Timeline January 2008

Events in January 2008 12

• 1917 – 2008 J. D. Salinger American novelist Salinger wrote The Catcher in the Rye, capturing teenage alienation and postwar disillusionment.
• 1919 – 2008 Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008) Died 11 January 2008, aged 88 New Zealand mountaineer and explorer who, with Tenzing Norgay, made the first confirmed ascent of Mount Everest in 1953. He spent much of his later life supporting humanitarian projects in Nepal.
• 1921 – 2008 Suharto (1921-2008) Died 27 January 2008, aged 86 Indonesian army general who ruled as president for over three decades after seizing power in 1967. His authoritarian "New Order" regime brought economic growth alongside widespread human rights abuses, and ended amid the 1998 Asian financial crisis.
• 1943 – 2008 Bobby Fischer American World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer became World Champion in 1972 after defeating Boris Spassky in the famous Cold War match in Reykjavik. He dramatically increased global interest in chess.
• 1943 – 2008 Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) Died 17 January 2008, aged 64 American chess grandmaster who became world champion in 1972 after defeating Boris Spassky in a Cold War-era match watched around the world. He spent his later years in self-imposed exile and died in Reykjavik, Iceland.
• 1979 – 2008 Heath Ledger (1979-2008) Died 22 January 2008, aged 28 Australian actor known for roles in Brokeback Mountain and, posthumously, as the Joker in The Dark Knight. He died in New York City from an accidental overdose of prescription medications.
• 2008 Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire Honored for services to music Minogue was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of her services to music, reflecting both her commercial success and cultural impact in the UK over two decades. She had previously received a French Legion of Honour-style honor and would go on to collect further accolades.
• 2008 Australian Open 2008 Men: Novak Djokovic · Women: Maria Sharapova Djokovic's first Grand Slam.
• 2008 2008: Lewis Hamilton McLaren British driver Hamilton became F1's youngest World Champion at 23 and its first Black champion, overtaking Timo Glock on the final corner of the final lap of the final race in Brazil to win the title by a single point.
• 2008 – 2021 Academic and Television Career Became Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing at Brunel University London in 2008. Also appeared as Jeremiah Jesus in the long-running television series Peaky Blinders.
• 2008 – 2013 Breaking Bad AMC, 2008-2013 - 62 episodes over five seasons Vince Gilligan's drama about a chemistry teacher who becomes a meth kingpin, from Mr. Chips to Scarface.
• 2008 Breaking Bad season 1 7 episodes Seven episodes cut short by the writers strike, from the diagnosis to the first deal with Tuco.