The following lists events that happened during 1908 in the Kingdom of Belgium.
Incumbents Monarch: Leopold II Prime Minister: Frans Schollaert
Events
9 January – Frans Schollaert formally takes office as prime minister, after the sudden death of Jules de Trooz at the end of the previous year. 19 April – Confédération syndicale belge organization is founded. 24 May – Partial legislative elections 25 May – Parliament ratifies the 1907 copyright convention with Germany. 14 June – Provincial elections 10 July – Paul Van Asbroeck wins a gold medal at the 1908 Olympic Games 30 September – Premiere of Maurice Maeterlinck's The Blue Bird at the Moscow Art Theatre 18 October – Belgian Parliament passes the Colonial Charter on the Belgian annexation of the Congo Free State. 30 October – Cabinet reshuffle with Jules Renkin becoming first Minister for Colonies 15 November – Congo Free State becomes Belgian Congo 22 November – Tobacco Workers' Union established
Publications Émile de Borchgrave, Souvenirs diplomatiques de quarante ans (Brussels) Fernand Crommelynck, Le sculpteur de masques (Brussels, Edmond Deman) Stijn Streuvels, Tieghem: Het Vlaamsche lustoord (Ghent, Vercauteren) Joseph Van den Gheyn, Catalogue des manuscrits de la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, vol. 8. Emile Verhaeren, James Ensor (Brussels, G. Van Oest)
Periodicals L'Expansion belge begins publication.L'Expansion belge, vol. 1, available on Google Books.
Art and architecture
Buildings Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk, Ostend (begun 1899)
Paintings Flori van Acker, Portrait of Godelieve du Bus de Gésignies
Films Durch Brüssel in 10 Minuten (9-minute documentary).
Births 2 January – André Verbeke, architect (died 1978) 23 January – Stanislas-André Steeman, writer (died 1970) 14 March – Joseph André, priest (died 1973) 14 May – Jules Lismonde, artist (died 2001) 20 September – Simon Dewinter, boxer (died 1972) 4 October – Celeste van Exem, missionary (died 1993) 16 November – Emmanuelle Cinquin, religious sister (died 2008) 24 November – Hubert Ansiaux, banker (died 1987) 28 November – Claude Lévi-Strauss, anthropologist (died 2009)
Deaths 4 February – Albert Lancaster (born 1849), meteorologist 6 February – Jan Portielje (born 1829), painter 22 February – Édouard van den Corput (born 1821), physician 10 May – Eugène Lafont (born 1837), missionary 5 June – Jef Lambeaux (born 1852), sculptor 21 June – Luís Cruls (born 1848), astronomer 19 June – Louis van Waefelghem (born 1840), viola d'amore player 4 August – Piet Verhaert (born 1852), painter 24 December – François-Auguste Gevaert (born 1828), musicologist
References