How well do you remember 2008?

Ringing in the New Year brings the hopes of better things to come; looking to the future and making the next year better then the last. But how well do we remember the past? Many triumphant, tragic and historical events have happened over the last year, but 2009 will hopefully bring even better promises. From elections to the Olympics to natural disasters, we have seen many changes and there is only more to come. One can only know and understand the future by properly remembering the past, so here is a recap of some of the best stories from 2008. US election: This year seemed to be the year of elections. People do not need reminding of this historic event in US history. The election process was laboriously long and the world watched as the presidential hopefuls - like Hilary Clinton - eventually dropped out of the race and Americans were left to choose between the oldest presidential candidate and the first African-American to recieve a party nomination. As if that was not enough, two more characters were added to the mix in the vice-presidential running mates, the notorious Joe Biden and the unforgettable Sarah Palin, which resulted in one of the highest voter turnout rates the United States has seen for many years. However, the election was about more than just politics. This election took campaigning to a whole new level. With the rise in telecommunications and new media, candidates reached out to voters in way which had not been seen previously - like the thousands of Facebook supporters, YouTube fans (Obama Girl), Joe the plumber's rise to fame, celebrity endorsements, and Obama even had campaign advertisements in video games. This election also delved into the personal lives of the candidate like never before, bringing up old problems, like John McCain's health status or Obama's infamous pastor, Jeremiah Wright. When all was said and done, the world renounced at the victory of Barack Obama . Yes we can.

Canadian Politics: Stephen Harper made headlines across the country when he called upon Governor General Michaelle Jean to dissolve parliament in the early morning of Sept. 7, on the basis that it does not retain confidence, which brought Canadians to the polls in the middle of October. This came as a surprise to all, considering the bill he had previously passed that attempted to create fixed election dates which made it more difficult to call an election. The Canadian campaigns were extremely short compared to our American counterparts, lasting merely a month. On Oct. 14, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives won, only by a small margin giving Canada yet another minority government. As only hindsight can tell, the election did not change much in the way of confidence within the house, as Canadian politics got heated again in the beginning of December. The more recent drama began on Nov. 27 when the newly elected Harper government delivered their economic statement to the House of Commons, following the global financial meltdown and weakened Canadian economy. The economic plan was not what people expected. It included talks about a balanced budget, spending cuts and most importantly to the opposition parties, eliminating party subsidies. In the days following, the opposition parties responded by creating a historic coalition of the Liberals and New Democrats with the support of the Bloc Quebecois, that was to be led by then-Liberal leader Stephane Dion. Canadian reactions where mixed, with some protesting for the coalition, some against, and some protesting for democracy itself. To combat the coalition, Harper took the issue to Jean again, who agreed to allow parliament to be prorogued until Jan. 26.

Beijing Olympic Games: In midst of the fervor that the opening and closing ceremonies created and the news grabbing performances of certain athletes - most notably Michael Phelps, who has now become a household name - it is easy to forget the international controversy surrounding the host nation. The anticipation for the Olympic Games in China this year started much before the games began with the talks of boycotts based on their human rights record concerning the Tibetans. Many celebrities and world leaders threatened the idea of a boycott in the face of Chinese agression in Tibet. Also added to the mix was the devastating earthquake that hit the Sichuan province only a few months prior, which turned the country upside down and created even more controversy. The earthquakes claimed the lives of many and displaced even more. However, talks of the boycotts and the events of the earthquake eventually subsided and turned instead to the spectacular opening ceremonies which included immense amounts of fireworks, acrobats and digitalized little girls. Then came the games themselves. Canadians faired pretty well in this year summer games with18 medals: three gold, nine silver and six bronze - the most since the 1996 games. However, there were certain athletes that dominated the news even after the games were finished.

Natural Disasters: Mother Nature took a turn for the worse this year with many natural disasters that happened around the globe. There were earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and cyclones that affected the lives of thousands of people. Natural disasters in the year of 2008 were estimated to have taken the lives of over 220, 000 people, which makes it one of the deadliest years to date, even though the number of natural disaster in 2008 was less than that of 2007. The world saw severe cold spells in January in areas in the Middle East, which took many lives. One of the most fatal disasters in terms of death rates was cyclone Nargis which hit Myanmar in May killing more than 135, 000 people and leaving more than one million homeless. Then only a few days later came the earthquakes in China which left 700, 000 dead, 18, 000 missing and almost five million displaced. There were also tropical storms which hit the southern parts of the US, like hurricane Ike.