At A Glance

16 August 2008 at a glance

Day of the week
16 August 2008 was a Saturday.
Irish Chart Song in 2008
The Irish chart song for 2008 was “Hallelujah” by Alexandra Burke.
Top Film of 2008
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2008 was The Dark Knight.
Star sign
The star sign for 16 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 16 August 2008 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 16 August 2008 was Full Moon.

On this day: 16 August

  • 1972 In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
  • 1975 Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration.
  • 1989 A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading.
  • 2008 The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet (423 m), at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level.
  • 2020 The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land.

Famous people born on 16 August

  • Madonna, American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and director (born 1958)
  • Sophie Cunningham, American basketball player (born 1996)
  • Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player (born 2001)
  • James Cameron, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1954)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 2008 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '2008 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 2 January – The Burlington Hotel in Dublin closed after 36 years in business with the loss of 400 jobs.
  • 12 March – Libertas lobby group launched a campaign called Facts, not politics which advocated a No vote in the Treaty of Lisbon referendum.
  • 20 May – The television puppet Dustin the Turkey failed to qualify for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 after being knocked out at the first semi-finals stage.

Life in Ireland in 2008

Taoiseach

Brian Cowen

Petrol (per litre)

€1.32/L

Loaf of Bread

€1.45

Average House

€300,000

Weekly Wage

€460

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 2000s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →