UK, 
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IrelandAt A Glance
31 December 2008 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 31 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 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 December 31
- 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)
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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).
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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