2007 Timeline: Events, People and History

Events in 2007 84

3000 BC – 2007 Wonders of the World From the Great Pyramid to the New Seven Wonders A journey through the greatest structures ever built by human hands, from the Great Pyramid of Giza — the only ancient wonder still standing — to the New Seven Wonders chosen by a global vote in 2007. The original list of Seven Wonders was compiled by the Greek writer Philo of Byzantium around 225 BC, celebrating the most extraordinary achievements of the ancient Mediterranean world. Most were destroyed by earthquakes, fire or human hands. The New Seven Wonders span four continents and over 4,500 years of human civilisation, joined here by honourable mentions that rival any of them in scale and mystery.
1917 – 2007 Jane Wyman (1917-2007) American actress who won an Oscar for Johnny Belinda, starred in Falcon Crest and was Ronald Reagan's first wife.
1921 – 2007 Betty Hutton (1921-2007) American actress and singer, Paramount's high-energy musical star of the 1940s.
1921 – 2007 Deborah Kerr (1921-2007) Scottish actress known for refined roles in Black Narcissus, From Here to Eternity and The King and I, with six Oscar nominations.
1922 – 2007 Yvonne De Carlo (1922-2007) Canadian-American actress, star of exotic 1940s adventures and Lily Munster in The Munsters.
1928 – 2007 Karlheinz Stockhausen Electronic music pioneer German avant-garde composer who pioneered electronic and serial music. His work Gesang der Jünglinge is a landmark of electronic composition.
1931 – 2007 Boris Yeltsin First president of Russia, 1991-1999 Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (February 1, 1931 – April 23, 2007) was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999. He oversaw Russia's chaotic transition to democracy and market economy, and famously appointed Vladimir Putin as his successor on New Year's Eve 1999.
1931 – 2007 Ursula K. Le Guin American novelist Le Guin wrote science fiction and fantasy exploring society, gender, and anthropology.
1935 – 2007 Luciano Pavarotti King of the High Cs Operatic tenor who became one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time.
2005 – 2007 A Bigger Bang Tour Highest-grossing concert tour in history — 2005 to 2007 The A Bigger Bang Tour (2005–2007) grossed $558 million from 147 shows, becoming the highest-grossing concert tour in history at the time, surpassing their own previous record. It was the last major tour with Charlie Watts.
2006 – 2007 Moves to Los Angeles at 17 Following the call resulting from her X Factor appearance, Bennett travels to Los Angeles to audition for a new girl group being assembled by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin and Interscope Records head Jimmy Iovine. She makes the cut and relocates to LA at 17 -- a significant commitment for a teenager from a Kent village. The move marks the beginning of her professional career and her decade-long relationship with Antin, who will remain the central figure in her musical life through both Paradiso Girls and later G.R.L.
2007 – present Florence + The Machine The Ethereal Voice Led by Florence Welch; known for baroque pop and powerful live performances.
2007 No Country for Old Men Best Picture — 80th Academy Awards The Coen brothers' adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel, with Javier Bardem as the killer Anton Chigurh.
2007 – 2010 Paradiso Girls -- the beginning The Paradiso Girls are formed in 2007 under Robin Antin and Jimmy Iovine, with a deliberate concept: a multinational girl group, each member from a different country. The final lineup of five includes Chelsea Korka (USA), Aria Crescendo (France), Shar Mae Amor (Philippines), Kelly Beckett (UK) and Lauren Bennett (UK). Signed to Interscope Records, they are conceived as a Pussycat Dolls-adjacent act combining pop, R&B and dance music. Bennett is 18 when the group forms and, having just relocated from Kent, is beginning her professional career in earnest.
2007 – 2008 Pekka-Eric Auvinen & Matti Saari School Shootings Two tragic incidents that led to major reforms in Finnish gun laws and mental health services.
2007 Smartphones The iPhone The device that merged computing, media, and telephony into one tool.
2007 – present Tame Impala The Psychedelic Visionary Kevin Parker's project that revived psychedelic rock for the modern era.
2007 Wembley Stadium reopens London, England The rebuilt national stadium, designed by Foster and Populous, with a 133-metre arch replacing the twin towers and 90,000 seats — the largest in the UK. It cost £798 million and opened four years late.
2007 Netflix streaming launches Video-on-demand revolution begins Netflix launched its video streaming service in 2007, initially alongside DVD rentals. Within a decade it had transformed how the world watches television and film.
2007 Romania and Bulgaria join EU EU expands to 27 nations Romania and Bulgaria became the 26th and 27th members of the European Union on January 1, 2007.
2007 iPhone launched Apple reinvents the mobile phone Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone on January 9, 2007, combining a phone, iPod and internet device in one touchscreen device. It transformed the smartphone industry and modern life.
2007 Iraq War troop surge US sends additional forces to stem sectarian violence President George W. Bush ordered an increase of more than 20,000 US troops into Iraq to curb sectarian violence in Baghdad and Anbar province. The surge was completed by mid-2007 and was followed by a marked drop in violence later that year.
2007 Prince plays the Super Bowl halftime show Purple Rain in the rain Plays Purple Rain in pouring rain in Miami.
2007 Anna Nicole Smith (1967-2007) Died 8 February 2007, aged 39 American model and television personality Anna Nicole Smith died of an accidental drug overdose in a Florida hotel room. Her death set off a prolonged legal battle over her estate and the paternity of her infant daughter.
2007 Putin delivers Munich Security Conference speech Sharp criticism of US foreign policy and NATO expansion Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a combative speech at the Munich Security Conference, denouncing US unilateralism and NATO's eastward expansion. It is often cited as a turning point marking the end of post-Cold War cooperation between Russia and the West.
2007 Chinese stock market "Black Tuesday" crash Shanghai index falls nearly 9% in a single day The Shanghai Composite Index dropped 8.8% in one day amid fears of government measures to cool speculative trading, triggering falls in stock markets around the world. It was one of the largest single-day drops in the exchange's history at the time.
2007 Bob Woolmer (1948-2007) Died 18 March 2007, aged 58 Bob Woolmer, the England-born former Test cricketer and coach of the Pakistan national cricket team, was found dead in his Jamaica hotel room during the Cricket World Cup. His death initially prompted a murder investigation before an inquest returned an open verdict.
2007 Princess Ariane born Third daughter of Willem-Alexander and Máxima Princess Ariane was born in The Hague.
2007 Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) Died 11 April 2007, aged 84 American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat's Cradle, died in Manhattan after suffering brain injuries in a fall. His satirical, science-fiction-inflected fiction made him one of the most widely read American writers of the 20th century.
2007 Virginia Tech shooting Deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in US history to date A student gunman killed 32 people and wounded 17 others on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, before killing himself. It prompted nationwide debate over campus security and gun control in the United States.
2007 2007 World Snooker Championship John Higgins Title 2 Winner: John Higgins; Runner-up: Mark Selby. Score: 18–13.
2007 Estonia cyberattacks Sustained DDoS campaign hits a NATO member state A wave of denial-of-service attacks disrupted Estonian government, bank, and media websites following a dispute with Russia over relocation of a Soviet-era war memorial. It is widely cited as an early example of state-linked cyberwarfare against a country's infrastructure.
2007 Australia wins the Cricket World Cup Undefeated campaign culminates in Barbados final Australia beat Sri Lanka in the final at Kensington Oval in Barbados to win the Cricket World Cup, completing the tournament without a single loss. It was Australia's third consecutive World Cup title.
2007 Disappearance of Madeleine McCann Three-year-old vanishes from Portuguese holiday resort British toddler Madeleine McCann disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents dined nearby. The case became one of the most widely publicized missing-person investigations of the decade and remains unsolved.
2007 Greensburg, Kansas tornado EF5 tornado destroys most of the town An EF5 tornado nearly a mile wide struck Greensburg, Kansas, destroying roughly 95% of the town and killing 11 people. It was the first tornado officially rated EF5 under the newly adopted Enhanced Fujita Scale.
2007 Nicolas Sarkozy elected President of France Defeats Ségolène Royal in runoff vote Nicolas Sarkozy won the French presidential runoff with about 53% of the vote, defeating Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal. He took office on 16 May 2007, succeeding Jacques Chirac.
2007 AC Milan wins the Champions League Italian club beats Liverpool in Athens final AC Milan defeated Liverpool 2–1 in the UEFA Champions League final in Athens, avenging their defeat to the same opponent in the 2005 final. It was Milan's seventh European Cup title.
2007 Facebook Platform launched Opens Facebook to third-party applications Facebook launched a platform allowing outside developers to build applications on the social network, spurring a wave of social gaming and app development. The move helped cement Facebook as a broader web platform rather than a standalone site.
2007 Google Street View launched Panoramic street-level imagery added to Google Maps Google introduced Street View, initially covering a handful of US cities with 360-degree street-level photography. It later expanded worldwide and became a standard mapping feature.
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End #1 film of 2007 — $963m worldwide Directed by Gore Verbinski. Captain Jack Sparrow and allies must rescue him from Davy Jones' Locker to face the East India Trading Company.
2007 Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2007) Died 1 June 2007, aged 70 French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, who founded his eponymous couture house and popularized the tuxedo jacket for women, died in Paris. He is regarded as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century.
2007 Chris Benoit murder-suicide WWE wrestler kills wife and son before himself Professional wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife and young son over several days before taking his own life at their home near Atlanta. The case drew intense scrutiny of steroid use and brain trauma in professional wrestling.
2007 Gordon Brown becomes UK Prime Minister Succeeds Tony Blair without a general election Gordon Brown was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after Tony Blair resigned, having led the Labour Party unopposed. He had previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer for a decade.
2007 First iPhone goes on sale Apple store queues around the block The first iPhone went on sale on June 29, 2007 at Apple stores across the US. Thousands queued overnight. It launched at $499 for 4GB and $599 for 8GB.
2007 Transformers #2 film of 2007 — $709m worldwide Directed by Michael Bay, starring Shia LaBeouf. Two groups of robots wage war on Earth, with a teenager caught in the middle.
2007 Live Earth benefit concerts Series of concerts held on all seven continents Al Gore helped organize a series of benefit concerts across the world, including a flagship show at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, to raise awareness of climate change. The event drew large audiences and broad media coverage.
2007 Pope Benedict XVI issues Summorum Pontificum Eases restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass Pope Benedict XVI issued a decree broadening permission for priests to celebrate Mass using the pre-1970 Roman Missal without special approval from local bishops. The move was welcomed by traditionalist Catholics and debated within the wider Church.
2007 China executes former food and drug safety chief Zheng Xiaoyu convicted of taking bribes Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration, was executed after being convicted of accepting bribes to approve substandard medicines. The case followed a series of scandals over Chinese product and food safety.
2007 Lady Bird Johnson (1912-2007) Died 11 July 2007, aged 94 Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson, widow of US President Lyndon B. Johnson and a former First Lady known for her highway beautification campaign, died at her Texas ranch. She had also managed a media business empire in her own right.
2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix #3 film of 2007 — $942m worldwide Directed by David Yates. Harry forms a secret group to battle Voldemort after the Ministry of Magic refuses to believe he has returned.
2007 Tammy Faye Messner (1942-2007) Died 20 July 2007, aged 65 American televangelist and television personality Tammy Faye Messner, formerly Tammy Faye Bakker, died in Kansas after a long battle with cancer. She had become a co-host of the PTL Club before its collapse in a financial scandal in the 1980s.
2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows published Final novel in J.K. Rowling's series The seventh and final Harry Potter novel sold more than 11 million copies in its first 24 hours across several countries. It concluded the series that had begun ten years earlier.
2007 Bill Walsh (1931-2007) Died 30 July 2007, aged 75 American football coach Bill Walsh, who led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl titles and pioneered the "West Coast offense," died in California after a battle with leukemia. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential coaches in NFL history.
2007 Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) Died 30 July 2007, aged 89 Swedish film and theatre director Ingmar Bergman, known for films including The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, died at his home on the island of Fårö. He is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in cinema history.
2007 Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007) Died 30 July 2007, aged 94 Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni, best known for Blow-Up and L'Avventura, died on the same day as fellow director Ingmar Bergman. His work was noted for its slow pacing and themes of alienation.
2007 I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse Interstate highway bridge fails during evening rush hour The I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed into the Mississippi River during rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring 145. The disaster led to a nationwide review of US bridge infrastructure.
2007 Global credit crunch begins BNP Paribas freezes funds exposed to US subprime debt French bank BNP Paribas froze three investment funds, citing an inability to value assets linked to US subprime mortgages. The move is widely regarded as the opening event of the global financial crisis.
2007 Brooke Astor (1902-2007) Died 13 August 2007, aged 105 American philanthropist and socialite Brooke Astor, who gave away much of the Astor family fortune to New York cultural and social institutions, died at her Westchester estate. Her final years were marked by a highly publicized elder-abuse case against her son.
2007 Mattel recalls millions of Chinese-made toys Lead paint and small-magnet safety concerns Mattel recalled millions of toys manufactured in China after finding excessive lead in paint and loose magnets that posed choking hazards. The recalls fueled broader concerns about product safety in Chinese manufacturing.
2007 Saffron Revolution in Myanmar Buddhist monks lead mass protests against military rule Protests against fuel price rises grew into large demonstrations led by Buddhist monks against Myanmar's military government. The junta violently suppressed the protests in late September, killing an unknown number of people.
2007 Max Roach (1924-2007) Died 16 August 2007, aged 83 American jazz drummer Max Roach, a pioneering figure in bebop and later a civil-rights-era bandleader and composer, died in New York City. He is regarded as one of the most influential drummers in jazz history.
2007 Israeli airstrike destroys Syrian reactor Operation Orchard targets suspected nuclear site Israeli aircraft bombed a facility in eastern Syria that was later confirmed to be a nuclear reactor under construction with North Korean assistance. Neither government officially acknowledged the strike at the time.
2007 Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) Died 6 September 2007, aged 88 American author Madeleine L'Engle, best known for the children's novel A Wrinkle in Time, died in Connecticut. Her work blended science fiction with themes of faith and family.
2007 Northern Rock bank run First UK bank run in over a century Depositors queued to withdraw savings from Northern Rock after news broke that the bank had sought emergency funding from the Bank of England. It was an early visible sign of the global credit crunch that led to the 2008 financial crisis.
2007 Robert Jordan (1948-2007) Died 16 September 2007, aged 58 American fantasy author Robert Jordan, best known for The Wheel of Time series, died in South Carolina from a rare blood disease. The series was later completed by fellow author Brandon Sanderson using Jordan's notes.
2007 Marcel Marceau (1923-2007) Died 22 September 2007, aged 84 French performer Marcel Marceau, who created the character Bip the Clown and became the world's best-known mime artist, died near Paris. He was a French Resistance member during the Second World War before his stage career.
2007 Al Gore and IPCC awarded Nobel Peace Prize Honored for work on climate change awareness Former US Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shared the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to build and disseminate knowledge about man-made climate change. The award raised the profile of climate policy worldwide.
2007 Deborah Kerr (1921-2007) Died 16 October 2007, aged 86 Scottish actress Deborah Kerr, known for films including From Here to Eternity and The King and I, died in England. She received six Academy Award nominations for Best Actress over her career.
2007 South Africa wins the Rugby World Cup Springboks defeat England in the final South Africa defeated England 15–6 in the Rugby World Cup final at the Stade de France, winning the tournament for the second time. It was a landmark moment for South African sport in the post-apartheid era.
2007 Kimi Räikkönen wins Formula One championship Ferrari driver clinches title at the season finale Kimi Räikkönen won the Formula One World Championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix, overtaking both McLaren drivers on the final day of the season. The season was overshadowed by the "Spygate" scandal involving McLaren and Ferrari technical data.
2007 China launches Chang'e 1 lunar probe First spacecraft in China's lunar exploration program China launched Chang'e 1, its first lunar orbiter, marking the start of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. The probe successfully entered orbit around the Moon in November 2007.
2007 Boston Red Sox win the World Series Sweep the Colorado Rockies for second title in four years The Boston Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies to win the World Series, their second championship since ending an 86-year drought in 2004. Josh Beckett was named World Series MVP.
2007 Android launched Google's mobile operating system debuts Google announced the Android mobile operating system on November 5, 2007. It grew to power over 70% of the world's smartphones, fundamentally changing computing and communications.
2007 Norman Mailer (1923-2007) Died 10 November 2007, aged 84 American novelist and journalist Norman Mailer, twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a pioneer of New Journalism, died in New York City. His works included The Naked and the Dead and The Executioner's Song.
2007 Amazon Kindle launched First e-reader from Amazon sells out in hours Amazon released the first Kindle e-reader, which sold out within five and a half hours of going on sale. It helped popularize e-books and digital reading devices.
2007 Kevin Rudd elected Australian Prime Minister Labor ends over a decade of Liberal government Kevin Rudd led the Australian Labor Party to victory over incumbent John Howard, ending nearly twelve years of Liberal-National coalition rule. Rudd was sworn in as Prime Minister in December 2007.
2007 Annapolis Conference on Middle East peace Israeli and Palestinian leaders resume negotiations The United States hosted Israeli and Palestinian leaders along with representatives from dozens of countries in Annapolis, Maryland, to relaunch peace negotiations. The conference produced a joint statement committing both sides to reach a peace agreement by the end of 2008.
2007 Sean Taylor (1983-2007) Died 27 November 2007, aged 24 American football safety Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins died after being shot during a home invasion in Miami. His death led to a wave of tributes across the National Football League.
2007 Evel Knievel (1938-2007) Died 30 November 2007, aged 69 American stunt performer Evel Knievel, famous for his motorcycle jumps over canyons, buses, and fountains, died in Florida after years of declining health. He remains one of the most recognized figures in American daredevil entertainment.
2007 Bali Climate Change Conference UN talks produce the Bali Road Map The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali produced the Bali Road Map, a framework for negotiating a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. It set a two-year timetable for reaching a new global climate agreement.
2007 Dan Fogelberg (1951-2007) Died 16 December 2007, aged 56 American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, known for hits such as "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne," died at his home in Maine after a battle with prostate cancer.
2007 Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) Died 23 December 2007, aged 82 Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, one of the most celebrated virtuosos in jazz history, died at his home near Toronto. He recorded prolifically over six decades and won multiple Grammy Awards.
2007 Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007) Died 27 December 2007, aged 54 Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and suicide bomb attack at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi. Her death, weeks before scheduled elections, triggered widespread unrest across Pakistan.
2007 Kenyan election crisis begins Disputed presidential vote triggers ethnic violence The disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki over opposition leader Raila Odinga triggered widespread ethnic violence across Kenya. The unrest killed over a thousand people and displaced hundreds of thousands before a power-sharing deal was reached in early 2008.