July 30, 2008

A Big Mac cost $3.57 that summer of 2008, and the Dow Jones sat at 8,776 — the Dow Jones sat at 8,776 — a figure that reflected growing economic anxiety as the U.S. housing market continued to contract and lawmakers debated the reach of government surveillance programs. On the radio, Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" held the number one spot for seven weeks, while moviegoers were turning out for "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" and readers were lining up for Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture," a memoir by a terminally ill professor that had become a cultural touchstone. That August, the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China drew the world's attention, and the U.S. team delivered one of its strongest performances in decades, finishing with 36 gold, 38 silver, and 36 bronze medals for a total of 110.