In a decade that has seemingly been marred by an overwhelming amount of catastrophic events, 2008 welcomed one of the brightest news stories in modern history with the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president of the United States of America. Throughout the course of the campaign, America simultaneously displayed its demons from the past while proving the power behind the genius of its founding principles.  But the election of President-Elect Obama showed to be more than just a victory of America – it showed, maybe more than anything else how connected we are across the globe.Looming over the presidential campaign was an economic recession that has markets all over the world threatened. Confirmed by the failures of some of America’s largest financial institutions, from Lehman Brothers to AIG to Wachovia to Ford and GM, no corporation, big or small, was safe from failure in 2008. Billion dollar bailouts became the norm for the federal government as corporations lined up for their cut.The U.S. Capitol wasn’t the only place with long lines as gas stations across the nation saw record high prices with some places even running out all together.The economy was in such bad shape that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq took a backseat on the U.S. agenda.The global threat of terrorism was thrust back to the forefront of the news after the attacks in Mumbia, India killed nearly 500 people.Death was something that happened in shocking form this year when Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes both died suddenly. Arguably the biggest death of the year was actor Heath Ledger. He left a lasting impression in the last performance of his life in the Batman movie series The Dark Knight where he played The Joker. The movie had the biggest box-office opening in movie history and moved into second on the all-time grossing list behind Titanic.The feeling of being second may be satisfying for some, but for Michael Phelps it was foreign. The swimmer did nothing but gold during the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he won eight gold medals with seven world records and became the all-time leading gold-medalist with fourteen.When asked what music he listens to before a meet, it was none other than Lil’ Wayne who’s sixth solo album, The Carter III, sold over one million copies in one week.Every week on Saturday night, however, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin was becoming a national star as she was perfectly imitated by actress Tina Fey on the revived Saturday Night Live.2008 was seemingly a transition year in global politics and cultural influence. Many of the same stories that dominated the news this year may continue to make headlines in years to come. But no matter what, 2008 will undoubtedly go down as one of the most memorable years in recent history.

• Malcolm S. Eustache