2008

Jun 3 Barack Obama secures Democratic nomination.

Jul 9 Iran tests missiles.

Jul 11 Oil peaks at $147/bbl.

Jul 13 Treasury Dept. proposes Freddie & Fannie bailout.

Jul 14 President Bush lifts ban on off-shore drilling.

Aug 7 Violence breaks out between Russia and Georgia.

Aug 8 Olympic Games open in Beijing.

Aug 25 Obama picks Biden as running mate.

Aug 29 McCain picks Palin as running mate.

Sep 1 Hurricane Gustav impacts opening of RNC.

Sep 8 Russia withdraws from Georgia.

Sep 14 Merrill Lynch agrees to be acquired by B. of A.

Sep 15 Lehman declares bankruptcy.

Sep 16 Fed bails out AIG with $85 billion rescue package.

Sep 26 Regulators seize Washington Mutual.

Sep 28 Congress and Treasury agree on $700 billion financial bailout.

Sep 29 House rejects $700 billion financial bailout. Dow suffers biggest point-loss in history.

Oct 3 Congress passes revised bailout plan.

Oct 9 Dow closes below 9K first time in five years.

Oct 10 Heaviest trading day in history, worst Dow week ever.

Nov 4 Barack H. Obama is elected president.

Nov 19 Dow closes below 8K first time since March 2003.

Nov 23 U.S. government rescues Citigroup.

Nov 26 Mumbai terrorist attack kills over 170.

Dec 1 NBER announces U.S. recession began December 2007.

Dec 9 Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich accused of trying to sell Obama's Senate seat.

Dec 11 Bernard Madoff charged in $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

Dec 16 Fed cuts rates from 1% to a range of zero to 0.25%.

Dec 19 $17.4 billion bailout for U.S. automakers unveiled.

2009

Jan 15 U.S. Airways flight 1549 ditches in Hudson River. All 155 aboard survive.

Jan 20 Obama sworn in as 44th U.S. president.

Feb 17 Obama signs $787 billion stimulus package into law.

Mar 9 S&P 500 hits 12.5-year low, Dow hits 12-year low.

Apr 2 G20 pledges $1.1 trillion for financial crisis.

Apr 5 North Korea tests rocket/satellite.

Apr 26 U.S. declares public health emergency for swine flu.

Apr 30 Chrysler files for bankruptcy.

May 7 Stress tests of 19 largest U.S. banks released.