Timeline July 2005

Events in July 2005 16

• 1913 – 2005 Geraldine Fitzgerald (1913-2005) Irish actress, Isabella in Wuthering Heights, with a career from the Gate Theatre to Arthur.
• 1920 – 2005 James Doohan (1920-2005) Died 20 July 2005, aged 85 James Doohan, the Canadian actor who played chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the original "Star Trek" series and films, died on 20 July 2005. His catchphrases and performance made the character one of the most recognizable in science fiction. Doohan had lost part of a finger and been wounded in combat during D-Day in 1944.
• 1951 – 2005 Luther Vandross (1951-2005) Died 1 July 2005, aged 54 Luther Vandross, an American R&B singer known for hits including "Never Too Much" and "Dance with My Father", died on 1 July 2005 following complications from a stroke suffered in 2003. He won eight Grammy Awards over his career and was regarded as one of the finest voices in soul music. Vandross also worked extensively as a songwriter and producer.
• 2005 Operation Murambatsvina Zimbabwean government demolishes urban homes and markets The Zimbabwean government launched Operation Murambatsvina in May 2005, a mass campaign to demolish informal housing and street markets in cities, officially framed as an urban clean-up. The United Nations estimated the operation left around 700,000 people without homes or livelihoods. Critics said it targeted opposition strongholds.
• 2005 Wimbledon 2005 Men: Roger Federer · Women: Venus Williams
• 2005 Live 8 -- Waters and Gilmour reunite Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright perform together as Pink Floyd for the first time in 24 years at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London on 2 July 2005. The reunion -- reportedly negotiated by Bob Geldof -- is greeted with an outpouring of emotion from the 200,000-strong crowd and a worldwide television audience of hundreds of millions. They perform 'Breathe,' 'Money,' 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Comfortably Numb.' Waters and Gilmour embrace at the end. The performance generates widespread hope for a permanent reunion. It does not happen.
• 2005 Live 8 concerts Global concert series calls for action on world poverty A series of Live 8 benefit concerts was held simultaneously in cities including London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Tokyo on 2 July 2005, timed to coincide with the G8 summit at Gleneagles. Organized by Bob Geldof and Bono, the concerts called on world leaders to cancel debt and increase aid to Africa. Hundreds of millions watched broadcasts worldwide.
• 2005 Deep Impact strikes comet Tempel 1 NASA probe collides with a comet to study its interior NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft released an impactor that struck the comet Tempel 1 on 4 July 2005, blasting material from beneath its surface for study. The mission gave scientists their first direct look at a comet's interior composition. It was the first time a spacecraft had deliberately impacted a comet.
• 2005 G8 Gleneagles summit World leaders meet in Scotland amid Africa aid campaign Leaders of the G8 nations met at Gleneagles, Scotland, from 6 to 8 July 2005, agreeing to double aid to Africa and cancel debt for the world's poorest countries. The summit was overshadowed by the London bombings on its second day. It followed months of public campaigning under the Make Poverty History banner.
• 2005 London awarded 2012 Olympic Games IOC selects London over Paris to host the Summer Olympics The International Olympic Committee selected London to host the 2012 Summer Olympics on 6 July 2005, narrowly beating favourite Paris in the final round of voting. The announcement in Singapore was followed the next day by the 7 July London bombings. London became the first city to host the modern Olympics three times.
• 2005 7/7 London bombings 52 killed on London transport Four suicide bombers detonated explosives on three London Underground trains and one bus on July 7, 2005, killing 52 people and injuring over 700.
• 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory #3 film of 2005 — $474m worldwide Directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp. Willy Wonka invites five children to tour his mysterious chocolate factory.
• 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince published Sixth novel in J.K. Rowling's series breaks sales records J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was published on 16 July 2005, selling nine million copies in its first 24 hours in the UK and US. It was the fastest-selling book in history at the time. The novel continued the story ahead of the series' final instalment two years later.
• 2005 Geraldine Fitzgerald dies in New York Geraldine Fitzgerald dies aged 91.
• 2005 England regains the Ashes England beats Australia in cricket's Ashes series for first time in 18 years England defeated Australia in the 2005 Ashes cricket series, regaining the urn for the first time since 1987 after a closely fought contest that ran from July to September. The series, decided by a draw in the final test at The Oval, was widely regarded as one of the greatest in Ashes history. It renewed enormous public interest in cricket in England.
• 2005 Space Shuttle Discovery returns to flight NASA resumes shuttle missions after the Columbia disaster Space Shuttle Discovery launched on 26 July 2005 on mission STS-114, the first shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster more than two years earlier. The mission tested new safety procedures, including in-orbit repair techniques, and delivered supplies to the International Space Station. Discovery landed safely on 9 August 2005.