2007 in the United States

Events from the year 2007 in the United States.

Incumbents

Federal government

President: George W. Bush
President of the United States|Vice President]: Dick Cheney
Chief Justice: John Roberts
Speaker of the House of Representatives:
Senate Majority Leader:
Congress: 109th, 110th

Events

January

January 4
* William J. Fallon succeeds Gen. John Abizaid as the head of Central Command in Iraq.
* Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
January 7 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its New Year's Revolution pay-per-view event from the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.
January 9
*War in Somalia: U.S. warplanes conduct air strikes in Somalia against suspected terrorists.
* Steve Jobs publicly announces the release of the first iPhone.
January 10 - The Iraq War troop surge begins.
January 12 - The U.S. Embassy in Athens is attacked with a rocket propelled grenade, which causes minimal damage and no injuries.
January 23 - George W. Bush delivers his sixth State of the Union Address.
January 28
* A battle between insurgents and U.S.-backed Iraqi troops kills 300 suspected resistance members in Najaf, Iraq.
* World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Royal Rumble pay-per-view event from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
January 30
*Microsoft releases Windows Vista and Office 2007.
*A convenience store in Ghent, West Virginia, explodes due to a propane leak, killing four people and injuring several others.
January 31
* Delta Air Lines creditors officially reject US Airways' hostile takeover bid.
* The Boston Mooninite panic|Mooninite scare] occurs in Boston when devices used in a guerrilla marketing campaign for the animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force are mistaken for improvised explosive devices.

February

February 2 - A tornado in central Florida kills 21 people.
February 4 - Super Bowl XLI: The Indianapolis Colts defeat the Chicago Bears 29–17 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens for their second Super Bowl championship in franchise history, and first since relocating to Indianapolis.
February 10 - Senator Barack Obama of Illinois declares his candidacy for President of the United States of America.
February 12 - Gunman Sulejman Talović shoots and kills five people at the Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah, before being killed by police.
February 18 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its No Way Out pay-per-view event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
February 25 - The 79th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, is held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Martin Scorsese's The Departed wins four awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Bill Condon's Dreamgirls leads the nominations with eight. The telecast garners over 39.9 million viewers.
February 27 - 2007 [Bagram Air Base bombing]: A Taliban suicide attack at Bagram Air Base while Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney is visiting kills 23, but he is not injured.
February 28 - The New Horizons space probe performs a gravitational slingshot against Jupiter, which changes its trajectory towards Pluto.

March

March 6 - Mega Millions sets a new world record for the highest lottery jackpot of $370 million.
March 15 - Rebecca Klein is murdered in Villa Park, Illinois by her domestic partner Nicole Abusharif. Klein was bound and suffocated, with the perpetrator standing to benefit from a life insurance payout as a result of the crime.
March 16 - For the first time in the 23-year history of the modern version of the popular gameshow, Jeopardy!, a three-way tie occurs.
March 23 - Walt Disney Animation Studios' 47th feature film, Meet the Robinsons, is released to the studio's strongest reception since 2002's Treasure Planet, but is a box office disappointment.

April

Image:2007 Virginia Tech Massacre Bush handshake.jpg|thumb|120px|April 16: United States President George W. Bush with Virginia Tech Student Government Association President James Tyger after his speech at the school's convocation.

April 1 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds WrestleMania 23 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, drawing a crowd of 80,103.
April 16 - Virginia Tech shooting: Thirty-two people are killed in the Virginia Tech massacre at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Gunman Seung-Hui Cho was able to buy his firearms legally, despite having a record of mental illness, causing a large national debate on guns.
April 19 - U.S. and allied air forces conduct massive exercises over South Korea with over 500 planes.
April 25
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 135.95 points to close at 13089.89; its first close above 13,000 in its history.
* The Burj Khalifa in Dubai reaches the height of the Sears Tower on its way to becoming the tallest building in the world.
* Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduces articles to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney.
* President George W. Bush announces the U.S. will increase efforts to combat malaria in Africa.
April 29 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Backlash pay-per-view event from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

May

May 3 - The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Matthew Shepard Act. It is the first time that the House brings a gay rights bill to the floor for a vote.
May 4
*An EF5 tornado, part of a tornado outbreak, strikes Greensburg, Kansas, killing at least 12 people and destroying about 95% of the town.
* Executive Directive 51, which specifies the procedures for continuity of the federal government in the event of a "catastrophic emergency," is signed by President George W. Bush.
May 9 - Subtropical Storm Andrea forms off the coast of Florida, the earliest since Subtropical Storm Ana in 2003.
May 20 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Judgment Day pay-per-view event from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
May 31 - A calendar blue moon occurs in the Western Hemisphere and parts of the Eastern Hemisphere.

June

June 1 - U.S. warships bombard a Somali village where Islamic militants had set up a base.
June 2 - Four people are charged with a terror plot to blow up JFK International Airport in New York City.
June 3 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its One Night Stand pay-per-view event from the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
June 4 - Ten people, including a California National Guard officer and former Hmong general, are charged over plans to overthrow the Laotian Government.
June 5 - NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft makes its second fly-by of Venus en route to Mercury.
June 8 - The Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully launches on mission STS-117.
June 10 - The series finale of The Sopranos airs with its infamous cut-to-black ending.
June 14 - The San Antonio Spurs sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the 2007 NBA Finals, making this their fourth title win.
June 15 - The Price Is Right airs its final episode hosted by Bob Barker.
June 16 - Mike Nifong, district attorney for Durham County, North Carolina, is disbarred for misconduct, having been found guilty of 27 ethics related charges. Nifong withheld evidence that cleared the falsely accused players in the Duke lacrosse case.
June 18 - Nine Charleston, South Carolina firefighters are killed by a roof collapse while battling the Charleston Sofa Super Store fire.
June 24
* In South Lake Tahoe, California, a wildfire destroys 254 homes in the area.
* World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Vengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view event from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
June 25
* WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy Benoit, and his son Daniel are found dead as the result of a murder-suicide that took place over the previous weekend.
* Groundbreaking begins on the supertall Chicago Spire skyscraper. Construction will be suspended in 2008, and the project will ultimately be abandoned.
June 29
* The first iPhone is released in the United States.
* Pixar Animation Studios' eighth feature film, Ratatouille, is released in theaters.
June 30 - The Hawaii Superferry arrives in Honolulu after a 7,600 mile journey from Mobile, Alabama.

July

Image:TopViewNarrows.jpg|thumb|right|120px|July 15: Opening ceremony of the second Tacoma Narrows Bridge

July 3 - Transformers, directed by Michael Bay, is released as the first film in the Transformers film series.
July 7
* Venus Williams wins the Women's Singles at Wimbledon for a fourth time.
* Live Earth concerts are held throughout 9 major cities around the world.
July 8 - Boeing launches the new Boeing 787.
July 10 - A Cessna 310R twin-engine airplane crashes into two homes in Sanford, Florida, killing three adults and two children.
July 15 - In Tacoma, Washington, the second span of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge opens to traffic, making it the longest twin suspension bridge in the world.
July 18 - At the height of rush hour in New York City, a major steam pipe bursts, releasing millions of gallons of boiling water and super heated steam. Only one fatality occurred; a pedestrian who went into cardiac arrest.
July 19 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 14,000 for the first time in history.
July 21 - Vice President Dick Cheney serves as acting president for a few hours while President George W. Bush undergoes a colonoscopy procedure under sedation.
July 22 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its The Great American Bash pay-per-view event from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
July 27
* The Simpsons Movie is released.
* Two news helicopters both covering a police chase collide in mid-air over Phoenix, resulting in 4 fatalities.
July 31 - For the United States Army, the role of AIT Platoon Sergeant is initiated.

August

Image:I-35W bridge collapse TLR1.jpg|thumb|right|120px|August 1:
I-35W [Mississippi River bridge] collapse.

August 1
* The I-35W Mississippi River bridge on Interstate 35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota between University Avenue and Washington Avenue collapses at 6:05 p.m. CST during the later part of rush hour, killing 13 people.
* Scouting celebrates its 100th birthday with worldwide celebrations.
August 4 - The Phoenix spacecraft launches toward the Martian north pole.
August 6 - The Crandall Canyon Mine in Emery County, Utah collapses, trapping six miners.
August 7 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants breaks Hank Aaron's home run record by hitting his 756th home run in a game against the Washington Nationals.
August 8 - The Space Shuttle Endeavour is successfully launched on mission STS-118.
August 9 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average loses 387.18 points, its largest single-day drop since February 27.
August 12 - Tiger Woods wins the PGA Championship, his 13th career major.
August 15 - NBA referee Tim Donaghy surrenders to police and pleads guilty to charges brought up by an FBI investigation that he placed bets on games that he refereed.
August 16 - The Crandall Canyon Mine in Emery County, Utah, collapses a second time, killing three rescue workers and injuring six more.
August 17 - Phineas and Ferb debuts on Disney Channel.
August 18 - The remnants of Tropical Storm Erin re-strengthen into a tropical storm over Oklahoma, causing widespread flooding and wind damage.
August 21 - STS-118 lands at the Kennedy Space Center, completing Space Shuttle Endeavour's 19th flight.
August 22 - The Texas Rangers score thirty runs in one game, setting the modern MLB record for most runs by one team in a single game, in a 30-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
August 26 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its SummerSlam pay-per-view event from the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
August 27 - United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announces his resignation, to be effective September 17.
August 30 - A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress flies from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana while carrying six nuclear warheads that were mistakenly loaded onto the aircraft.

September

September 8 - iCarly debuts on Nickelodeon.
September 15 - Over 3,000 Taiwanese Americans and their supporters rally in front of the United Nations building in New York City to demand that the UN accept Taiwan as a member. At the same time, over 300,000 Taiwanese people rally in Taiwan to make the same plea.
September 16 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Unforgiven pay-per-view event from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.
September 24
* The Oregon State University Mars Rover student-organized project is formed.
* The Big Bang Theory debuts on CBS and goes on to become one of the most popular sitcoms on television.
September 25 - Halo 3 is released on Xbox 360, breaking all previous records in entertainment history by generating $170 million during its first 24 hours of release.

October

Image:Wildfire California Santa Clarita.jpg|thumb|right|120px|October 20 - November 9: Flames burn Santa Clarita, California during the California wildfires of October 2007.

October 7
* Off-duty police officer Tyler Peterson kills six people at a house party in Crandon, Wisconsin before committing suicide.
* World Wrestling Entertainment holds its No Mercy pay-per-view event from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
October 9 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average hits an all-time high of 14,164 before beginning to decline ahead of the start of the late-2000s recession.
October 10 - The 2007 SuccessTech Academy shooting occurs in Cleveland, Ohio.
October 15 - Drew Carey debuts as host of The Price Is Right, replacing the retired Bob Barker.
October 18 - In New York City, one of the world's leading art galleries, the Salander/O'Reilly Galleries, is forced into closure amidst scandal and lawsuits.
October 20 - Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue declares a state of emergency due to drought conditions.
October 20–November 9 - Wildfires in Southern California result in the evacuation of more than 1,000,000 people and destroy over 1,600 homes and businesses.
October 22 - In Missouri, Lisa Montgomery is convicted of murdering pregnant woman Bobbie Jo Stinnett and cutting her baby from her womb. Montgomery is sentenced to death and subsequently executed in 2021.
October 26 - Apple Inc. launches the sixth major release of their Mac OS X operating system, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
October 28
* The Boston Red Sox win the 2007 World Series in a four-game sweep against the Colorado Rockies.
* World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Cyber Sunday pay-per-view event from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C..
October 31 - The World Economic Forum releases the Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008.

November

November 3
* The DARPA Grand Challenge, a prized competition for driverless cars to navigate safely in traffic, is scheduled.
* Navy breaks its 43-year losing streak against Notre Dame in overtime, ending the streak of the most consecutive NCAA football wins over one opponent.
November 4 – Daylight saving time in the United States and most of Canada ends one week later than the previous schedule in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
November 5 – The 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike begins, leading to major disruptions across the entertainment industry.
November 6 – Legislative elections are held in Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia; Kentucky and Mississippi also hold gubernatorial elections.
November 8 – The 8th annual Latin Grammy Awards are held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
November 9 – Miramax Films and Paramount Vantage's No Country for Old Men is released, bringing in $1.2 million on opening day.
November 18 – World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Survivor Series pay-per-view event from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.
November 27 – The Annapolis Conference, a peace conference trying to end the Arab–Israeli conflict, is held in Annapolis, Maryland.

December

December
* The National Intelligence Estimate controversially expresses "high confidence" that Iran's nuclear weapons program has not operated since 2003.
* The late-2000s recession officially begins; the unemployment rate is 5%.
December 3 - Winter storms bring record amounts of rainfall in the Pacific Northwest, causing flooding and closing a 20-mile portion of Interstate 5 for several days. At least eight deaths and billions of dollars in damages occur in Washington.
December 4 - The United States Senate approves the Peru Free Trade Agreement.
December 5 - Robert A. Hawkins shoots eight people dead and injures five at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, then commits suicide.
December 9 - Matthew Murray goes on a killing spree targeting Christians in Colorado. Murray kills four before being shot by an off-duty police officer. He then commits suicide.
December 13 - Former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell publicly releases a report, accusing 89 retired and active Major League Baseball players of anabolic steroid use.
December 16 - World Wrestling Entertainment holds its Armageddon pay-per-view event from the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
December 19 - An explosion and fire at the T2 Laboratories facility in Jacksonville, Florida kills four and injures 14.
December 20
* In the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Tom Tancredo withdraws and endorses Mitt Romney.
* A group of activist Lakota people send a letter to the Department of State, declaring their secession from the Union as the Republic of Lakotah.
December 25 - An escaped tiger kills one person and injures two others at the San Francisco Zoo.
December 29 - The New England Patriots become the first team in NFL history to complete a perfect season under the 16-game format, as they defeat the New York Giants 38–35 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Ongoing

Births

January 5 - Gavin Bottger, skateboarder
January 18 - Tyler Crumley, actor
January 25 - Olivia Edward, actress
January 26 - Anna Leigh Waters, pickleball player
February 7
* Jason Liang, chess master
* Thomas Heilman, swimmer
February 9 - Zaila Avant-garde, first African-American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
February 27 - Demi Singleton, actress
March 1 - Claire Weinstein, swimmer
March 4 - Miya Cech, actress
March 8 - Caden Glover, soccer player
March 25 - Cailey Fleming, actress
May 16 - Joshua Ang, Malaysian soccer player
May 23 - Chloe Ricketts, soccer player
April 10
* YNW BSlime, rapper
* Christina Dragan, Romanian-American rhythmic gymnast
April 22 - Jake Bollman, racing driver
June 6 - Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, actress
June 9 - Ethan Nascimento, stock car racing driver
June 12 - Lily Yohannes, soccer player
June 14 - Bryce James, basketball player
June 23
* Desmond Napoles, drag performer
* Elliana Walmsley, dancer
June 24 - Stiven Jimenez, soccer player
July 3 - Keedron Bryant, singer
July 6 - Amariyanna Copeny, activist
July 14 - Darby Camp, actress
July 16 - Madray Johnson, artistic gymnast
July 17 - Charlie Shotwell, actor
July 18 - JD McCrary, singer, dancer, actor
July 22 - Annie Sanders, rock climber
July 27 - Alyvia Alyn Lind, actress
July 29 - Lil Tay, rapper
July 31 - Angelica Hale, singer
August 16 - Seth Carr, actor
August 27 - Ariana Greenblatt, actress
August 28 - August Maturo, actor
September 2 - Jack Messina, actor
September 12 - Zackary Arthur, actor
October 22 - Izaac Wang, actor
November 3 - Ever Anderson, actress
November 23 - Lonnie Chavis, actor
December 4 - Scarlett Estevez, actress
December 27 - Faithe Herman, actress

Deaths