Jun 29
iPhone Launches
Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone. People camped outside Apple stores. A phone, an iPod, and an internet device — all in one. The smartphone revolution began.
🇺🇸United States · 00s
The iPhone Changes Everything
The iPhone arrives, the housing bubble pops, and the Virginia Tech shooting shocks.
What happened
5 milestones of 2007
Apr 16
Virginia Tech Shooting
A gunman killed 32 people and wounded 17 at Virginia Tech, the deadliest school shooting in US history. The nation grieved and debated gun control again.
mass shooting
Aug
Housing Bubble Begins to Burst
Subprime mortgage defaults soared. Bear Stearns hedge funds collapsed. The housing bubble was popping. The greatest financial crisis since the Depression was beginning.
Jan 10
The Surge in Iraq
Bush announced a 'surge' of 20,000 additional troops to Iraq under General Petraeus. Violence eventually declined. The debate over whether it worked continues.
war
Oct 12
Al Gore Wins Nobel Peace Prize
Al Gore and the IPCC shared the Nobel Peace Prize for climate change work. An Inconvenient Truth had made global warming a mainstream issue.
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
No Country for Old Men
Joel & Ethan Coen — Javier Bardem's coin flip. Won Best Picture. 'What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?'
There Will Be Blood
Paul Thomas Anderson — 'I drink your milkshake!' Daniel Day-Lewis's greatest performance.
Transformers
Michael Bay — Robots in disguise. The first blockbuster of the Bay explosion era.
Ratatouille
Brad Bird — 'Anyone can cook.' A rat in a Parisian kitchen. Pixar at its most inventive.
Superbad
Greg Mottola — Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. The funniest teen comedy since Fast Times.
What was on TV
Mad Men
2007-2015 — Don Draper and 1960s advertising. Jon Hamm and a cocktail redefined prestige TV.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
2007-2021 — Love it or hate it — the Kardashians defined a new celebrity culture.
Breaking Bad
2008-2013 — Premiered in early 2008 but the pilot was filmed in 2007. Walter White was coming.
The Office
2005-2013 — Peak years. 'Threat Level Midnight.' Michael Scott was America's best worst boss.
American Idol
2002-2016 — Jordin Sparks won. Still the biggest show on TV.
How much things cost
Currency: USD
Gallon of milk$3.50
Gallon of gas$2.80
New house (median)$247,900
iPhone$499
Loaf of bread$1.22
Movie ticket$6.88
Inflation: 2.8%
Housing prices peaked then started falling. The financial system was cracking.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Gallon of milkBLS
2007 (USD)
$3.50
→
Today's value ($)
--
Gallon of gasEIA
2007 (USD)
$2.80
→
Today's value ($)
--
New house (median)Census Bureau
2007 (USD)
$247,900
→
Today's value ($)
--
iPhoneApple
2007 (USD)
$499
→
Today's value ($)
--
Loaf of breadBLS
2007 (USD)
$1.22
→
Today's value ($)
--
Movie ticketNATO
2007 (USD)
$6.88
→
Today's value ($)
--
Technology
iPhone
Apple redefined the phone. The smartphone era began on June 29.
Kindle
Amazon released the Kindle e-reader. Books went digital.
Netflix streaming
Netflix began streaming video online, beginning the end of DVDs.
Android announced
Google announced the Android mobile operating system.
Tumblr launched
Microblogging platform that would shape internet culture.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Skinny jeans mainstreamGraphic teesEd Hardy (peak)
Slang
LMAO— Laughing my ass off
Fail— Something that went wrong
FML— Expressing frustration about one's life
Behavior
- The iPhone changed how people interact with technology forever
- Facebook opened to everyone (not just college students)
- Reality TV continued to dominate culture
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