Also Within This Year in History:
2008
Barack Obama became the first Black American elected president in 2008, a year that also brought the release of “Iron Man,” the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As the Great Recession deepened, investment manager Bernard Madoff was arrested for perpetrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history and the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto wrote a white paper introducing Bitcoin cryptocurrency to the world. Meanwhile, a fuzzy blanket with sleeves called the “Snuggie” sold some 4 million units over the holidays while inspiring a slew of parody commercials.
On January 1, 2008, with snowflakes falling around him in Buffalo, Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby slips a shot past Ryan Miller to win the NHL’s inaugural Winter Classic—the first…
At the close of business on January 6, 2008, the Walt Disney World Resort theme park known as Disney‑MGM Studios officially shut its doors after almost a decade of operation.…
At the New Delhi Auto Expo in India, Tata Motors debuts the Nano, billing it as the world’s cheapest car. The anticipated price tag is around $2,500. Tata, India’s largest…
Fans of the red carpet extravaganza that is the annual Golden Globe Awards presentation were disappointed in 2008, when the lavish ceremony was canceled due to the Writers Guild of…
On January 22, 2008, Hollywood mourns a talented young actor’s life cut tragically short, after the body of 28‑year‑old Heath Ledger is found by his masseuse and housekeeper on the…
On this day in 2008, the New York Giants stunned the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. The…
In the latest of a series of legal battles involving J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved trilogy The Lord of the Rings and film adaptations made of the books, several of Tolkien’s heirs…
Hollywood’s longest work stoppage since 1988 ends on February 12, 2008, when members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) vote by a margin of more than 90 percent to…
On this day in 2008, in an attempt to cut costs, struggling auto giant General Motors (GM) offers buyouts to all 74,000 of its hourly employees in the U.S. represented…
On February 13, 2008, a California judge rules that the actor Mel Gibson, star of such movies as the Academy Award‑winning “Braveheart” and the “Mad Max” and “Lethal Weapon” series,…
On March 16, 2008, Bear Stearns, the 85‑year‑old investment bank, narrowly avoids bankruptcy by its sale to J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. at the shockingly low price of $2 per…
On this day in 2008, the Oscar‑winning director Anthony Minghella dies at the age of 54 in a London hospital, one week after undergoing surgery to treat tonsil cancer. Minghella…
On this day in 2008, the Ford Motor Company announces the sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover divisions to the Tata Group, one of India’s oldest and largest business…
Best known in his later years as the outspoken president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the actor Charlton Heston first earned a reputation in Hollywood for playing larger‑than‑life figures…
On April 20, 2008, 26‑year‑old Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan, making her the first female winner in IndyCar racing history. Danica…
On May 2, 2008, Iron Man, the latest big‑budget action film based on a Marvel Comics character, debuts in some 4,100 theaters in the United States and Canada, raking in…
On this day in 2008, “Speed Racer,” the big‑budget live‑action film version of the 1960s Japanese comic book and television series “MachGoGoGo,” makes its debut in U.S. movie theaters. Warner…
On this day in 2008, Los Angeles‑based private investigator Anthony Pellicano is found guilty on charges of wiretapping and racketeering. Pellicano, who had an office on Sunset Boulevard, was considered…
On this day in 2008, the film director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack, whose string of hits included Tootsie, Out of Africa and The Firm, dies of cancer at his…
On this day in 2008, the film version of HBO’s iconic comedy series Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, premieres in more than 3,200 theaters around the country and…
