Timeline October 2008

Events in October 2008 7

• 1912 – 2008 Studs Terkel (1912-2008) Died 31 October 2008, aged 96 American oral historian, author and broadcaster who chronicled the lives of ordinary Americans in books such as Working and The Good War. He won the Pulitzer Prize for the latter in 1985.
• 1936 – 2008 Levi Stubbs (1936-2008) Died 17 October 2008, aged 72 American singer who served as lead vocalist of the Four Tops, fronting Motown hits including "Reach Out I'll Be There." He also voiced the carnivorous plant Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors.
• 1950 – 2008 Jörg Haider (1950-2008) Died 11 October 2008, aged 58 Austrian right-wing politician who led the Freedom Party and later the Alliance for Austria's Future, and served as governor of Carinthia. He died in a car accident in Klagenfurt.
• 2008 Appointed Argentina national team manager Despite no formal coaching qualifications and limited experience, Maradona is appointed Argentina head coach. The public support is overwhelming. The football community is deeply sceptical.
• 2008 Chandrayaan-1 launches India's first mission to the Moon India launched its first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, from Sriharikota on 22 October 2008. The mission mapped the lunar surface and contributed to the discovery of water molecules on the Moon.
• 2008 Financial crisis — Greenspan finds "a flaw" The collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 triggers the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The crisis is driven precisely by the instruments and practices Greenspan had championed: unregulated derivatives, excessive leverage, subprime mortgage securitisation and the faith that financial institutions would self-regulate their risk. Testifying before the House Oversight Committee on 23 October 2008, Greenspan makes his most significant public statement since leaving the Fed: 'I have found a flaw. I don't know how significant or permanent it is. But I have been very distressed by that fact.' The admission is extraordinary.
• 2008 Quantum of Solace — Daniel Craig A direct sequel to Casino Royale — the only true sequel in the franchise's history — following Bond's grief-driven pursuit of the Quantum organisation after the death of Vesper Lynd. The shortest Bond film at 106 minutes. Compromised by the 2007-08 writers' strike, it is the weakest Craig entry but not without qualities. Budget: $200 million. Box office: $591.7 million.