2005 in history
Here are some light-hearted facts about 2005, designed to serve as a prep sheet for a radio feature on 2005.
I created this page because when I needed some notes to create a few talking points about 2005 in Ireland I couldn't find any suitable sources, so I thought I'd share what I did find. It applies to 2005 in Britain too.
You can also look at years other than 2005:
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2005
Mark Zuckerberg offered to sell Facebook to MySpace. MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe rejected Zuckerberg's asking price of $75 million. It is now worth at least 70 billion.
Guitar Hero was the big craze.
Paula Radcliffe took a toilet break in the middle of the London Marathon
Brad Pitt left Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie.
The UK singles chart was adjusted to include digital downloads in its figures.
Steve Fossett broke the world record by completing the first non-stop, non-refuelled, solo flight around the world in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.
Peter Kay's charity video brought Tony Christie's 'Is This The Way To Amarillo' back into the charts.
Lance Armstrong won a record seventh straight Tour de France.
Pubs in England and Wales were permitted to open for 24 hours for the first time.
Jamie Oliver launched his campaign against unhealthy school dinners. Schools were baned from selling junk food later in the year, causing an outcry among children and parents.
East 17's Brian Harvey was involved in a car crash that damaged several vehicles and resulted in him falling out his car. He later explained that he had eaten too many jacket potatoes and was about to be sick when he hit the wrong pedal. A blue plaque was erected to mark "the place where Brian Harvey ran himself over".
Safeway was removed from the streets of Britain.
London was announced as the host city of the future 2012 Olympic games.
UK fuel prices first started to cross £1 per litre, sparking protests.
MG Rover ceased trading after falling into administration.
Live 8 took place, with ten simultaneous concerts organised by Bob Geldof.
Prince Charles also married Camilla in a Royal Wedding and Donald Trump married Melania.
Tony Blair's Labour wins the General Election, defeating Michael Howard's Conservatives, albeit with a reduced majority.
2005 Launches
YouTube was founded. The first ever YouTube video was called Me at the Zoo. It was originally intended to be a dating site with the slogan "Tune In, Hook Up", but its creators couldn't find anyone willing to submit videos even after being offered cash.
Microsoft released the Xbox 360 gaming console
The Airbus A380 'superjumbo' made its first flight from Toulouse.
Website Reddit launched in this year.
The Crazy Frog was in the charts.
Coke Zero was launched, supposedly for those who didn't want to order a "diet" drink. They also launched the limited edition Coca-Cola with Lemon.
The handheld pet game Nintendogs was released.
Google Earth was launched, allowing us to look at pictures across the world, and see how our own back garden looked from space.
Dublin's Se´n O'Casey Bridge opened. Because of its location, it had to be a swing bridge, even though it doesn't see much boat traffic. Five years later, it emerged that the controller that opens the bridge had got lost, and nobody could find it.
2005 in Film
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith was the biggest film of the year.
Other big films include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, War of the Worlds, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Wedding Crashers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Batman Begins, Madagascar, Mr & Mrs Smith, Hitch, King Kong, Fantastic Four, Meet the Fockers and Chicken Little.
2005 in TV
The first episode of Love Island aired. Fran Cosgrave and TV presenter Jayne Middlemiss won. It was a ratings flop and soon cancelled.
Come Dine with Me, Coach Trip, American Dad!, Deadliest Catch, The Apprentice (UK version) was launched in this year.
Doctor Who was re-launched in this year, with Christopher Eccleston.
Controversial talk show The Jeremy Kyle Show launched on TV.
Desperate Housewives was shown in Britain for the first time.
The Americans launched their own take on The Office.
Panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats was new on TV.
Jeremy Paxman was forced to read the weather on Newsnight, and did so sarcastically until he was allowed to stop. On one episode, his entire forecast was, "it's April, what do you expect?".
Deal or No Deal began on TV.
HDTV began broadcasting in the UK on Telewest.
The annoying 'Barry Scott' adverts for Cillit Bang first played.
2005 in Ireland
The Republic of Ireland officially changed all road signs and regulations to use kilometres per hour.
100,000 people attended O2 in the Park, Ireland’s biggest free outdoor concert.
Declan Donnelly fractured his elbow after trying to jump a bike through blazing hay for an episode of Saturday Night Takeaway.
12 years development of Croke Park came to an end when the new Hill 16 was finished.
The GAA voted to suspend Rule 42, which was prohibiting rugby and association football from being played at Croke Park.
Cork became the European Capital of Culture.
The M50 was extended from Dundrum to Shankill, completing the loop of Dublin. Work had started on the Western Parkway 18 years ago; the idea was envisaged 34 years ago.
The Dalai Lama made a three-day visit to Northern Ireland.
While these facts about 2005 have been checked against third-party sources (and have been used on air before!), they are provided in good faith to inspire your research and no guarantee is made about their accuracy or their uniqueness. You can use the facts however you wish: most people just take a couple of points they remember and talk around then.
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