On Wednesday the Toronto Stock Exchange made history by breaking its previous record high close of $15,073.10, set back on June 18, 2008. Six years may not seem like a long time ago, but it is easy to forget what exactly we were doing back then. What memorial moments topped the headlines? What was the pulse of pop culture like at the time? We thought we would take a stroll down memory lane and reminisce about some of the 30 days that were June 2008.
What was happening
June 4
The Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Stanley Cup in game six. This was also Sidney Crosby’s first year sporting the big “C” on his uniform.
June 7
Hillary Clinton ends her 2008 election campaign and officially endorses Barack Obama for President of the United States. But could we see a new campaign soon for 2016?
June 9
McDonald's stops using tomatoes for its hamburgers in the U.S. due to a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. Their fries still remained addictive for many people, however.
June 12
Pluto, along with Eris, has been designated a dwarf planet. Sorry Pluto, it wasn’t personal.
June 16
Same-sex marriage in California comes into effect for the first time, but was later sent into limbo after Proposition 8 in November.
June 20
The Phoenix lander exploration of Mars continues. NASA said it believes it found water ice on Mars after white patches were uncovered from digging. E.T. in a bike basket is still MIA, however.
June 26
RIM, now just called BlackBerry, reported a significant increase in revenue and profits. Six years sure is a long time in the technology sector.
Gene J. Puskar/THE CANADIAN PRESS, Alex Brandon/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Erin Siegal/REUTERS, Kevork Djansezian/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
What we were listening to
Music and movie trends change quicker than the seasons, so it is always fun – and sometimes even embarrassing – to remind ourselves of what we were listening to or watching within a certain time period.
Here were the top pop songs for the end of June:
1. Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl
2. Rihanna - Take a Bow
3. Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
4. Lil Wayne featuring Static Major - Lollipop
5. Danity Kane - Damaged
The biggest pop movers for that week? Miley Cyrus’ 7 Things jumped up 20 spots to #14. Kardinal Offishall’s summertime track with Akon, Dangerous, also moved up 10 spots to #28. The hot new song was Jonas Brothers’ Burnin’ Up.
Pop, rap, soundtracks: The top five pop albums had a mix of everything as well.
1. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
2. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
3. Soundtrack - Camp Rock
4. Various Artists - Now! That's What I Call Music! 28
5. Plies - Definition of Real
It should be noted separately that a small, new artist by the name of Katy Perry released her debut, One of the Boys.
Brendan McDermid/REUTERS, Danny Moloshok/REUTERS, Ryan Enn Hughes/THE GLOBE AND MAIL, Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS
What we were watching
Summer blockbuster movie season wasn’t quite in full effect yet, but June 2008 still saw a few big releases. Here is what came out and how much they made on opening weekend, in U.S. dollars.
June 6
Kung Fu Panda ($60,239,130)
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan ($38,531,374)
June 13
The Happening ($30,517,109)
The Incredible Hulk ($55,414,050)
June 20
Get Smart ($38,683,480)
The Love Guru ($13,907,130)
June 27
WALL-E ($63,087,526)
Wanted ($50,927,085)
What we were reading
Finally, summertime is known for those relaxing weekend reads at the cottage or on the patio at home. In June 2008, there were a number of notable books that many of us took the time to read. Also since this was in the pre-iPad era, the books were actually read on, you know, paper.
Here is a sample of what was popular, in alphabetical order:
Audition by Barbara Walters
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Einstein by Walter Isaacson
Marley and Me by John Grogan
Nothing To Lose by Lee Child
Skinny Bitch by Kim Barnouin
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
The Shack by William P. Young
The Twlight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
Evan Agostini, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/David Denoma, REUTERS/Fernando Morales, THE GLOBE AND MAIL