NEWS: 2005

As 2005 begins, it's clear and 47 degrees F at Baltimore's National Weather Service station at BWI Airport. The wind is from the west at 6 miles an hour.

It's the beginning of the International Year of Physics, the International Year for Sport and Physical Education, and the International Year of Microcredit, as proclaimed by the United Nations.

The U.S. military launches its largest operation in Southeast Asia since the Vietnam War, assisting residents of the island of Sumatra after a tsunami battered the island. U.S. military helicopters drop food and supplies to residents on the island.

Shirley Chisholm dies at age 80 in Ormond Beach, Florida. She was a politician, educator, and author. In 1968, she became the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, representing New York's 12th congressional district, a district centered on Bedford-Stuyvesant, for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. She was born Shirley Anita Chisolm on November 30, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, NY.

The high temperature in Baltimore reaches 67 degrees F, the highest temperature ever recorded for Baltimore on any January 1st (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Clear, then partly to mostly cloudy, then clear, then partly cloudy; High temperature 67 F; Low temperature 40 F; Precipitation: None.  No snow on the ground.

Edgar Ray Killen, a former Ku Klux Klan leader, is sentenced on charges of manslaughter 40 and a half years after three civil rights leaders (James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner) were killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi on June 21, 1964.  (Killen is convicted on 3 charges of manslaughter on June 21, 2005 and sentenced to 60 years in prison; he died in prison at age 92 on January 11, 2018. He was born on January 17, 1925 in Philadelphia, Mississippi.)

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Cloudy with light rain, then mostly cloudy; High temp 43° F; Low temp. 37° F; Precipitation: Trace.

The first free election is held in Iraq in 50 years.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: Snow (1.6 inches) and rain; High temp. 36° F; Low temp. 28° F; Precip.: 0.30 inch (liquid).  One inch of snow on the ground.

SBC Commmunications, formerly known as Southwestern Bell, announces that it will be buying AT&T Corporation for $16 billion.

Baltimore weather at BWI Airport: High temp. 39° F; Low temp. 20° F; Precip.: None.  One inch of snow on the ground.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during January 2005 is 3.75 inches, including melted snow and ice, above the normal amount of 3.08 inches. The average daily high temperature for Baltimore during January 2005 is 41.5 degrees F, below the normal of 43.2 degrees.  The average daily low temperature for Baltimore during January 2005 is 26.6 degrees F, above the normal of 25.4 degrees.  A total of 7.6 inches of snow falls at Baltimore's official weather station at BWI Airport during January 2005, above the normal amount of 6.4 inches.

BWI Airport gets 5.2 inches of snow, the greatest snowfall on one day for BWI Airport in 2005.

Goldie Hill dies at age 72 in Nashville, Tennessee. She was a country music singer. She was one of the first women in country music, and became one of the first women to reach the top of the country music charts with her No. 1 1953 hit, "I Let the Stars Get In My Eyes". Along with Kitty Wells and Jean Shepard, she helped set the standard for later women in country music. She was born Argolda Voncile Hill on January 11, 1933 in Kames City, Texas. 

Pope John Paul II dies in his Vatican apartment at age 84. He was born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Second Polish Republic, on May 18, 1920. He became Pope on October 16, 1978.

1.63 inches of precipitation falls in Baltimore, the most in Baltimore on any April 2nd (up to this point) since recordkeeping began in 1871.

One ticket sold in Oregon matches all the numbers in the Powerball Lottery which is worth $340 million.

Four U.S. soldiers are killed in two insurgent attacks north of Baghdad, Iraq.

In Afghanistan, several U.S. soldiers are caught setting fire to dead Taliban fighters, in defiance of Muslim beliefs and practices, in scenes broadcast on Afghan TV.

In a bid to stay in step with its largest trading partner, the United States, Ontario announces it will become the first Canadian province to extend Daylight Saving tTme.

Saddam Hussein pleads "not guilty" at the opening of the al-Dujail trial. During the proceeding, Hussein argues that the judge was not appointed by him, and he did not acknowledge the court. A tribunal of five Iraqi judges headed by Rizgar Mohammed Amin will decide his sentence including if he is liable for the death penalty.

A defense lawyer for one of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants is kidnapped.

n the United Kingdom, David Cameron and David Davis go through to a runoff vote of Conservative Party members after a second round of voting among Tory Members of Parliament in the party's leadership election. Liam Fox is eliminated.

Two weeks after the Kashmir earthquake death toll reaches 79,000, the United Nations estimates that 500,000 people are cut off from relief aid. The UN appeals to the international community for more aid, warning that tens of thousands of people could die if aid does not reach them before the harsh winter.

Baltimore weather: Cloudy, High temperature 61 degreees F, Low temperature 54 degrees F, Precipitation: None.

The total precipitation for Baltimore during December 2005 is 3.90 inches, including melted snow and ice.

Total precipitation for Baltimore in 2005 is 49.13 inches, about 7 and a half inches above normal.