book Rocket to Limbo begins with the March 3, 2008 launch of the starship Argonaut on a centuries-long trip to Alpha Centauri.
The Mote in God's Eye (1974) by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle postulates that faster-than-light travel is perfected in 2008.
The Next War, a controversial 1996 novel about the post-Soviet era, co-authored by former U.S. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, looks at a possible 2008 nuclear confrontation between the United States and Russia.

=Computer and video games=

Set in 2008:

Ghost Recon (2001): Russia attempts to reunite the Soviet Union and invades several Eastern European countries. The UN intervenes with peacekeeping forces.
Splinter Cell series: Sam Fisher goes undercover.
Twisted Metal 3 (1998)
Shattered Union (2005): U.S. President David Jefferson Adams is elected in a sham election, and becomes the most unpopular president in U.S. history.
Resident Evil 5 (2009)
Mega Man (1987)
Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)[http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3167196 GTA4: What You Really Need to Know from 1UP.com]

=Film=

Set in 2008:

Jason X (Friday the 13th series, 2002): Mass murderer Jason Voorhees is captured for the 2nd time and sentenced to death. Though the US government is unsure how to execute him, an electric chair, a gas chamber, a firing squad, and hanging are all tried - none of which work.
The Lake House (2006): The ending takes place on Valentine's Day, 2008.
5 Centimetres Per Second (2007): The final act takes place in Tokyo during 2008.
Doomsday (2008): The start of the film is set in 2008, when a virus has infected Scotland.
Children of Men (2006): Pandemic influenza sweeps the planet, claiming the protagonist's young son.
Silent Running (1971)
Southland Tales (2007)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

=Television=

Dawson's Creek (2003 series finale): The characters meet once again. Dawson, now 25 is the creator of a television series, The Creek, based on his life.{{cite news | title = Amazon.com: Dawson's Creek - The Series Finale (Extended Cut) Product Page | publisher = Amazon.com | url = http://www.amazon.com/Dawsons-Creek-Finale-Extended-Cut/dp/B0000AUHQ9 }}
The 2007 series of Doctor Who: Present time (such as "Smith and Jones") is primarily set in 2008.
The Future Boy Conan anime story begins in July, 2008, when a war results in five continents sinking into the sea.
Doraemon: According to the original manga story, a time machine will be invented in 2008.
Heroes: According to the episode Out of Time, the Shanti virus wipes out about 93% of the world's population, from a break out in March 2008. Peter Petrelli accidentally teleports himself and Caitlin to sometime around June 14, 2008, when any survivors in New York City are forcibly evacuated.
According to Futurama, in the episode "Space Pilot 3000", Stop 'N Drop suicide booths are the most popular of their kind by 2008.