Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (pictured), the world's youngest reigning monarch, is crowned the fifth Dragon King of Bhutan.
Barack Obama of the Democratic Party becomes the first African American to be elected President of the United States.
An airplane crashes amidst rush-hour traffic in Mexico City, killing Mexican Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño and 12 others.
Rupiah Banda of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy is elected President of Zambia.
Lewis Hamilton wins the 2008 Formula One Drivers' Championship, beating Felipe Massa by one point.
Sébastien Loeb of the Citroën team becomes the first driver to win the World Rally Championship for a fifth consecutive time.
Heavy floods affect Vietnam and southern China, flooding Hanoi and killing at least 100.
