2005 History

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What Events Happened in 2005

  • Oil prices rise sharply throughout the year caused by Trouble in the Middle East, and later Hurricane Katrina.
  • George W. Bush starts his second term as 43rd President of the United States.
  • The Kyoto Protocol which is intended to cut global emissions of greenhouse gasses comes into effect, without the support of the United States and Australia.
  • Earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale More than 500 people are killed and over 1,000 injured in southern Iran.
  • Earthquake magnitude 7.6 strikes Kashmir leaving an estimated 70,000 dead and 70,000 more injured
  • Earthquake struck off Sumatra, magnitude of 8.7 it is the second largest earthquake since 1965.
  • Pope John Paul II dies; over 4 million people travel to the Vatican to mourn him.
  • Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has been elected as the new Pope, he has taken the name Pope Benedict XVI
  • MG Rover, the UK's sole remaining volume producer goes into receivership
  • Tony Blair elected for third term
  • The marriage of The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles takes place
  • The IRA announces end to armed conflict and gives up its weapons to independent weapons inspectors
  • Israeli settlers are forced to leave settlements in the Gaza Strip as part of peace settlement
  • Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon ending its twenty nine year military occupation
  • The Disneyland Resort celebrates it 50th birthday
  • Lance Armstrong wins a record seventh straight Tours de France before his scheduled retirement
  • Civil unrest continues in Paris suburbs President Jacques Chirac announced a national state of emergency
  • Dennis Rader, the BTK ( Bind, Torture and Kill, ) serial killer, is charged with 10 counts of murder in Wichita, Kan
  • Following 8 years of legal wrangling in the courts Terri Schiavo's feeding tube is removed and she dies 13 days later.
  • Hurricane Katrina strikes the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coastal areas. Levees separating Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, Louisiana were breached by the surge, ultimately flooding roughly 80% of the city of New Orleans and 1600 perished
  • Hurricane Stan hits Mexico and Central America killing over 1,620 people.
  • Eric Rudolph (Olympic Park Bomber) sentenced to multiple life sentences.
  • A tornado hits western Kentucky and southwestern Indiana, killing at least 22.
  • Michael Jackson is found not guilty of Child Molestation Charges.
  • New York City's Transport Workers Union goes on strike for three days, shutting down all New York City Subway and Bus services.
  • London Bombings Four explosions rock the transport network in London, three on the London Underground and one on a bus. Over 50 deaths were reported, and over 200 injured
  • London wins the right to stage the 2012 Olympic Games.
  • Multnomah County Chair Linn, Oregon announced the county would begin granting licenses for same-sex marriages. The Oregon Supreme Court nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples
  • A series of explosions led to an enormous fire at one of Britain's largest oil depots Buncefield oil depot near Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire
  • President George W Bush at the G8 summit tells other leaders he will not support legally binding reductions on carbon emissions
  • Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wins a landslide victory in Iran's presidential poll
  • Terrorist Attacks in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt kill 90
  • United States Supreme Court ruled Medicinal Use Of Marijuana users can be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws.
  • President George W. Bush acknowledged he'd personally authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. following Sept. 11
  • President George W. Bush signed the new act making it harder for those with large debts to wipe clean their financial slates by declaring bankruptcy under Chapter 7 "New Bankruptcy Law"

Popular Culture 2005

  • Janet Jackson's breast is briefly exposed by Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show
  • The highly controversial Fahrenheit 9/11 film opens in US Movie Theaters

Popular Films

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  • Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  • War of the Worlds
  • King Kong
  • Madagascar
  • Mr. & Mrs. Smith
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
  • Batman Begins
  • Hitch
  • Crash
  • Brokeback Mountain
  • Capote
  • Walk the Line

Popular Musicians

  • Mariah Carey
  • Green Day
  • 50 Cent
  • Kelly Clarkson
  • The Black Eyed Peas
  • Coldplay
  • Rascal Flatts
  • Gwen Stefani
  • The Killers
  • Kenny Chesney
  • Keith Urban
  • Carrie Underwood
  • Faith Hill
  • Sugarland
  • Toby Keith
  • Eminem
  • Dave Matthews Band
  • Gretchen Wilson
  • Usher
  • Foo Fighters
  • Hilary Duff
  • Madonna
  • Shania Twain
  • Weezer
  • Destiny's Child
  • Guns N' Roses
  • Franz Ferdinand

Technology 2005

  • Steve Fossett breaks world record by completing the first non-stop, non-refueled, solo flight around the world in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.
  • The Superjumbo jet aircraft Airbus A380 makes its first flight from Toulouse.
  • Microsoft releases the Xbox 360 gaming console in North America.
  • The Spanish flu virus is reconstructed and shown to be closely related to the Avian flu virus.
  • Research by the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) suggests that women who take Hormone Replacement Therapy are more at risk from breast cancer, heart disease and stroke.


Research for this year is provided by The People History.
See History By Year and Decade for more prices and information.
Find out more about the 2000s at ThePeopleHistory.com.



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