Events
January
*
January 1
January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__
Events ...
– The
Emergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a Emergency population warning, national warning system in the United States designed to allow authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via Cable television, cable ...
is introduced in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
*
January 11
Events Pre-1600
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
* 630 – Conquest of Mecca: Muhammad and his ...
–
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
threatens
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
on account of a deal to buy
Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the
Cypriot Missile Crisis.
*
January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1458 BC – Hatshepsut dies at the age of 50 and is buried in the Valley of the Kings.
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the R ...
–
Murder of Ennis Cosby: Near
Interstate 405 (California) on a
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
freeway,
Bill Cosby's son Ennis is shot in the head in a failed robbery attempt.
*
January 17
Events Pre-1600
* 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
* 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 peopl ...
– A
Delta II
Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, and sometimes known as the Thorad Delta 1. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family, derived directly from the Delta 3000, and entered service in ...
rocket carrying a military
GPS payload explodes, shortly after liftoff from
Cape Canaveral.
*
January 18
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later.
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail.
* 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the C ...
– In northwest
Rwanda
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...
,
Hutu militia members kill 6 Spanish aid workers and three soldiers, and seriously wound another.
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to '' Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surren ...
–
Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...
returns to
Hebron
Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
after more than 30 years, and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled
West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
city. (→
Hebron Agreement
The Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron, also known as the Hebron Protocol or Hebron Agreement, was signed on 17 January 1997 by Israel, represented by Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Palestine Liberation Organiz ...
)
*
January 23
Events Pre-1600
* 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor.
* 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao.
* 1229 ...
–
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Körbelová, later Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political science, political scientist who served as the 64th United States Secretary of State, United S ...
becomes the first female Secretary of State of the United States, after confirmation by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
.
*
January 26
Events Pre-1600
* 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
* 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
* 1564 – The Council of T ...
–
VJTI changes its name from Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute to Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Mumbai.
February
*
February 4
Events Pre–1600
* 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...
** On their way to
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
, two Israeli troop-transport helicopters
collide, killing all 73 on board.
** After at first contesting the results,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
n President
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...
recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.
** A
magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes
North Khorasan province, Iran, killing 88 people and injuring 1,948.
[ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA ]National Centers for Environmental Information
The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is a U.S. government agency that manages one of the world's largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic data. The current director is Deke Arndt.
NCEI is operate ...
. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – The Siege of Baghdad ends with the surrender of the last Abbasid caliph to Hulegu Khan, a prince of the Mongol Empire.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bru ...
–
Sandline affair: Australian newspapers publish stories that the government of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
has brought mercenaries onto
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island (; Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. Its land area is . The highest point is Mount Balbi, on the main island, at .
The much smaller Buk ...
.
*
February 13
Events Pre-1600
* 962 – Emperor Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I and Pope Pope John XII, John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
*1258 – Siege of Baghdad (1258), Siege of Baghdad: Hulegu Kh ...
– ''
STS-82'': Tune-up and repair work on the
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...
is started by
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...
s from the
Space Shuttle ''Discovery''.
*
February 28
Events Pre-1600
*202 BC – Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty.
* 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople (Roman Catholic), Fourth Council of Co ...
–
North Hollywood shootout: Two robbers, wearing
kevlar body armor, and armed with illegally modified
Type 56S rifles with high-capacity magazines and other weapons, injure 20 police officers and civilians in a gun battle. The incident sparks debate on the appropriate firepower for United States patrol officers to have available in similar situations in the future.
March
*
March 4
Events Pre-1600
* AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title '' princeps iuventutis'' (head of the youth).
* 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
* 581 – Yang Jian declares himself Emperor ...
– U.S. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
bans federal funding for any research on
human cloning.
*
March 7
Events Pre-1600
* 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius.
* 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cobl ...
– In
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, the
Tamil Tigers overrun a military base and kill over 100 Sri Lankan troops.
*
March 9
Events Pre-1600
*141 BC – Liu Che, Posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
*1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the Annals of Quedlinburg, annals of the mo ...
– American rapper
The Notorious B.I.G. is
murdered
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excu ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
*
March 13
** India's Missionaries of Charity chooses
Sister Nirmala, to succeed
Mother Teresa as its leader.
** The
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the Sta ...
of the People's Republic of China creates a new
Chongqing
ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...
Municipality, out of part of
Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
.
*
March 16 –
Sandline affair: On
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island (; Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. Its land area is . The highest point is Mount Balbi, on the main island, at .
The much smaller Buk ...
in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
, soldiers of commander
Jerry Singirok arrest
Tim Spicer and his
mercenaries of the
Sandline International.
*
March 18 – The tail of a Russian
An-24 charter plane
breaks off while en route to Turkey, causing the plane to crash, killing all 50 on board, and resulting in the grounding of all An-24s.
*
March 21 – In
Zaire,
Étienne Tshisekedi is appointed prime minister; he ejects supporters of
Mobutu Sese Seko from his cabinet.
*
March 22 – The
Comet Hale–Bopp
Comet Hale–Bopp (formally designated C/1995 O1) is a long-period comet that was one of the most widely observed of the 20th century and one of the brightest seen for many decades.
Alan Hale (astronomer), Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp disc ...
makes its closest approach to Earth.
*
March 24 – The
69th Academy Awards, hosted by
Billy Crystal, are held at the
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, an ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, with ''
The English Patient'' winning
Best Picture. During the event, the
DVD format is launched in the United States.
*
March 24–
26 – In
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, 39
Heaven's Gate cultists commit
mass suicide at their compound.
*
March 26 –
Julius Chan resigns as prime minister of Papua New Guinea, effectively ending the
Sandline affair.
April
*
April 3 – The
Thalit massacre in
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
: all but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas.
*
April 14
Events Pre-1600
* 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.
* 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor ...
**
Fire breaks out in a pilgrim camp on the Plain of Mena, from
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
; 343 die.
** Former SS Captain
Erich Priebke is retried; on
July 22 he is sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
*
April 18 – The
Red River of the North breaks through dikes and
floods Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in North Dakota, third-most populous ...
, and
East Grand Forks, Minnesota
East Grand Forks (also known as EGF) is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Polk County's largest community. It is in the Red ...
, causing US$2 billion in damage.
*
April 21
Events Pre-1600
* 753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date).
* 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is mur ...
– A
Pegasus rocket carries the remains of 24 people into earth orbit, in the first
space burial by
Celestis company.
*
April 22
**
Haouch Khemisti massacre: 93 villagers are killed in
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
.
** A
126-day hostage crisis at the residence of the Japanese ambassador in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
,
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
.
*
April 23 – 42 villagers are killed in the
Omaria massacre in Algeria.
*
April 29
** The
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW),
CWC treaty enters into force.
**
Two trains crash at
Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
, China; 126 are killed.
May
*
May 1 –
Tony Blair becomes
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
, as the
Labour Party wins the
1997 United Kingdom general election and returns to government for the first time in 18 years.
*
May 9 – The first genetically modified three-parent baby is born.
*
May 10
Events Pre-1600
* 28 BC – A sunspot is observed by Han dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, one of the earliest dated sunspot observations in China.
* 1291 – Scottish nobles recognize the authority of ...
– The 7.3
Qayen earthquake strikes eastern
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
with a maximum
Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). At least 1,567 were killed and 2,300 were injured.
*
May 11
Events Pre-1600
* 330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.
*868 – A copy of the Diamond Sūtr ...
–
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
's
Deep Blue defeats
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born Garik Kimovich Weinstein on 13 April 1963) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion (1985–2000), political activist and writer. His peak FIDE chess Elo rating system, ra ...
in the
last game of the rematch, the first time a computer beats a
chess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
World champion in a match.
*
May 12
Events Pre-1600
* 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism.
* 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the ...
**The
Russia–Chechnya Peace Treaty is signed.
**An
F1-rated tornado strikes downtown
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, causing $525,000 in damages. Pictures and videos of this tornado made news headlines around the world.
*
May 15 – The United States government acknowledges existence of the
"Secret War" in Laos (
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
–
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
) during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, and dedicates the
Laos Memorial in honor of
Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans.
*
May 16
**
First Congo War ends when president
Mobutu Sese Seko is exiled from
Zaire.
** U.S. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
issues a formal apology to the surviving victims of the
Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male and their families.
*
May 17 – Troops of
Laurent Kabila march into
Kinshasa
Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...
.
*
May 21 –
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
release
OK Computer
*
May 23
**
Mohammad Khatami wins the
1997 Iranian presidential election and becomes the first
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ian
Reformist president.
**A
riot in
Banjarmasin,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
breaks out, causing at least 137 deaths.
*
May 25
Events Pre-1600
* 567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans.
* 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
* 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes ...
– A
military coup in
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
replaces President
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major
Johnny Paul Koroma.
*
May 27 – The
fourth-deadliest tornado of the 1990s hits in
Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people and causing extreme damage in the Double Creek Estates.
*
May 31 – The 13-kilometer
Confederation Bridge, the world's longest bridge spanning ice-covered waters, opens between
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
and
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
, Canada.
June
*
June 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
* 1298 – Residents of Riga and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida.
* 1495 – A monk, John Cor, rec ...
**
Socialist Party-led Centre-left coalition won the second-round in
1997 French legislative elections, began with the third
Cohabitation
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a Romance (love), romantic or Sexual intercourse, sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. ...
(1997–2002).
**
Hugo Banzer wins the
Presidential elections in
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
.
*
June 2 – In
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
,
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
,
Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, United States, on April 19, 1995. The bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Perpetr ...
.
*
June 10 –
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
leader
Pol Pot orders the killing of his defense chief,
Son Sen, and 11 of Sen's family members, before Pol Pot flees his northern stronghold.
*
June 11 – In the United Kingdom, the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
votes for a
total ban on
handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun, long barreled gun (i.e., carbine, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, or machine gun) which typically is intended to be held by both hands and br ...
s.
*
June 13
Events Pre-1600
* 313 – The decisions of the Edict of Milan, signed by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Valerius Licinius, granting religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire, are published in Nicomedia.
* 1325 – Ibn ...
– A jury sentences
Timothy McVeigh to
death
Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
*
June 16 – About 50 people are killed in the
Daïat Labguer (M'sila) massacre in Algeria.
*
June 21 – The Women's National Basketball Association (
WNBA) plays its first game at
The Great Western Forum in Los Angeles.
*
June 25
** A massive eruption of the
Soufrière Hills volcano on the island of
Montserrat leads to evacuation and eventual abandonment of the capital,
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
.
** An uncrewed spacecraft
Progress M-34 collides with the Russian space station Mir.
*
June 26
Events Pre-1600
*4 AD, 4 – Augustus adopts Tiberius.
* 221 – Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar (title), Caesar.
* 363 – Roman emperor Julian (emperor), J ...
–
Bertie Ahern
Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, and as Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008. A Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2011, he served ...
is appointed as the 10th
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
of the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
and
Mary Harney is appointed as the 16th, and first female,
Tánaiste, after their parties,
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland.
Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...
and the
Progressive Democrats respectively, win the
1997 General Election.
July
*
July
July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., being the month of his birth. Before the ...
– The
1997 Central European flood occurs across Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
*
July 1 – The United Kingdom
hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China.
*
July 2 – The Bank of Thailand floats the
baht, triggering the
Asian financial crisis.
*
July 4 –
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
's
Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
.
*
July 5
** In Cambodia,
Hun Sen of the
Cambodian People's Party overthrows
Norodom Ranariddh in a
coup.
** The Egyptian
Islamic Group announces a
cessation-of-violence initiative.
*
July 8 –
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
invites the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
,
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
to
join the alliance in
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
.
*
July 10 – In London, scientists report their
DNA analysis findings from a
Neanderthal
Neanderthals ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...
skeleton, which support the
out of Africa theory of
human evolution
''Homo sapiens'' is a distinct species of the hominid family of primates, which also includes all the great apes. Over their evolutionary history, humans gradually developed traits such as Human skeletal changes due to bipedalism, bipedalism, de ...
, placing an "
African Eve" at 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.
*
July 11 –
Royal Jomtien Resort Hotel fire at
Pattaya,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
's worst hotel fire, kills 90.
*
July 13 – The remains of
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
are returned to
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
for burial, alongside some of his comrades.
Guevara and his comrades were executed on October 9
1967 in
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
.
*
July 15 –
Spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer
Gianni Versace
Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up ...
dead outside Versace's
Miami Beach residence.
*
July 17 – The
F. W. Woolworth Company closes after 117 years in business.
*
July 25 –
K. R. Narayanan is sworn in as India's 10th president and the first member of the
Dalit caste to hold this office.
*
July 27 – About 50 are killed in the
Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria.
*
July 30 – 18 people are killed in the
Thredbo landslide in the
Snowy Mountains resort in Australia.
August
*
August 3 – Between 40 and 76 villagers are killed in the
Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre in Algeria.
*
August 3–
11 – Two of the three islands of the
Union of the Comoros –
Anjouan and
Mohéli – attempt to revert to colonial rule by France. The plan fails when the French government of President
Jacques Chirac refuses to recolonize them, resulting in the two islands being reintegrated into the Comoros over the next two years.
*
August 4 –
Jeanne Calment
Jeanne Louise Calment (; 21 February 1875 – 4 August 1997) was a French supercentenarian. With a documented lifespan of 122 years and 164 days, she was the oldest people, oldest person in history whose age has been verified. Her longevity at ...
, the verified oldest person to have ever lived, dies at 122 years and 164 days.
*
August 6 –
Korean Air Flight 801 crash lands west of
Guam International Airport, resulting in the deaths of 228 people.
*
August 13
Events Pre-1600
* 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes.
* 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas.
* 554 &ndash ...
–
Trey Parker and
Matt Stone's
animated television comedy
series,
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
, started broadcasting with the first episode,
Cartman Gets an Anal Probe, on
Comedy Central.
*
August 20 – More than 60 are killed, 15 kidnapped in the
Souhane massacre in Algeria.
*
August 26
** 60–100 are killed in the
Beni Ali massacre in Algeria.
** The
Independent International Commission on Decommissioning is set up in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, as part of a
peace process
A peace process is the set of political sociology, sociopolitical negotiations, agreements and actions that aim to solve a specific armed conflict.
Definitions
Prior to an armed conflict occurring, peace processes can include the prevention of ...
.
*
August 29
** Over 98 (and possibly up to 400) are killed in the
Rais massacre in Algeria.
**
Netflix, Inc. is founded as a DVD-by-mail rental service.
*
August 31 –
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales:
Diana, Princess of Wales, is taken to a hospital after a car accident shortly after midnight, in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. She is pronounced dead at 4:00 am.
September
*
September 1 –
Dublin Regulation on treatment of applications for
right of asylum under
European Union law first comes into force.
*
September 5
** Over 87 are killed in the
Beni Messous massacre in Algeria.
** The
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
picks
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, Greece, to be the host city for the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece.
The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
.
*
September 6 – The
funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, takes place at
Westminster Abbey, London, UK, watched by over two billion people worldwide.
*
September 11 –
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
votes in favour of a
devolved Parliament, forming the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
less than two years later
*
September 15 – The
Norwegian parliamentary election is held in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
.
*
September 18
**
Al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
carries out a
terrorist attack
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...
in
Mostar,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
.
**
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
votes in favour of
devolution
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...
and the formation of a
National Assembly for Wales.
*
September 20 – 53 people are killed in the
Guelb El-Kebir massacre in Algeria.
*
September 21
** The
Islamic Salvation Army, the
Islamic Salvation Front
The Islamic Salvation Front (; , FIS) was an Islamist political party in Algeria. The party had two major leaders representing its two bases of its support; Abbassi Madani appealed to pious small businessmen, and Ali Belhadj appealed to the a ...
s' armed wing, declares a unilateral ceasefire in Algeria.
**
St. Olaf's Church, a stone church from the 16th century in
Tyrvää,
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, is burnt down.
*
September 26
**
Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crashes while on approach to
Medan,
North Sumatra
North Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan on the east coast of the island. It borders Aceh to the northwest, Riau to the sou ...
, during the
1997 Southeast Asian haze, killing all 234 people on board. This becomes the deadliest aviation accident in Indonesian history.
** An
earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
strikes the Italian regions of
Umbria and
Marche
Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...
, causing part of the
Basilica of St. Francis at
Assisi
Assisi (, also ; ; from ; Central Italian: ''Ascesi'') is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio.
It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Prope ...
to collapse.
October
*
October 1 –
Luke Woodham walks into Pearl High School in
Pearl, Mississippi and
opens fire, killing two girls, after killing his mother earlier that morning.
*
October 2 – British scientists Moira Bruce and John Collinge, with their colleagues, independently show that the new variant form of the
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease is the same disease as
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
*
October 3 – The
President of Paraguay,
Juan Carlos Wasmosy, orders the arrest of political opponent
Lino Oviedo
Lino César Oviedo Silva (23 September 1943 – 2 February 2013) was a Paraguayan army officer and politician, who was the leader of the National Union of Ethical Citizens, which split from the Colorado Party (Paraguay), Colorado Party in 2002.
...
.
*
October 10 – Uruguay's worst air disaster occurs when
Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553 crashes near
Nuevo Berlín, killing all 74 on board.
*
October 12 –
Sidi Daoud massacre: 43 are killed at a false roadblock in Algeria.
*
October 15
**
Andy Green sets the first supersonic
land speed record for the
ThrustSSC team, led by
Richard Noble of the UK. 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).
**
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
launches the
Cassini–Huygens probe to Saturn.
*
October 16 – The first color photograph appears on the front page of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''.
*
October 17 – The remains of
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
are laid to rest with full military honours in a specially built
mausoleum in the city of Santa Clara,
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, where he had won the
decisive battle of the
Cuban Revolution 39 years before.
*
October 22 – Danish escaped criminal
Steen Christensen robs the Hotel Palace in Helsinki, Finland, killing two police officers while evading capture.
*
October 29 –
Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq says it will begin shooting down
Lockheed U-2 surveillance planes being used by UNSCOM inspectors.
November
*
November 2 –
Severe Tropical Storm Linda devastates southern
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
and
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, killing 3,275 people.
*
November 11
Events Pre-1600
* 308 – At Carnuntum, Emperor ''emeritus'' Diocletian confers with Galerius, '' Augustus'' of the East, and Maximianus, the recently returned former ''Augustus'' of the West, in an attempt to end the civil wars of th ...
– Telecom companies
WorldCom and
MCI Communications announce a US$37 billion merger to form
MCI WorldCom, the largest merger in U.S. history.
*
November 12 –
Mary McAleese is elected the eighth
President of Ireland
The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...
in succession to
Mary Robinson, the first time in the world that one woman has succeeded another as elected
head of state
A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
.
*
November 13 –
Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the
1993 World Trade Center bombing.
*
November 17 – In
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
,
62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the
Temple of Hatshepsut.
*
November 19 – In
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to
septuplets in the second known case where all seven babies are born alive, and the first in which all survive infancy.
*
November 27 –
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
's
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission is launched, the start of the satellite component of the
Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System.
December
*
December 1 – In the Indian state of
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
,
Ranvir Sena attacks the
CPI(ML) Party Unity stronghold Lakshmanpur-Bathe,
killing 63 lower caste people.
*
December 3 – In
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign a
treaty
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...
prohibiting the manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel
land mines. However, the United States, the People's Republic of China, Russia, South Korea and 32 other nations do not sign and/or ratify the treaty.
*
December 10 – The capital of
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
is moved from
Almaty to
Astana
Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...
.
*
December 11 – The
Kyoto Protocol is adopted by a
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
.
*
December 15
Events Pre-1600
* 533 – Vandalic War: Byzantine Empire, Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Tricamarum.
* 687 – Pope Sergius I is elected as a compromise between antipopes P ...
– Microsoft releases Windows 98 Beta 3
*
December 16 – In
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, over 700 children suffer
epileptic attacks after watching
an episode of the
Pokémon anime.
*
December 19
**
Janet Jagan (widow of
Cheddi Jagan) takes office in
Guyana
Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...
.
**
SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River, near Palembang in Indonesia, killing 104.
*
December 21 –
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
beats Australia men's national soccer team, Australia 6–0 in the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, Confederations Cup 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup Final, final.
* December 24 – 50–100 villagers are killed in the Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria.
* December 27 – Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary leader Billy Wright (loyalist), Billy Wright is assassinated in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, inside Long Kesh prison.
* December 29 – Hong Kong begins to kill all the chickens within its territory (1.25 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 strain.
* December 30 – Wilaya of Relizane massacres of December 30, 1997: In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, 400 people from four villages in the Relizane Province, ''wilaya'' of Relizane are killed.
Births and deaths
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Paul D. Boyer, John E. Walker, Jens C. Skou
* Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Economics – Bank of Sweden – Robert C. Merton, Myron Scholes
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Dario Fo
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – ICBL, International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Jody Williams
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, William D. Phillips
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Stanley B. Prusiner
References
External links
1997 Year in Review– CNN
{{DEFAULTSORT:1997
1997,