The Year 2008 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historic events from the year 2008. Discover the year’s top news stories, U.S. economix trends, sports facts, grocery prices, entertainment trivia, and much more.

1. In 2008, George W. Bush was the president of the United States, and Dick Cheney was the nation’s vice president.
2. In 2008, the global economy faced its most dangerous monetary crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The financial meltdown began in 2007 with a downturn in U.S. and European real estate markets. Housing prices plummeted from Seattle to London as homeowners fell behind on their mortgage payments and owed lenders more than their homes were worth. CNN.com points out that in October 2008, nearly 85,000 people in the U.S. lost their homes to foreclosure, “adding vacant inventory to an already overburdened market.”
3. During the year, global stock prices plunged to record lows, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 33.8% of its value. By the end of the year, the Great Recession had enveloped the entire globe.
4. Consumers cut back on “small luxuries” like eating out because of the housing bubble, credit crisis, and high gas prices. As a result, over 600 Starbucks locations closed, and casual-dining chains like Bennigan's and Steak & Ale filed for bankruptcy.
5. At the grocery store, bananas cost 59 cents a pound, eggs were $2.29 a dozen, and Oreo cookies cost $4.29 for an eight-ounce package. In the marketplace, Callaway golf balls were $39.99 a dozen, a 4G iPod cost $149.99, and a Toyota Camry was $17,499.00.
6. In January, oil prices hit $100 a barrel for the first time in history.
7. On January 18, President Bush and congressional leaders agreed upon a $150 billion economic stimulus package that gave most tax filers refunds of $600 to $1,200, and even more for those with children.
8. January 21 was “Black Monday” on worldwide stock markets. The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index tumbled 323.5 points, European stocks suffered their worst losses since 9/11, and Asian stocks also fell into a sea of red.
9. In February, Fidel Castro stepped down as the president of Cuba after nearly 50 years in power.
10. In February, over 7,000 Starbucks locations in the U.S. took a three-hour coffee break for employee training. According to NBCNews.com, the shutdown was spearheaded by Chairman and Chief Executive Howard Schultz, who had recently regained control of the company amid concerns that it was losing its edge and facing increased competition from McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts.
11. In February, Microsoft released Windows Server 2008 and also released the Worldwide Telescope (WWT), an application for “viewing astronomical data.”
12. In March, the price of gold on the New York Mercantile Exchange hit $1,000 an ounce for the first time.
13. In March, Hulu was launched. Owned by NBC, it was the first video streaming service.
14. In May, California became the second U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. (In 2004, Massachusetts legalized same-sex unions.)
15. In May, the Interior Department listed polar bears as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. WashingtonPost.com confirms that “the loss of Arctic sea ice in a warming climate” could potentially drive polar bears “to the brink of extinction in less than four decades.”
16. In July, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed legislation that banned trans fats in both restaurants and other retail food establishments, such as food trucks. The law officially went into effect on January 1, 2010.
17. In July, Belgian-based brewer InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch and created Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewing company. The newly formed brewer had over 200 brands worldwide, including Bass, Beck’s, Budweiser, Busch, Corona, Labatt, Lowenbrau, Michelob, Rolling Rock, St. Pauli Girl, Stella Artois, and Whitbread.
18. In September, Lehman Brothers, one of the long-term champions on Wall Street, filed for bankruptcy.
19. In September, actor, director, and race car driver Paul Newman passed away. In 1982, Newman and author A. E. Hotchner co-founded Newman's Own, a food company that manufactured salad dressing, pasta sauce, popcorn, salsa, frozen pizza, lemonade, and grape juice.
20. In November, Democrat Barack Obama was elected as the U.S. president by defeating John McCain, the Republican candidate. Obama won 338 electoral votes to McCain's 161. He also became the first African American to be elected president.
21. In December, Google released the first “public version” of the Chrome web browser.
22. In 2008, Fearless Fourteen was a best-selling fiction book, the board game Monopoly Here & Now was a popular Christmas gift, and American Idol was a top-rated TV show.
23. The most popular feature films were The Dark Knight, Role Models, Mamma Mia!, Twilight, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and The House Bunny.
24. America’s most beloved songs included Low by Flo Rida with T-Pain, No One by Alicia Keys, and Touch My Body by Mariah Carey.
25. In 2008, the United States was the 18th most obese country, and life expectancy at birth in the U.S. fell slightly to 77.8 years, the first drop since 2004.
26. Herb Peterson, the creator of McDonald's Egg McMuffin breakfast sandwich, passed away.
27. Sidney Craig also died. With his wife Jenny, he started the Jenny Craig chain of weight management centers in 1983.
28. Kentucky Derby winner: Big Brown
29. NBA champions: Boston Celtics
30. NCAA basketball champions: Kansas
31. NCAA football champions: Florida
32. Stanley Cup champs: Detroit Red Wings
33. Super Bowl champions: New York Giants
34. U.S. Open Golf winner: Tiger Woods
35. World Series champions: Philadelphia Phillies

References:

1. https://popculturemadness.com/2008-history-trivia-and-fun-facts/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_in_the_United_States
3. https://www.infoplease.com/year/2008
4. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-2008.html
5. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices
6. https://www.computerhope.com/history/2008.htm
7. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/forgotten-history-financial-crisis-adam-tooze
8. https://www.onthisday.com/date/2008

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor