The almanac
The 2008 Edition
Limited to about 142 million copies: the babies born worldwide in 2008. About 133 million are still in circulation.
Estimates from the UN World Population Prospects 2024. How we count
What happened in 2008
- Iron Man opened in theatersRobert Downey Jr.'s armored hero kicked off the Marvel movie universe.May 2 · Source: The Numbers
- Phoenix landed near Mars' north poleNASA's lander touched down safely and later dug up ice.May 25 · Source: NASA
- I Kissed a Girl hit No. 1Katy Perry's breakout single reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100.July 5 · Source: Billboard
- The Dark Knight opened in theatersChristian Bale's Batman faced Heath Ledger's Joker.July 18 · Source: The Numbers
- Beijing hosted the Summer OlympicsSwimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals, a record for a single Games.August 8 · Source: Olympedia
- The Large Hadron Collider started upThe world's largest particle accelerator switched on near Geneva.September 10 · Source: CERN
No. 1 songs of 2008
- LowFlo Rida Featuring T-Pain · first week at No. 1: January 5, 2008
- Love In This ClubUsher Featuring Young Jeezy · first week at No. 1: March 15, 2008
- Bleeding LoveLeona Lewis · first week at No. 1: April 5, 2008
- Touch My BodyMariah Carey · first week at No. 1: April 12, 2008
- LollipopLil Wayne Featuring Static Major · first week at No. 1: May 3, 2008
- Take A BowRihanna · first week at No. 1: May 24, 2008
- Viva La VidaColdplay · first week at No. 1: June 28, 2008
- I Kissed A GirlKaty Perry · first week at No. 1: July 5, 2008
- DisturbiaRihanna · first week at No. 1: August 23, 2008
- Whatever You LikeT.I. · first week at No. 1: September 6, 2008
- So WhatP!nk · first week at No. 1: September 27, 2008
- Live Your LifeT.I. Featuring Rihanna · first week at No. 1: October 18, 2008
- WomanizerBritney Spears · first week at No. 1: October 25, 2008
- Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)Beyonce · first week at No. 1: December 13, 2008
Billboard Hot 100, chart weeks of 2008. Spotted a mistake?
If you were born in 2008
- Older than Usain Bolt's 9.58 recordUsain Bolt ran 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, the world record on August 16, 2009.
- Older than the iPadThe first iPad went on sale in the US on April 3, 2010.
- Older than SiriThe iPhone 4S, the first iPhone with the Siri assistant, went on sale on October 14, 2011.
- Older than the Higgs bosonCERN scientists announced the discovery of the Higgs boson on July 4, 2012.
- Younger than the KindleAmazon introduced the Kindle e-reader and put it on sale on November 19, 2007.
- Younger than the iPhoneThe first iPhone went on sale in the US on June 29, 2007.
- Younger than GmailGoogle announced Gmail and opened a preview of the service on April 1, 2004.