Timeline May 2008

Events in May 2008 9

• 1934 – 2008 Sydney Pollack (1934-2008) Died 26 May 2008, aged 73 American film director and actor whose credits included Tootsie and Out of Africa, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. He also had a prolific career as a producer and character actor.
• 2000 – 2008 Putin 1st presidency First and second terms — 2000 to 2008 Putin was elected President on March 26, 2000, and re-elected in 2004. During his first two terms he consolidated state power, suppressed political opposition, benefited from oil revenues, and gradually reasserted Russian influence abroad.
• 2008 2008 World Snooker Championship O’Sullivan Title 3 Winner: Ronnie O’Sullivan; Runner-up: Ali Carter. Score: 18–8.
• 2008 Cyclone Nargis strikes Myanmar Devastating storm kills well over 100,000 Cyclone Nargis made landfall in the Irrawaddy Delta on 2 May 2008, causing a storm surge that devastated low-lying areas. Official estimates put the death toll above 138,000, and the ruling junta was widely criticized for initially blocking foreign aid.
• 2008 Iron Man Marvel Cinematic Universe begins Directed by Jon Favreau, starring Robert Downey Jr. A weapons manufacturer builds an armoured suit to escape captivity and becomes a superhero. The film that launched the MCU.
• 2008 – 2012 Medvedev presidency Putin's placeholder president — 2008 to 2012 Medvedev served as President from May 7, 2008 to May 7, 2012 while Putin served as Prime Minister — widely seen as a constitutional workaround to preserve Putin's grip on power. Medvedev oversaw Russia's war with Georgia in 2008.
• 2008 Sichuan earthquake 87,000 killed in China A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Sichuan province, China on May 12, 2008, killing approximately 87,000 people and leaving 4.8 million homeless.
• 2008 Amy Winehouse wins an Ivor Novello for Love Is a Losing Game Songwriting award Best Song Musically and Lyrically.
• 2008 Phoenix lander touches down on Mars NASA probe confirms water ice at the Martian pole NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed in the Martian arctic on 25 May 2008 to study the planet's soil and ice. It confirmed the presence of water ice just beneath the surface before the mission ended with the arrival of the Martian winter.