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Top 10 stories of 2005 as ranked by Times editors
By Times Staff
Published December 25, 2005
1. HURRICANE KATRINA: The August storm raked South Florida before barreling into the Gulf Coast, killing at least 1,300 and forever changing the landscape of New Orleans. Damage to oil refineries and supply lines caused a dramatic spike in oil prices.
2. IRAQ: U.S. military deaths passed 2,100 as Americans debated the war's legitimacy and clamored for an exit strategy. Saddam Hussein went on trial. Iraqis ratified a constitution and held elections, but the insurgency persists.
3. UPHEAVAL ON THE SUPREME COURT: The death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist and retirement of Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor cleared the way for President Bush to appoint justices who may shape the institution for decades. A new chief justice, John Roberts, was sworn in and Harriet Miers was offered and then withdrawn. Samuel Alito awaits confirmation hearings.
4. TERRI SCHIAVO: Her death on March 31, at age 41, after 15 years in what doctors called a persistent vegetative state, fueled an international debate about the definitions of life and family.
5. POPE JOHN PAUL II: His passing on April 2, at age 84, ended one of the longest and most influential pontificates in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. The election of Joseph Ratzinger as his successor - as Benedict XVI - was seen as an affirmation of John Paul's conservative policies.
6. AN EMBATTLED PRESIDENT: Questions about the war in Iraq, an unpopular plan to overhaul Social Security, criticism of the government's response to Katrina and the indictment of a White House official in the CIA leak investigation - among other woes - drove President Bush's approval ratings to the lowest of his presidency.
7. LONDON BOMBINGS: July 7 suicide bomb attacks on London transit system killed 52 commuters, exposing the city's vulnerability to Sept. 11-style terrorism.
8. TRAGEDIES IN SOUTH ASIA: An earthquake near the border of India and Pakistan and the aftermath of a late-2004 tsunami brought death and misery to one of the world's poorest regions.
9. THE ECONOMY: Stagnating wages, rising health care costs, the collapse of pension plans and hard times at iconic companies like General Motors put a crimp in the American dream.
10. AN iPOD NATION: Widespread use of electronic devices changed the way Americans work and play.
AND 3 TO WATCH IN 2006
Intelligent design vs. evolution: Americans struggle with questions of science and faith in the widening debate over the origin of life.
Corporate pensions: A $450-billion shortfall threatens the retirement of the next generation.
A new Middle East War?: Iran's determination to develop a nuclear program seems increasingly like a provocation to war with Israel.
[Last modified December 22, 2005, 11:52:04]
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