World Events in 2007
iPhone Launch
On 29 June, Apple released the first iPhone in the US, combining a phone, widescreen iPod, and internet device in one. Customers camped outside Apple Stores for days. It would fundamentally change how humans interact with technology and each other.
Subprime Mortgage Crisis Begins
The US housing bubble began to burst as subprime mortgage defaults surged. Two Bear Stearns hedge funds collapsed in June, and BNP Paribas froze redemptions on three funds in August. These were the first tremors of the financial earthquake to come.
Virginia Tech Shooting
On 16 April, a student shot and killed 32 people at Virginia Tech university in Blacksburg, Virginia, before taking his own life. It was the deadliest school shooting in US history and reignited the gun control debate.
Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
Three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on 3 May. Despite the largest missing person investigation in modern history, she was never found. The case became a global media phenomenon.
Tony Blair Resigns as Prime Minister
After 10 years in power, Tony Blair stepped down on 27 June, with his legacy overshadowed by the Iraq War. Gordon Brown succeeded him without a leadership contest, inheriting a Labour Party tired of Blair but soon to face economic catastrophe.
Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, weeks before parliamentary elections. She was shot and then killed by a suicide bomb blast, plunging Pakistan into political crisis.
Music in 2007
"Bleeding Love"
Leona Lewis
The X Factor winner's second single became a global smash, spending seven weeks at number one in the UK and later reaching number one in the US — a rare feat for a British female artist at the time.
"Irreplaceable"
Beyonce
Beyonce's empowerment anthem from her 'B'Day' album spent 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 straddling 2006-2007, and its 'to the left, to the left' hook became one of the decade's most quoted lyrics.
#1 Film of 2007
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Box Office: $963 million worldwide
The third instalment of the pirate franchise topped the global box office despite mixed reviews, with a then-record production budget of around $300 million making it one of the most expensive films ever made.
Born in 2007
Yamal generation emerging
Many Gen Alpha figures born in this year are still emerging into public life
Stormi Webster
Daughter of Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott (born 2018 — adjusted)
Lamine Yamal (2007)
Spanish football prodigy born 13 July 2007 who became the youngest-ever European Championship goalscorer at Euro 2024 aged 16
Multiple future athletes
The 2007 birth cohort's sporting and cultural stars are still largely emerging as of the mid-2020s
Lost in 2007
Luciano Pavarotti
Italian operatic tenor and one of the Three Tenors who brought opera to a mass audience
Age 71
Benazir Bhutto
First woman to head a democratic government in a Muslim-majority country, serving as PM of Pakistan
Age 54
Kurt Vonnegut
American author of Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat's Cradle
Age 84
Ingmar Bergman
Swedish film director considered one of the greatest auteurs in cinema history
Age 89
Boris Yeltsin
First President of the Russian Federation who oversaw the end of the Soviet Union
Age 76
Technology in 2007
The iPhone launched on 29 June, creating the template for every smartphone that followed. Amazon released the first Kindle e-reader. Netflix began streaming video alongside its DVD-by-post service. The first-generation Apple TV was released, and Android was announced by Google.
- ● Apple iPhone launched on 29 June — revolutionising mobile computing
- ● Amazon Kindle e-reader released
- ● Netflix began its streaming video service
- ● Google announced the Android mobile operating system
Cost of Living in 2007
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £184,000 | $217,000 |
| Average salary | £24,000 | $46,000 |
| Pint of milk | £0.31 | $0.42 |
| Loaf of bread | £0.70 | $1.19 |
| Dozen eggs | £1.55 | $1.68 |
| Pint of beer | £2.40 | $3.50 |
| Gallon of petrol/gas | £4.25 | $2.80 |
| Cinema ticket | £5.50 | $6.88 |
Shop 2007 memorabilia on eBay/Amazon
The Zeitgeist of 2007
The iPhone's launch in June was a watershed moment — queues stretched around blocks and the smartphone era began. The final Harry Potter book was released to midnight queues worldwide. Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black' was inescapable, and her troubles became tabloid fodder. Fashion went boho-chic with headbands, waistcoats, and skinny scarves.
In the News in 2007
Tony Blair resigned after 10 years as Prime Minister and was succeeded by Gordon Brown. Madeleine McCann disappeared in Portugal, becoming the most covered missing person case in modern British history. Virginia Tech shooting killed 32 people. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Pakistan.