Step Back Into….2005

Pittsburgh 55+ Magazine
Jun 25
3 min read

A beloved Pope passes away

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wreak havoc in the US

By Paula Green

Katrina was just one storm in a record hurricane season that saw 27 named storms, surpassing the record of 21 set in 1933. There were so many tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic that we ran out of names and had to start using the Greek alphabet. Natalee Holloway, 18, became a household name after the Alabama teen vanished while on a class trip to Aruba on May 30. Mark Felt, a 92-year-old retired FBI agent, was revealed to be 1972’s “Deep Throat” who helped take down Richard Nixon’s presidency.

Average: The average income was $55,238. The cost of a new home is $240,900. The average cost for a new car was $14,990. Gasoline was $2.30 a gallon. A loaf of bread was $2.29. A gallon of milk was $3.20, and eggs sold for $1.87 a dozen. Ground beef sold for $3.29 a pound. Heinz Ketchup was $1.39 for a 14-ounce bottle. A first-class stamp was 37¢.

Firsts: YouTube, the world's largest video-sharing website, was launched on December 15. The Michelin Tire Company invented Airing it Out, a wheel without an inflated tire. Reddit, a social news, web content rating, and discussion website, was introduced. Microsoft unveiled Xbox 360, a video gaming console for home use. Apple released the Mac Mini, a tiny form-factor desktop computer. They also introduced the iPod shuffle.

Events: Dan Rather retired from the CBS Evening News, and Ted Koppel retired from ABC’s Nightline. Condoleezza Rice sworn in as first black female Secretary of State. Michael Schaivo successfully sued to have his brain-damaged wife Terri’s feeding tube removed. Robert Blake, star of the 70s detective series Baretta, was acquitted of his wife’s murder in 2005 after a contentious 4-year legal drama. He was, however, found liable by a civil suit brought by his children.

World News: Pope John Paul II died on April 2; German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI. Hong Kong’s Disneyland opened. It is located on Lantau Island and was the first Disney theme park to open in China. On April 9, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles wed. On July 7, London is hit by Islamic terrorist bombings, killing 52 and wounding about 700. It is Britain’s worst attack since World War II.

Entertainment: Academy Award winners: Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby, Best Actor: Jamie Foxx, Best Actress: Hillary Swank. Top movies: Batman Begins, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Walk the Line, Madagscar, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wedding Crashers, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and War of the Worlds.

Television: Popular TV shows - Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Supernatural, Doctor Who, The Office, Prison Break, Bones, How I Met Your Mother, Rome, American Dad, My Name is Earl, Ghost Whisperer, NCIS, Boston Legal, The West Wing, Medium, and Numb3rs.

Songs: The hit list – We Belong Together, Hollaback Girl, Let Me Love You, Since U Been Gone, Hung Up, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, You’re Beautiful, Don’t Cha, Bad Day, Lonely, Get Right, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Candy Shop, How We Do, Listen to Your Heart, and Feel Good Inc.

Publishing: Stephenie Meyer’s vampire novel Twilight was published. Other popular books - On Beauty, Freakonomics, Europe Centra, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Sea, March, Teacher Man, The Year of Magical Thinking, and The Lost Painting: The Search for a Caravaggio Masterpiece.

Sports: MLB – The New England Patriots defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. NBA – San Antonio Spurs are victorious over the Detroit Pistons. MLB – Chicago White Sox defeat the Houston Astros. NHL the season was canceled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout.