2005 Historical Events April 19 2 sources

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy and becomes Pope Benedict XVI

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy and becomes Pope Benedict XVI.

On April 19, in the year 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy and becomes Pope Benedict XVI. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of April 19, one of 299 recorded events on this date across all of history.

A conclave was held on 18 and 19 April 2005 to elect a new pope to succeed John Paul II, who had died on 2 April 2005. Of the 117 eligible cardinal electors, all but two attended. On the fourth ballot, the conclave elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the dean of the College of Cardinals and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. After accepting his election, he took the name Benedict XVI. Ratzinger was the first cardinal from the Roman Curia to become pope since Pius XII in 1939.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on April 19, 2005 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 2 April 2026.

On This Date in History 299

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2024 Apr 19 Daniel Dennett, American philosopher and author (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2023 Apr 19 Moonbin, South Korean singer and actor (born 1998)
Notable Deaths 2023 Apr 19 Ron Hamilton, American musician (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2022 Apr 19 Kane Tanaka, Japanese supercentenarian (born 1903)
Historical Events 2021 Apr 19 The Ingenuity helicopter becomes the first aircraft to achieve flight on another planet
Notable Deaths 2021 Apr 19 Walter Mondale, American politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2021 Apr 19 Jim Steinman, American composer, lyricist (born 1947)
Historical Events 2020 Apr 19 A killing spree in Nova Scotia, Canada, leaves 22 people and the perpetrator dead, making it the deadliest rampage in th
Notable Deaths 2020 Apr 19 Ian Whitcomb, English singer-songwriter (born 1941)
Selected Events 2020 Apr 19 A series of attacks in Nova Scotia, Canada, ended when the perpetrator was killed by police, leaving 22 victims dead
Notable Deaths 2017 Apr 19 Lu Chao-Hsuan, Taiwanese guitarist, performer and educator
Notable Births 2016 Apr 19 The Rizzler, American internet personality
Notable Deaths 2016 Apr 19 Patricio Aylwin, Chilean politician (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2015 Apr 19 Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2015 Apr 19 Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (born 1924)
Selected Events 2015 Apr 19 Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American, died of injuries sustained while in the custody of the Baltimore Police De
Historical Events 2013 Apr 19 Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is killed in a shootout with police
Notable Deaths 2013 Apr 19 François Jacob, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2013 Apr 19 Al Neuharth, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded USA Today (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2012 Apr 19 Levon Helm, American musician and actor (born 1940)
Historical Events 2011 Apr 19 Fidel Castro resigns as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba after holding the title since July 1961
Notable Deaths 2011 Apr 19 Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2009 Apr 19 J
Historical Events 2008 Apr 19 The Quito Ultratumba nightclub fire in Quito, Ecuador, kills 19 people and injures at least 24 more
Notable Deaths 2007 Apr 19 Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2006 Apr 19 Albert Scott Crossfield, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (born 1921)
Selected Events 2005 Apr 19 Joseph Alois Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI on the second day of the papal conclave
Notable Deaths 2004 Apr 19 Norris McWhirter, English author and activist co-founded the Guinness World Records (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2004 Apr 19 John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2004 Apr 19 Jenny Pike, Canadian WWII servicewoman and photographer (born 1922)
Notable Births 2003 Apr 19 Jackson Merrill, American baseball player
Notable Births 2002 Apr 19 Loren Gray, American singer and internet personality
Notable Deaths 2002 Apr 19 Reginald Rose, American writer (born 1920)
Historical Events 2001 Apr 19 Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on STS-100 carrying the Canadarm2 to the International Space Station
Notable Births 2001 Apr 19 Dalton Knecht, American basketball player
Notable Births 2001 Apr 19 PinkPantheress, British singer-songwriter and record producer
Historical Events 2000 Apr 19 Air Philippines Flight 541 crashes in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board
Notable Deaths 2000 Apr 19 Louis Applebaum, Canadian composer and conductor (born 1918)
Selected Events 2000 Apr 19 Air Philippines Flight 541 crashed in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board
Historical Events 1999 Apr 19 The German Bundestag returns to Berlin
Notable Births 1999 Apr 19 Sebastian Kris, Australian-NewZealand rugby league player
Notable Deaths 1999 Apr 19 Hermine Braunsteiner, Austrian-German SS officer (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 1998 Apr 19 Octavio Paz, Mexican poet, philosopher, and academic Nobel Prize laureate (born 1914)
Historical Events 1995 Apr 19 Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P
Selected Events 1995 Apr 19 A truck bombing destroyed much of the Alfred P
Historical Events 1993 Apr 19 The 51-day FBI siege of the Branch Davidian building in Waco, Texas, US, ends when a fire breaks out
Notable Deaths 1993 Apr 19 David Koresh, American cult leader (born 1959)
Notable Deaths 1993 Apr 19 George S
Notable Deaths 1992 Apr 19 Frankie Howerd, English actor and screenwriter (born 1917)
Notable Births 1991 Apr 19 Kelly Olynyk, Canadian basketball player

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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