Events from the year 2008 in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Heinz Fischer Heinz Fischer Order of Prince Henry, GColIH, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, OMRI, Order of the Seraphim, RSerafO, Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, GCollSE (; born 9 October 1938) is an Austrian politician who served as the pre ...

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

: **

Alfred Gusenbauer Alfred Gusenbauer (; born 8 February 1960) is an Austrian politician who until 2008 spent his entire professional life as an employee of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) or as a parliamentary representative. He headed the SPÖ from 2 ...

(till December 2) **

Werner Faymann Werner Faymann (; born 4 May 1960) is an Austrian former politician who was Chancellor of Austria and chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) from 2008 to 2016. On 9 May 2016, he resigned from both positions amid widening critic ...

(from December 2)

Governors

Burgenland Burgenland (; ; ; Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland''; Slovene language, Slovene: ''Gradiščanska''; ) is the easternmost and least populous Bundesland (Austria), state of Austria. It consists of two statutory city (Austria), statut ...

: Hans Niessl *

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

: **

Jörg Haider Jörg Haider (; 26 January 1950 – 11 October 2008) was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Au ...

(till October 11) **

Gerhard Dörfler Gerhard Dörfler (born 29 May 1955) is an Austrian politician, who served as Governor of Carinthia from 27 October 2008 (acting since 11 October), following Governor Jörg Haider's sudden death in a car accident, to 28 March 2013. Dörfler is a ...

(from October 11) *

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

: Erwin Pröll *

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

Gabi Burgstaller Gabi Burgstaller (born 23 May 1963) is an Austrian politician, and the former governor ('' Landeshauptfrau'') of the federal state of Salzburg. Life She was born in Penetzdorf/ Niederthalheim near Schwanenstadt in Upper Austria. After matricul ...

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

Franz Voves Franz Voves (born 28 February 1953) is an Austrian politician of the SPÖ and a former player in the Austrian ice hockey national team. From 25 October 2005 to 16 June 2015 he has been governor of Styria (Landeshauptmann der Steiermark). He was v ...

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

: **

Herwig van Staa Herwig van Staa (born 10 June 1942) was the governor of Tyrol from 2002 to 2008. Van Staa was born in Linz, Upper Austria. His father, who came from the Rhine area, worked as a technician in the steelworks in Linz and died in a sick bay in 194 ...

(till July 1) **

Günther Platter Günther Platter (born 7 June 1954) is an Austrian politician for the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and was the governor of Tyrol between 2008 and 2022, succeeding Herwig van Staa. Before becoming governor, Platter served as interior minister an ...

(from July 1) *

Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg (state), Salzbur ...

Josef Pühringer Josef Pühringer (; born 30 October 1949 in Traun) is a former Austrian politician. From 2 March 1995 to 6 April 2017 he was the governor (Landeshauptmann) of Upper Austria. He is a member of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). He is a member ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Michael Häupl Michael Häupl (born 14 September 1949) is an Austrian politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria, he served as mayor and governor of Vienna from 7 November 1994 until 24 May 2018. Early life and education Häupl was born i ...

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...

Herbert Sausgruber Herbert Sausgruber (born July 24, 1946) was governor of the Austrian state of Vorarlberg and chairman of the Vorarlberg ÖVP. Education After the ''Matura'' (general qualification for university entrance), Sausgruber he studied law and Cath ...

Events

March

March 1 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocleti ...

– Austria and other countries in

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

are hit by Cyclone Emma. Aside from property damage in the millions, one woman was killed by a tree falling on her car. *

March 9 Events Pre-1600 *141 BC – Liu Che, Posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. *1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the Annals of Quedlinburg, annals of the mo ...

–

2008 Lower Austrian state election The 2008 Lower Austrian state election was held on 9 March 2008 to elect the members of the Landtag of Lower Austria. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) retained its majority. The major opposition party, the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SP� ...

: The

Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party ( , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since January 2025, the party has been led by Christian Stocker (as an acting leader). It is currently the second-largest p ...

(ÖVP) retained its majority and Erwin Pröll remains

Governor of Lower Austria A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...

. The major opposition party, the

Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria ( , SPÖ) is a social democratic political party in Austria. Founded in 1889 as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (, SDAPÖ) and later known as the Socialist Party of Austria () from 1945 unt ...

(SPÖ), suffered substantial losses. The

Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria (, FPÖ) is a political party in Austria, variously described as far-right, right-wing populist, national-conservative, and Eurosceptic. It has been led by Herbert Kickl since 2021. It is the largest of five part ...

(FPÖ) partially recovered from its 2003 losses, more than doubling its voteshare and tripling its number of seats.

April

April 26 Events Pre-1600 * 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux. * 1478 – The Pazzi family attack on Lorenzo de' Medici in order to displace the ruling Medici family kills his brother Giuliano during High Mass in Fl ...

–

Fritzl Case The Fritzl case was a case that emerged in 2008, when a woman named Elisabeth Fritzl (born 6 April 1966) informed investigators in the city of Amstetten, Lower Austria, that she had been held captive for 24 years by her father, Josef Fritzl ( ...

: Elisabeth Fritzl and her children are released from their captivity, leading to the discovery of the crimes committed by her father Josef Fritzl. He had kept her imprisoned for 24 years in a hidden room of his basement, where he continually sexually abused and raped her, which resulted in the birth of seven children.

June

June 8 Events Pre-1600 * 218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus. * 452 – Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern provinces ...

–

2008 Tyrolean state election The 2008 Tyrolean state election was held on 8 June 2008 to elect the members of the Landtag of Tyrol. The election saw major losses of almost ten percentage points for the governing Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and Social Democratic Party of Au ...

: The governing parties

(ÖVP) and

(SPÖ) both lose about ten percent, while the newly founded Fritz Dinkhauser List takes second place with 18.4% of votes. The ÖVP (which had the most votes by far with over 40%) forms a coalition with the SPÖ and replaces

with

as new Governor of Tyrol.

July

July 7 Events Pre-1600 * 1124 – The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks. * 1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her execution. * 1520 – Spanish ''conquistad ...

–

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

Finance Minister A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

and Chair of the Austrian People's Party

Wilhelm Molterer Wilhelm Molterer (born 14 May 1955 in Steyr) is an Austrian politician who currently serves as the managing director of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). Between 2011 and 2015 he was the vice-president and member of the Manageme ...

resigns from the governing

grand coalition A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political party, political parties of opposing political spectrum, political ideologies unite in a coalition government. Causes of a grand coali ...

(led by the

) and calls for re-elections.

August

August 8 Events Pre-1600 * 685 BC – Spring and Autumn period: Battle of Qianshi: Upon the death of the previous Duke of Qi, Gongsun Wuzhi, Duke Zhuang of Lu sends an army into the Duchy of Qi to install the exiled Qi prince Gongzi Jiu as t ...

–

is elected as the new

Chair of the Social Democratic Party of Austria This is a list of chairpersons of the Social Democratic Party of Austria in chronological order. Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAPÖ) Social Democratic Party of Austria, Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) References

{{reflist Soci ...

. Website des BKA, retrieved 9 February 2013.

September

September 28 Events Pre-1600 *48 BC – Pompey disembarks at Pelusium upon arriving in Egypt, whereupon he is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy XIII. * 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus ...

–

2008 Austrian legislative election Legislative elections were held in Austria on 28 September 2008 to elect the 24th National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament. The snap election was called after Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) withdrew from the ruling g ...

: The governing parties

(ÖVP) and

(SPÖ) both experience their worst election results up to that point, due to common dissatisfaction with the grand coalition. Far-right parties

(FPÖ) and

Alliance for the Future of Austria The Alliance for the Future of Austria (; BZÖ) is a right-wing populist, national conservative political party in Austria. The BZÖ was founded on 3 April 2005 by Jörg Haider as a moderate splinter from the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) ...

(BZÖ) gain over six percentage points of votes each, but still remain behind the SPÖ and ÖVP. *

September 29 Events Pre-1600 * 61 BC – Pompey the Great celebrates his third triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday. * 1011 – Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah ...

– Following the results of the legislative election

steps down as Chair of the Austrian People's Party.

October

October 3 Events Pre-1600 * 2457 BC – Gaecheonjeol, Hwanung (환웅) purportedly descended from heaven. South Korea's National Foundation Day. * 52 BC – Gallic Wars: Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrenders to the Romans under Julius ...

–

Alexander Van der Bellen Alexander "Sascha" Van der Bellen (; born 18 January 1944), also referred to by the abbreviation VdB, is an Austrian politician serving as the president of Austria since 2017. He previously served as a professor of economics at the University ...

steps down as Spokesperson of The Greens and is provisionally replaced by

Eva Glawischnig Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek ( Glawischnig; born 28 February 1969) is an Austrian politician of the Austrian Green Party, and its federal spokeswoman from 2008 until 2017. She was the plaintiff in the landmark case ''Eva Glawishnig-Piesczek v. Faceb ...

.Peter Mayr, Michael Völker
''Alexander Van der Bellen tritt zurück – Glawischnig folgt nach.''
In: ''

Der Standard ''Der Standard'' () is an Austrian daily newspaper published in Vienna. It is considered a newspaper of record for Austria. History and profile ''Der Standard'' was founded by Oscar Bronner as a financial newspaper and published its first editio ...

,'' Printed 4/5 October 2008, retrieved 7 May 2016. *

October 11 Events Pre-1600 *1138 – A massive earthquake strikes Aleppo; it is one of the most destructive earthquakes ever. * 1142 – A peace treaty ends the Jin–Song wars. *1311 – The peerage and clergy restrict the authority of En ...

–

, Chair of the

, dies in a car crash near Köttmansdorf in the state of Carinthia.

November

November 23 Events Pre-1600 *534 BC – Thespis of Icaria becomes the first recorded actor to portray a character on stage. *1248 – Siege of Seville, Conquest of Seville by Christian troops under King Ferdinand III of Castile. *1499 – Seve ...

– Despite their losses in the

the previous ruling parties

(ÖVP) and

(SPÖ) agree to renew the

. *

November 29 Events Pre-1600 * 528 – Antioch suffers its second major earthquake in two years, killing thousands and destroying its remaining edifice. * 561 – Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert ...

–

Josef Pröll Josef Pröll (; born 14 September 1968, in Stockerau, Austria) is an Austrian former politician who was the chairman of the Austrian People's Party from 2008 until 2011. He was Vice Chancellor and Minister of Finance. Previously, he was the Fe ...

is elected as the new Chair of the Austrian People's Party.

December

December 2 Events Pre-1600 * 1244 – Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon. *1409 – The University of Leipzig opens. 1601–1900 *1697 – St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren follow ...

– The new government, later known as

First Faymann government The first government of Werner Faymann was sworn in on December 2, 2008. Following the resignation of Vice Chancellor and ÖVP party chairman Josef Pröll from all political functions, a cabinet reshuffle took place. The new government members we ...

, is officially sworn in.

( Chair of the Social Democratic Party) becomes

Chancellor of Austria The chancellor of Austria, officially the federal chancellor of the Republic of Austria (), is the head of government of the Austria, Republic of Austria. List of chancellors of Austria, Twenty-nine people have served as chancellor. The curre ...

, while

( Chair of the Austrian People's Party) is declared

Vice-Chancellor of Austria The vice-chancellor of Austria is a member of the Government of Austria and is the deputy to the Chancellor. It is functionally equivalent to a deputy prime minister in other countries with parliamentary systems. The current vice-chancellor ...

Sports

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...

Births

Deaths

January

January 13 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years. * 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the ra ...

– Walter Zimper, 65, Austrian politician (b. 1942). *

January 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence. * 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1601–1900 * 1761 – The Third Battle of Panipat is fought in I ...

–

Vincenz Liechtenstein Prince Vincenz of Liechtenstein (''Vincenz Karl Alfred Maria Michael''; 30 July 1950 – 14 January 2008), known in Austria as Vincenz Liechtenstein, was an Austrian politician and member of the Austrian People's Party. He was a grandson of Charl ...

, 57, Austrian politician (b. 1950).

February

February 6 Events Pre-1600 * 590 – Hormizd IV, king of the Sasanian Empire, is overthrown and blinded by his brothers-in-law Vistahm and Vinduyih. * 1579 – The Diocese of Manila is erected by papal bull, with Domingo de Salazar appointe ...

– Kurt Nemetz, 81, Austrian Olympic cyclist (b. 1926). *

February 10 Events Pre-1600 * 1258 – The Siege of Baghdad ends with the surrender of the last Abbasid caliph to Hulegu Khan, a prince of the Mongol Empire. * 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bru ...

– Peter Marginter, 73, Austrian author (b. 1934). *

February 21 Events Pre-1600 * 452 or 453 – Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, is martyred in Palestine. * 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after confessing to torture and forgery. * 1440 – The ...

– Hans Janitschek, 73, Austrian journalist, heart attack (b. 1934).

March

March 17 Events Pre-1600 * 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda. * 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ...

–

Claude Farell Claude Farell, real name Monika Burg, also known as Paulette Colar, Catherine Farell, Paulette Kolar and Paulette von Suchan (7 May 1918 – 17 March 2008) was an Austrian actress. Partial filmography *''Der Kleinstadtpoet'' (1940) - Zenzi ...

, 93, Austrian actress (b. 1918). *

March 29 Events Pre-1600 * 1430 – The Ottoman Empire under Murad II captures Thessalonica from the Republic of Venice. * 1461 – Battle of Towton: Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Edward IV of England, bringing a ...

– Josef Mikl, 78, Austrian painter, cancer (1929).

April

April 9 Events Pre-1600 * 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum. * 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, ...

–

Daniela Klemenschits Daniela Klemenschits (13 November 1982 – 9 April 2008) was an Austrian professional tennis player. She won a total of 23 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit in her career. Early life Daniela and twin sister Sandra (fellow pro-player) were bo ...

, 25, Austrian tennis player, abdominal cancer (b. 1982). *

April 28 Events Pre-1600 * 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V, effectively ending the Parthian Empire. * 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victor ...

– Hans Eder, 81, Austrian Olympic skier (b. 1927).

May

May 7 Events Pre-1600 * 351 – The Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus breaks out after his arrival at Antioch. * 558 – In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction. Justinian I im ...

– Gernot Zippe, 90, Austrian engineer (b. 1917). *

May 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens. At least 600 Jews are killed. * 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death. * 1153 &nda ...

–

Ed Arno Ed Arno (July 17, 1916 – May 27, 2008) was an Austrian-American cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and comics artist, contributing to ''The New Yorker'' from 1969 to 2001. He was born in Innsbruck, Austria, before moving to the United States. ...

, 91, Austrian-American cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and comics artist (b. 1916).

June

June 7 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Emperor Theodosius II marries Aelia Eudocia at Constantinople (Byzantine Empire). * 879 – Pope John VIII recognises the Duchy of Croatia under Duke Branimir as an independent state. * 1002 – He ...

–

Horst Skoff Horst Skoff (22 August 1968 – 7 June 2008) was a professional tennis player from Austria, who won four tournaments at the top-level. Biography Skoff was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, and started playing tennis at age 6. In 1984 he won the sing ...

, 39, Austrian tennis player, heart attack (b. 1968). *

June 17 Events Pre-1600 * 653 – Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism. *1242 – Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burn ...

–

Josef Pohnetal Josef Pohnetal (14 March 1925 – 17 June 2008) was an Austrian cyclist. He competed in three events at the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, ...

, 83, Austrian Olympic cyclist (b. 1925). *

June 23 Events Pre-1600 * 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu. * 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships. * 1280 – The Spanish ...

– Judith Holzmeister, 88, Austrian actress (b. 1920).

August

August 5 Events Pre-1600 * AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. * 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...

–

Bruno Dallansky Bruno Dallansky (19 September 1928 – 5 August 2008) was an Austrian actor who was best known for his television and stage roles. In addition to his film and stage appearances, Dallansky taught acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna ...

, 79, Austrian actor (b. 1928). *

August 11 Events Pre-1600 * 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. * 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and foun ...

Günther Schifter Günther Schifter (23 December 1923 – 11 August 2008) was an Austrian journalist, radio presenter and record collector. Born in Vienna, Schifter started collecting 78s of the popular music of the interwar years already as a boy. American po ...

, 84, Austrian journalist and radio presenter (b. 1923). **

Fred Sinowatz Alfred Sinowatz (5 February 192911 August 2008) was an Austrian historian and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), who served as Chancellor of Austria from 1983 to 1986. Prior to becoming Chancellor, he had served as Minister of Educ ...

, 79, Austrian politician, chancellor of Austria (1983–1986) (b. 1929). *

August 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1 BC – Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs. * 942 – Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the H ...

– Alfred Rainer, 20, Austrian Nordic combined skier, paragliding accident (b. 1987).

October

October 10 Events Pre-1600 * 19 – The Roman general Germanicus dies near Antioch. He was convinced that the mysterious illness that ended in his death was a result of poisoning by the Syrian governor Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, whom he had ordered to ...

–

Kurt Weinzierl Kurt Weinzierl (15 April 1931 in Innsbruck, Austria – 10 October 2008 in Munich, Germany) was an Austrian television actor. He played Franz Jägerstätter in the biopic of 1971, but is most famous for his satirical portrayal of the head of the V ...

, 77, Austrian actor (b. 1931). *

–

, 58, Austrian politician, Governor of

(1989–1991, since 1999), leader of the

FPÖ The Freedom Party of Austria (, FPÖ) is a political party in Austria, variously described as far-right, right-wing populist, national-conservative, and Eurosceptic. It has been led by Herbert Kickl since 2021. It is the largest of five par ...

and BZÖ, car accident (b. 1950). *

October 24 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69 – In the Second Battle of Bedriacum, troops loyal to Vespasian defeat those of Emperor Vitellius. * 1260 – Chartres Cathedral is dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France. * 1260 – Afte ...

– Helmut Zilk, 81, Austrian politician, Mayor of Vienna (1984–1994), heart failure (b. 1927).

November

November 26 Events Pre-1600 * 783 – The Asturian queen Adosinda is held at a monastery to prevent her nephew from retaking the throne from Mauregatus. * 1161 – Battle of Caishi: A Song dynasty fleet fights a naval engagement with Jin dy ...

–

Edwin Ernest Salpeter Edwin Ernest Salpeter (3 December 1924 – 26 November 2008,) was an Austrian–Australian–American astrophysicist. Life Born in Vienna to a Jewish family, Salpeter emigrated from Austria to Australia while in his teens to escape the Nazis. H ...

, 83, Austrian-born American astrophysicist, leukemia (b. 1924).

December

December 26 Events Pre-1600 * 887 – Berengar I is elected as king of Italy by the lords of Lombardy. He is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy at Pavia. * 1481 – Battle of Westbroek: An army of 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers raised by David of ...

–

Eberhard Kneisl Eberhard Kneisl (12 May 1916 – 26 December 2008) was an Austrian alpine skier. He competed in two events at the 1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known ...

, 92, Austrian Olympic alpine skier (b. 1916). *

December 30 Events Pre-1600 * 534 – The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire. * 999 – Battle of Glenmama: The combined forces of Munster and Meath under king Brian Boru inflict a cr ...

– Paul Hofmann, 96, Austrian writer, informant against the Nazis (b. 1912).

References

Cellar father faces murder charge
''BBC News''. November 13, 2008. {{Year in Europe, 2008 Years in Austria Years of the 21st century in Austria