Headlines from Those 17 Days
Aug 8, 8 pm: The Bird's Nest opens
Some 91,000 spectators filled the National Stadium and about 15,000 performers took part in the opening ceremony; fireworks burst over the Bird's Nest like a red flower. At the end, Li Ning "flew" around the roof to light the cauldron.
Chris Greenberg · Public domain
Bolt: 9.69 seconds
On August 16, Jamaica's Usain Bolt won the 100 m in a world-record 9.69 seconds; four days later he broke the 200 m record in 19.30 — the day before his 22nd birthday.
Richard Giles · CC BY-SA 2.0
Phelps: eight golds
American swimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in the Water Cube and set seven world records — the most golds ever won at a single Games.
White House photo by Eric Draper · Public domain
38 world records
A Xinhua editorial on August 22 counted 38 world records so far, and teams such as Mongolia, Togo, Afghanistan and Tajikistan won their countries' first golds or first medals.
Jmex60 · CC BY-SA 3.0
The torch relay
The Olympic flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, on March 24 and carried around the world and across China, passing through Hong Kong on May 2.
宮本すぐる · CC BY 3.0
Top of the medal table
The Games closed on August 24. For the first time, China topped the gold medal table, with 51 golds at the time (some medals were later withdrawn after doping retests).
Gary Todd · CC0All photos were taken in 2008 and come from Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.