- November 5
- Best-selling author Michael Crichton (The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, TV show ER) dies in Los Angeles at age 66 from cancer. [57] (November 5 [310])
- The International Monetary Fund approves a US$16.5 billion loan program for Ukraine. [35] [277.88]
- November 6
- The Bank of England drops the interest rate from 4.5 percent to 3, lowest since 1955. [277.71]
- King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan is crowned, having ascended to the throne in 2006. [310]
- St. James Auctions sells a unique Russian 1755 Elizabeth I gold 20-ruble pattern coin graded AU-58 by NGC for 1,782,500 pounds (US$2.82 million), world record price for a non-US coin. [455.5] [464.58] [470.94] [560.34]
- November 7
- The three-storey La Promesse College in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, collapses, killing 92, with another 150 injured. [57] [310]
- November 8
- An accident aboard Russian submarine K-152 Nerpa kills 20. [310]
- New Zealand's opposition National Party ends Prime Minister Helen Clark's nine-year Labour government, winning 45 percent to 34. The United Future and ACT parties will join the National Party to form the next government. [57] [258.51]
- India's Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft enters orbit of the Moon, the first Indian satellite to reach the Moon. [57]
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- Death of Mieczyslaw Rakowski, age 81, Polish communist journalist (24-year editor of Polityka), politician. [308.99]
- November 9
- A fire extinguishing system is activated by mistake during sea trials of a Russian submarine, killing at least 20 people by freon gas suffocation. [57]
- China announces a 4 trillion yuan (US$586 billion) stimulus package of investments in infrastructure and social welfare by the end of 2010. [105] [258.83]
- Indonesia executes three Muslim militants for the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people. Imam Samudra, Amrozi Nurhasyim, and Ali Ghufron are executed by firing squad on Nusakambangan island in central Java. [105] [258.52]
- November 10
- The US government restructures its bailout of insurance company American International Group, raising the package to a record US$150 billion. [35]
- Circuit City Stores, second-largest U.S. consumer electronics retailer, files for bankruptcy protection. [35] [258.78]
- DHL, overnight-delivery company, announces it will shut down its express-delivery service in the USA. [258.77]
- November 11
- The Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner leaves Southampton, England, on its last ever voyage. Following the voyage, the 41-year-old liner will be turned into a floating hotel in Dubai. [57] [254.14] [292.7]
- November 12
- The US Treasury decides not to use money of the Troubled Asset Relief Program to buy mortgage-backed securities, but instead to directly inject cash into selected banks. [308.84]
- November 14
- From Florida, NASA launches the space shuttle Endeavour, to continue construction of the International Space Station. [35] [310]
- November 15
- Pakistan agrees to borrow US$7.6 billion from the International Monetary Fund, to prevent a run on the rupee and defaults on international loans. [105]
- In Washington, D.C., leaders of the "G20" nations, representing 90 percent of global GDP, meet for an economic summit, for the first time ever. [258.9] [308.89]
- Somali pirates seize Saudi Arabian supertanker Sirius Star off the Kenya coast, taking it to a Somali port to hold for ransom. [308.11]
- Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa announces the capture of Pooneryn from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, for the first time in 15 years. [308.56]
- November 16
- Iraqi cabinet approves a withdrawal agreement for American troops to leave Iraqi cities and towns by the end of June 2009, and the country by the end of 2011. [308.58]
- November 18
- Heads of automakers General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler appear before a Senate banking committee to ask for financial assistance. [308.74]
- November 19
- Claudia Castillo of Spain becomes the first person to have a successful trachea transplant using a tissue-engineered organ. [310]
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls below 8000. [308.84]
- November 20
- Oil prices drop to below US$50 a barrel, settling at US$49.62 a barrel, the lowest since May 23, 2005. [35]
- Canada's S&P/TSX composite index drops below 8,000 points for the first time in more than five years, closing at 7,724.80. The day's drop of more than nine percent is the second-largest on record. [105]
- Argentine Congress approves nationalizing the private pension system. [279.44]
- Launch party for the Altantis hotel in Dubai, 2500 people on the guest list. [341.115]
- An estimated 10-tonne object explodes in the atmosphere over Canadian provinces Alberta and Saskatchewan, landing south of Lone Rock, Saskatchewan. Within weeks, 130 stony meteorites (type H4), totalling 40 kg are recovered. [310] [561.9]
- Death of Boris Fyodorov, Russian economic reformer, at age 50. [279.88]
- November 22
- The Museum of Islamic Art opens in Qatar. [308.95]
- (to November 23) The APEC Peru 2008 Summit is held in Lima. [310]
- An earthquake measuring 6.7-6.8 strikes off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. [57]
- Ginza Coin Auction of Tokyo sells a British 1847 Victoria Gothic, Plain Edge gold crown pattern graded AU (one of two known) for 48.4 million yen (US$511,055), a record for a British milled coin. A British Proof 1937 Edward VIII sovereign sells for about US$313,602. [464.4,10]
- November 23
- The U.S government rescues Citigroup Inc, agreeing to assume losses on about $250 billion of the bank's risky assets, and inject new capital of $20 billion. [35]
- November 24
- Floods in Santa Catarina, Brazil kill 126 and force the evacuation of over 78,000 people. [310]
- November 25
- The US Federal Reserve announces it will buy up to US$100 billion of debt issued by mortgage enterprises, and it will also buy up to US$500 billion of mortgage securities. [35]
- Greenland holds a referendum for increased autonomy from Denmark. The vote is over 75 percent in favour. [310]
- In Thailand, protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy party storm into Suvarnabhumi Airport and block flights from taking off. [310]
- November 26
- Ten heavily-armed gunmen launch co-ordinated attacks at five locations across India's financial capital of Mumbai, killing 174 people, wounding 295, and holding several people hostage through the night at two luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower and the Oberoi. An organization calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen claims responsibility for the attacks. [105] [310]
- Death of the oldest living person, Edna Parker of Shelbyville, Indiana, at age 115. [105] [464.32]
- November 27
- Cell phone maker Nokia announces it will pull out of the Japanese market due to a lack of demand. [340.84]
- November 28
- A commercial ship, the MV Camilla Desgagnés, completes travelling east through the Northwest Passage above Canada for the first time, to deliver supplies to communities in western Nunavut. [105]
- November 29
- Jorn Utzon, Danish architect of the iconic Sydney Opera House, dies at age 90, after suffering a heart attack. [57] [310] [311.104]
- November 30
- End of three days of destruction in Jos, Nigeria, following protests over local government elections. 300 killed, 7000 homeless, many businesses, churches, mosques destroyed. [310] [340.64]
- About 150 pilot whales die after being stranded in a remote coastal area of the Australian island of Tasmania. [57]
- The space shuttle Endeavour lands in California after a 16-day mission to renovate parts of the International Space Station. [105]
- November (month)
- Chinese exports are down two percent compared to the previous November; imports are down 18 percent. [311.9]
- American job losses during the month: 533,000, the worst month in 34 years. [311.33]
- December 1
- Canada's TSX stock market index drops a record 864.41 points, to 8,406.21. [105]
- The largest U.S. chicken company, Pilgrim's Pride Corp, files for voluntary bankruptcy protection. [35]
- A triangular conjunction formed by a new Moon, Venus and Jupiter is a prominent object in the evening sky. [310]
- The price of a barrel of light crude oil falls US$5.15 to US$49.28. [105]
- December 2
- After weeks of opposition-led protests, the Constitutional Court of Thailand dissolves the governing People's Power Party and two coalition member parties, and bans leaders of the parties, including Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, from politics for five years. As such, Wongsawat promptly resigns and is replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul as caretaker Prime Minister. [310]
- US President-elect Barack Obama names New York Senator Hillary Clinton as his nominee for secretary of state, and asks U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain in office. [35]
- (to December 3) In Geneva, Switzerland, the Numismatica Genevensis auction of coins is held. Some highlights:
- Roman circa 135 C.E. Hadrian bronze sestertius, one of five known: 2.3 million Swiss francs (US$1.9 million), a record for an ancient Roman coin;
- Roman gold stater of Titus Quinctius Flamininus, circa 196 B.C.E.: 575,000 Swiss francs (US$475,000);
- silver tetradrachm of Amphipolis, circa 168-149 B.C.E., one of eight known: 230,000 Swiss francs (about US$190,000);
- Italy 1864 gold 50-lira coin: 430,000 Swiss francs (US$355,000);
- Russia 1876 gold 25-ruble Proof coin: 402,500 Swiss francs (US$333,000);
- Greek 407/6 B.C.E. Athens gold stater, one of four known: 1,092,500 Swiss francs (US$902,766), a record price for any Greek coin.
[464.5] [470.94] [471.68] [560.34]
- Canadian media magnate Ted Rogers, founder and CEO of Rogers Communications, dies at age 75 in Toronto, Ontario. [105]
- Australia's central bank cuts the interest rate from 5.25 percent to 4.25. [340.121]
- The Bank of Japan announces it will accept, until April, corporate debt as collateral from commercial banks for new loans, up to 3 trillion yen (US$32 billion) total. [340.60]
- A sestertius coin of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 C.E.) sells for a record 2.3 million Swiss francs (US$1.9 million) at auction in Geneva, Switzerland. [286.12] [298.15]
- December 3
- At the Bonhams' Olympia sale, a 1925 Bentley 3.0-litre SuperSports "Brooklands" Two-seater sells for US$401,406. [329.120]
- December 4
- Iraq's Presidency Council approves a security pact with the United States, which requires U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraqi towns by mid-2009 and leave the country by the end of 2011. [35]
- The Bank of England cuts interest rates by one percentage point, down to 2 percent - the lowest level since 1951. [57] [340.74]
- New Zealand's central bank cuts the interest rate from 6.5 percent to 5. [340.121]
- The European Court of Human Rights rules unanimously that holding DNA samples and fingerprints of innocent suspects violates their right to privacy. The ruling is binding on all 46 members of the Council of Europe, and affects databases of about 850,000 innocents. [340.73]
- In Oslo, Norway, 94 countries sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions treaty banning the use of cluster bombs. [311.69]
- Canada's Governor General Michaëlle Jean grants a request from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to suspend Parliament until January 26, to avoid a confidence vote set for Monday that could have toppled his minority government. [105] [310]
- December 5
- The US White House and congressional democrats agree on a plan to provide a US$15 billion emergency loan to the country's automakers. [105]
- Patriarch Alexiy II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, dies at age 79, outside Moscow. [57] [310]
- Human remains found in 1991 are finally identified as Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, using DNA analysis. [310]
- Armed robbers steal at least US$102 million worth of jewels from Harry Winston's jewellery shops in Paris, France. [57]
- December 6
- Police in Greece shoot and kill 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, leading to days of rioting throughout the country. [57] [310]
- The University of Hawaii activates a new telescope designed specifically to look for dangerous asteroids under 1km diameter. [340.100]
- December 9
- The Bank of Canada drops the overnight interest rate to 1.5 percent, lowest in 50 years. [105]
- December 10
- The Channel Island of Sark, a British crown dependency, holds its first fully democratic elections under a new constitutional arrangement, becoming the last European territory to abolish feudalism. [310]
- December 11
- The British pound reaches a record low of 1.1236 euros, the lowest level since the euro was launched in 1999. [57]
- A suicide bomber kills at least 50 people at a restaurant near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Around 100 people are injured in the blast. [57]
- December 12
- The Canadian federal government and Ontario reach a deal to offer CDN$3.3 to the auto industry if a proposed US aid package is approved in Washington. [105]
- Former chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market Bernard Madoff is arrested and charged with allegedly running a $50 billion "Ponzi scheme", among the biggest fraud cases ever. [35]
- Switzerland becomes the 25th European country to join the Schengen Agreement, whereby cross-border passport checks will be abolished. [310]
- The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. The Moon appears to be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the year's other full moons. [310]
- December 13
- Italy launches a high-speed train link between the northern cities of Milan and Bologna, part of a planned expansion to reach Rome next year. [35]
- Ecuador president Rafael Correa announces the country is not obligated to pay its national debt, as they had been signed by unelected military dictators who were coerced by World Bank, IMF, and CIA. [564.61]
- December 14
- A bus plunges into an irrigation canal along a narrow road in southern Egypt, killing 57 people. [105]
- December 15
- Thai parliament asks Abhisit Vejjajiva to form a new coalition government. [341.62]
- Transport links between China and Taiwan begin regular crossings. [341.64]
- Siemens (European engineering firm) pleads guilty to charges of bribery and corruption, and agrees to pay fines of US$800 million in the USA and 395 million euros (US$540 million) in Germany, in addition to an earlier 201 million euros. [341.112]
- December 16
- Ruins of an ancient Wari city are discovered in northern Peru. [310]
- The U.S. Federal Reserve cuts the country's federal funds interest rate to a target range of zero to 0.25 percent, the lowest level on record in the United States for the rate. [35] [105] [341.120]
- Florida police announce that Ottis Toole was the killer of 6-year-old Adam Walsh in Hollywood in 1981. Toole had confessed to hundreds of murders, but police determined that most were untrue. The murder lead father John Walsh to create the TV show America's Most Wanted, and lead to advances in police searches for missing kids, such as faces on milk cartons, fingerprinting programs, increased security at schools and stores, and national legislation to create a national database and toll-free phone number. [105]
- Death of Gaetano Lo Presti, at age 52, of an apparent suicide in Palermo's Paglarelli jail in Italy. [341.79]
- December 17
- OPEC oil ministers agree to cut 2.2 million barrels per day, their deepest output cut ever, effective January 1. [35]
- December 18
- A United Nations court sentences former army colonel Theoneste Bagosora to life in prison. Bagosora was accused of masterminding the slaughter of 800,000 people in Rwanda in 1994. [35]
- The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda convicts Théoneste Bagosora and two other senior Rwandan army officers of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and sentences them to life imprisonment. [310]
- December 19
- U.S. crude oil prices drop to US$33.87 a barrel, lowest since February 2004. [35]
- US President George W. Bush announces US$17.4 billion in emergency loans to U.S. carmakers to prevent a collapse of the industry and save hundreds of thousands of jobs. [35]
- December 20
- At the Bonhams' Gstaad sale, a 1955 Ferrari 4.4-litre 121 LM sells for US$3,646,488. [329.120]
- Olga Lepeshinskaya, Russian ballerina who danced with the Bolshoi for over 30 years dies at age 92 in Moscow. [57] [310]
- December 21
- Gwadar port, Pakistan becomes fully operational. [310]
- December 22
- The American Environmental Protection Agency publishes a Clean Water Act General Permit that will allow cruise ships to dump unlimited quantities of untreated "graywater" into the ocean just a mile from U.S. shores. [339]
- December 23
- A military coup d'état is announced in Guinea shortly after the death of long-time President Lansana Conté. [310]
- December 27
- Israel launches air strikes on dozens of Hamas security compounds in the Gaza Strip, killing 230, wounding over 400. The strikes were in response to over 300 rocket attacks in a week. Militants in Gaza respond by sending at least 180 rockets and mortar shells into Israeli border communities. [105] [310]
- December 28
- Opposition leader John Atta Mills wins Ghana's presidency, 50.23 percent to Nana Akufo-Addo's 49.77 percent. [105]
- December 29
- Bangladesh holds its general elections after two years of political unrest over the interim government. [310]
- December 30
- Japan's stock market records its worst year on record, with the Nikkei share index losing 42 percent of its value. [57]
- December 31
- U.S. crude oil price rises 14 percent on the final trading day of 2008, with February futures settling up US$5.57 to $44.60 per barrel. [35]
- A massive fire sweeps through the Santika Club nightclub in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least 59 people and injuring more than 200 others. Cause of the fire may have been an indoor foreworks display, or handheld firecrackers brought in by guests. [105]
- An extra leap second (23:59:60) is added to end the year. [310]
- December (month)
- Canada posts its first monthly trade deficit (CDN$458 million) since March 1976. [105]
- During the month, U.S. employers cut 681,000 jobs, the biggest monthly loss since October 1949. [35]
- October-December
- Annualized gross domestic product (percent): Canada -3.4, USA -6.2, European Union -5.9, Japan -12.7. [35] [301.B1]
- Year
- International Business Machines earns 4186 U.S. patents, the first company ever to win more than 4,000 U.S. patents in a single year. [35]
- Over the year on stock markets:
- the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 33.8 percent, greatest loss since 1931,
- the Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 38.5 percent (US$5 trillion loss),
- the Nasdaq index lost 40.5 percent, its greatest loss ever,
- Canada's TSX down 35 percent or CDN$700 billion.
[35] [105]
- Worldwide vehicle sales: Toyota 8.97 million, General Motors 8.35 million (first loss of leadership in 77 years). [35]
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