1997

Year 1997 () was a (link will display full 1997 ).

The year 1997 was the according to the.

January

 * - An off duty soldier identified as Pvt. Noam Friedman, 22, fires at a group of fleeing  at a vegetable market in . He was stopped when five other Israeli soldiers tackle him after he injured five Palestinians. He shot at the Palestinians because he felt that "they hate s".
 * - Yachtsman is found alive, 5 days after his boat capsized in the Southern Ocean.
 * - Bulgarian Student strike vs government of Jan Videnov
 * -, the only son of actor , is killed by a gunman while changing a flat tire in.


 * - A rocket carrying a military  payload explodes, shortly after liftoff from.
 * - In northwest, militia members kill 3 Spanish aid workers, 3 soldiers and seriously wound another.
 * - returns to  after more than 30 years, and joins celebrations over the handover of the last i-controlled  city.
 * - starts his second term as.
 * - becomes the first  to be internally disciplined for ethical misconduct.
 * - becomes the first female Secretary of State after confirmation by the.
 * - receives the death sentence for a 1993 assault rifle attack outside  headquarters that killed 2 and wounded 3 others.
 * - The win the  for the first time since, defeating the  35-21 in  at the  in ,.
 * - It is revealed that s had nearly 2,000 pieces of art that were stolen by.

February

 * - is found liable in civil court for the death of  and for the battery of .  is ordered to pay $35,000,000 in damages to the families of the 2 victims.
 * - On their way to, 2 i troop-transport s collide, killing 73.
 * - After at first contesting the results, n President recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.
 * - footballer Adam Tanner, who recently failed a, is banned from football for three months at an  hearing. Tanner received a relatively lenient punishment as he had admitted taking drugs at the first attempt and shown remorse for his behaviour.
 * -   informs   that she will never be released from prison. Mr Howard made the decision in agreement with a recommendation made by his predecessor  in.
 * - The so-called "Big Three" banks in announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid  survivors and their families.
 * - and  investment banks announce a $10 billion merger.
 * - The suspends Sgt. Major, its top-ranking enlisted soldier, after hearing allegations of sexual misconduct.
 * - : n newspapers publish stories that the government of has brought mercenaries onto.
 * - The  reports that investigators found evidence the Chinese Embassy in  may have coordinated financial contributions to the Democratic party in violation of U.S. law.   This brings a new dimension to the growing.
 * - ': Tune-up and repair work on the is started by s from Space Shuttle '.
 * - The closes above 7,000, gaining 60.81 to 7,022.44.
 * - The last of the 's major revolutionaries,, dies at 92 (this is followed by weeks of mourning).
 * - In, scientists announce that an adult named  had been successfully , and was born in.
 * - A large fire occurs in the n.
 * - The takes place between 2 heavily armed bank robbers and officers of the.
 * - becomes the first TV station in the nation to start broadcasting their newscasts in  on a  channel.

March

 * - The opens in Chiyozaki, Nishi-ku,,.
 * - The is released in  and.
 * - U.S. President bars federal funding for any research on.
 * - 's Tête de Femme is stolen from a gallery (recovered a week later).
 * - In, overrun a  and kill more than 200.
 * - Rapper is killed in a.
 * - The main office of moves from Kawadacho,,  to , , Japan.
 * - An explosion at a reprocessing plant in  exposes 35 workers to low-level, in the worst  in 's history.
 * - is arrested in  and charged with shooting 's 27-year-old son,.
 * - 's Missionaries of Charity chooses to succeed  as its leader.
 * The of the  creates a new  Municipality. It was formerly part of.
 * The over Phoenix, AZ.
 * - - On, soldiers of commander  arrest  and his  of the.
 * - The tail of a n charter plane breaks off while en-route to, causing the plane to crash, killing all 50 on board, and resulting in the grounding of all An-24s.
 * - In, Etienne Tshiksekedi is appointed new prime minister; he ejects supporters of from his cabinet.
 * - Mercenaries of withdraw from.
 * -, 14, becomes the youngest women's world champion.
 * - The comet makes its closest approach to Earth.
 * -, the second democratically elected , dies at age 84.
 * - In, 39 cultists commit mass suicide at their compound.
 * - The survey of a claimed gold site of in  reveals it is worthless; Bre-X complains and accuses Internet rumours.
 * - resigns as prime minister of, ending the.

April

 * - : Cartoonists of popularly syndicated comic strips swap cartoons for the day.
 * - The in : All but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas.
 * - announced of the bands break up
 * - Fire damages the Turin Cathedral in.
 * - Fire breaks out in a pilgrim camp on the Plain of Mena, 7 miles from Mecca; 343 die.
 * - Former SS Captain is retried; on  he is sentenced to 5 years in prison.
 * - socialite  is murdered in her  home.  later admits to the crime in his suicide note. Despite being found innocent of the crime by a  jury, he is later arrested by the  on similar charges.
 * - The breaks through dikes and   and, causing US$2 billion in damage.
 * - A Pegasus rocket carries the remains of 24 people into earth orbit, in the first.
 * - in ; 93 villagers killed.
 * - A 126-day hostage crisis at the residence of the ese ambassador in ends after government commandos storm and capture the building, rescuing 71 hostages. One hostage dies of a, 2 soldiers are killed from rebel fire, and all 14  rebels are slain.
 * - supports the new  in, withdrawing its support of.
 * - in ; 42 villagers killed.
 * - murders Jeffrey Trail, beginning a murder spree that will last until July and end with the murder of fashion designer.

May

 * - becomes the last state in  to decriminalize.
 * - : The 's ends 18 years of  rule.
 * - in, , is officially closed.
 * - is appointed.
 * - win  for the  with, the most successful Eurovision entry ever.
 * - An near Ardekul, in northeastern, kills at least 2,400.
 * - 's defeats  in the  of the rematch, the first time a computer beat a  World champion in a match.
 * - The n- Peace Treaty is signed.
 * - The is formed between, , ,  and.
 * - does not attend a second meeting with.
 * - leaves  (eventually settles in Morocco).
 * - U.S. President issues a formal apology to the surviving victims of the  and their families, 25 years after the 40-year "study" was exposed by reporter Jean Heller.
 * - Troops of march into.
 * - :, the 's first female bomber pilot certified for combat, accepts a in order to avoid a.
 * - becomes the longest serving member in the history of the  (41 years and 10 months).
 * - A military in  replaces President  with Major.
 * - : The second deadliest tornado of the 1990s hits in, killing 27 people.
 * - Official opening of the, the 13 kilometer bridge is the world's longest bridge spanning ice covered waters, between and ,.

June

 * - : i military escorts on board an helicopter try to physically prevent the UNSCOM pilot from flying the helicopter in the direction of its planned destination, threatening the safety of the aircraft and their crews.
 * - wins their 10th Verano '97 championship 7-2 against Toros Neza.
 * - wins the  in.
 * - In, , is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995  of the  in.
 * - Kim Hyun Chul, son of, , is charged with and  related to the awarding of government contracts.
 * - In Lacey Township,, high school senior kills her newborn baby in a toilet.
 * - A computer user known as "_eci" publishes his source code on a  and  exploit, which would later become . The source code gets wide distribution across the, and  is forced to release a security patch.
 * - The win their first  championship in 42 years, defeating the  4 games to none. Red Wings goaltender  is awarded the  as playoff MVP.
 * - A helicopter crashes near, . All four crewmembers perish.
 * - leader  orders the killing of his defense chief,, and 11 of Sen's family members, before Pol Pot flees his northern stronghold (the news does not reach outside  for 3 days).
 * - The votes for a total ban on s.
 * - The unveils a new $50 bill, meant to be more -resistant.
 * - A jury sentences to the  for his part in the 1995.
 * - The Chicago Bulls win their 5th NBA championship by defeating the Utah Jazz in the best-of-7 series 4 games to 2.
 * - in Algeria; some 50 people killed.
 * - The fast food chain wins a partial victory in its libel trial, known as the, against 2 environmental campaigners. The judge decides it was true that McDonald's targeted its advertising at children, who pestered their parents into visiting the company's restaurants.
 * - An unmanned collides with the n,.
 * - is appointed as the 10th  of the  and  is appointed as the 16th, and first female,  (Deputy Prime Minister), after their parties,  and the  respecively, won the.
 * - First book is published.

July

 * - The  of  to the.
 * - The is floated. Tom Walters Sr. of Meridian MS wins powerball of 11,000,000.00 us dollars.
 * - 's space probe lands on the surface of.
 * - In, of the  overthrows  in a.
 * - A major wildfire burns approximately 40% of Seich Sou, a forest just north of, also posing a significant threat to several areas in the city.
 * - researchers warn that the  drug "" can cause severe  and  damage.
 * - invites the, , and  to join the alliance in 1999.
 * - In, scientists report their analysis findings from a  skeleton, which support the  of , placing an "African Eve" at 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.
 * - is kidnapped in, Spain and murdered by the.
 * - 90 die in 's worst hotel fire at.
 * - The remains of are returned to  for burial, alongside some of his other comrades.
 * -  shoots fashion designer  to death outside Versace's  residence.
 * - The gains 63.17 to close at 8,038.88. It is the Dow's  above 8,000. The Dow has doubled its value in 30 months.
 * - The closes after 117 years in business.
 * - The fully restored (aka "") celebrates her 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
 * - files  charges against chipmaker.
 * - Serial killer commits suicide in a  houseboat.
 * - is sworn in as 's 10th president and the first member of the  to hold this office.
 * - First light at the
 * - in ; about 50 people killed.

August

 * - and  complete their merger.
 * - n ski instructor is rescued as the sole survivor from the  landslide in, , in which 18 lives were lost.
 * - in ; 40-76 villagers killed.
 * - 185,000 Union  drivers walk off the job.
 * - buys a $150 million share of financially troubled.
 * - 228 die as crash lands at.
 * - In, , wins  of  by 1-0 and are  champions by second time.
 * - celebrates 50 years of independence from British rule.
 * - India celebrates 50 years of independence from British rule.
 * - in ; over 60 people killed, 15 kidnapped.
 * -, the former East German leader, is convicted of a shoot-to-kill policy.
 * - in ; 60-100 people killed.
 * - The is set up in, as part of the peace process.
 * - in ; over 98 (and possibly up to 400) people killed.
 * - Christopher Maier of is bludgeoned to death by serial killer .  also rapes and beats Christopher's girlfriend, who survives. This is the first of a string of murders that Angel commits.
 * -, is taken to hospital after a car crash shortly after midnight in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in . She is pronounced dead at 4:00 a.m. that morning.

September

 * - Governor  is convicted for various crimes tied to his  business, effectively forcing him out of office.
 * - In, the last for three years rolls off the.
 * - in ; over 87 killed.
 * - The picks  to be the host city for the.
 * - dies of heart failure in,.
 * - The funeral of takes place at, watched by over 1 billion people worldwide.
 * - A  concert, celebrating the city's 850th anniversary, draws 3.5 million people.
 * - First test flight of the.
 * - votes to create its own Parliament after 290 years of union with.
 * - : An i military officer attacks an UNSCOM weapons inspector on board an UNSCOM helicopter while the inspector was attempting to take photographs of unauthorized movement of Iraqi vehicles inside a site designated for inspection
 * - : While waiting for access to a site, UNSCOM inspectors witness and videotape i guards moving files, burning documents, and dumping waste cans into a nearby river.
 * - votes in favour of  and the formation of a.
 * - in ; 53 killed.
 * - The, the ' armed wing, declares a unilateral ceasefire in.
 * - in ; over 200 villagers killed.
 * - members announce the bands's dissolution.
 * - : UNSCOM inspector Dr. Diane Seaman catches several i men sneaking out the back door of an inspection site, with log books for the creation of prohibited bacteria and chemicals.
 * - An air crash in kills 234 people (likely caused by smoke rising from numerous forest fires in the area).
 * - An strikes the  regions of  and, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at  to collapse.
 * - The Diocese  is founded.
 * - The Adelaide Crows win the AFL Premiership for the first time in their 7th season, beating St Kilda who have only ever won 1 premiership in their 100 year history.
 * - The Adelaide Crows win the AFL Premiership for the first time in their 7th season, beating St Kilda who have only ever won 1 premiership in their 100 year history.

October

 * - walks into Pearl High School in  and opens fire, killing 2 girls, after killing his mother earlier that morning.
 * - scientists Moira Bruce and John Collinge, with their colleagues, independently show that the new variant form of the  is the same disease as  (BSE) or "mad-cow disease".
 * - One million men gather for ' "Stand in the Gap" event in.
 * - The in  ($17.3 million, mostly in small bills) occurred at the  office of .  An  investigation eventually resulted in 24 convictions and the recovery of approximately 95% of the stolen cash.
 * - The organisation  holds its inaugural event at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. In the main event  defeats  by armbar.
 * - in : 43 are killed at a fake roadblock.
 * - sets the first supersonic  for the  team, led by  of the . ThrustSSC goes through the flying mile course at Black Rock Desert, Nevada at an average speed of 1,227.985 km/h (763.035 mph).
 * - launches the  probe to Saturn.
 * - The remains of are laid to rest with full military honours in a specially built mausoleum in the city of Santa Clara,, where he had won the decisive battle of the Cuban Revolution 39 years before.
 * - commits the infamous Dry Sac corner incident at the  track, an act for which the German was disqualified from 1997 season by the FIA and crucified in the press.
 * - The win Game 7 of the  against the  3-2 in 11 innings.
 * - s around the world because of a global  crisis scare. The  follows suit and plummets 554.26, or 7.18%, to 7,161.15. The points loss exceeds the loss from . Officials at the  for the first time invoke the "circuit breaker" rule to stop trading (this was a very controversial move and prompted a quick change in the rule; trading stops will only occur when the DJIA drops at least 10 or 20 percent) (see ).
 * - The come running back as the  gains a record 337.17 to 7,498.32. One billion shares are traded on the  for the first time ever.
 * - : says it will begin shooting down  surveillance planes being used by UNSCOM inspectors.
 * - In, au pair  is found guilty of the  death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen.

November

 * - In, striking truck drivers blockade ports during a pay dispute.
 * -  is launched.
 * - Telecom companies and  announce a US$37 billion merger to form  (the largest merger in US history).
 * - A jury finds  guilty of murdering 2  employees in 1993.
 * - is elected the 8th.
 * - The last 586 MMX cpu (233 MHz) is made (until the Pentium II).
 * - is found guilty of masterminding the 1993
 * - The win their second consecutive Canadian Football League title by defeating the  47-23 to win the  at  in.


 * - In, , 62 people are killed by 6 ic militants outside the (police kill the assailants).
 * - In, Bobbi McCaughey, a resident of the nearby town of , gives birth to in the second known case where all 7 babies were born alive. They would go on to be the first set of septuplets to all survive infancy.
 * - Australian singer and frontman,, 37, is found hanged in a  hotel room.
 * - Second in : 25 killed.

December

 * - : Michael Carneal fires at his classmates at Heath High School in, leaving three dead and five wounded.
 * - In, , representatives from 121 countries sign a prohibiting the manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel s.   The , the , and  do not sign the treaty, however.
 * -, 32, admits the rape and murder of 9-year-old Kayleigh Ward at . The trial judge sentences O'Shaugnessey, of , , to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should serve at least 30 years before being considered for parole.
 * -  arrives at the  to contest a recent  decision that she should remain in prison until she dies.
 * - Demonstrations in state capitals of against  and.
 * - The "seizure" episode of Pokemon,, was shown and 385 Japanese kids either had seizures, blindness, or the combination of the two.
 * - The term "" is coined by.
 * - Myra Hindley loses her appeal against the government's decision to keep her behind bars for the rest of her life. Lord Bingham, the, rules that current    and his  predecessor  were legally entitled to keep her in prison. However, the High Court has given Hindley permission to appeal against her sentence in a higher court.
 * - in : 50-100 villagers are killed.
 * - paramilitary leader  is assassinated in, inside  prison.
 * - begins to kill all the s within its territory (1.25 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly  strain.
 * - : In the worst incident in 's insurgency, 400 people are killed from 4 villages in the wilaya of : Khrouba (176 deaths), Sahnoun (113 deaths), El-Abadel (73 deaths), and Ouled-Tayeb (50 deaths). Six days later they are followed by another set of local massacres.
 * - After 26 years in operation, the  in  closes permanently.

Undated

 * The comes to showrooms, only in . The Prius was the first hybrid vehicle to go into full production. It would come to U.S. showrooms in 2000.

Ongoing

 * revolution.

Fictional

 * The 1984 film and its sequel,, both referenced the year 1997 as the time in which the fictional computer entity Skynet would launch a nuclear attack on mankind.

Births

 * -, American actress and singer
 * -, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
 * - Nastya and Masha Tolmachevy, Russian singers
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actress
 * -, daughter of
 * -, American actress
 * -, American actress
 * -, American actress
 * -, Russian-born American actress
 * -, American actress
 * -, English actress
 * -, English actress
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actress/model
 * -, 2nd in line to the Bulgarian throne
 * -, American actor and drummer
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, the world's first set of septuplets to survive infancy
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, the world's first set of septuplets to survive infancy

January-February

 * -, American folk singer (b. )
 * -, American real estate mogul (b. )
 * -, Italian-American actress (b. )
 * -, American producer, actor, director (b. )
 * -, Scottish chemist, laureate (b. )
 * -, Canadian-born cancer researcher, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, comedian Bill Cosby's son (b. )
 * -, American astronomer (b. )
 * -, American poet and novelist (b. )
 * -, American baseball player (b. )
 * -, Dutch-born celebrity manager (b. )
 * -, TV director
 * -, American drummer (b. )


 * -, American newspaper columnist (b. )
 * -, Brazilian musician (automobile accident) (b. )
 * -, U.S. Ambassador to France (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Palestinian militant imprisoned in the for the  of his daughter
 * -, leader of the People's Republic of China (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )

March-April

 * -, American rapper (b. )
 * -, American experimental physicist (b. )
 * -, American actor and stuntman (b. )
 * -, (b. )
 * -, American physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, German artist (b. )
 * -, American rapper (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, Austrian-born director (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )
 * -, Dutch artist (b. )
 * -, American boxer (b. )
 * -, British children's writer (b. )
 * -, American poet (b. )
 * -, Cuban player (b. )
 * -, cosmonaut (b. )
 * -, American scientist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, chairwoman of the Fort Sill Apache tribe (b. )
 * -, American socialite (b. )
 * -, French illustrator (b. )
 * -, American singer/drummer (b. )
 * -, American Colonel of the 98th Ranger Battalion (b. )
 * -, President of the UK Liberal Party (b. )

May-June

 * -, Australian neurophysiologist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, German actor (b. )
 * -, American magician (b. )
 * -, American biochemist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, American artist (b. )
 * -, Irish actor (b. )
 * -, American musician (drowned) (b. )
 * -, American archaeologist (b. )
 * -, American game show host (b. )
 * -, non-mainstream singer of  descent (b. )
 * -, French journalist, politician and diplomat (b. )
 * -, widow of (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, French explorer (b. )
 * -, Hawaiian singer (b. )
 * -, American singer (b. )

July-August

 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American television reporter (b. )
 * -, British biologist (b. )
 * -, Italian fashion designer (murdered) (b. )
 * -, American astrologist (b. )
 * - Ugandan hurdler (b. )
 * -, Japanese athlete (b. )
 * -, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. )
 * -, American author (b. )
 * -, Nigerian musician and political activist (b. )
 * -, French supercentenarian (b. )
 * -, Ukrainian pianist (b. )
 * -, American-born composer (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, Pakistani Qwalli artist (b. )
 * -, Russian actor
 * -, British molecular biologist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, English physicist (b. )
 * - (car accident) (b. )
 * -, Egyptian businessman (the same automobile accident) (b. )

September-October

 * -, Austrian opera manager (b. )
 * -, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (b. )
 * -, Hungarian conductor (b. )
 * -, Albanian missionary and humanitarian, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, president of (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, American comedian (b. )
 * -, singer (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, French composer (b. )
 * -, American violist (b. )
 * -, American inventor (b. )
 * -, Japanese video game franchise creator (creator of the Nintendo Game Boy) (automobile accident) (b. )
 * -, American professional wrestler (b. )
 * -, British actress
 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, American guitarist (b. )
 * -, Dutch filmmaker (b. )
 * -, American voice actor (b. )
 * -, American founder of the Church of Satan (b. )

November-December

 * -, American novelist and screenwriter (b. )
 * - Sir, Russian historian of ideas (b. )
 * -, American athlete (b. )
 * -, Spanish composer (b. )
 * -, nephew of General  (b. )
 * -, American leader of the Vineyard Movement (b. )
 * -, English composer (b. )
 * -, Australian musician (b. )
 * -, French singer (b. )
 * -, American author (b. )
 * -, British wrestler best known as Big Daddy (b. )
 * -, American composer and guitarist (b. )
 * -, American actor and comedian (b. )
 * -, American astrophysicist (b. )
 * -, English-born American poet (b. )
 * -, American country singer (b. )
 * -, Japanese actor (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, Irish paramilitary leader (b. )

Unknown dates

 * , Australian composer (b. )

Designations
International organizations, including the, designated 1997 as the.

Nobel prizes

 * - and
 * - and
 * - and
 * - and
 * - and