History
WordPress has come a long way since 2003. What started as a few lines of code and a mission to build a better web has become a prevalent web platform and thriving community.
Read about the project’s journey through its first ten years in Milestones: The Story of WordPress—with a follow-up covering the latest decade available in May 2023. Just in time for the project’s 20th anniversary.
Jazzers and release dates
WordPress core developers share a love of jazz music, and all our major releases are named in honor of jazz musicians we personally admire. Here’s a list of releases and the musicians they were named for:
| Version | Musician | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | Mary Lou | August 19, 2026 |
| 7.0 | Louis Armstrong | May 20, 2026 |
| 6.9 | Gene Harris | December 2, 2025 |
| 6.8 | Cecil Taylor | April 15, 2025 |
| 6.7 | Sonny Rollins | November 12, 2024 |
| 6.6 | Tommy Dorsey | July 16, 2024 |
| 6.5 | Regina Carter | April 2, 2024 |
| 6.4 | Shirley Horn | November 7, 2023 |
| 6.3 | Lionel Hampton | August 8, 2023 |
| 6.2 | Eric Dolphy | March 29, 2023 |
| 6.1 | Mikhail Alperin | November 1, 2022 |
| 6.0 | Arturo O’Farrill | May 24, 2022 |
| 5.9 | Joséphine Baker | January 25, 2022 |
| 5.8 | Art Tatum | July 20, 2021 |
| 5.7 | Esperanza Spalding | March 9, 2021 |
| 5.6 | Nina Simone | December 8, 2020 |
| 5.5 | Billy Eckstine | August 11, 2020 |
| 5.4 | Nat Adderley | March 31, 2020 |
| 5.3 | Rahsaan Roland Kirk | November 12, 2019 |
| 5.2 | Jaco Pastorius | May 7, 2019 |
| 5.1 | Betty Carter | February 21, 2019 |
| 5.0 | Bebo Valdés | December 6, 2018 |
| 4.9 | Billy Tipton | November 15, 2017 |
| 4.8 | Bill Evans | June 8, 2017 |
| 4.7 | Sarah Vaughan | December 6, 2016 |
| 4.6 | Pepper Adams | August 16, 2016 |
| 4.5 | Coleman Hawkins | April 12, 2016 |
| 4.4 | Clifford Brown | December 8, 2015 |