Editing Millennium Dome (section)

== Chronology of the project ==
*1994: Millennium Commission established by Prime Minister [[John Major]] and handed over to Deputy Prime Minister [[Michael Heseltine]].
*1 March 1995: chief executive [[Jennifer Page (Millennium Dome)|Jennie Page]] appointed.
*19 June 1996: Greenwich Peninsula site selected over Birmingham by the Millennium Commission. The [[Birmingham NEC]], Pride Park in [[Derby, England|Derby]] and [[Bromley-by-Bow]] in East London were the other locations on the final short list.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}
*December 1996: Government decides to support the project with public money after being unable to raise private capital.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/millennium-dome|title=Millennium Dome|access-date=20 January 2017}}</ref>
*19 June 1997: New Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] visits Greenwich to announce that the Millennium Dome has been saved. The decision was taken only after a difficult Cabinet debate which lasted for more than an hour.<ref>''[[Evening Standard]]'', 19 June 1997</ref>
*20 June 1997: Tony Blair appointed [[Peter Mandelson]] to the role of Minister for the Millennium after his announcement that the beleaguered £580 million dome would go ahead.<ref>''[[Evening Standard]]'', 20 June 1997</ref>
*June 1997: Construction begins.
*10 January 1998: Creative director [[Stephen Bayley]] quits the project. He is said to have been at "loggerheads" with Peter Mandelson as to who was in charge with the project.<ref>''[[The Times]]'', 10 January 1998</ref>
*23 December 1998: Peter Mandelson resigns from government after a financial scandal.
*4 January 1999: [[Lord Falconer of Thoroton]] replaces Mandelson.
*May 1999: The [[Jubilee Line Extension]] opens, putting the Dome on the [[London Underground]]. This too is seen as disorderly, opening 14 months late and with station facilities not yet complete (e.g. lifts for wheelchair access).
*22 June 1999: structure of Dome completed.
*31 December 1999: the [[BBC One 'Balloon' idents|BBC Balloon]] is seen flying during "[[2000 Today]]" on BBC One, and used throughout 2000.
*31 December 1999 and 1 January 2000: VIP guests are kept waiting outside for hours because of a ticketing problem.
*1 January 2000: Dome structure opens to public as the Millennium Dome containing an exhibition to celebrate the third millennium.
*5 February 2000: Chief executive Jennie Page sacked and replaced by [[Pierre-Yves Gerbeau]].
*26 July 2000: Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee publishes adverse report on Dome's management.
*7 November 2000: [[Millennium Dome raid|Thieves break into the diamond exhibit]] during opening hours but are foiled by waiting police. Four men are jailed for the attempted robbery on 18 February 2002.
*9 November 2000: [[National Audit Office (United Kingdom)|National Audit Office]] publishes report blaming unrealistic attendance targets for the Dome's financial problems.
*14 November 2000: Michael Heseltine (MP for Henley), the Dome's original political supporter, states "I have seen the inside story, and of course, with hindsight, all of us would do it differently".<ref>''[[Birmingham Post]]'', 14 November 2000</ref>
*31 December 2000: Dome closed to the public, having attracted just over six million visitors. The initial projected figure was twelve million.
*27 February 2001 – 2 March 2001: One Amazing Auction Sale: Four-day public [[auction]] with 17,000 lots of Dome/NMEC items, managed by auctioneer Henry Butcher.
*18 December 2001: Announcement of sale of site to Meridian Delta Ltd, who planned to turn it into a 20,000-seat sports and entertainment venue. Houses and offices to be built on the surrounding land, subject to the consent of the London Borough of Greenwich.
*6 December 2003: opening of ''Winter Wonderland''.
*25 May 2005: Anschutz Entertainment Group sells the naming rights to the former Millennium Dome to [[Telefónica Europe|O2 plc]], a British mobile phone company.
*24 June 2007: [[The O2]] opens, with a concert by [[Bon Jovi]].