Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar.
2005 was designated as:
The year 2005 was the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995-2005).
Also see: Wikipedia's almanac of events for this year.
Events
January
Iraqi police officers hold up their index fingers marked with purple indelible ink, a security measure to prevent
double voting.
- January 12 - Deep Impact is launched from Cape Canaveral by a Delta 2 rocket.
- January 13 - Armed militants enter Israel from Gaza and open fire near the border, killing six and wounding five. Hamas and Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claim joint responsibility for the attack.[1]
- January 14 - The Huygens probe lands on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.
- January 16 - Adriana Iliescu gives birth at 66, becoming the oldest woman in the world to do so.
- January 16 - Armed militants kill one and wound eight in the Gush Katif settlement, Gaza Strip. Hamas claims responsibility.Confirmation needed
- January 20 - George W. Bush is inaugurated in Washington, D.C. for his second term as the 43rd President of the United States.
- January 20 - Ireland completes metrication.
- January 21 - In Belmopan, Belize, unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots.
- January 25 - A stampede at the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi during a religious pilgrimage in India kills at least 215, mostly women and children.
- January 26 - Glendale train crash: Two trains derail, killing 11 and injuring 200, in Glendale, California near Los Angeles.
- January 30 - The first free Parliamentary elections in Iraq since 1958 take place.
- January 30 - A Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane crashes in Iraq, killing 10 British servicemen. Iraqi insurgents release a video claiming to have shot the aircraft down using a missile.Confirmation needed
- January 31 - The Michael Jackson trial commences in Santa Barbara, California, 14 months after Jackson was arrested with much publicity.
February
- February 1 - Sir Ian Blair is appointed Metropolitan Police Commissioner of London.
- February 4 - Yulia Tymoshenko became the 13th prime-minister of Ukraine.
- February 6 - Super Bowl XXXIX: The New England Patriots win their second consecutive Super Bowl title, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21.
- February 8 - Danish parliamentary election, 2005: The center-right coalition led by Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his Liberal Party wins another term.
- February 9 - An ETA car bomb injures 31 people at a conference centre in Madrid.
- February 10 - North Korea announces that it possesses nuclear weapons as a protection against the hostility it feels from the United States.
- February 10 - Saudi Arabia holds its first ever municipal elections, in which only male citizens are allowed to vote.
- February 12 - Fire devastates the Windsor Building, a 32 story office block, in Madrid.
- February 14 - A massive suicide bomb blast in central Beirut kills the former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafik Hariri and at least 15 other people. At least 135 other people are also hurt.
- February 14 - Around 59 people are killed and 200 injured in a fire at a mosque in Tehran, Iran.
- February 14 - 210 killed Sunjiawan coal mine exploded at Liaoning, China.
- February 15 - Internet site YouTube goes online.
- February 16 - The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect, without the support of the United States and Australia.
- February 16 - The National Hockey League cancels its 2004-2005 season, becoming the first North American professional league to cancel a season due to a labour dispute.
- February 19 - Suicide bombers kill more than 30 people in Iraq as Shia Muslims mark Ashura, their holiest day.
- February 20 - Spain holds a referendum on the Constitution for Europe, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.
- February 20 - Early legislative elections in Portugal result in a landslide victory for José Sócrates and the Socialist Party.
- February 22 - More than 500 people are killed and over 1,000 injured after entire villages are flattened in an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale in the Zarand region of Kerman province in southern Iran.
- February 23 - A controversial French law on colonialism, requiring teachers to paint it in a positive light, is passed by the national legislature.
- February 24 - David Hernandez Arroyo goes on a shooting rampage at the Smith County Courthouse in Tyler, Texas. He kills two, including his ex-wife, and wounds four others before being killed in a police chase.
- February 25 - Wichita, Kansas police apprehend the so-called BTK serial killer Dennis Rader, 31 years after his first murder.
- February 25 - Terrorists kill 5 and wound 50 in Tel Aviv, Israel; Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for the attack.
- February 26 - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak asks Parliament to amend the constitution to allow multi-candidate presidential elections before September 2005.
- February 27 - The 77th Academy Awards, hosted by Chris Rock are held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, with Million Dollar Baby winning Best Picture.
March
Protesters in front of
Terri Schiavo's Pinellas Park, Florida hospice,
March 27,
2005.
- March 1 - The prosecution begins its testimony in the Michael Jackson trial.
- March 1 - Roper v. Simmons: The Supreme Court of the United States rules the death penalty unconstitutional for juveniles who committed their crimes before age 18.
- March 3 - The freighter M/V Karen Danielsen crashes into the Great Belt Bridge of Denmark. All traffic across the bridge is closed, effectively separating Denmark in two.
- March 3 - Millionaire Steve Fossett breaks a world record by completing the first non-stop, non-refueled, solo flight around the world in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.
- March 3 - Four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers are gunned down in Mayerthorpe, Alberta, Canada. It is deadliest day in Canadian law enforcement in over 100 years.
- March 4 - The car of released Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena is fired on by U.S. soldiers in Iraq, causing the death of one passenger and injuring two more.
- March 4 - The United Nations warns that about 90 million Africans could be infected with HIV in the future, without further action against the spread of the disease.
- March 8 - The Pakistan Army opens fire on insurgents in Baluchistan, in the first armed uprising since General Rahimuddin Khan's stabilization of the province in 1978.
- March 10 - Tung Chee Hwa, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, resigns.
- March 11 - In the UK, the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 is given Royal Assent after one of the longest ever sittings by the House of Lords.
- March 11 - Three people, including a judge, are murdered in the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia; the main suspect, Brian Nichols, surrenders to police the next day.
- March 11 - Central African Republic elections, 2005: The first round leads to a runoff between top candidates Francois Bozize and Martin Ziguele.
- March 14 - The People's Republic of China ratifies an anti-secession law, aimed at preventing Taiwan from declaring independence.
- March 14 - Approximately one million people gather for an opposition rally in Beirut, a month after the death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It is the largest rally in Lebanon's history.
- March 16 - Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, accused of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985, are found not guilty on all counts.
- March 19 - A suspected suicide bomber in Doha, Qatar kills one and injures about 12 others.
- March 19 - A time bomb explodes in a Muslim shrine in Quetta, southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 29 people and wounding 40.
- March 19 - A blast occurs at the Xishui coal mine in Shuozhou, China, and rocks nearby Kangjiayao coal mine, killing up to 59.
- March 19 - Wales beat Ireland 32 - 20 to win their first Grand Slam since 1978 in Rugby Union's Six Nations tournament.
- March 20 - At least 250 people in Japan are injured and at least one killed, when a magnitude 7 earthquake strikes west of Kyushu Island, just 9km (5.5 miles) below the ocean floor.
- March 21 - Ten are killed in the Red Lake High School massacre in Minnesota, the worst (then) school shooting since the Columbine High School massacre.
- March 23 - The United States' 11th Circuit Court of Appeals refuses 2-1 to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube.
- March 24 - The Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan reaches its climax with the overthrow of president Askar Akayev.
- March 26 - The Taiwanese government calls on 1 million Taiwanese to demonstrate in Taipei, in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China. Between 200,000 and 300,000 attend the walk.
- March 28 - The 2005 Sumatran earthquake strikes off Sumatra, three months after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. At a magnitude of 8.7 it is the second largest earthquake since 1965.
April
- April 2 - Pope John Paul II dies; over 4 million people travel to the Vatican to mourn him.
- April 4 - North Carolina defeats Illinois 75-70 to win the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Edward Jones Dome in Saint Louis, Missouri.
- April 6 - The first 13th root calculation of a 200-digit number is computed by Frenchman Alexis Lemaire.
- April 6 - Rainier III, Prince of Monaco dies, succeeded by his son Albert II.
- April 7 - The Head of government of the Federal District, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, faces an impeachment process at the Mexican Congress.
- April 7 - MG Rover, the UK's sole remaining automotive mass-production facility, goes into receivership after a planned alliance with Chinese manufacturer, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, collapses.
- April 7 - A suicide bomber blows himself up in Cairo's Khan al Khalili market, killing 2 foreign tourists and wounding 17 others. A group called "Islamic Pride Brigades" claims responsibility.
- April 8 - A referendum is held in Curaçao on independence vs. integration with the Netherlands.
- April 9 - Tens of thousands of demonstrators, many of them supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, march through Baghdad denouncing the U.S. occupation of Iraq, 2 years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and rally in the square where his statue was toppled in 2003.
- April 9 - The marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles takes place, after being briefly postponed after the Pope's death. Camilla assumes the titles Her Royal Highness and The Duchess of Cornwall.
- April 15 - At least 21 people die and around 50 are injured in a devastating fire at a hotel in central Paris.
- April 15 - Shanghai Automotive rules out any possibility of going back on its decision to pull out of a venture with MG Rover. This results in the largest independent British carmaker finishing production with the loss of more than 6,000 jobs at its huge Longbridge plant in Birmingham.
- April 16 - President Lucio Gutierrez of Ecuador declares a state of emergency in the capital city and dissolves the Supreme Court.
- April 17 - Twelve holidaymakers are killed in southern Switzerland when a bus carrying 27 people plunges 656 feet into a ravine.
- April 18 - Five people die in ethnic clashes in Iran's south-west Khuzestan province.
- April 19 - Papal conclave, 2005: Pope Benedict XVI (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) succeeds Pope John Paul II, becoming the 265th pope.
- April 20 - Fifty six are hurt as earthquake hits Fukuoka and Kasuga, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The earthquake measured a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale.
- April 20 - President Lucio Gutiérrez of Ecuador is said to have fled after Congress voted to sack him amid growing protests.
- April 21 - A bus crash in Vietnam's Central Highlands kills 30 Vietnamese war veterans.
- April 21 - A gunfight on the edge of the Saudi city of Mecca kills 2 militants and 2 members of the security forces.
- April 23 - Silvio Berlusconi, prime minister of Italy, re-forms the government after its dissolution 3 days earlier.
- April 25 - Amagasaki rail crash: A passenger train derails in Amagasaki Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, killing 107 people and injuring another 456.
- April 26 - Facing international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29 year military domination of that country.
- April 26 - 2005 Pan-Blue visits to mainland China
- April 27 - The Superjumbo jet aircraft Airbus A380 makes its first flight from Toulouse.
- April 28 - The $2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas has its grand opening.
- April 30 - Attacks on tourists in the Egyptian capital Cairo leave 3 militants dead and at least 10 people injured.
May
- May 1 - A suicide attack targets a Kurdish funeral in the northern Iraqi town of Talafar, near Mosul, killing at least 25 people and injuring more
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