Look Back To 2007: What Happened That Year

The iPhone, the smoking ban, the floods and the run on Northern Rock.

Here's 2007 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

In the charts in 2007

• Rihanna's 'Umbrella' spent ten weeks at number one over a very wet summer.
• Amy Winehouse's Back to Black was the album of the year.
• Leon Jackson's 'When You Believe' was the Christmas number one.

In the news in 2007

• The smoking ban came into force in England on 1 July.
• Severe summer floods hit Gloucestershire, Yorkshire and Worcestershire.
• Savers queued outside Northern Rock in September - the first run on a British bank in over a century.
• Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in June.

On screen in 2007

• Gavin & Stacey began on BBC Three.
• The Simpsons Movie and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were the big releases.
• BBC iPlayer launched at Christmas.

In sport in 2007

• The new Wembley Stadium opened in March.
• England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
• Lewis Hamilton's first Formula One season ended one point off the title.

Everyday life in 2007

• The iPhone went on sale in the UK on 9 November.
• Facebook overtook MySpace and Bebo in Britain over the following year.
• Mortgage rates and house prices were the only topic of conversation by the autumn.

If you were born in 2007

• Anyone born in 2007 is the same age as the iPhone and BBC iPlayer.
• They have never known a pub you could smoke in.
• Anyone born in 2007 turns 30 in 2037, 40 in 2047, 50 in 2057, 60 in 2067 and 70 in 2077.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

Shop birthday cards

How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 2009
• Look back to 2008
• Look back to 2006
• Look back to 2005
• Look back to 2004
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• 2000s party playlist
• 00s quiz questions
• Dial-up, MSN and MySpace
• Adverts we can still recite
• Decade music round questions
• The 2020s so far
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

When did the iPhone come to the UK?

9 November 2007, exclusively on O2 at launch.

What was the Northern Rock run?

In September 2007 savers queued to withdraw money from Northern Rock branches after the bank sought emergency support from the Bank of England.

How old is someone born in 2007?

Subtract 2007 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2047, 50 in 2057, 60 in 2067 and 70 in 2077.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page itself is free to read and free to copy.