What happened December 2008 AD

This occurred in the Mweka and Luebo health zones of the Kasaï-Occidental province. This outbreak infected 32 and killed 14.

By the end of December 2008, the Financial Times reported that "the sudden resurgence of Keynesian policy is a stunning reversal of the orthodoxy of the past several decades".

In December 2008, research by Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin linked the presence of three specific genes (termed PA, PB1, and PB2) and a nucleoprotein derived from 1918 flu samples to the ability of the flu virus to invade the lungs and cause pneumonia. The combination triggered similar symptoms in animal testing.

In December of the same year, during events to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo's earliest telescopic observations, Pope Benedict XVI praised his contributions to astronomy.

By December 2008, however, Maradona had adopted a more pro-US attitude and expressed admiration for Bush's successor, then-President-elect Barack Obama, for whom he had great expectations.

He subsequently became United's first Ballon d'Or winner since George Best in 1968.

In December, Best Buy opened its first store in Mexico.

Carrey returned to live-action comedy, starring opposite Zooey Deschanel and Bradley Cooper in Yes Man (also 2008). Carrey played a man who signs up for a self-help program that teaches him to say yes to everything. Despite reviews being mixed, Rene Rodriquez of The Miami Herald stated, "Yes Man is fine as far as Jim Carrey comedies go, but it's even better as a love story that just happens to make you laugh."The film had a decent performance at the box office, earning $225 million worldwide.

On December 9, 2008, Atari announced that it had acquired Cryptic Studios, a MMORPG developer.

December 16, 2008: The federal funds rate was lowered to zero percent.

In December 2008, 720p HD support was added. At the time of the 720p launch, the YouTube player was changed from a 4:3 aspect ratio to a widescreen 16:9.

On December 25, 2008, O'Neal missed his 5,000th free throw, becoming the second player in NBA history to do so, along with Chamberlain.

In January 2009, William transferred his commission to the RAF and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. He trained to become a helicopter pilot with the RAF's Search and Rescue Force.