At A Glance

31 December 2008 at a glance

Day of the week
31 December 2008 was a Wednesday.
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 31 December is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 2008 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 December 2008 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 31 December

  • 2001 Rwanda adopts a new national flag and anthem.
  • 2004 The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).
  • 2009 Both a blue moon and a lunar eclipse occur.
  • 2011 NASA succeeds in putting the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory satellites in orbit around the Moon.
  • 2015 A fire breaks out at the Downtown Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located near the Burj Khalifa, two hours before the fireworks display is due to commence. Sixteen injuries were reported; one had a heart attack, another suffered a major injury, and fourteen others with minor injuries.

Famous people born on 31 December

  • Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025)
  • Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer (born 2002)
  • Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1941)
  • Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (1720–1788)

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.
More events of 2008 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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Famous Faces Born in the 2000s

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

Troy Parrott4 February 2002FootballerView their day →Kate O'Connor12 December 2000AthleteView their day →Evan Ferguson19 October 2004FootballerView their day →Rhasidat Adeleke29 August 2002AthleteView their day →Adam Idah11 February 2001FootballerView their day →Amybeth McNulty7 November 2001ActressView their day →James Abankwah16 January 2004FootballerView their day →Sophie O'Sullivan23 December 2001AthleteView their day →

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

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