On this day

May 5, 2007

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from May 5, 2007

Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of May 2, 2007, covering May 5, 2007.

  1. 1
    Album cover for The Best Damn Thing by Avril Lavigne

    The Best Damn Thing

    Avril Lavigne

    Last week
    —
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    1
  2. 2
    Album cover for Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails

    Year Zero

    Nine Inch Nails

    Last week
    —
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    1
  3. 3
    Album cover for NOW 24 by Various Artists

    NOW 24

    Various Artists

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    4
  4. 4
    Album cover for Bucky Covington by Bucky Covington

    Bucky Covington

    Bucky Covington

    Last week
    —
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    1
  5. 5
    Album cover for Waking Up Laughing by Martina McBride

    Waking Up Laughing

    Martina McBride

    Last week
    8
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    3

Notable Deaths

Theodore Maiman

2007Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (born 1927)[†]

Theodore Harold Maiman was an American engineer and physicist who is widely credited with the invention of the laser. Maiman's laser led to the subsequent development of many other types of lasers. The laser was successfully fired on May 16, 1960. In a July 7, 1960, press conference in Manhattan, Maiman and his employer, Hughes Aircraft Company, announced the laser to the world. Maiman was granted a patent for his invention, and he received many awards and honors for his work. His experiences in developing the first laser and subsequent related events are recounted in his book, The Laser Odyssey, later being republished in 2018 under a new title, The Laser Inventor: Memoirs of Theodore H. Maiman.

Historical Events

Kenya Airways Flight 507

2007Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing all 114 aboard, making it the deadliest aircraft disaster in Cameroon.[†]

Kenya Airways Flight 507 was a scheduled international passenger service between Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and Nairobi, Kenya with a stopover in Douala, Cameroon, operated by Kenya Airways. On 5 May 2007, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft serving the flight crashed immediately after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Cameroon, killing all 114 occupants onboard.

Historical Context for May 5, 2007

In 2007, the world population was approximately 6,757,308,781 people[†]