The Update that Changed the World

The Update that Changed the World is the name for version 1.7.2, a major update released on October 25, 2013. It added many new features such as a new terrain generator, many new biomes and biome variations, stained glass, red sand, new tree types, a new spawn system, new fish and a new fishing system with rewards, many new flowers, many more customization options, custom-size Nether portals up to 23×23, command blocks in minecarts, and many new commands.

Development began two months after 1.6.2 was released. Fourteen development snapshots were released, from 13w36a to 13w43a. Several iterations of the launcher were released during this time period, from 1.2.3 to 1.2.8. Also during the development period, 1.6.4 was released. Nearer the end of the snapshot cycle for the 1.7.2 update, Mojang focused primarily on fixing bugs, rather than adding new features.

The official name for the update, "The Update that Changed the World", was only announced three days prior to the 1.7.2 release on the Minecraft update Tumblr (which was displayed in the old launcher).

Mojang released the 1.7 pre-release on October 22, 2013, the 1.7.1 pre-release on October 23, and the 1.7.2 pre-release on October 25, shortly before the official release of the update.

Notable features
Notable additions:
 * 11 new biomes
 * Mesa, Mega Taiga, Roofed Forest, Birch Forest, Flower Forest, Savanna, Extreme Hills+, Deep Ocean, and snowless Taiga.
 * See Biomes
 * 20 new technical biomes
 * AMPLIFIED world type
 * 7 new commands
 * New particle effects
 * 6 new achievements
 * 4 new statistics
 * 2 new tree types, wood, planks, slabs, and stairs
 * Acacia (Savanna Biome) and Dark Oak (Roofed Forest biome) trees, wood, planks, slabs, and stairs.
 * See trees for more info.
 * 3 new fish:
 * Salmon, Clownfish (now called tropical fish), and Pufferfish.
 * See fish for more info.
 * 10 new flowers added as decoration and/or more easily retrievable dye ingredients
 * Roses removed and replaced with poppy.
 * Blue Orchid, Allium, Azure Bluet, Tulips, Oxeye Daisy, Sunflower, Lilac, Rose Bush, and Peony.
 * See flowers for more info.
 * Potion of Water Breathing
 * Made by brewing a pufferfish with an awkward potion.
 * See fish or Brewing for more info.
 * Stained Glass and Stained Glass Panes.
 * Made using a square of 8 glass around a single dye in the middle.
 * See Stained Glass for more info.

Notable changes:
 * Improvements to existing biomes
 * Ocean biomes are smaller and take up less of the world
 * Treasures can be caught by fishing
 * Achievements and statistics are now per world/server
 * Fog is less noticeable on lower render distances
 * Re-added pre-1.6.1 boat controls
 * Weighted pressure plates are no longer limited to items
 * Unbreaking from enchantment tables is no longer limited to tools
 * Hitting a mob with a sword while it is flashing red and inflicting no damage, as a result, does not decrease the durability of the sword
 * Witches now spawn outside of Witch Huts
 * Render Distance and Max Framerate are now sliders
 * Cave Generation was tweaked, making caves less dense and interconnected.
 * The server list can now be refreshed by pressing F5
 * Achievements earned are announced to everyone
 * When a mob or player takes fall damage, particles appear

Further revisions

 * 1.7.4 brought players Twitch.tv broadcasting and the Chicken Jockey.
 * 1.7.5 brought minigames to Realms servers.
 * 1.7.6, 1.7.7, 1.7.8 and 1.7.9 brought internal changes necessary for future player name and skin infrastructure.
 * 1.7.10 saw Realms extracted to its own library, so that updates to Realms would no longer require version upgrades.