Water Ice on Mars
Phoenix confirms water ice in a Martian soil sample
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
2008 in United States of America — Page 3
Explore 196 historical events and records for United States of America in 2008.
Historical records for United States of America in 2008
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 196 unique records.
196Unique records
3 of 5Page
32Named events on this page
26Named people on this page
12Places on this page
July
August
Credit Crunch
Freddie Mac reports $821 million loss
Death of Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr
Death of Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr
Beijing Olympics
Wins his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Olympics
Vice Presidential Candidate
Is introduced as Barack Obama's Democratic running mate.
Democratic Convention Nomination
Is nominated for vice president at the Democratic convention.
Democratic Convention
Accepts the Democratic presidential nomination before a large convention crowd in Denver
Vice Presidential Candidate
Is named John McCain's Republican running mate
September
Google Chrome
Google releases the Chrome web browser for Windows
Republican Convention
Accepts the Republican presidential nomination at the party convention
Credit Crunch
Paulson announces that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are being placed into federal conservatorship with Treasury support to stabilize mortgage finance.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Announces Treasury support for the housing finance agencies after the conservatorship decision
Fannie Mae Conservatorship
FHFA announces that Fannie Mae has been placed into federal conservatorship.
Freddie Mac Conservatorship
FHFA announces that Freddie Mac has been placed into federal conservatorship.
Housing Enterprise Support
Treasury establishes financial-support agreements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Saturday Night Live
Begins a widely watched impersonation of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live
The Hunger Games
Publishes The Hunger Games, the first novel in the dystopian young adult series
Credit Crunch
Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy after Treasury and Federal Reserve efforts fail to produce a private-sector rescue over the preceding weekend.
Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy
Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy after failing to obtain a buyer or government rescue.
Merrill Lynch Sale
Merrill Lynch agrees to be acquired by Bank of America during the market panic.
Merrill Lynch Takeover
Bank of America agrees to purchase Merrill Lynch as financial-market turmoil intensifies.
AIG Emergency Lending
The Federal Reserve authorises emergency credit to prevent the disorderly failure of AIG.
AIG Rescue
AIG accepts emergency federal lending after severe collateral and liquidity demands.
Credit Crunch
The Federal Reserve authorizes emergency support for AIG after the insurer cannot meet escalating collateral demands linked to credit-default swaps.
Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Facility
The Federal Reserve announces a facility to finance purchases of high-quality asset-backed commercial paper from money market mutual funds, helping those funds meet redemptions without forcing disruptive asset sales.
Credit Crunch
Paulson proposes a broad federal program to purchase troubled financial assets as officials confront a rapidly spreading systemic banking crisis.
Money Market Guarantee
Treasury announces a temporary guarantee programme for eligible money-market mutual funds.
TARP Proposal
Proposes a large rescue plan to stabilize banks and purchase troubled financial assets
Credit Crunch
The Federal Reserve approves Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as bank holding companies, giving the investment banks access to broader central-bank support.
Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley Become Bank Holding Companies
The Federal Reserve approves Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as bank holding companies, bringing the two major investment banks under Federal Reserve consolidated supervision during the financial crisis.
Credit Crunch
Washington Mutual fails and its banking operations are sold to JPMorgan Chase, marking the largest bank failure in United States history at the time.
Washington Mutual Failure
The FDIC closes Washington Mutual in the largest bank failure in United States history.
Washington Mutual Purchase
JPMorgan Chase purchases most Washington Mutual assets and deposits from the FDIC.
Death of Paul Leonard Newman
Death of Paul Leonard Newman
Death of Paul Newman
Death of Paul Newman
Presidential Debate
Debates John McCain in the first presidential debate during the financial crisis
Hubble Servicing Mission 4 Delayed
A failure in Hubble's Science Instrument Command and Data Handler causes NASA to delay Servicing Mission 4 until a replacement can be flown.
Falcon 1
SpaceX's Falcon 1 reaches orbit after earlier failed attempts
Bailout Vote
The House rejects the first financial rescue bill, triggering another stock market fall
Credit Crunch
The House of Representatives rejects the proposed financial rescue legislation, and United States equity markets fall sharply after the vote.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.