What was a big event in the US that happened in 2008?

Answer 1

2008:

*Responding to fears that the U.S. is headed for an imminent recession, stock markets fall drastically in Frankfurt, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Paris, London, and other major cities in Europe and Asia.

*Gunman kills six students and then himself and wounds 15 more when he opens fire on a classroom at Northern Illinois University. The gunman, Stephen P. Kazmierczak, was a former graduate student at the university.

*Seven people die and dozens are wounded when a construction crane collapses in Manhattan and destroys a town house and damages other buildings.

*Cyclone Nargis ravages the Irrawaddy Delta and Yangon, killing 78,000 people and leaving up to a million homeless. About 28,000 people are reported missing and are feared dead. Most of the death and destruction are caused by a 12-foot high tidal wave that formed during the storm.

*As many as 68,000 people are killed and thousands injured when an estimated 7.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan Provinces in western China. Nearly 900 students are trapped when Juyuan Middle School in the Sichuan Province collapses. Several other schools collapse. It is China's worst natural disaster in three decades.

*The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the jobless rate increases from 5% to 5.5%, the biggest monthly increase in 22 years.

*More than 800 people die when a ferry is struck by Typhoon Fengshen. About 500 other people die during the storm.

2009:

*The worst collection of wildfires in Australian history have killed at least 181 people in the state of Victoria, injured more than a hundred, and destroyed more than 900 houses. At least 50 people are still missing. At least one of the fires is suspected to be the work of arsonists. Australian officials have been criticized for failing to evacuate those in danger, according to The New York Times. A government inquiry has been requested to research the state's response to the fires.

*Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, carrying 135 passengers and crew members, crashed at 10:30 a.m., killing at least nine people and injuring 50. It is unclear whether the pilot sent a distress signal before the crash. The plane did not catch fire and there was no inclement weather at the time of the crash. Among the dead were two pilots and one junior pilot.

*U.S. Airways plane ditches in the Hudson River - all 155 passengers survive

*Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States

Answer 2

Barack Obama was elected 44th President.