Events from the year 2007 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government President: George W. Bush (R-Texas) Vice President: Dick Cheney (R-Wyoming) Chief Justice: John Roberts (Maryland) Speaker of the House of Representatives: Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) (until January 3) Nancy Pelosi (D-California) (starting January 4) Senate Majority Leader: Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) (until January 3) Harry Reid (D–Nevada) (starting January 3) Congress: 109th (until January 3), 110th (starting January 3)
State governments Governors and lieutenant governors Governors
Lieutenant governors
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 first iPhone, set to release in June. 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.This community also has a TV station that is affiliated with the CBS network, TV 59. January 31 Delta Air Lines creditors officially reject US Airways' hostile takeover bid. The 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
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. News From Korean Central News Agency Of Dprk 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
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 a second time as acting president from 7:16 am to 9:21 am EST, 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 (2 people in each helicopter respectively). July 31 For the United States Army, the role of AIT Platoon Sergeant is initiated. The USDA declares almost every county in Georgia a drought disaster area due to ongoing drought conditions in the region, which have caused crops to fail.
August
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.NBA Referee Pleads Guilty in Betting Scandal. History and the Headlines: What Made History in 2007? Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. 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 (post–1900) MLB record for most runs by one team in a single game, in a 30–3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.