2007: The Year In Review
Feb 9 – Reality TV Star Ana Nicole Smith Dies of a Drug Overdose
April 16 – Seung-Hui Cho goes on a shooting rampage at the Virginia Technikon in USA killing 32 people.
April 25 – The Proteas (SA Cricket Team) crash out again in the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup to Australia (remember 1999?), losing by 7 wickets to the No. 1 team in the world, after they lost narrowly to them earlier in the tournament. Australia went on to win Cricket World Cup 2007.
May 3 – Young girl Madeline McAnn is abducted from her apartment in Portugal. After an extensive campaign of desperate searching by Madeline’s parents, she has still not been found.
May 23 – AC Milan avenge their shock loss to Liverpool in the 2005 Champions league by beating the same team in the final of the 2007 UEFA Champions League scoring 2 goals to 1. It looked all set, but a late Liverpool goal by Dirk Kuyt gave the Italians a nervous ending, dreading a repeat of the 2005 final. But AC Milan held on to win the trophy.
June – The United Kingdom experiences its worst flooding in over a century as homes and ground level businesses around England and Wales are under up to 2 metres of water. Causing thousands of people to be evacutated, and the death toll reaches 8 people.
Aug 1 – A freeway bridge over the Mississippi river in the USA collapses during peak rush hour killing 13 people.
August – Toy Giants Mattel and Fisher Price recall millions of toys after it was revealed that most of their toys that were produced in China were found to have dangerous toxins in the plastics such as lead. It is the biggest product recall to date.
September – A Japanese journalist is shot and killed by riot police during protests against, amongst other things, radical fuel price increases in Myanmar.
Sept 20 – The Proteas again disappoint by being kicked out of the T20 Cricket World Cup after losing to India at India’s home ground in SA, Kingsmead Durban. Again, South Africa lose to the team that went on to win the tournament.
Oct 12 – Former US Vice-President Al Gore is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his hard hitting campaign to curb global warming. This, after his hugely successful film, an Inconvenient Truth which walked away with 2 Academy Awards.
Oct 20 – The Springbok Rugby team unite 47 million South Africans across racial and cultural divides and win Rugby’s most coveted prize, the Webb Ellis Cup and are crowned World Champions after beating England 15 – 6 in the final. Percy Montgomery kicked 4 penalties and Frans Steyn kicked one 50 meter monster penalty.
Nov 21 – The English Soccer Team are stunned as they fail to qualify for the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland in 2008 after they lost to Croatia on their homeground 3 goals to 2.
Dec 18 – Jacob Zuma shocks South Africa by coming back from a rape scandal AND a corruption inquest by winning the presidency of the ANC by a landslide 800 votes. Thabo Mbeki is left out in the dark.
Dec 27 – Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benzir Bhutto is assassinated while waving to crowds from her open top armed car after addressing a rally.