| 2008 was a crazy year for everyone. Here is a quick | | | | dollars to fix all of the damage done in the crash. |
| run down of the top news stories of 2008: | | | | Oil Prices Dropping: When the news broke of the oil |
| The Election of President Barack Obama: On | | | | companies' insanely high profits in a single quarter, |
| November 4, 2008 Barack Obama was elected the | | | | many people decided that they were tired of funding |
| 44th President of the United States. He is the first | | | | oil companies and turned to other modes of |
| African American President in the country's history | | | | transportation: mass transit, bicycles and even |
| and the significance of his taking the oath of office | | | | walking. This led to the crash of oil prices and the |
| on slave-built steps on January 20, 2009 was not lost | | | | price of gasoline went from almost four dollars per |
| on those who attended the events or watched the | | | | gallon to less than one dollar and fifty cents per gallon |
| ceremony on television. President Obama has been | | | | in some areas. The prices have since leveled out at |
| busy since being sworn in: closing Guantanamo Bay, | | | | just fewer than two dollars per gallon. |
| passing the Lilly Ledbetter Act, redefining ethics for | | | | The Russia-Georgia War: The nations of Russia and |
| his administration and setting a tone of "I will be held | | | | Georgia made news in 2008 when they went to war |
| accountable for what I do and I will always be up | | | | against each other for five days. The war was |
| front in my decision making." The theme for his | | | | started with a Georgian artillery strike on the newly |
| administration is transparency and accountability and | | | | forming South Ossetia region. Russia fought back by |
| so far he seems to be living up to his promise. | | | | invading Georgian territory which made their |
| The Crashing of the United States Economy: The | | | | relationship even less stable. |
| stock market plummeted just days before the 2008 | | | | Other major news stories of 2008 included the death |
| US Presidential Election making news in both the | | | | of Heath Ledger (who accidentally overdosed on |
| economic and political spectrum: less than twenty | | | | sleeping and anti-anxiety medication), the never |
| four hours before the crash, John McCain had insisted | | | | ending Iraq war, the rise and fall of Hillary Clinton and |
| that the United States' economy was strong. Some | | | | Sarah Palin, the terrorism in Mumbai, and the passing |
| say that this might have been the final nail in the | | | | of Prop 8 in California by the exact same margin that |
| coffin of McCain's doomed campaign. The news did | | | | the state elected Barack Obama President. |
| not stop with the crashing of the stock market. The | | | | 2008 was an exciting news year and 2009 is already |
| market somehow kept diving, prompting some to | | | | off to a great start with the Israeli-Hamas conflict, |
| ask "does the Dow ever run out of points?" It will | | | | President Obama's inauguration, and the slow |
| cost the federal government more than one trillion | | | | rebuilding of the United States economy. |