1001 Facts About 2008

1. Gabrielle Giffords earned re-election in 2008, defeating Republican State Senate President Timothy Bee, a childhood schoolmate, with nearly 55 percent of the vote.

2. Ted Nugent toured with local Detroit musician Alex Winston during the summers of 2007 and 2008.

3. Stephen Strasburg was the lone collegiate player selected for the United States national team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

4. Joe Bryant was a member of the 2008 and 2012 gold-medal US Olympic men's basketball teams.

5. On 21 January 2008, in Pittsburgh, when Ovechkin took a run at Malkin, which would have seemingly resulted in a devastating hit had Malkin not ducked out of the way just in time.

6. Andres Iniesta placed ninth in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year voting, gaining 37 total points.

7. On May 28, 2008, Katie Couric made a return visit to Today since leaving almost two years to the very day back on May 31, 2006.

8. Derrick Rose was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft.

9. Mike Huckabee was a candidate United States Republican presidential primaries in both 2008 and 2016.

10. On 20 February 2008, Sharon Osbourne co-hosted the 28th edition of the BRIT Awards at Earls Court in London, along with her husband and daughter Kelly.

11. Steven Davis was sold to Fulham for £4 million in the summer of 2007, but moved on loan to Scottish side Rangers in January 2008 for an initial six months.

12. Tony Blair Sports Foundation gives lectures, earning up to US$250,000 for a 90-minute speech, and in 2008 he was said to be the highest paid speaker in the world.

13. On October 22, 2008 JetBlue opened its new primary hub at John F Kennedy International Airport, Terminal 5, or simply T5.

14. In 2008, Jarno Trulli was hoping Toyota would make a big step forward.

15. Tom Daley represented Great Britain in the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 10m platform and 10m platform synchro competitions.

16. In 2008, Adam Gilchrist supported debate on whether Australia Day should be moved to a new date because the current date marks British settlement and is offensive to many Aboriginal Australians.

17. Roger Federer has earned a men's doubles gold medal, and a men's single silver medal at the Olympics in 2008 and 2012, respectively.

18. Andres Iniesta helped Spain win Euro 2008, playing every game and being selected in the Team of the Tournament.

19. On May 9, 2008, Alex Trebek was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

20. John Barrowman was voted Entertainer of the Year in 2006 by Stonewall and placed on the Out 100 list for 2008, an annual list of notable LGBT people compiled by Out magazine.

21. Senator John McCain hosted Saturday Night Live in 2002 and appeared in two episodes in 2008.

22. Cheryl Cole became a judge on the UK version of The X Factor in 2008, becoming the winning judge twice out of the three series she judged.

23. Alicia Keys's starred in "Fresh Takes", a commercial micro-series created by Dove Go Fresh, which premiered during The Hills on MTV from March to April 2008.

24. In 2008, Sarah Palin vetoed $286 million, cutting or reducing funding for 350 projects from the FY09 capital budget.

25. Rory McIlroy successfully concluded the 2008 calendar year by rising to the 39th position in the world ranking after achieving the joint 3rd position in the South African Open.

26. At the 2008 Ivor Novello Awards in May, Amy Winehouse became the first-ever artist to receive two nominations for the top award: best song, musically and lyrically.

27. In 2008, Lord Attenborough was admitted to hospital for hearth related problems and received a pacemaker.

28. Leona Lewis received three nominations for the 51st Grammy Awards in December 2008.

29. In September 2006, Darijo Srna was temporarily dropped from the Croatian squad for a Euro 2008 qualifying match with Russia because of a late night partying spree in a local disco, along with teammates Bosko Balaban and Ivica Olic.

30. Sara Bareilles's toured with Counting Crows and Maroon 5 between July 22 and August 26, 2008.

31. On 7 May 2008, Dmitry Daniil Medvedev took an oath as the third President of the Russian Federation in a ceremony held in the Grand Kremlin Palace.

32. On January 21, 2008, Mike Huckabee received the endorsement of 50 African American leaders in Atlanta, Georgia.

33. Evander Kane competed in the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, capturing gold with Canada's under-18 team.

34. Eliot Spitzer became a regular columnist for Slate magazine and in December 2008 Slate published the first of a new series of columns by Spitzer dedicated to the economy.

35. John Smoltz left the Braves after 2008 and split his final season with the Boston Red Sox and St Louis Cardinals.

36. In July 2008, Lance Armstrong began dating Anna Hansen after meeting through Armstrong's charity work.

37. In 2008, Boris Johnson won the London mayoral election as the candidate from Conservative party.

38. Ronda Rousey was a vegan after Beijing 2008, but in 2012 described her current diet as "kind of a mix between a Paleo and a Warrior diet", trying to eat everything organic.

39. On October 31, 2008, Aaron Rodgers signed a six-year, $65 million contract extension through the 2014 season.

40. Wayne Rooney played in 2008 UEFA Super Cup where United lost to Zenit Saint Petersburg and was unable to make an impact.

41. Dwight Howard led the Magic to their first division title in 12 years and to the third seed for the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

42. Rory McIlroy finished the 2008 calendar year at 39th in the world rankings after finishing joint 3rd in the South African Open.

43. On May 15, 2008, Mike Pelfrey pitched another good game against the Nationals.

44. Ronda Rousey began her professional career as a mixed martial artist in 2010, after becoming the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo, by winning bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

45. In January 2008, Justin Lee Collins announced that his wife had recently given birth to their second son.

46. Cam Newton initially attended the University of Florida, where he was a member of the Florida Gators football team in 2007 and 2008.

47. Karim Benzema was shortlisted by French magazine France Football for the 2008 Ballon d'Or award, eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo.

48. Paul Ron formally declared his candidacy for the 2008 Republican nomination on March 12, 2007, on C-SPAN.

49. Matt Wieters earned the 2008 Minor League Player of the Year honors from Baseball America.

50. In 2008, David Byrne designed a series of bicycle parking racks in the form of image outlines corresponding to the areas in which they were located, such as a dollar sign for Wall Street and an electric guitar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

51. Sanjay Dutt married Manyata in 2008 in a private ceremony in Goa, after two years of dating.

52. Danny Welbeck came through the ranks at United and made his senior debut back in 2008.

53. On June 19, 2008, United States President Barack Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976.

54. Stephen Strasburg pitched for the United States national baseball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal.

55. In 2008, Harley-Davidson stopped disclosing the average age of riders; at this point it was 48 years old.

56. Carrie Underwood began dating NHL player Mike Fisher after they met at one of her concerts in late 2008, and she became engaged to him in December 2009.

57. In 2008, Aljaz Bedene made the decision to pursue his tennis career in the UK because he felt it was stagnating under the limitations he encountered in Slovenia.

58. On July 14, 2008, Whoopi Goldberg announced on The View that from July 29 to September 7, she would perform in the Broadway musical Xanadu.

59. On May 14, 2008, it was announced that The Tony Kornheiser Show had accepted a buyout from the Post.

60. On December 24, 2008, Dwyane Wade purchased a new home for a South Florida woman whose nephew accidentally burned down the family home.

61. Towards the end of 2008, Chris Brown was named Artist of the Year by Billboard magazine.

62. Imperial China hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where its athletes received 51 gold medals—the highest number of gold medals of any participating nation that year.

63. On 16 November 2008, Arda Turan collapsed during a match against Istanbul BB.

64. In 2008 CC Sabathia had the most effective slider among major league starting pitchers.

65. Joe Lieberman was alongside McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham during a visit to French president Nicolas Sarkozy on March 21, 2008.

66. At the 2008 IIHF World Championships, Ovechkin helped lead Russia to the gold medal by finishing with 12 points in nine games.

67. Felipe Massa finished second in the 2008 Drivers' World Championship after a long title battle with Lewis Hamilton, winning six races to Hamilton's five.

68. In October 2008, Emirates Airline moved all operations at Dubai International Airport to Terminal 3.

69. Since 2008, Eliot Spitzer has worked as a television host and an adjunct instructor; he ran for New York City Comptroller in 2013 and made private investments in a start-up company.

70. In October 2008, Facebook announced that its international headquarters would operate in Dublin, Ireland.

71. Venus Williams's defeated Serena for the 12th time in her career—her first straight sets victory against her since the 2008 Wimbledon Championships final.

72. In May 2008, Carl Icahn purchased a large block of shares in Yahoo, and shortly thereafter threatened to start a proxy fight to remove Yahoo's board of directors in response to their rejection of Microsoft's takeover bid.

73. At the close of 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo helped United win the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, assisting the final-winning goal against Liga de Quito and winning the Silver Ball in the process.

74. In October 2008, Ciara was honored as Billboards "Woman of the Year", because of her success as a recording artist and leadership in embracing the changing music business.

75. Kevin Smith was decided by the Detroit Lions in the 3rd round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

76. On November 4, 2008, Mark Warner won election to the United States Senate.

77. Jeff Sessions holds his granddaughter, Jane Ritchie Reinhardt, in 2008.

78. Hazel Blair gives lectures, earning up to US$250,000 for a 90-minute speech, and in 2008 he was said to be the highest paid speaker in the world.

79. In 2008, Coach Kevin Smith brought his Oak Hill team to the Charlotte.

80. Russell Wilson played football and baseball for North Carolina State University from 2008 to 2010 before transferring to Wisconsin.

81. In 2008, when John McCain was the Republican nominee for president, he rejected a bid from Manafort to manage the Republican National Convention because he was concerned about Manafort's association with Russian oligarchs, according to The Hill.

82. In October 2008, Emirates Cup moved all operations at Dubai International Airport to Terminal 3.

83. In 2008, The Google faced accusations in Harper's Magazine of being an "energy glutton".

84. Jerry Seinfeld earned $10 million for appearing with Bill Gates in Microsoft's 2008 advertisements for Windows.

85. In 2008, Holly Willoughby became a patron of the charity Together for Short Lives.

86. Ryan Braun was voted to the 2008 NL Sporting News All Star Team, by a panel of 41 major league general managers and assistant general managers.

87. Jelena Jankovic is a former World No 1 in singles, a ranking achieved preceding her finals appearance at the 2008 US Open.

88. On February 19, 2008, Jason Kidd was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, the team that originally drafted him.

89. Joe Biden was officially nominated for vice president on August 27 by voice vote at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

90. The Wii Speak News Channel became available in North America and Europe on December 5, 2008, and was discontinued on May 20, 2014.

91. On 24 July 2008, Gordon Brown spoke at the "Walk of Witness" in support of poverty reduction worldwide during the Lambeth Conference.

92. Chelsea Manning's used a selfie from 2008 to accompany the article.

93. Carrie Underwood was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, for her many accomplishments in country music, and into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

94. Ken Livingstone stood unsuccessfully as Labour candidate in London's mayoral elections of 2008 and 2012, losing both to the Conservative candidate Boris Johnson.

95. On 20 May 2008, Mahmoud Abbas stated he would resign from his office if the current round of peace talks had not yielded an agreement in principle "within six months".

96. At the French Open, Zheng Saisai reached the third round for the first time since 2008, but lost to Maria Sharapova in straight sets.

97. Mark Barron accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2008 to 2011.

98. Vernon Winfrey had emerged as a political force in the 2008 presidential race, delivering about one million votes to Barack Obama in the razor close 2008 Democratic primary.

99. Roger Federer lost his number one world ranking to Nadal in August 2008, ending his record run of 237 consecutive weeks atop the rankings.

100. On December 1, 2008, Susan Rice was nominated by president-elect Obama to be the US Ambassador to the United Nations, a position which he restored to cabinet level.

101. Gianluigi Buffon missed nearly all of the 2010 FIFA World Cup with a back injury, but he was selected to the Team of the Tournament at both the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

102. In October 2008, The Facebook announced that it would set up its international headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.

103. Shaun Marsh was included in the Test cricket squad for Australia's tour of India in 2008, but was not selected for a match.

104. Nicolas Sarkozy wielded special international power when France held the rotating EU Council Presidency from July 2008 through December 2008.

105. In 2008, Obama Biden was chosen as the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

106. On 25 March 2008, John Barrowman made a guest appearance in episode 22 of the BBC's Hotel Babylon.

107. Iker Casillas was nominated for the Ballon d'Or award in 2008, ranking fourth overall.

108. Ben Jealous was elected in 2008 as President and CEO of the NAACP; at age 35, he was the youngest person to serve in that position.

109. Mick Schumacher was born and grew up in Switzerland, living in Vufflens-le-Chateau until 2008, and then in Gland.

110. On July 15, 2008, Lenny Kravitz was honored in Milan, Italy with the key to the city in a special toast ceremony for his work with the United Nations Millennium Campaign to end world poverty.

111. On 29 March 2008, Zimbabwe held a presidential election along with a parliamentary election.

112. Thiago Silva was included in the 2008 Brasileirao Team of the Season and was selected as the Fans' Player of the Season.

113. Neil Lennon joined Wycombe Wanderers of League Two on a free transfer on 31 January 2008, managed by his former Celtic midfield partner Paul Lambert.

114. Michael Steele was a founding member of the centrist, fiscally conservative and socially inclusive Republican Leadership Council in 1993 but left in 2008 citing disagreements over endorsing primary candidates.

115. Ryan Zinke was a US Navy SEAL from 1986 until 2008, retiring with the rank of commander.

116. Jack Wilshere made his first-team debut in 2008, becoming Arsenal's youngest ever league debutant at the age of 16 years, 256 days.

117. Nacho Novo was never selected for the Spanish national team but has played for Galicia—his debut was in a 2008 friendly against Iran, arriving in his homeland just an hour before the match started after playing for Rangers against Celtic earlier in the day.

118. Boris Johnson previously served as the MP for Henley from 2001 until 2008.

119. In 2008, Viola Davis played Mrs Miller in the film adaptation to the Broadway play Doubt, with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman.

120. In May 2008, Steve McClaren was linked with a return to football as manager of the Dutch side Twente.

121. In July 2008, the Jewish Leadership Council published a major report on the future of Jewish schooling in the UK.

122. Roger Federer has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award a record five times, including four consecutive awards from 2005 to 2008 and the most recent one in 2018.

123. Eden Hazard was 17 years old when he had his senior debut with Belgium in November 2008.

124. On July 29, 2008, Mark Teixeira was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek.

125. Daniil Medvedev was elected President of Russia on 2 March 2008.

126. In 2008, Ian McEwan publicly spoke out against Islamism for its views on women and on homosexuality.

127. On December 1, 2008, Obama Cabinet announced that Eric Holder would be his nominee for Attorney General.

128. On June 19, 2008, Obama Barack became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976.

129. The last time Maria Sharapova lost a match on clay after winning the first set was against Dinara Safina in the fourth round at the 2008 French Open.

130. At the age of 28, Jacinda Ardern was elected the youngest member of the New Zealand Parliament in 2008.

131. Sam Querrey has twice reached the semifinals of the Davis Cup with the United States team, in 2008 and 2012.

132. Ford Focus was heavily updated for 2008 and offered in two—and four-door body styles.

133. Alberto Gonzales gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal on December 31, 2008, in which he discussed the effect that controversies in his Bush Administration roles had had on his career and public perception.

134. On 31 January 2008, Steven Davis was signed on a six-month loan by Rangers, the club he supported as a boy.

135. In 2008, the Edmonton Oilers introduced a new alternate jersey that closely resembled the blue-and-orange away jersey of the dynasty era.

136. On January 13, 2008, Banega had his debut for Valencia in a match against Atletico Madrid.

137. In January 2008 Stephen Fry broke his arm while filming Last Chance to See in Brazil.

138. In 2008, before being shot, Gabrielle Giffords opposed Washington DC prohibitions on possession of handguns in the home and having usable firearms there, signing an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court to support its overturn.

139. In 2008, Hillary Clinton lost the Democratic primary to Barack Obama, who went on to serve two terms.

140. On February 27, 2008, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he would not run for president in 2008, and that he would endorse a candidate who takes an independent and non-partisan approach.

141. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was one of 25 senators to vote against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, arguing that it "undermines our heritage of law and order, and is an affront to the principle of separation of powers".

142. In 2008, Miranda Kerr was listed in the top ten of the highest earning models in the world.

143. In 2008, Phil Mickelson won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial with a—14, one shot ahead of Tim Clark and Rod Pampling.

144. President Obama Cabinet nominated Arne Duncan on December 16, 2008 to be his Secretary of Education.

145. Bobby Jindal assumed the position of governor when he took the oath of office on January 14, 2008.

146. In 2008, Michelle Obama left her job in order to support Barack with his Presidential campaign.

147. On 8 June 2008 at the Canadian Grand Prix, Robert Kubica achieved his first Formula 1 victory.

148. In 2008 Queen Latifah starred in The Secret Life of Bees, a drama about a white girl taken in by a family of beekeeping African American women in 1960s-era South Carolina.

149. On 16 August 2008, Eoin Morgan represented the England Lions in a list A match against the touring South Africans.

150. Arda Turan scored his first international goal on 25 May 2008 in a friendly against Uruguay.

151. On January 20, 2008 Ron Kovic commemorated the fortieth anniversary of being paralyzed by shots in the Vietnam War.

152. Yao Ming scored the first basket of the game, a three-pointer, in China's opening 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament game against the eventual gold medal-winning United States.

153. Venus Williams won Wimbledon again in 2005, 2007, and 2008, when she again faced her sister in the final.

154. On 14 November 2008, Gianluigi Buffon released the Italian edition of his autobiography, Numero 1, which was written in collaboration with writer Roberto Perrone.

155. Danica Patrick was scheduled to test for Formula One team Honda in November 2008, but this was called off when the Honda team pulled out of the sport.

156. Heather Locklear returned her home on July 23, 2008, after four weeks of treatment at the facility.

157. In 2008, Gautam Gambhir was forced to miss the Test series in Australia due to a shoulder injury.

158. Waffle House provides reservation, candlelight service on Valentine's Day beginning in 2008 with one restaurant in Johns Creek, Georgia, and growing into over 30 in 2009.

159. Ryan Zinke was elected to the Montana Senate in 2008, serving from 2009 to 2013, representing the city of Whitefish.

160. Lea Michele began working with actor Cory Monteith in 2008, when they were cast as love interests on Glee.

161. On September 29, 2008, Barbara Lee was one of 95 Democrats to vote against the defeated Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.

162. Dale Steyn is as well rewarded with the ICC 2008 Test Cricketer of the Year Award and was named as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2013 and 2014.

163. Venus Williams's defeated Serena for the 12th time in her career—her first straight sets victory against her since the 2008 Wimbledon Championships final.

164. Rand Paul spoke on his father's behalf when his father was campaigning for office, including throughout the elder Paul's run in the 2008 presidential election, during which Rand campaigned door-to-door in New Hampshire and spoke in Boston at a fundraising rally for his father on the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

165. Amy Winehouse was nominated for a 2008 MTV Europe Award in the "Act of the Year" category.

166. On June 12, 2008, Ron Paul finally withdrew his bid for the Republican nomination.

167. In 2008, Boris Johnson decided he would run for Mayor of London, which he won.

168. Sky Bet held the rights to show the majority of the matches from the Four Nations and the previous competition the Tri Nations live, with the other games being shown live or in highlights form on BBC Sport and Sky Sports previously showed the 2008 World Cup exclusively live with only highlights on the BBC.

169. On November 5, 2008, Joe Lieberman met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to discuss his future role with the Democratic Party.

170. Grant Holt has played for a number of non-league and professional clubs, notably making nearly 100 league appearances for Nottingham Forest before signing for Shrewsbury Town in 2008 where he became top goalscorer.

171. In September 2008, Susan Collins joined the Gang of 20, a bipartisan group seeking a comprehensive energy reform bill.

172. JPMorgan Chase was the biggest bank at the end of 2008 as an individual bank.

173. Senator Rand Paul helped in his father's 2008 election by campaigning door-to-door in New Hampshire.

174. In early 2008, Henry Cavill became the face of the British fragrance Dunhill.

175. Thiago Silva was widely regarded as one of Fluminense's most important performers in the 2008 Copa Libertadores, reaching the finals only to lose on penalties to LDU Quito.

176. Aljaz Bedene has lived in Welwyn Garden City since 2008 with his girlfriend, pop star Kimalie, formerly part of the Slovenian group Foxy Teens.

177. Juan Monaco reached the second round of both the 2008 Stockholm Open and the 2008 BNP Paribas Masters after qualifying for both tournaments.

178. On 11 August 2008, Sir Terry Wogan said in an interview with the Radio Times magazine that he was doubtful about presenting the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom again.

179. Tom Petty performed the song with the Heartbreakers at the Super Bowl XLII halftime show in 2008.

180. In March 2008, Grant Holt signed on loan with Championship club, Blackpool, making his debut as a late substitute against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on 22 March.

181. Jason Mraz had a resounding success in 2008 with his new album, and he was a rave act all across America.

182. On February 3, 2008, Maria Shriver endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

183. On 2 July 2008 in Paris, Mark Ronson performed live with Duran Duran for an invited audience.

184. Nick Cannon does indeed have experience with more mature ladies: He was married to Mariah Carey, now 48, from 2008 to late 2014 when they separated.

185. In January 2008, Lea Michele starred in a concert production of the musical Alive in the World as Phoebe, aiding the Twin Towers Orphan Fund.

186. John Calipari was named Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2006, 2008, and 2009.

187. On October 2, 2008, Obama Biden participated in the campaign's one vice presidential debate with Palin.

188. On 14 November 2008, Gianluigi Buffon released the Italian edition of his autobiography, Numero 1, which was written in collaboration with writer and Corriere della Sera journalist Roberto Perrone.

189. Ronda Rousey criticized fellow Olympian Michael Phelps for not hanging out with other American athletes at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

190. John Kasich refused to support the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and did not attend the 2016 Republican National Convention, which was held in his state; he reported that he wrote-in the name of US Senator and former 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

191. Ryan Braun was a starting outfielder for the NL in the 2008 All Star Game.

192. In 2008, Christina Aguilera headlined London's Africa Rising charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, which raised awareness for finding substantial issues facing the continent.

193. On 29 June 2008, Iker Casillas became the first goalkeeper-captain to lift the UEFA European Championship trophy when Spain beat Germany in the final.

194. Andy Murray won the 2008 Canada Open and 2011 Shanghai Masters.

195. In 2008, Rihanna performed a series of charity concerts entitled A Girl's Night Out to benefit the Believe Foundation.

196. In September 2011, the Jewish Leadership Council published a report on the impact of its 2008 Commission on Jewish Schools, and the work of the JLC Schools Strategy Implementation Group.

197. Nacho Novo has never been selected for the Spanish national team but has played for Galicia—his debut was in a 2008 friendly.

198. In 2008, Bristol City took the title as the first cycling city in England.

199. In 2008 European Capital of Culture, Bristol City was the finalist even though Liverpool got the award.

200. In May 2008 Comcast purchased Plaxo for a reported $150 million to $170 million.

201. Ford Focus was heavily updated for 2008 and offered in two—and four-door body styles.

202. On March 7, 2008, Carly Fiorina was named fundraising chair for the Republican National Committee's "Victory" initiative.

203. In 2008, Simon Weston criticised the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, for failing to attend a war ceremony.

204. Kurt Angle was married to Karen Smedley from 1988 through 2008, and they had two children, Kyra and Kody.

205. In 2008, Pharrell Williams co-designed a series of jewelry and glasses for Louis Vuitton.

206. On November 6, 2008, Rahm Emanuel accepted the position of White House chief of staff for newly elected President Barack Obama.

207. Simon Fuller married his long-term girlfriend Natalie Swanston in May 2008, and they have three children.

208. At the time of the attack, Dmitry Medvedev was on vacation and Putin was attending the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

209. Ric Flair Drip won the Slammy Award for Match of the Year in 2008.

210. On January 29, 2008, the Warriors signed Chris Webber for the rest of the season.

211. The success of the first film led to Vanessa Hudgens' acquiring a recording contract with Hollywood Records, with whom she released two studio albums, V and Identified (2008).

212. On 27 September 2008, Anna Kournikova played exhibition mixed doubles matches in Charlotte, North Carolina, partnering with Tim Wilkison and Karel Novacek.

213. Mark Warner was a popular governor, and successfully ran for his first Senate term in 2008.

214. On March 10, 2008, Tom Hanks was on hand at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to induct The Dave Clark Five.

215. In 2008, The New York The Times created an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch which allowed users to download articles to their mobile device enabling them to read the paper even when they were unable to receive a signal.

216. On 20 February 2008 Leicester Tigers received planning consent for the £60million redevelopment of Welford Road.

217. Andy Murray has reached 11 Grand Slam finals in total since losing to Federer at the Australian Open in 2008—beating his opponent on three occasions.

218. In May 2008, Nadine Dorries tabled an amendment to the proposed Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill seeking to reduce the upper limit for abortions to 20 weeks from the current 24 weeks of pregnancy.

219. George Michael appeared on the 2008 finale show of American Idol on 21 May singing "Praying for Time".

220. On June 3, 2008, the Fort Wayne Pistons announced that Flip Saunders would not return as head coach.

221. In 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies introduced an alternate, cream-colored uniform during home day games in tribute to their 125th anniversary.

222. Xi Jinping was in charge of the preparations of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games which were a huge success.

223. Cheryl Cole began her solo trajectory in June 2008, when she signed on to be a judge on Simon Cowell's TV talent show, The X Factor.

224. Oprah Winfrey endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, the first time she endorsed a political candidate running for office.

225. On 29 June 2008, Lily Allen performed at the Glastonbury Festival alongside producer Mark Ronson.

226. John McCain decided not to campaign significantly in the January 3, 2008, Iowa caucuses, which saw a win by former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee.

227. In 2008, Gordon Ramsay was in Iceland's Westman Islands filming a puffin hunting segment when he lost his footing and fell during a descent off an 85 feet cliff, landing in the icy water below.

228. Tom Hanks has donated to many Democratic politicians, and during the 2008 United States presidential election uploaded a video to his MySpace account endorsing Barack Obama.

229. In September 2008, Britney Spears opened the MTV Video Music Awards with a pre-taped comedy sketch with Jonah Hill and an introduction speech.

230. New York Times was made available on the iPhone and iPod Touch in 2008, and on the iPad mobile devices in 2010.

231. On 5 December 2008, Sir Terry Wogan stepped down from the role after 35 years.

232. In January 2008, Christina Aguilera gave birth to their first child, a son.

233. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Ronda Rousey became the first America woman to medal in judo.

234. David Coulthard retired from Formula One racing at the end of 2008.

235. On September 9, 2008, Kurt Angle was cleared of all charges.

236. On May 13, 2008, Jason Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing.

237. On January 21, 2008, John Calipari led the Tigers to the No 1 ranking in the AP Poll for only the second time in school history.

238. On 8 March 2008, it was reported that Jonny Evans would not be prosecuted for any offence.

239. From 2005 to 2008, Justice Kagan was a member of the Research Advisory Council of the Goldman Sachs Global Markets Institute.

240. In 2008 Justin Lee Collins appeared as Amos Hart in the hit show Chicago, for which he rehearsed for at the Cambridge Theatre.

241. Billy Joel sold out 10 concerts at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut from May to July 2008.

242. Dale Steyn signed to play in the Indian Premier League in 2008, playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

243. Iker Casillas was the highest-ranked goalkeeper in the 2008 Ballon d'Or, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and national teammate Fernando Torres.

244. Michelle LaVaughn Robinson's appeared on the 2008 People list of best-dressed women and was praised by the magazine for her "classic and confident" look.

245. Kevin Austin enjoyed a long career in the game playing for clubs across the country, including Barnsley, Brentford, Cambridge and Bristol Rovers before his successful spell at Swansea from 2004 to 2008.

246. On January 22, 2008, George Clooney was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for Michael Clayton (2007).

247. In July, it was announced that David Coulthard would remain with Red Bull in 2008.

248. In 2008, Stephen Fry formed SamStephen Fry Ltd, with long-term collaborator Andrew Sampson to produce and fund new material and manage his official website.

249. On July 12, 2008, Steve Beshear signed a law raising the maximum interstate speed limit in Kentucky to 70.

250. Marshawn Lynch was expected to be more involved in Buffalo's passing game in 2008, his second season as a professional.

251. Brett Favre had complained of shoulder pain and had an MRI performed on December 29, 2008, which revealed a torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder.

252. In 2008, Ashton Kutcher spent a season as the assistant coach of a high school football team in Los Angeles.

253. In late 2007, Christina Aguilera became the spokesperson for "Rock the Vote", through which she encouraged young people to vote in the 2008 presidential election.

254. On June 24, 2008, Carmelo Anthony pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while ability-impaired.

255. Aaron Rodgers got his breakthrough when he was hired by Green Bay Packers during the year of 2008 with the $ 65 million contracts till 2014.

256. Piers Morgan was the winner of the US celebrity version of The Apprentice, in 2008.

257. In 2008, Jurgen Melzer reached the second round of his first three tournaments, including the 2008 Australian Open.

258. Grant Holt made four substitute appearances before returning to Forest in the summer of 2008, saying he would like to stay and fight for his place in Forest's team next season, despite interest being shown from his home town club Carlisle United.

259. In 2008 Ross Perot launched a blog, Ross Perot Charts, that focused on fiscal policy.

260. At the 2008 IIHF World Championships, Alexander Ovechkin helped lead Russia to the gold medal by finishing with 12 points in nine games.

261. On June 19, 2008, Senator Barack Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976.

262. Hillary Clinton's received more than 65 million votes, the 3rd-highest count in a US presidential election, behind Obama's victories in 2008 and 2012.

263. In March 2008, Tom Daley became the youngest person to win a gold medal at the European Championships, held in Eindhoven.

264. Paul Newman was named the Most Generous Celebrity of 2008 by Givingback.

265. In December 2008, Rhod Gilbert was signed for an advertising campaign to further promote tourism in Wales and became the official Voice of Wales for the country's tourist-board, fronting the 2009 Visit Wales television advertising.

266. Dexter Fowler was called up to the Major Leagues for the first time on September 2, 2008.

267. In 2008, Phil Mickelson won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial with a—14, one shot ahead of Tim Clark and Rod Pampling.

268. In 2008, The Google announced its "project 10" which accepted ideas for how to help the community and then allowed Google users to vote on their favorites.

269. In June 2008, Samir Nasri joined Premier League club Arsenal on a four-year contract.

270. On 11 June 2008, Alex Ovechkin launched his own line of designer streetwear with CCM.

271. On September 3, 2008, Sarah Palin delivered a 40-minute acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention that was well received and watched by more than 40 million people.

272. On 8 August 2008, Trevor Sinclair was handed the number 16 for Chelsea, swapping with Jose Bosingwa who was given Sinclair's previous number 17.

273. Senator Mark Warner declared on September 13, 2007 that he would run for the US Senate being vacated by the retiring John Warner in 2008.

274. On 21 September 2008, Phil Neville started his first league game in almost 18 months when he played against Chelsea.

275. Robert Lewandowski made his debut for Lech in July 2008 as a substitute in a first round UEFA Cup qualifier versus Khazar Lankaran from Azerbaijan.

276. In 2008, Rebel Wilson created, wrote, produced and starred in the musical comedy series Bogan Pride on SBS One and starred in the improvisational Nine Network series Monster House.

277. Lenny Kravitz spent time recording his latest album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution, released February 5, 2008.

278. On 22 May 2008, Prime Minister Tony Blair received an honorary law doctorate from Queen's University Belfast, alongside former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, for distinction in public service and roles in the Northern Ireland peace process.

279. In May 2008, Mark Ronson played at the largest private party in the world, the Trinity Ball in Trinity College Dublin.

280. Ford Focus was heavily updated for 2008 and offered in two—and four-door body styles.

281. On February 15, 2008, Steve Beshear unveiled his promised legislation that would allow casino gambling in Kentucky.