August 2005

Monday 01:

Disneyland Resort Line of the Hong Kong MTR opens to public.

Tuesday 02:

Air France Flight 358 skids off the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport outside Toronto, Canada, destroying the plane but resulting in no loss of life.

Wednesday 03:

President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya of Mauritania is overthrown in a military coup while attending the funeral of King Fahd in Saudi Arabia.

Thursday 04:

Prime Minister Paul Martin announces that Michaëlle Jean will be Canada's 27th ? and first black ? Governor General.

Sunday 07:

Peter Jennings dies of lung cancer at age 67. The United States and his birth country of Canada goes into mourning the day after.

Monday 08:

The Generation Sound Machine Experience a Hard/Psychedelic Rock band, broke up, after playing together for almost 5 years.

Tuesday 09:

Space Shuttle Discovery makes successful touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base, California

Friday 12:

Civil unrest provoked in the Maldives

Sunday 14:

Helios Airways Flight 522 crashes north of Athens, killing the 121 on board.

Tuesday 16:

West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crashes near Machiques, Venezuela, killing the 160 aboard.

Wednesday 17:

President Sellapan Ramanathan is declared President of Singapore for a second term at noon.

Thursday 18:

A Massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java, affecting almost 100 million people.

Friday 19:

The first-ever joint military exercise between Russia and China, called Peace Mission 2005 begins.

Sunday 21:

Pope Benedict XVI concludes World Youth Day with a mass. Over 800,000 people attended the closing liturgy.

Wednesday 24:

2005 - Peruvian airliner TANS's Flight 204 crashes in Pucallpa, killing at least 60 people.

Thursday 25:

2005 - Tom Boonen wins the World Championship cycling in Madrid, Spain.

Friday 26:

Fiji's High Court rules that the island's sodomy law is unconstitutional.

Sunday 28:

A mandatory evacuation is ordered by New Orleans, Louisiana mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco as Hurricane Katrina moved nearer to Louisiana.

Monday 29:

Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing thousands and costing over 100 billion dollars in damage.

Tuesday 30:

The 17th Street Canal in New Orleans is breached by Hurricane Katrina, leading to massive flooding and destruction.