2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar.

Events

January

• Worldwide aid effort continues to develop in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
• January 3 - Violence in Iraq: Assassination of the Governor of Baghdad, Ali Al-Haidri.
• January 6 - In Graniteville, South Carolina, a train carrying a cargo of chlorine gas collides with a parked train, releasing a toxic cloud which kills 9 and injures 200. The town of 5,400 is evacuated.
• January 7 - A train crash near Bologna, Italy kills 18 people.
• January 9 -
  • The same storm which pounded the US earlier in the month slams into England and Scandinavia. At least 13 are dead among hurricane force winds and the worst flooding in northwest England in 40 years.
  • Mahmoud Abbas is elected to succeed Yasser Arafat as Palestinian Authority president in the Palestinian general election.
• January 10 - Record rainfall causes a mudslide in La Conchita, California, killing 10.
• January 13 - Photos of Prince Harry dressed as a Nazi at a fancy dress party cause worldwide condemnation.
• January 14 - The Huygens probe lands on Titan, largest moon of planet Saturn.
• January 16 - Adriana Iliescu gives birth at age 66 and becomes the oldest woman in the world to do so.
• January 17 - New Zealand's controversial Foreshore and Seabed legislation comes into force. Some indigenous Maori citizens consider it a day of mourning and will stage a march ("hikoi") in Christchurch.
• January 18 - Mark Latham resigns as leader of the Australian Labor Party and as a Member of the Australian House of Representatives.
• January 20 - U.S. Presidential inauguration day for the second term of George W. Bush.
• January 21 - In Belize's capital city Belmopan, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots.
• January 23 - Viktor Yushchenko is sworn in as the third President of Ukraine in Kiev, Ukraine.
• January 25 - A stampede during a religious pilgrimage in India kills at least 215, mostly women and small children.
• January 26 -
  • A train crash involving three trains kills 11 and injures 200 in Glendale, California near Los Angeles early in the morning peak hours.
  • A helicopter crash in eastern Iraq kills 31 United States soldiers.
• January 30 -
  • The first Parliamentary elections in Iraq since the overthrow of the Ba'ath Party government led by Saddam Hussein take place.
  • 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.

February

• February 8 - Danish parliamentary elections continue the center-right coalition led by Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his Liberal Party.
• 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.
  • Saudi Arabia holds it first ever elections for municipal authorities, in which only men 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 killed Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik Hariri and at least 15 other people. At least 135 other people were also hurt.
  • Around 59 people are killed and 200 injured in a fire at mosque in Tehran, Iran.
• February 15 - More than 200 people have been killed by a blast at a mine in in Fuxin north-east China.
• February 16 - The Kyoto Protocol comes into effect, without the support of the United States and Australia.
• February 19 - Suicide bombers kill more than 30 people in Iraq as Shia Muslims marked Ashura, their holiest day.
• February 20 -
  • Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.
  • Early Legislative elections in Portugal result in a landslide victory for José Sócrates and the Socialist Party.
• February 22 - More than 500 people have been killed and over 1,000 injured after entire villages were flatted in an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, hit the Zarand region of Kerman province in southern Iran.
• February 26 - Hosni Mubarak the president of Egypt ordered the constitution changed to allow multi-candidate presidential elections before September 2005 by asking parliament to amend Article 76 of the Egyptian constitution.

March

• March 1 - The US Supreme Court abolishes the death penalty for juveniles who committed their crimes under age 18.
• March 3 -
  • At 19.17 the 3500-ton freighter, M/V Karen Danielsen, crashes into the Western bridge of the Great Belt Bridge of Denmark, 800m from Funen. All traffic across the bridge is closed, effectively separating Denmark in two.
  • 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 10 - Resignation of Tung Chee-hwa, the chief executive of Hong Kong, China.
• March 11 - In the UK, the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 was finally given Royal Assent after one of the longest ever sittings by the House of Lords.
• March 13 - First round of Central African Republic elections.
• March 14 -
  • The People's Republic of China ratifies an anti-secession law aimed at preventing Taiwan from declaring independence.
  • Nearly one million people gathered for an opposition rally in Beirut, a month after the death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The largest rally in Lebanon history.
• March 16 - Suspects Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri in the bombing of the Air India Flight 182 in 1985 are found to be not guilty on all accounts.
• March 19 -
  • A suspected suicide bomber in Doha, Qatar, killed one Briton and injured about 12 other people.
  • A time bomb exploded in a Muslim shrine in Quetta, southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 29 people and wounding 40.
  • A mine blast occurred at the Xishui coal mine in Shuozhou and rocked nearby Kangjiayao coal mine. The death toll is up to 59.
• March 20 - At least 250 people in Japan are injured and at least one killed by when a magnitude 7 earthquake struck west of Kyushu Island, just 9km (5.5 miles) below the ocean floor.
• March 21 - In Red Lake, Minnesota, 10 are killed in a school shooting, the worst since the Columbine High School massacre.
• March 23 - The United States' 11th Circuit Court of Appeals' 2-1 decision refuses to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube.
• March 24 - The "Tulip Revolution" in Kyrgyzstan (ex-USSR republic) reaches it's climax when president Askar Akayev is overthrown and the protesting crowd storms the Government House. Acts of looting and marauding occured everywhere in country's capital immediately after these events.
• March 26 - 1 million Taiwanese walk in Taipei in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of Mainland China.
• March 28 - The 2005 Sumatran earthquake struck off Sumatra, 3 months after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. At a magnitude of 8.7 it is the second largest earthquake since 1965.

April

• Anti-Japanese demonstrations in China
• April 7:
  • MG Rover, the UK's sole remaining volume producer goes into receivership after a planned alliance with Chinese manufacturer, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation collapses.
  • A suicide bomber blows himself up in Cairo's Khan al Khalili market, killing two foreign tourists and wounding 17 others. A group called "Islamic Pride Brigades" claims responsibility.
• April 8 - Referendum in Curacao on independence vs. integration with the Netherlands.
• April 9:
  • Tens of thousands of demonstrators, many of them supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, marched through Baghdad denouncing the US occupation of Iraq, two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and rallied in the square where his statue was toppled in 2003.
  • The marriage of The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles takes place in the Guildhall, Windsor; followed by a church blessing at St George's Chapel.
• April 15 - At least 21 people died and around 50 people were injured in a devastating fire at a hotel in central Paris.
• April 16 - President Lucia Gutierrez of Ecuador declared a state of emergency in the capital city and dissolved the Supreme Court.
• April 17 - Twelve holidaymakers were killed in southern Switzerland when a bus carrying 27 people plunged 200 metres into a ravine.
• April 18 - Five people died in ethnic clashes in Iran's south-west Khuzestan province.
• April 19: Joseph Ratzinger elected Pope Benedict XVI on the second day of the Papal conclave.
• April 20:
  • At least 46 workers have been killed and several others injured in a blast at an explosives factory in Zambia.
  • 56 hurt as earthquake hits Fukuoka and Kasuga, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The earthquake measured a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale.
  • President Lucia Gutierrez of Ecuadoris said to have fled after Congress voted to sack him amid growing protests.

Scheduled and expected events

• April 22: Installation ceremony of Mordechai Vanunu as Lord Rector of Glasgow University.
• April 26: Bruce Springsteen releases new album, Devils & Dust
• April 29: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie opens in the UK and the USA.
• April 30: Syria plans to have withdrawn all troops from Lebanon.
• 2005 IIHF World Championship in ice hockey starts in Austria.

May

• May 1 - East Orthodox Churches using Julian Calendar celebrate Easter.
• May 5:
  • Announced date for UK General Election and due date of English County Council elections.
  • The Walt Disney Company commence the Happiest Homecoming on Earth celebration, celebrating fifty years of Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
• May 6 - May 10: George W. Bush to visit the European countries Latvia, Netherlands, Russia and Georgia.
• May 7: Kentucky Derby
• May 12–June 3: Launch window for Space Shuttle Discovery return to flight mission STS-114. This is the first flight in more than two years since the breakup of Columbia on its return from mission STS-107.
• May 13 The series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise airs. This seemingly ends the "modern" Star Trek era which began in 1987 with Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• May 14: Start of the seventh annual Gumball 3000 rally.
• May 17–May 20: The Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3) 2005 to take place in Los Angeles, California.
• May 19: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith released, effectively ending the Star Wars saga begun by George Lucas in 1977
• May 21:
  • Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Kiev, Ukraine.
  • Preakness Stakes
• May 23–May 25: Finals for the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions. The tournament started February 9 to see if any past Jeopardy! champions can beat Ken Jennings in a final 3-day showdown for a prize of US $2 Million.
• May 25: UEFA Champions League final to be held at Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadyumu, Istanbul, Turkey.
• May 29
  • Coca Cola 600
  • Indianapolis 500

June

• June 11: Belmont Stakes
• June 17:
  • Iranian Presidential election.
  • Batman Begins's theatrical release in the USA.
• June 18: First Autistic Pride Day.
• June 20–July 3: Wimbledon Championships
• June 30:
  • MTV Networks scheduled to launch LGBT-themed LOGO channel in the United States.
  • Rail service scheduled to begin on the MBTA Greenbush Line in Massachusetts.

July

• July 1: Revaluation of the Romanian leu.
• July 2: Demonstration against G8 summit in Edinburgh
• July 4: NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft fires a "copper bullet" into Comet Tempel 1, creating a crater for scientific studies.
• July 6–8: G8 summit in Gleneagles Perthshire, Scotland, UK.
• July 6: Host of the 2012 Summer Olympics to be announced by the IOC in Singapore during its 117th Session.
• July 10–15: 2005 World Conference of the International Society for Individual Liberty celebrates Ayn Rand in her birthplace of St. Petersburg, Russia.
• July 10: If no litigation, Hong Kong Chief Executive Election will be held.
• July 12–August 1: Launch window for the Space Shuttle Atlantis second return to flight mission STS-121.
• July 16: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince released in all English speaking countries.
• July 17: The world's first theme park, Disneyland, celebrates it's fiftieth birthday.
• July 17: The Chicago Transit Authority plans to begin operating under its "doomsday" plan due to a budget deficit.
• July 17: Elections of a Palestinian parliament.
• July 20: Israel will begin pulling troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip.
• July 25–July 31: AirVenture, the world's greatest aviation celebration, is held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

August-December

• August: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority scheduled to complete the Orange Line, a busway across the San Fernando Valley.
• August 1: NASA's MESSENGER probe to Mercury makes an Earth flyby.
• August 11–August 21: Universiade summer games will be held in İzmir, Turkey.
• September 12: Hong Kong Disneyland park opens.
• September 13: The rest of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort opens.
• September 18: The 57th annual Emmy Awards are handed out in Los Angeles
• September 24: The New Zealand general election must be held on, or before, this date.
• September 25: The new Suvarnabhumi Airport opens in Bangkok, Thailand. All international flights will transfer from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi.
• October: The second Chinese manned space mission Shenzhou 6 is scheduled to carry two astronauts for five days in orbit.
• October 3: Annular solar eclipse (North Portugal, Spain, east Africa).
• October 8: The second DARPA Grand Challenge is scheduled to be held.
• October 15: A new Asterix comic will be released.
• November 26: The third Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be in Hasselt, Belgium.
• November 27: The 93rd Grey Cup game to be played in Vancouver, Canada.

Unknown dates

• It is strongly possible that the Canadian minority government will fail, forcing a general election in the end of spring.
• Cyprus and Malta are expected to join ERM II, and make their first steps towards joining the euro.
• European Union TLD .eu is to be launched, and replace .eu.int
• Greenland will hold a referendum on independence.
• Sony is scheduled to unveil its PlayStation 3 game console sometime in late April, or before the Electronic Entertainment Expo in May.
• Sony is to launch the PlayStation Portable in Europe in the second half of the year.
• The Broadway adaptation of Pink Floyd's The Wall is expected to be completed and begin playing in mid-summer.

Fictional Events

• The events of Transformers: The Movie take place.
• February: The events of Metal Gear Solid take place.
• April: (From "The Martian Chronicles") The house of Usher II opens. August: Elder People come to Mars. September: A martian lives among the humans, November: Nuclear siege befalls Earth.
• December 24: The Pluto's Kiss Virus infects and shuts down every computer in the world, caused by a 10-year old boy. From the .hack anime.
• Twisted Metal 1 takes place

Deaths

January

• January 1:
  • Shirley Chisholm, 80, first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress
  • Bob Matsui, 63, Congressman from California
• January 4 - Ali al-Haidri, Governor of Baghdad
• January 9 - Koji Hashimoto, 66, Japanese film director
• January 10 - Tommy Fine, 90, Major League Baseball player
• January 17 - Zhao Ziyang, 86, reformist Premier of the People's Republic of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
• January 20 - Per Borten, 92, Norwegian prime minister
• January 23 - Johnny Carson, 79, American television host, The Tonight Show
• January 25 - Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (b.1923)

February

• February 2 - Max Schmeling, 99, German former heavyweight champion
• February 3:
  • Ernst Mayr, 100, evolutionary biologist
  • Zurab Zhvania, 41, Prime Minister of Georgia
  • Corrado Cardinal Bafile, 101, Oldest Cardinal ever
• February 4 - Ossie Davis, 87, African-American actor and civil rights activist
• February 5 - Gnassingbe Eyadema, 69, President of Togo
• February 10 - Arthur Miller, 89, American playwright
• February 14 - Rafik Hariri, 60, former Prime Minister of Lebanon
• February 17 - Nariman Sadeq, 70, former Queen of Egypt
• February 20:
  • Sandra Dee, 62, American actress
  • John Raitt, 88, American actor
  • Hunter S Thompson, 67, American writer
• February 28 - Mario Luzi, 90, Italian poet, Italian senator

March

• March 2 - Rick Mahler, 51, Major League Baseball player
• March 6 - Hans Bethe, 98, physicist
• March 10 - Dave Allen, 68, comedian
• March 17:
  • George F. Kennan, 101, American Cold War strategist; father of containment policy
  • Andre Norton, 93, science fiction author
• March 19 - John De Lorean, 80, automotive pioneer
• March 22:
  • Clemente Domínguez y Gómez, 58, Antipope Gregory XVII
• March 26:
  • Lord James Callaghan, 92, British prime minister
  • Paul Hester, 46, Split Enz / Crowded House drummer
  • Marius Russo, 90, Major League Baseball player
• March 29 - Johnnie Cochran, 67, American defense attorney
• March 30 - Mitch Hedberg, 37, American stand-up comedian
• March 31 - Terri Schiavo, 41, American disabled person and cause célèbre

April

• April 2 - Pope John Paul II, 84, Leader of the Roman Catholic Church
• April 5 - Saul Bellow, Canadian Nobel Prize-winning author (b. 1915)
• April 6 - Prince Rainier III, 81, ruler of Monaco
• April 9 - Andrea Dworkin, 58, feminist writer and anti-pornography activist
• April 10 - Al Lucas, 24, arena football player for the Los Angeles Avengers [1]
• April 11 - Lucien Laurent, 97, first footballer ever to score at the FIFA World Cup finals