The year 1997 of the Gregorian Calendar began and ended on a Wednesday.
During the year, Tony Blair was appointed as the Prime ministerr of United Kingdom. The Kyoto Protocol, designed to encourage industrial countries to take measures to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, was adopted by The United Nations. The Russian-Chechen Peace Treaty was signed by Boris Yeltsin and Aslan Maskhadov. The United Kingdom transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. The Confederation Bridge, connecting Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Canada was opened.
Bill Clinton began his second term as President of the US and Madeleine Albright became the first female secretary of state in the United States
The first color photograph was printed on the front page of The New York Times newspaper. J.K Rowling's first novel in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published. Steve Jobs returned to Apple. Paul McCartney was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
NASA’s space probe, Pathfinder, landed on Mars. Athens was selected as the host city for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Michael Jackson Jr, son of Michael Jackson, was born on February 11, Princess Diana died on August 31 in a car accident at the age of 36. Mother Teresa, the founder of Missionaries of Charity passed away on September 5. Michael Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy, died on December 31 in a skiing accident. The remains of Che Guevara, who was executed in 1967, were returned to Cuba from Bolivia for burial.
Famous Births
- Feb. 10: Chloe Moretz - Amitiville Horror
- Feb. 13: Prince Michael Jackson
- Nov. 13: Shane Kinsmen - Desperate Housewives
- Nov. 13: Brent Kinsmen - Desperate Housewives
Famous Deaths
- Mar. 09: Notorious B.I.G. - Rapper
- May 29: Jeff Buckley - Musician
- Jul. 02: James Stewart - The Philadelphia Story
- Sep. 05: Mother Teresa
- Oct. 12: John Denver
- Dec. 18: Chris Farley - SNL Alumni
Chart Toppers
- Jan. 04: Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart
- Feb. 22: Spice Girls - Wannabe
- Mar. 22: Puff Daddy - Can't Nobody Hold Me Down
- May. 03: Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
- May 24: Hanson - MMMBop
- Jun. 14: Puff Daddy / Faith Evans - I'll Be Missing You
- Aug. 30: Notorious B.I.G. / Puff Daddy - Mo Money...
- Sep. 13: Mariah Carey - Honey
- Oct. 04: Boyz II Men - 4 Seasons of Loneliness
- Oct. 11: Elton John - Candle in the WindBillboard: Historical Billboard Charts
Top Movies
70th Academy Awards
- Presented: March 23, 1998
- Best Picture: Titanic
- Lead Actor: Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets
- Lead Actress: Helen Hunt, in As Good as It Gets
- Best Director: James Cameron for Titanic
- Best Documentary:The Long Way Home directed by Mark Jonathan Harris
Championship Teams
Top Athletes
- NHL MVP - Dominik Hasek, BUF
- NFL MVP - Barry Sanders , DET
- NBA MVP - Karl Malone, UTH
- MLB AL MVP - Ken Griffey Jr., SEA
- MLB NL MVP - Larry Walker, COL
Nobel Laureates
1997 Timeline
January 15 1997
January 15: While visiting the victims of landmines in Angola, Princess Diana calls for governments put a ban on the weapons. By 2008 156 countries have signed an International treaty against landmines.
January 1997
- January 17: After occupying the city for 30 years, Israel returns the city of Hebron to Palestine.
February 1997
- February 23: Scientists in Scotland announce they have Cloned a sheep, they named it Dolly.
March 1997
- March 9: Rapper Notorious B.I.G. is killed in a drive bay shooting.
- March 11: Paul McCartney of the Beatles was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
- March 26: The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate religious cult who had committed suicide were found inside a mansion in California.
April 13 1997
April 1997
May 11 1997
May 11: An epic battle between Man vs. Machine is concluded as the IBM computer Deep Blue defeated Chess master Garry Kasparov.
May 1997
July 1997
- July 8: Heavy rains in the Carpathian Mountains cause major flooding in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic killing over a hundred.
- July 9: Mike Tyson was officially banned from boxing and fined after biting Evander Holyfield on June 28.
November 1997
- November 17: 62 tourists are shot and killed by radical militants at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Egypt.
December 4 1997
December 4: Latrell Sprewell of the Golden State Warriors is suspended for choking his coach P.J. Carlesimo during practice on December 1.
December 1997
- December 3: South Korea is bailed out with $55 Billion from the International Monetary Fund.
- December 10: Over 150 countries agreed on the Kyoto Protocol at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, which calls for a reduction of 5% of greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2012.
