1908
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades: 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s - 1900s - 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
Years: 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 - 1908 - 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913
Events:
- January 1 - A ball signifying New Year's Day drops in New York City's Times Square for the first time
- January 8 - A train collision occurs in the Park Avenue Tunnel in New York City killing 17, injuring 38 and leading to increased demand for electric trains.
- January 11 - Grand Canyon National Monument is created
- January 12 - A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time.
- January 21 - New York City passes a law, the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public only to be vetoed by the mayor.
- January 24 - Robert Baden-Powell begins the Boy Scout movement
- February 11 - Australia regain the Ashes with a 308 run cricket victory over England.
- De Meester's Dutch government resigns.
- November - William Howard Taft defeats William Jennings Bryan in the U.S. presidential election
- Change of Emperor of Qing Dynasty from Emperor Guangshui (1875-1908) to Pu-yi (1909-1911)
- December 28 - An earthquake rocks Messina, Sicily killing over 75,000.
- Henry Ford produces its first Model T automobile.
Art, Culture & Fashion
- 1908 in film
- 1908 in literature
- A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
- The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett
- All Things Considered by G. K. Chesterton
- Canadian author Lucy Maude Montgomery publishes Anne of Green Gables
- 1908 in music
- 1908 in sports
- The third Summer Olympic Games are held in London, England.
- September 23 - Baseball/History: the "Merkle incident"
- December 26 - Jack Johnson becomes the first African American heavyweight boxing champion by defeating Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia
Births:
- January 9 - Simone de Beauvoir, feminist philosopher
- January 12 - Jean Delannoy, film director
- January 14 - Rus Columbo, singer, bandleader, composer
- January 15 - Edward Teller
- January 26 - Stéphane Grappelli, musician, composer (+ 1997)
- January 27 - Oran "Hot Lips" Page, jazz trumpet (+ 1954)
- February 1 - George Pal, director, producer (+ 1980)
- February 5 - Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins, actresses (+ 1969)
- February 7 - Buster Crabbe, Olympic Games swimming gold medalist, actor
- February 8 - Emil Staiger, scientist of literature (+ 1987)
- February 11 -
- Sutan Takdir Alishahbana, Indonesian linguistic/author/novelist.
- Vivian Ernest Fuchs, geologist/explorer.
- Josh White, musician
- February 15 - HAP Grieshaber, painter and graphic artist (+ 1981)
- March 5 - Rex Harrison, actor (+ 1990)
- May 20 - Jimmy Stewart, American actor
- May 25 - Theodore Roethke, American poet
- May 30 - Mel Blanc, voice actor
- May 31 - Don Ameche (actor)
- August 27 - Don Bradman, cricket player
- August 27 - Lyndon Johnson, 36th president of the United States
- November 28 - Claude Levi-Strauss
- December 10 - Olivier Messiaen, composer
Deaths:
- January 25 - Ouida, writer
- February 1 - King Charles of Portugal
- April 20 - Henry Chadwick, baseball writer and historian
- August 25 - Henri Becquerel, French physicist
- November 15 1-3 pm - Empress Dowager Cixi
- November 14 5-7 pm - Emperor Guangshui