Vice Presidential Debate
Debates Sarah Palin during the campaign.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
2008 in United States of America — Page 4
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
4 of 5Page
30Named events on this page
22Named people on this page
15Places on this page
October
Credit Crunch
Bush signs the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, authorizing the seven-hundred-billion-dollar Troubled Asset Relief Program to stabilize the financial system.
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
Signs the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act authorizing the Troubled Asset Relief Program
Wachovia Takeover
Wells Fargo announces an agreement to acquire Wachovia without direct federal assistance.
Credit Crunch
The Federal Reserve announces that it will begin paying interest on depository institutions' reserve balances under authority accelerated by emergency legislation.
Second Mercury Flyby
MESSENGER completes a second close flyby of Mercury and adjusts its solar orbit for eventual capture by the planet.
Commercial Paper Funding Facility
The Federal Reserve creates the Commercial Paper Funding Facility to purchase eligible commercial paper through a special-purpose vehicle and restore credit flows in a market heavily used for short-term business financing.
Coordinated Interest Rate Cut
The Federal Reserve joins other central banks in a coordinated reduction of policy rates.
Credit Crunch
The Federal Reserve joins other major central banks in a coordinated interest-rate reduction intended to counter extreme disruption in global financial markets.
Single Ladies
Releases Single Ladies, one of her defining pop singles
Capital Purchase Program
Paulson uses TARP authority to purchase preferred shares in major financial institutions.
Credit Crunch
Paulson announces the Capital Purchase Program, committing Treasury funds to purchase preferred shares in major banks and strengthen their capital positions.
IBEX Launch
Begins the Interstellar Boundary Explorer mission to map energetic neutral atoms created where the outward-flowing solar wind interacts with the surrounding interstellar medium.
Credit Crunch
The Federal Reserve announces the Money Market Investor Funding Facility to provide liquidity support for money-market instruments during persistent market stress.
Money Market Investor Funding Facility
The Federal Reserve announces the Money Market Investor Funding Facility to support a private-sector initiative designed to provide liquidity to money market investors and reduce pressure on short-term credit markets.
Corruption Conviction
Is convicted in a federal corruption case shortly before the election
Credit Crunch
The Federal Reserve cuts the federal funds target to one percent as economic activity contracts and financial conditions remain severely impaired.
World Series
Leads the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series championship
CENTCOM
Takes command of United States Central Command
November
1st Black President
Defeats John McCain in the general election with 365 electoral votes to McCain's 173 and becomes the first African American to be elected President of the United States
1st Black President
In his victory speech, delivered before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of his supporters in Chicago's Grant Park, Obama proclaimed that "change has come to America"
Death of John Michael Crichton
Death of John Michael Crichton
Election
Defeats John McCain in the general election with 365 electoral votes to McCain's 173 and becomes the first African American to be elected President of the United States. Barack Obama defeats John McCain to become the 44th President of the United States and the first African American President in US history
Election
Defeats John McCain to become president-elect of the United States
Election Defeat
Concedes the presidential election to Barack Obama after losing the Electoral College
Proposition 8
California voters approve Proposition 8, restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples
Vice President Elect
Is elected vice president on Barack Obama's ticket.
Credit Crunch
Treasury and the Federal Reserve restructure AIG's rescue package, reducing the original loan and adding preferred-share support through TARP.
Fearless
Releases Fearless, a major country-pop crossover album
Fomalhaut Exoplanet Imaging
Kalas leads Hubble observations that reveal a visible-light point source moving around Fomalhaut within its debris system.
Iraq Status of Forces Agreement
The United States and Iraq sign an agreement setting a timetable for troop withdrawal
Citigroup Rescue
Citigroup receives federal capital support and protection against losses on selected assets.
Citigroup Support Package
Federal authorities announce a support package for Citigroup in which the Federal Reserve stands ready to provide financing against a pool of assets after specified loss protections, seeking to preserve financial stability.
Credit Crunch
The Government announces a rescue package for Citigroup combining capital support and protection against losses on a large pool of troubled assets.
Agency Debt and Mortgage-Backed Securities Purchase Program
The Federal Reserve announces plans to purchase up to 100 billion dollars of government-sponsored enterprise debt and up to 500 billion dollars of agency mortgage-backed securities to reduce borrowing costs and support mortgage markets.
Credit Crunch
The Federal Reserve announces TALF and plans large purchases of agency debt and mortgage-backed securities to support consumer and housing credit markets.
Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility
The Federal Reserve announces the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, designed to support new lending to households and businesses by financing investors in highly rated asset-backed securities.
Milk
Stars as Harvey Milk in the biographical drama Milk
December
Great Recession Announcement
The NBER committee announces that the recession began in December 2007.
Kennedy Center Honors
Receives Kennedy Center Honors with Pete Townshend.
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.