December 31, 2005

By the winter of 2005, Bush was in the White House and the federal minimum wage stood at $5.15/hr — the U.S. was also in the second year of the Iraq War, with Congress debating the true cost of military benefits and a new prescription drug program projected to reach $720 billion. On screens and speakers, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" was the most-watched show on television, and "Million Dollar Baby" took home the Oscar for Best Picture at the 77th Academy Awards. The Chicago White Sox capped a remarkable run by winning the 2005 World Series, their first title since 1917, while earlier that January, the European Space Agency's Huygens probe successfully landed on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, marking the first soft landing ever achieved in the outer Solar System.