At A Glance

17 December 2008 at a glance

Day of the week
17 December 2008 was a Wednesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” by Beyoncé.
Top Film of 2008
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2008 was The Dark Knight.
Bestselling Novel of 2008
“The Appeal” by John Grisham was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 2008.
Top-Rated TV Show
“American Idol” (FOX) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 2008–09 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 December 2008 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 December 2008 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 17 December

  • 2002 Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.
  • 2003 SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first powered and first supersonic flight.
  • 2005 Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicates the throne as King of Bhutan.
  • 2010 Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring.
  • 2014 The United States and Cuba re-establish diplomatic relations after severing them in 1961.

Famous people born on December 17

  • Sarah Paulson, American actress (born 1974)
  • Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-American actress (born 1975)
  • Bill Pullman, American actor (born 1953)
  • Pope Francis, Argentinian Pope of the Catholic Church (1936–2025)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 2008 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '2008 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 24 – The 80th Academy Awards, hosted by Jon Stewart, take place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, with the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men winning four awards out of eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
  • May 2 – Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau, is released by Marvel Studios as the first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the first film of its "Phase One" slate.
  • June 13 – The Incredible Hulk, directed by Louis Leterrier, is released as the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
More events of 2008 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 2008

President

George W. Bush

Gas (per gallon)

$3.25

Loaf of Bread

$1.37

Average House

$292,600

Weekly Wage

$695

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Famous Faces Born in the 2000s

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

Inde Navarrette3 March 2001ActressView their day →Ben Shelton9 October 2002Tennis playerView their day →Kaia Gerber3 September 2001Model & actressView their day →Sadie Sink16 April 2002ActressView their day →Olivia Rodrigo20 February 2003Singer-songwriter & actressView their day →Coco Gauff13 March 2004Tennis playerView their day →Sombr5 July 2005Singer-songwriterView their day →Caitlin Clark22 January 2002Basketball playerView their day →

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

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