On this day
Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
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Brendan Hansen failed to make the Olympic team Thursday in his best event, the 200-meter breaststroke, while Dara Torres, a 41-year-old mother, remained in contention.
Change in Iraq has posed a challenge for Barack Obama, who said he might “refine” his policies but later held a news conference to clarify his statement.
Maine’s crisp beaches, the art scene in the Berkshires and West Virginia’s balmy springs are but a few quick getaways for the East Coast urbanite.
The European Central Bank, spooked by soaring prices for food and fuel, raised its benchmark interest rate a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25 percent.
Major League Baseball did not test players for performance-enhancing drugs for more than half of the 2004 season, according to a letter sent by Commissioner Bud Selig to Congress.
Music on My Birthday
The Top 50 albums for the chart week of July 2, 2008, covering July 4, 2008.
Coldplay
Lil Wayne
Soundtrack
Various Artists
Plies
2008Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (born 1940)[†]
Thomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction writer and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book—previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book"—in 1999. He had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, a Rhysling Award, and two Seiun Awards, among others.
2008Jesse Helms, American politician (born 1921)[†]
Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. was an American politician. A leader in the conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1995 to 2001, he had a major voice in foreign policy. Helms helped organize and fund the conservative resurgence in the 1970s, focusing on Ronald Reagan's quest for the White House as well as helping many local and regional candidates.
2008Evelyn Keyes, American actress (born 1916)[†]
Evelyn Louise Keyes was an American film actress. She is best known for her role as Suellen O'Hara in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.
2008Terrence Kiel, American football player (born 1980)[†]
Terrence Dewayne Kiel was an American professional football player who spent his entire career as a safety for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) from 2003 to 2006. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft.
2008Charles Wheeler, German-English soldier and journalist (born 1923)[†]
Sir Selwyn Charles Cornelius-Wheeler was a British journalist and broadcaster. Having joined the BBC in 1947, he became the corporation's longest-serving foreign correspondent, remaining in the role until his death. Wheeler also had spells as presenter of several BBC current affairs television programmes, including Newsnight and Panorama.
2008A bomb explodes at a concert in Minsk's Independence Square, injuring 50 people.[†]
The 2008 Minsk bombing took place just after midnight on 4 July 2008, in Minsk, Belarus and wounded 54 people. The explosion happened near the Hero City monument at a concert to celebrate Belarus' independence. The concert had been attended by Belarus' President, Alexander Lukashenko, who was not hurt and who officials said was not the target.
In 2008, the world population was approximately 6,844,457,662 people[†]