John Paul II died on 2 April 2005 in Rome, aged 84. A Polish-born pope, Karol Wojtyła became archbishop of Kraków and was elected pope in October 1978, the first non-Italian in 455 years. His long pontificate was marked by extensive travel to well over a hundred countries, an emphasis on human dignity and a conservative line on church doctrine. His support for the Solidarity movement in his homeland and his visits to Poland are widely seen as having played a part in the fall of communism in Europe. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981, improved relations with Judaism and other faiths, and was canonised in 2014.
Before and after
- from 22 March 2005 to 11 April 2005Tulip Revolution
- from 24 March 2005 to 16 May 2013Premiere of The Office
- 27 March 2005Premiere of Grey's Anatomy
- April 2005Founding of ALBA
- 2 April 2005Death of John Paul II
- 8 April 2005Creation of Kubuntu
- 1 May 2005Discovery of Daphnis
- 15 May 2005Discovery of Nix
- 15 May 2005Discovery of Hydra
More in Art, literature & culture
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- c. 1970sRise of rapping
- 17 December 1989Premiere of The Simpsons
- 1 May 1999Premiere of SpongeBob SquarePants
- 4 January 2010Construction of Burj Khalifa
- from 26 January 2021 to 27 November 2023Premiere of Go, Dog. Go!
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.