Italian nationalism flourishes after 1908 in an uncertain and unstable international environment such as the
Bosnian crisis and the
First Moroccan Crisis in which colonial rivalry became intense and when alliances, such as the
Triple Alliance to which Italy belonged and the
Triple Entente that courted the Italians, became more fluid.[1] Italy expected compensations in the
Italia Irredenta's territories ruled by
Austria-Hungary in exchange for its recognition of the annexation of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, as it was agreed upon in the Triple Alliance treaties with Austria-Hungary.
April 5 – The Italian Parliament enacts a basic law to unite all of the parts of southern Somalia into an area called Somalia Italiana.
October 29 – The Italian business machine manufacturer
Olivetti is founded in
Ivrea, producing typewriters.
December 27 – Italian newsstands saw the first issue of Il Corriere dei Piccoli, the first mainstream publication primarily dedicated to comics. The first issue introduced readers to the adventures of
Bilbolbul, a little black kid drawn by
Attilio Mussino that is considered the first Italian comic character.
December 28 – A 7.1 magnitude
earthquake hits in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy. The cities of
Messina and
Reggio Calabria were almost completely destroyed and between 75,000 and 200,000 lives were lost. Moments after the earthquake, a 12-meter (39-foot)
tsunami struck nearby coasts, causing even more devastation.
Sports
March 8 –
Juventus wins the 1908 Italian Football Championship.