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File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The
movie set Set construction is the process undertaken by a construction manager to build full-scale scenery, as specified by a production designer or art director working in collaboration with the director of a production to create a set for a theatric ...
of ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...
'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published;
Comet Hale-Bopp A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are ...
passes by
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...
and becomes one of the most observed comets of the
20th century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nucle ...
; Golden Bauhinia Square, where
sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
of
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
is handed over from the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
to the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
; the
1997 Central European flood The 1997 Central European flood or the 1997 Oder Flood of the Oder and Morava river basins in July 1997 affected Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, taking the lives of 114 people and causing material damages estimated at $4.5 billio ...
kills 114 people in the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, and
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
;
Korean Air Flight 801 Korean Air Flight 801 (KE801, KAL801) was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Korean Air. The flight crashed on August 6, 1997, on approach to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, in the United States territory of Guam, ...
crashes during heavy
rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
on
Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
, killing 229;
Mars Pathfinder ''Mars Pathfinder'' (''MESUR Pathfinder'') is an American robotic spacecraft that landed a base station with a roving probe on Mars in 1997. It consisted of a lander, renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station, and a lightweight, wheeled robot ...
and
Sojourner A sojourner is a person who resides temporarily in a place. Sojourner may also refer to: *Sojourner Truth (1797–1883), abolitionist and women's rights activist *Albert Sojourner (1872–1951), member of the Mississippi House of Representatives ...
land on
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
;
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...
s left outside
Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...
following the
death of Diana, Princess of Wales In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained earlier that day in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Dodi Fayed, Diana's partner, and Henri Paul, their chauffeur, were found d ...
, in a car crash in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
., 300x300px, thumb rect 0 0 200 200 Titanic (1997 film) rect 200 0 400 200
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...
rect 400 0 600 200
Comet Hale-Bopp A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are ...
rect 0 200 300 400
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained earlier that day in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Dodi Fayed, Diana's partner, and Henri Paul, their chauffeur, were found d ...
rect 300 200 600 400
Handover of Hong Kong Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admin ...
rect 0 400 200 600
Mars Pathfinder ''Mars Pathfinder'' (''MESUR Pathfinder'') is an American robotic spacecraft that landed a base station with a roving probe on Mars in 1997. It consisted of a lander, renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station, and a lightweight, wheeled robot ...
rect 200 400 400 600
Korean Air Flight 801 Korean Air Flight 801 (KE801, KAL801) was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Korean Air. The flight crashed on August 6, 1997, on approach to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, in the United States territory of Guam, ...
rect 400 400 600 600
1997 Central European flood The 1997 Central European flood or the 1997 Oder Flood of the Oder and Morava river basins in July 1997 affected Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, taking the lives of 114 people and causing material damages estimated at $4.5 billio ...


Events


January

*
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: The prophet Muha ...
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
threatens
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. *
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 people ...
– A
Delta II Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family and entered service in 1989. Delta II vehicles included the Delta 6000, and the two later Delta 7000 va ...
rocket carrying a military GPS payload explodes, shortly after liftoff from
Cape Canaveral , image = cape canaveral.jpg , image_size = 300 , caption = View of Cape Canaveral from space in 1991 , map = Florida#USA , map_width = 300 , type = Cape , map_caption = Location in Florida , location ...
. *
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 Chin ...
– In northwest
Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
,
Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the p ...
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 surrender a ...
Yasser Arafat returns to
Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...
after more than 30 years, and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled
West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
city. *
January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. * 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom. * 1156 & ...
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
is
sworn in Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to giv ...
for a second term as President of the United States. *
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. * 1264 & ...
Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democrat ...
becomes the first female Secretary of State of the United States, after confirmation by the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...
.


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 quarrelling ...
** On their way to
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
, two Israeli troop-transport helicopters collide, killing all 73 on board. ** After at first contesting the results,
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
n President
Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević (, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the president of Serbia within Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1997 (originally the Socialist Republic of Serbia, a constituent republic of ...
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 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
National Centers for Environmental Information The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), an agency of the United States government, manages one of the world's largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic data, containing information that ranges from ...
. do
10.7289/V5TD9V7K
*
February 10 Events Pre-1600 *1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end. * 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, sparki ...
Sandline affair The Sandline affair was a political scandal that became one of the defining moments in the history of Papua New Guinea, and particularly the conflict in Bougainville. It brought down the government of Sir Julius Chan, and took Papua New Guinea t ...
: Australian newspapers publish stories that the government of
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
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. It was previously the main landmass in the German Empire-associated North Solomon Islands, North Solo ...
. *
February 13 Events Pre-1600 * 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome. * 1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th. * 1462 – The ...
– '' STS-82'': Tune-up and repair work on the
Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most vers ...
is started by
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
s from the Space Shuttle ''Discovery''. *
February 28 Events Pre-1600 * 202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty. * 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes. * 1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is execut ...
North Hollywood shootout: Two robbers, wearing kevlar body armor, and armed with AK-47s containing armor-piercing bullets, injure 17 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. * 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a ...
– U.S. President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
bans federal funding for any research on
human cloning Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy (or clone) of a human. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning, which is the reproduction of human cells and tissue. It does not refer to the natural concept ...
. *
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 Co ...
– In
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, the Tamil Tigers overrun a military base and kill over 100 Sri Lankan troops. *
March 13 Events Pre-1600 * 624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. *1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War. *1591 – At the Battle of Ton ...
** India's Missionaries of Charity chooses
Sister Nirmala Maria Nirmala Joshi (23 July 1934 – 23 June 2015) was an Indian Catholic Religious Sister who succeeded Nobel laureate Mother Teresa as the head of her Missionaries of Charity and expanded the movement overseas. After taking over the charity ...
, to succeed
Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...
as its leader. ** The
National People's Congress The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2,9 ...
of the People's Republic of China creates a new
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...
Municipality, out of part of
Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...
. *
March 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland. *1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Hugu ...
– A study of gender reassignment of a boy who lost his penis to a botched circumcision is refuted by a follow-up study. The supposedly successful outcome had been widely cited as proof that gender was determined by nurture, yet the patient, David Reimer, was deeply unhappy and had returned to his original gender by the age of 15, thus indicating the opposite thesis. * March 16
Sandline affair The Sandline affair was a political scandal that became one of the defining moments in the history of Papua New Guinea, and particularly the conflict in Bougainville. It brought down the government of Sir Julius Chan, and took Papua New Guinea t ...
: On Bougainville Island, soldiers of commander
Jerry Singirok Jerry Singirok (born 5 May 1956) was the commander of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force throughout the Sandline affair of 1997. Military career Jerry Singirok was a career soldier who had risen through the ranks of the Papua New guinea Defense ...
arrest Tim Spicer and his
mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes Pseudonym, also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a memb ...
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 Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...
, Étienne Tshisekedi is appointed prime minister; he ejects supporters of
Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...
from his cabinet. *
March 22 Events Pre-1600 * 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea. * 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century. * 871 – Æthelr ...
– The Comet Hale–Bopp makes its closest approach to Earth. * March 24 – The 69th Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at the Shrine Auditorium in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
, with '' The English Patient'' winning Best Picture. During the event, the DVD format is launched in the United States. * March 2426 – In
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, 39 Heaven's Gate cultists commit mass suicide at their compound. * March 26
Julius Chan Sir Julius Chan (born 29 August 1939) served as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1980 to 1982 and from 1994 to 1997. He is Member of Parliament for New Ireland Province, having won the seat in the 2007 national election. He is also th ...
resigns as prime minister of Papua New Guinea, effectively ending the
Sandline affair The Sandline affair was a political scandal that became one of the defining moments in the history of Papua New Guinea, and particularly the conflict in Bougainville. It brought down the government of Sir Julius Chan, and took Papua New Guinea t ...
.


April

* April 3 – The Thalit massacre in
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
: 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 O ...
** Fire breaks out in a pilgrim camp on the Plain of Mena, from
Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...
; 343 die. ** Former S.S. Captain Erich Priebke is retried; on July 22 he is sentenced to fifteen years in prison. *
April 18 Events Pre-1600 * 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days. *1428 – Peace of Ferrara bet ...
– The Red River of the North breaks through dikes and
floods A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...
Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city ...
, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, 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 murdered ...
– A Pegasus rocket carries the remains of 24 people into earth orbit, in the first space burial. * April 22 **
Haouch Khemisti massacre The Haouch Khemisti massacre took place before dawn on April 22, 1997 in the Algerian village of Haouch Mokhfi Khemisti (also spelled Boughelef Khemisti, Haouch Boughlef-Khemisti, Haouch Boukhelef-Khemisti, Haouch Boughfi el-Khemisti, Haouch Bough ...
: 93 villagers are killed in
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
. ** A 126-day hostage crisis at the residence of the Japanese ambassador in
Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
,
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
. *
April 23 Events Pre-1600 *215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in sout ...
– 42 villagers are killed in the
Omaria massacre The largest Omaria massacre took place on 23 April 1997 in the Algerian village of El Omaria near Médéa, south of Algiers. Attackers armed with knives, sabers, and guns killed 42 people - including 17 women and 3 babies - in 3 hours, mutilating ...
in Algeria. * April 29 ** The
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member ...
(OPCW), CWC treaty enters into force. ** Two trains crash at
Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...
, China; 126 are killed.


May

* May 1 -
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of t ...
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 advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern p ...
, as the Labour Party wins the
1997 United Kingdom general election The 1997 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 1 May 1997. The governing Conservative Party led by Prime Minister John Major was defeated in a landslide by the Labour Party led by Tony Blair, achieving a 179 seat majority. ...
and returns to government for the first time in 18 years. * May 3
Katrina and the Waves Katrina and the Waves were a British rock band widely known for the 1985 hit " Walking on Sunshine". They also won the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Love Shine a Light". History Pre-history (1975–1980) The band's earliest in ...
win the
Eurovision Song Contest 1997 The Eurovision Song Contest 1997 was the 42nd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, held on 3 May 1997 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (RTÉ) and presen ...
for the United Kingdom with " Love Shine a Light". *
May 9 Events Pre-1600 * 328 – Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria. * 1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy. *1386 – England and Portugal formally r ...
– 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, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). At least 1,567 were killed and 2,300 were injured. *
May 11 Events 1601–1900 * 1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. * 1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route acr ...
IBM's Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, the first time a computer beats a
chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
World champion in a match. * May 12 **The Russian– Chechen Peace Treaty is signed. **An F1-rated tornado strikes downtown
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, 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 government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugosl ...
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 (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, and dedicates the
Laos Memorial The Hmong and Lao Memorial, or Lao Veterans of America Monument, is a granite monument, bronze plaque and living memorial (that includes an Atlas Cedar tree) in Arlington National Cemetery in the US. Dedicated in May 1997, it is located in Sectio ...
in honor of Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans. *
May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. * 1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 1 ...
** President
Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...
is exiled from
Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...
. ** U.S. President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
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 (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of ...
. * May 23
Mohammad Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 ...
wins the 1997 Iranian presidential election and becomes the first
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian Reformist
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
. * May 25 – 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 by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major
Johnny Paul Koroma Major Johnny Paul Koroma (born 9 May 1960; declared dead 1 June 2003) was the head of state of Sierra Leone from May 1997 to February 1998. Youth and education Koroma was born to Limba parents in Tombodu, in the Kono District of eastern B ...
. *
May 27 Events Pre-1600 *1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens. At least 600 Jews are killed. * 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death. * 1153 &ndash ...
– The second-deadliest tornado of the 1990s hits in Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people. * May 31 – The 13-kilometer
Confederation Bridge The Confederation Bridge (french: Pont de la Confédération) is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the province of ...
, the world's longest bridge spanning ice-covered waters, opens between
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
and
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
, Canada.


June

*
June 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu. *1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed ki ...
**
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...
-led Centre-left coalition won the second-round in 1997 French legislative elections, began with the third Cohabitation (1997–2002). ** Hugo Banzer wins the
Presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...
in
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. * June 2 – In
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
, 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, Oklahoma, United States, on April 19, 1995. Perpetrated by two anti-government extremists, Timothy McVeigh and T ...
. * June 10
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 ...
leader
Pol Pot Pol Pot; (born Saloth Sâr;; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary, dictator, and politician who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist ...
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 votes for a total ban on handguns. * June 13 – A jury sentences Timothy McVeigh to
death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. * June 16 – About 50 people are killed in the
Daïat Labguer (M'sila) massacre The Daïat Labguer (M'sila) massacre took place on June 16, 1997, less than two weeks after parliamentary elections, in the hamlet of Daïat Labguer (M'sila) (also spelled Dairat Labguar, Dairat Lebguar, Daïat Labguer, Daïret Lebguer, Dairet L ...
in Algeria. *
June 21 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to Vandalic War, attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date). *1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khaga ...
– 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 Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with roughly of coastline. It is n ...
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 South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...
. ** An unmanned Progress spacecraft collides with the Russian space station Mir. * June 26
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, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste a ...
is appointed as the 10th Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland and Mary Harney is appointed as the 16th, and first female, Tánaiste, after their parties, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats respectively, win the 1997 Irish general election, 1997 General Election. * June 26 – Bloomsbury Publishing publishes J. K. Rowling's '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' in London.


July

* July – The
1997 Central European flood The 1997 Central European flood or the 1997 Oder Flood of the Oder and Morava river basins in July 1997 affected Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, taking the lives of 114 people and causing material damages estimated at $4.5 billio ...
occurs across Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. * July 1 – The United Kingdom Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. * July 2 – The Bank of Thailand floats the baht, triggering the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Asian financial crisis. * July 4 – NASA's Mars Pathfinder, Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
. * July 5 ** In Cambodia, Hun Sen of the Cambodian People's Party overthrows Norodom Ranariddh in a coup. ** The Egyptian Gamaa Islamiya, Islamic Group announces a Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya#Failed nonviolence initiative, cessation-of-violence initiative. * July 8 – NATO invites the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, Hungary, and
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
to join the alliance in 1999. * July 10 – In London, scientists report their DNA analysis findings from a Neanderthal skeleton, which support the out of Africa theory of human evolution, placing an "African Eve" at 100,000 to 200,000 years ago. * July 11 – Thailand's worst hotel fire at Pattaya kills 90. * July 13 – The remains of Che Guevara are returned to Cuba for burial, alongside some of his comrades. Guevara and his comrades were executed on October 9 1967 in
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. * July 15 – Spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer Gianni Versace 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 1997 Thredbo landslide, Thredbo landslide in the Snowy Mountains resort in Australia.


August

* August 1 – Boeing and McDonnell Douglas complete a merger. * August 3 – Between 40 and 76 villagers are killed in the Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre in Algeria. * August 3 – August 11, 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 6 –
Korean Air Flight 801 Korean Air Flight 801 (KE801, KAL801) was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Korean Air. The flight crashed on August 6, 1997, on approach to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, in the United States territory of Guam, ...
crash lands west of Guam International Airport, resulting in the deaths of 228 people. * 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, as part of a peace process. * August 29 – Over 98 (and possibly up to 400) are killed in the Rais massacre in Algeria. * August 31 –
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained earlier that day in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Dodi Fayed, Diana's partner, and Henri Paul, their chauffeur, were found d ...
: 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 picks Athens, Greece, to be the host city for the 2004 Summer Olympics. * September 6 – The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, takes place at Westminster Abbey, watched by over two billion people worldwide. * September 11 – Scotland votes in favour of a devolved Parliament, forming the Scottish Parliament less than two years later * September 15 – The 1997 Norwegian parliamentary election, Norwegian parliamentary election was held in Norway. * September 17 – Iraq disarmament crisis: While waiting for access to a site, UNSCOM inspectors witness and videotape Iraqi guards moving files, burning documents, and dumping waste cans into a nearby river. * September 18 ** Wales votes in favour of devolution and the formation of a National Assembly for Wales. ** Al-Qaeda carries out a Mostar car bombing, terrorist attack in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. * September 19 – 53 are killed in the Guelb El-Kebir massacre in Algeria. * September 21 ** The Islamic Salvation Army, the Islamic Salvation Fronts' armed wing, declares a unilateral ceasefire in Algeria. ** St. Olaf's Church, Tyrvää, St. Olaf's Church, a stone church from the 16th century in Tyrvää, Finland, is burnt down. * September 25 – Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM inspector Dr. Diane Seaman catches several Iraqi men sneaking out the back door of an inspection site, with log books for the creation of prohibited bacteria and chemicals. * September 26 ** Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crashes while on approach to Medan, North Sumatra, during the 1997 Southeast Asian haze, killing all 234 people on board. This becomes the deadliest aviation accident in Indonesian history. ** An 1997 Umbria and Marche earthquake, earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and Marche, causing part of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse.


October

* 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. * October 4 – October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery, Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery: The second largest cash robbery in U.S. history ($17.3 million, mostly in small bills) occurs at the Charlotte, North Carolina office of Wells Fargo. An FBI investigation eventually results in 24 convictions and the recovery of approximately 95% of the stolen cash. * 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 (RAF officer), 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 launches the Cassini–Huygens probe to Saturn. * October 16 – The first color photograph appears on the front page of ''The New York Times''. * October 17 – The remains of Che Guevara are laid to rest with full military honours in a specially built mausoleum in the city of Santa Clara, Cuba, where he had won the Battle of Santa Clara, decisive battle of the Cuban Revolution 1959, 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 11 – 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 in succession to Mary Robinson, the first time in the world that one woman has succeeded another as elected head of state. * November 13 – Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. * November 17 – In Luxor, Egypt, 62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut. * November 19 – In Des Moines, Iowa, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to McCaughey septuplets, septuplets in the second known case where all seven babies are born alive, and the first in which all survive infancy. * November 27 – NASA'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, Ranvir Sena attacks the Central Organising Committee, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Party Unity, CPI(ML) Party Unity stronghold Lakshmanpur-Bathe, killing 63 lower caste people. * December 3 – In Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign a Ottawa Treaty, treaty 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 is moved from Almaty to Astana. * December 11 – The Kyoto Protocol is adopted by a United Nations United Nations Climate Change conference#1997: COP 3, The Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, committee. * December 16 – In Japan, over 700 children suffer Epilepsy, epileptic attacks due to Dennō Senshi Porygon, an episode of the anime Pokémon. * December 18 – In Australia, 20th Century Fox releases a feature-length film about a children's group named The Wiggles called ''The Wiggles Movie''. * December 19 ** Janet Jagan (widow of Cheddi Jagan) takes office in Guyana. ** James Cameron's ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...
'', the then highest-grossing film of all time, premieres in the U.S. ** SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River, near Palembang in Indonesia, killing 104. * December 21 – Brazil national football team, Brazil beats Australia 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, 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 strain. * December 30 – Wilaya of Relizane massacres of December 30, 1997: In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, 400 are killed from four villages in the ''wilaya'' of Relizane.


Births


January

* January 1 ** Chidozie Awaziem, Nigerian footballer ** Chloé Dygert, American professional cyclist * January 2 – Gabriel Carlsson, Swedish ice hockey player * January 4 – Pauline Schäfer, German gymnast * January 5 – Mikhail Vorobyev (ice hockey), Mikhail Vorobyev, Russian ice hockey player * January 7 – Lamar Jackson, American football player * January 9 – Elvira Herman, Belarusian athlete *
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: The prophet Muha ...
– Cody Simpson, Australian singer-songwriter * January 12 – Felix Sandström, Swedish ice hockey player * January 13 ** Egan Bernal, Colombian road bicycle racer ** Connor McDavid, Canadian ice hockey player * January 14 – Francesco Bagnaia, Italian motorcycle racer * January 15 – Valentina Zenere, Argentine actress, model, and singer *
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 people ...
** Jake Paul, American boxer, actor and social media personality ** Maxwell Frost, American activist and politician *
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 Chin ...
– Denis Malgin, Swiss ice hockey player *
January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. * 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom. * 1156 & ...
– Blueface, American rapper * January 21 ** Jeremy Shada, American actor, voice actor, singer and musician **Ilia Topuria, German-Georgian mixed martial artist ** Yang Yang (swimmer), Yang Yang, Chinese paralympic swimmer * January 22 – Kole Sherwood, American ice hockey player *
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. * 1264 & ...
** Sophie Hahn, English paralympic sprinter ** Lexie Priessman, American artistic gymnast ** Ramadan Sobhi, Egyptian footballer ** Gudaf Tsegay, Ethiopian middle-distance runner * January 25 – Noah Hanifin, American ice hockey player * January 26 – Gedion Zelalem, American soccer player * January 28 – Jeffrey Viel, Canadian ice hockey player * January 29 ** Joel Eriksson Ek, Swedish ice hockey player ** Jack Roslovic, American ice hockey player * January 30 – Shim Suk-hee, South Korean speed skater


February

* February 2 – Jaheel Hyde, Jamaican sprinter * February 8 – Kathryn Newton, American actress *
February 10 Events Pre-1600 *1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end. * 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, sparki ...
** Josh Jackson (basketball), Josh Jackson, American basketball player ** Lilly King, American swimmer ** Chloë Grace Moretz, American actress ** Rozaliya Nasretdinova, Russian swimmer * February 11 – Rosé (singer), Rosé, New Zealand singer * February 14 ** Jaehyun (singer), Jaehyun, South Korean singer and actor ** Breel Embolo, Swiss footballer * February 22 – Anton Chupkov, Russian swimmer * February 23 ** Érick Aguirre, Mexican footballer ** Jamal Murray, Canadian basketball player * February 24 – César Montes, Mexican footballer * February 25 ** Isabelle Fuhrman, American actress ** Santiago Ascacíbar, Argentinian footballer ** Katsiaryna Halkina, Belarusian rhythmic gymnast * February 26 – Zheng Siwei, Chinese badminton player


March

* March 2 – Becky G, American singer * March 3 ** Camila Cabello, Cuban-American singer ** Jaime Carreño, Chilean footballer ** David Neres, Brazilian footballer *
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. * 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a ...
– Matisse Thybulle, American basketball player * March 6 – Alisha Boe, Norwegian actress * March 8 ** Irene Ekelund, Swedish sprinter ** Jurina Matsui, Japanese singer * March 10 – Belinda Bencic, Swiss tennis player *
March 13 Events Pre-1600 * 624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. *1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War. *1591 – At the Battle of Ton ...
– Rúben Neves, Portuguese footballer *
March 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland. *1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Hugu ...
** Simone Biles, American gymnast ** Dawid Kownacki, Polish footballer ** Harrie Lavreysen, Dutch track cyclist * March 17 ** Konrad Bukowiecki, Polish athlete ** Katie Ledecky, American swimmer * March 18 ** Ciara Bravo, American actress, voice artist, singer, and comedian ** Mario Burke, Barbadian sprinter * March 19 – Rūta Meilutytė, Lithuanian swimmer * March 20 – Bobby Cheng, Australian chess champion * March 21 – Martina Stoessel, Argentine actress, singer, dancer, and model *
March 22 Events Pre-1600 * 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea. * 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century. * 871 – Æthelr ...
– Harry Wilson (footballer, born 1997), Harry Wilson, Welsh footballer * March 23 – Thiago Maia, Brazilian footballer * March 27 ** A-Reece, South African hip hop artist ** Lisa (rapper), Lisa, Thai rapper, singer, dancer, and model * March 30 ** Gideon Adlon, American actress ** Cha Eun-woo, South Korean singer **Shervin Hajipour, Iranian singer


April

* April 1 – Asa Butterfield, English actor * April 3 – Gabriel Jesus, Brazilian footballer * April 6 – Pavel Zacha, Czech ice hockey player * April 8 – Roquan Smith, American football player * April 9 – Michael Špaček (ice hockey), Michael Špaček, Czech ice hockey player * April 10 – Alla Sosnitskaya, Russian artistic gymnast * April 11 ** Max Clegg, English speedway racer ** Mélovin, Ukrainian singer-songwriter * April 12 – Katelyn Ohashi, American artistic gymnast *
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 O ...
– D. J. Moore (wide receiver), D. J. Moore, American football player * April 15 ** Jesse Little, American stock car racing driver ** Maisie Williams, English actress * April 16 – Daniel Rioli, Australian rules footballer *
April 18 Events Pre-1600 * 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days. *1428 – Peace of Ferrara bet ...
** Donny van de Beek, Dutch footballer ** Matthias Blübaum, German chess grandmaster * April 19 – Malcolm Perry (American football), Malcolm Perry, American football player * April 20 – Alexander Zverev, German tennis player *
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 murdered ...
– Mikel Oyarzabal, Spanish footballer *
April 23 Events Pre-1600 *215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in sout ...
** Zach Apple, American swimmer ** Kim Hae-jin, South Korean figure skater ** Peng Cheng, Chinese figure skater * April 24 ** Kirill Aleshin, Russian ice dancer ** Arturo Deliser, Panamanian sprinter ** Lydia Ko, South Korean-born New Zealand golfer ** Veronika Kudermetova, Russian tennis player * April 26 – Moritz Wagner (basketball), Moritz Wagner, German basketball player * April 27 – Livio Loi, Belgian motorcycle racer * April 28 – Denzel Ward, American football player * April 29 – Ekaterina Baturina (gymnast), Ekaterina Baturina, Russian artistic gymnast * April 30 – T. J. Leaf, American basketball player


May

* May 2 ** BamBam (singer), BamBam, Thai singer ** Blake Rutherford, American baseball first baseman and outfielder * May 3 ** Desiigner, American hip hop artist ** Ivana Jorović, Serbian tennis player * May 4 ** Nicolas Prattes, Brazilian actor ** Jon Teske, American basketball player ** Ben Dolic, Slovenian singer * May 5 – Mitch Marner, Canadian ice hockey player * May 6 – Duncan Scott (swimmer), Duncan Scott, Scottish swimmer * May 7 ** Daria Kasatkina, Russian tennis player ** Youri Tielemans, Belgian footballer ** Rico Nasty, American rapper and singer *
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 ...
** Richarlison, Brazilian footballer ** Enes Ünal, Turkish footballer *
May 11 Events 1601–1900 * 1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. * 1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route acr ...
– Lana Condor, American actress and dancer * May 12 ** Frenkie de Jong, Dutch footballer ** Morgan Lake, English athlete ** Odeya Rush, Israeli-born American actress * May 14 – Manushi Chhillar, Indian model, actress and Miss World 2017 * May 15 – Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer * May 19 ** Oliver Kylington, Swedish ice hockey player ** Víctor Robles, Dominican baseball outfielder * May 21 – Kevin Quinn (actor), Kevin Quinn, American actor * May 22 – Lauri Markkanen, Finnish basketball player * May 23 – Joe Gomez (footballer), Joe Gomez, English footballer * May 26 – Julian Yee, Malaysian figure skater *
May 27 Events Pre-1600 *1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens. At least 600 Jews are killed. * 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death. * 1153 &ndash ...
– Daron Payne, American football player * May 30 – Jake Short, American actor * May 31 ** Cupcakke, American rapper ** Woo Jin-young, South Korean singer and rapper


June

*
June 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu. *1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed ki ...
– Youssef En-Nesyri, Moroccan footballer * June 5 ** Sam Darnold, American football quarterback ** Henry Onyekuru, Nigerian footballer * June 7 – David Montgomery (American football), David Montgomery, American football player * June 8 – Jeļena Ostapenko, Latvian tennis player * June 9 – Shen Duo, Chinese swimmer * June 10 – Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Ukrainian basketball player * June 11 ** Kodak Black, American hip-hop artist ** Julia Lavrentieva, Ukrainian pair skater ** John Hunter Nemechek, American stock car racing driver ** Jorja Smith, English singer * June 13 ** Katie Lou Samuelson, American basketball player ** Yuta Watanabe (badminton), Yuta Watanabe, Japanese badminton player * June 15 – Madison Kocian, American artistic gymnast * June 17 – KJ Apa, New Zealand actor *
June 21 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to Vandalic War, attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date). *1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khaga ...
** Rebecca Black, American singer ** Derrius Guice, American football player * June 22 ** Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Italian motorcycle racer ** Dinah Jane, American singer * June 23 ** Chen Qingchen, Chinese badminton player ** Antoine Olivier Pilon, French-Canadian actor * June 25 ** Rodrigo Bentancur, Uruguayan footballer ** Bassem Srarfi, Tunisian footballer * June 27 ** H.E.R., American singer ** Shannon Purser, American actress * June 28 – Shakur Stevenson, American boxer * June 29 – Jia Yifan, Chinese badminton player * June 30 ** Avika Gor, Indian actress ** Iryna Shymanovich, Belarusian tennis player


July

* July 1 – Grigoriy Oparin, Russian chess grandmaster * July 2 – Marquese Chriss, American basketball player * July 3 – Georgios Papagiannis, Greek basketball player * July 4 ** Daniela Nieves, Venezuelan-American actress ** Jason Spevack, Canadian actor and filmmaker * July 8 – Bryce Love, American football player and sprinter * July 10 ** Ebba Andersson (cross-country skier), Ebba Andersson, Swedish cross-country skier ** Marilena Kirchner, German volksmusik and schlager singer * July 12 – Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize laureate * July 13 – Leo Howard, American actor and martial artist * July 14 – Cengiz Ünder, Turkish footballer * July 17 – Amadou Diawara, Guinese footballer * July 18 ** Bam Adebayo, American basketball player ** Chiara Kreuzer, Austrian ski jumper ** Kwon Jin-ah, South Korean singer ** Noah Lyles, American sprinter ** Fionn Whitehead, English actor * July 19 ** Kang Young-seo, South Korean alpine skier ** Zach Werenski, American ice hockey player * July 22 – Field Cate, American actor * July 24 ** Emre Mor, Turkish footballer ** Andreas Varady, Slovak jazz guitarist * July 25 – Kayli Barker, American racing driver * July 26 – Ewa Swoboda, Polish track and field sprinter * July 27 – Craig Wighton, Scottish footballer * July 28 – Bilal Ould-Chikh, Dutch-Moroccan footballer * July 30 ** Teófimo López, American boxer ** Finneas O'Connell, American musician and actor


August

* August 1 ** Kévin Aymoz, French figure skater ** Yomif Kejelcha, Ethiopian long-distance runner * August 2 ** Ke Jie, Chinese professional go player ** Triston McKenzie, American baseball pitcher ** Christina Robinson (actress), Christina Robinson, American actress * August 3 ** Daniel Crowley (footballer), Daniel Crowley, English footballer ** Ronald Jones II, American football player * August 4 – Cinzia Zehnder, Swiss footballer * August 5 ** Braxton Garrett, American baseball pitcher ** Olivia Holt, American actress and singer ** Adam Irigoyen, American actor ** Laura Waem, Belgian artistic gymnast * August 6 – Sander Svendsen, Norwegian footballer * August 7 – Kyler Murray, American football player * August 9 – Leon Bailey, Jamaican footballer * August 10 – Kylie Jenner, American reality television personality * August 16 ** Greyson Chance, American singer, songwriter and pianist ** Piper Curda, American actress * August 18 ** Josephine Langford, Australian actress ** Renato Sanches, Portuguese footballer * August 19 – Maria Titova, Russian rhythmic gymnast * August 22 – Lautaro Martínez, Argentine footballer * August 23 – Lil Yachty, American rapper, singer and songwriter * August 24 – Alan Walker (music producer), Alan Walker, British-Norwegian music producer * August 25 ** Bryana Salaz, American singer and actress ** Markus Thormeyer, Canadian swimmer ** Mike Weber (American football), Mike Weber, American football player * August 28 ** Bazzi (singer), Bazzi, American singer-songwriter ** Emilia McCarthy, Canadian actress * August 29 – Ainsley Maitland-Niles, English footballer * August 30 – Dana Gaier, American actress


September

* September 1 ** Jungkook, South Korean singer, member of BTS ** Maria Stavitskaia, Russian figure skater * September 2 – Brandon Ingram, American basketball player * September 3 ** Hana Kimura, Japanese professional wrestler (d. 2020) ** Salome Pazhava, Georgian rhythmic gymnast * September 6 ** Mallory Comerford, American swimmer ** Tsukushi Haruka, Tsukushi, Japanese wrestler * September 7 – Dean-Charles Chapman, English actor * September 12 ** Almida de Val, Swedish curler ** Sydney Sweeney, American actress * September 13 – Leah Keiser, American figure skater * September 14 – Benjamin Ingrosso, Swedish singer-songwriter * September 15 ** Jonatan Christie, Indonesian badminton player ** Forrest Whitley, American baseball pitcher * September 16 ** Zsanett Kaján, Hungarian footballer ** Elena Kampouris, American actress ** Jackie Young (basketball), Jackie Young, American basketball player * September 17 ** Luke Greenbank, British swimmer ** Guan Xiaotong, Chinese actress ** Auston Matthews, American ice hockey player * September 18 – Alisson Perticheto, Filipina figure skater * September 20 – Aurélie Fanchette, Seychellois swimmer * September 23 – John Collins (basketball), John Collins, American basketball player * September 24 – Malaya Watson, American singer and tuba player * September 30 ** Yana Kudryavtseva, Russian rhythmic gymnast ** Max Verstappen, Dutch racing driver


October

* October 1 – Jade Bird, English singer-songwriter * October 2 – Tammy Abraham, English footballer * October 3 ** Jin Boyang, Chinese figure skater ** Jonathan Isaac, American professional basketball player ** Jo-Ane van Dyk, South African javelin thrower * October 4 – Seamus O'Connor, Irish snowboarder * October 6 ** Kasper Dolberg, Danish footballer ** Tsao Chih-i, Taiwanese figure skater * October 7 – Kira Kosarin, American actress and singer * October 8 ** Steven Bergwijn, Dutch footballer ** Bella Thorne, American actress and singer * October 9 – Angelica Moser, Swiss athlete * October 10 – Grace Rolek, American actress * October 16 ** Charles Leclerc, Monégasque racing driver ** Naomi Osaka, Japanese tennis player * October 24 ** Claudia Fragapane, British artistic gymnast ** Park So-youn (figure skater), Park So-youn, South Korean figure skater * October 25 – Federico Chiesa, Italian footballer * October 27 ** Lonzo Ball, American basketball player ** Li Meiyi, Chinese pair skater * October 28 – Sierra McCormick, American actress * October 29 – Ale Müller, Mexican actress and singer * October 31 ** Sydney Park (actress), Sydney Park, American actress and comedian ** Marcus Rashford, English footballer


November

* November 1 ** Max Burkholder, American actor ** Alex Wolff, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor * November 3 – Lázaro Martínez (triple jumper), Lázaro Martínez, Cuban triple jumper * November 4 ** Bea Binene, Filipino actress ** Stratos Iordanoglou, Greek basketball player * November 6 – Hero Fiennes Tiffin, English actor and model * November 10 – Daniel James (footballer), Daniel James, English-born Welsh footballer * November 17 – Jacob Eason, American football player * November 18 - Micheal Ward, Jamaican-born English actor and former model * November 19 – Rachel Parsons (figure skater), Rachel Parsons, American ice dancer * November 23 – Akari Takeuchi, Japanese singer * November 26 – Aubrey Joseph, American actor and rapper * November 29 ** Agata Kryger, Polish figure skater ** Ye Qiuyu, Chinese tennis player * November 30 – Liu Huixia, Chinese diver


December

* December 3 – Rashan Gary, American football linebacker * December 5 ** Khaleel Ahmed, Indian cricketer ** Clara Rugaard, Danish actress and singer ** Sophie Simnett, English actress * December 8 – Ilaria Käslin, Swiss artistic gymnast * December 11 – Taylor Hickson, Canadian actress and singer * December 14 – DK Metcalf, American football wide receiver * December 15 – Magdalena Fręch, Polish tennis player * December 16 ** Zara Larsson, Swedish singer and songwriter ** Bassam Al-Rawi, Iraqi-born Qatari footballer * December 17 ** Shoma Uno, Japanese figure skater ** Gabrielle Camille Basiano, Filipino model and beauty pageant titleholder * December 18 – Ronald Acuña Jr., Venezuelan baseball outfielder * December 20 ** De'Aaron Fox, American basketball player ** Suzuka Nakamoto, Japanese singer * December 21 – Charlie McAvoy, American ice hockey player * December 22 – Taylor Rapp, American football player * December 23 ** Luka Jović, Serbian footballer ** Park Yoo-na, South Korean actress * December 24 – Oreoluwa Cherebin, Grenadian swimmer * December 27 ** Ana Konjuh, Croatian tennis player ** Zhao Ziquan, Chinese figure skater **Vachirawit Chivaaree, Thai actor and singer * December 30 – Anastasiya Malyavina, Ukrainian swimmer


Deaths


January

* January 1 – Townes Van Zandt, American folk singer (b. 1944) * January 5 ** Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland, Bertil, Swedish prince, Duke of Halland (b. 1912) ** Burton Lane, American composer and lyricist (b. 1912) * January 6 ** Teiichi Matsumaru, Japanese footballer (b. 1909) ** Catherine Scorsese, Italian-American actress (b. 1912) * January 8 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist (b. 1911) * January 9 ** Edward Osóbka-Morawski, Polish politician (b. 1909) ** Jesse White (actor), Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917) * January 10 ** Sheldon Leonard, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1907) ** Alexander R. Todd, Scottish chemist (b. 1907) * January 12 – Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher (b. 1901) * January 14 – King Hu, Chinese film director and actor (b. 1932) *
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 people ...
** Amha Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1916) ** Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer (b. 1906) *
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 Chin ...
** Adriana Caselotti, American actress, voice actress and singer (b. 1916) ** Paul Tsongas, American politician (b. 1941) *
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 surrender a ...
– James Dickey, American poet and novelist (b. 1923) * January 21 ** Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch-born celebrity manager (b. 1909) ** Polly Ann Young, American actress (b. 1908) * January 25 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer (b. 1904) * January 28 – Mikel Koliqi, Albanian cardinal (b. 1900)


February

* February 1 – Marjorie Reynolds, American actress (b. 1917) * February 5 – Pamela Harriman, American diplomat (b. 1920) * February 9 ** Brian Connolly, Scottish musician (b. 1945) ** Barry Evans (actor), Barry Evans, English actor (b. 1943) *
February 10 Events Pre-1600 *1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end. * 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, sparki ...
– Milton Cato, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (b. 1915) * February 19 – Deng Xiaoping, Chinese revolutionary, communist leader, and statesman (b. 1904) * February 23 – Tony Williams (drummer), Tony Williams, American musician (b. 1945) * February 26 – David Doyle (actor), David Doyle, American actor (b. 1929)


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. * 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a ...
– Robert H. Dicke, American experimental physicist (b. 1916) * March 6 ** Cheddi Jagan, President of Guyana (b. 1918) ** Michael Manley, 2-Time Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1924) *
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 Co ...
** Edward Mills Purcell, American physicist (b. 1912) ** Martin Kippenberger, German artist (b.
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugosl ...
) * March 9 ** The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (b. 1972) ** Terry Nation, Welsh screenwriter (b. 1930) ** Jean-Dominique Bauby, French journalist and author (b. 1952) * March 10 – LaVern Baker, American singer (b. 1929) * March 11 – Lars Ahlin, Swedish author and aesthetician (b. 1915) *
March 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland. *1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Hugu ...
** Jurek Becker, Polish-born German writer (b. 1937) ** Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-born American film director (b. 1907) * March 15 – Victor Vasarely, Hungarian-French artist (b. 1906) * March 17 – Jermaine Stewart, American singer (b. 1957) * March 19 – Willem de Kooning, Dutch artist (b. 1904) * March 20 – Tony Zale, American boxer (b. 1913) * March 21 – Wilbert Awdry, British children's writer (b. 1911) * March 26 – Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader (b. 1931) * March 31 ** Friedrich Hund, German physicist (b. 1896) ** Lyman Spitzer, American theoretical physicist and astronomer (b. 1914)


April

* April 4 – Alparslan Türkeş, Turkish politician (b. 1917) * April 5 ** Allen Ginsberg, American poet (b. 1926) ** Ignazio Buttitta, Sicilian dialectal poet (b. 1899) * April 8 – Laura Nyro, American singer and composer (b. 1947) * April 7 – Georgy Shonin, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1935) * April 12 – George Wald, American scientist (b. 1906) * April 13 – Shuhei Nishida, Japanese athlete (b. 1910) * April 16 – Roland Topor, French illustrator (b. 1938) * April 17 – Chaim Herzog, Israel politician, 6th President of Israel (b. 1918) * April 20 – Jean Louis, American costume designer (b. 1907) *
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 murdered ...
** Andrés Rodríguez (politician), Andrés Rodríguez, 47th President of Paraguay (b. 1923) ** Diosdado Macapagal, 9th President of the Philippines (b. 1910) *
April 23 Events Pre-1600 *215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. * 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in sout ...
- Denis Compton, English cricketer (b. 1918) * April 24 – Eugene Stoner, American firearms designer and engineer (b. 1922) * April 26 – John Beal (actor), John Beal, American actor (b. 1909)


May

* May 1 – Bo Widerberg, Swedish film director (b. 1930) * May 2 ** John Eccles (neurophysiologist), John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist (b. 1903) ** Paulo Freire, Brazilian educator and philosopher (b. 1921) * May 3, Narciso Yepes, Spanish guitarist (b. 1927) * May 4 – Wijeyananda Dahanayake, 5th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1901) * May 5 – Walter Gotell, German actor (b. 1924) * May 13 – Laurie Lee, English author (b. 1914) *
May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. * 1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 1 ...
– Giuseppe De Santis, Italian film director (b. 1917) * May 20 – Virgilio Barco Vargas, 27th President of Colombia (b. 1921) * May 22 – Alfred Hershey, American biochemist (b. 1908) * May 24 – Edward Mulhare, Irish actor (b. 1923) * May 26 – Manfred von Ardenne, German physicist and inventor (b. 1907) * May 29 – Jeff Buckley, American musician (b. 1966)


June

*
June 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu. *1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed ki ...
** Robert Serber, American physicist (b. 1909) ** Nikolai Tikhonov, Soviet-Russian statesman (b. 1905) * June 2 – Helen Jacobs, American tennis champion (b. 1908) * June 4 – Ronnie Lane, English musician (b. 1946) * June 6 – Magda Gabor, Hungarian-American actress (b. 1915) * June 12 – Bulat Okudzhava, Soviet Union, Soviet singer (b. 1924) * June 14 – Richard Jaeckel, American actor (b. 1926) * June 15 ** Edmond Leburton, 42nd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1915) ** Son Sen, Cambodian politician and criminal (b. 1930) * June 18 ** Lev Kopelev, Soviet writer and dissident (b. 1912) ** Héctor Yazalde, Argentine footballer (b. 1946) *
June 21 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to Vandalic War, attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date). *1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khaga ...
– Shintaro Katsu, Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director (b. 1931) * June 22 – Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer, songwriter, and musician (b. 1956) * June 23 – Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist (b. 1934) * June 24 ** Don Hutson, American football player (b. 1913) ** Brian Keith, American actor (b. 1921) * June 25 – Jacques Cousteau, French explorer (b. 1910) * June 26 – Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, Hawaiian singer (b. 1959) * June 29 – William Hickey (actor), William Hickey, American actor (b. 1927)


July

* July 1 – Robert Mitchum, American actor (b. 1917) * July 2 – James Stewart, American actor and soldier (b. 1908) * July 8 – Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, 6th President of Bangladesh (b. 1916) * July 9 – Aurelio González (footballer), Aurelio González, Paraguayan footballer (b. 1905) * July 13 – Alexandra Danilova, Russian-American ballerina and dance instructor (b. 1903) * July 15 – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer (b. 1946) * July 17 – Robert C. Weaver, American economist and academic (b. 1907) * July 18 – Eugene Merle Shoemaker, American astronomer (b. 1928) * July 20 – John Akii-Bua, Ugandan hurdler (b. 1949) * July 23 ** Andrew Cunanan, American serial killer (b. 1969) ** Chūhei Nambu, Japanese athlete (b. 1904) * July 24 ** William J. Brennan Jr., American Supreme Court Justice (b. 1906) ** Frank Parker (tennis), Frank Parker, American tennis champion (b. 1916) * July 25 – Ben Hogan, American golf champion (b. 1912) * July 26 – Jaime Milans del Bosch, Spanish general and insurgent (b. 1915) * July 28 ** Rosalie Crutchley, English actress (b. 1920) ** Seni Pramoj, Thai politician, 6th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1905) * July 30 – Bảo Đại, Emperor of Vietnam (b. 1913)


August

* August 1 ** Ngiratkel Etpison, 5th President of Palau (b. 1925) ** Sviatoslav Richter, Ukrainian pianist (b. 1915) * August 2 ** William S. Burroughs, American author (b. 1914) ** Fela Kuti, Nigerian musician and political activist (b. 1938) * August 4 – Jeanne Calment, French supercentenarian, oldest person ever lived (b. 1875) * August 6 – Jürgen Kuczynski, German economist and communist (b. 1904) * August 10 – Conlon Nancarrow, American-born composer (b. 1912) * August 12 – Luther Allison, American musician (b. 1939) * August 16 – Sultan Ahmad Nanupuri, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and teacher (b. 1914) * August 20 – Norris Bradbury, American physicist (b. 1909) * August 21 ** Misael Pastrana Borrero, 23rd President of Colombia (b. 1923) ** Yuri Nikulin, Soviet and Russian actor and clown (b. 1921) * August 22 – Matti Sippala, Finnish athlete (b. 1908) * August 23 ** Eric Gairy, 1st Prime Minister of Grenada (b. 1922) ** John Kendrew, British molecular biologist (b. 1917) * August 24 – Louis Essen, English physicist (b. 1908) * August 27 – Sally Blane, American actress (b. 1910) * August 30 – Ernst Wilimowski, German–Polish footballer (b. 1916) * August 31 ** Diana, Princess of Wales (b. 1961) ** Dodi Fayed, Egyptian film producer (b. 1955)


September

* September 1 – Zoltán Czibor, Hungarian footballer (b. 1929) * September 2 – Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (b. 1905) * September 4 ** Hans Eysenck, German-born British psychologist (b. 1916) ** Aldo Rossi, Italian architect and designer (b. 1931) * September 5 ** Sir Georg Solti, Hungarian-born British conductor (b. 1912) **
Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...
, Indian nun, missionary and saint (b. 1910) * September 7 –
Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...
, 2nd President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, President of Zaire (b. 1930) * September 9 – Burgess Meredith, American actor (b. 1907) * September 10 – Fritz Von Erich, American professional wrestler (b. 1929) * September 12 – Stig Anderson, Swedish talent manager (b. 1931) * September 17 ** Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (b. 1913) ** Jan P. Syse, Norwegian politician, Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1930) * September 18 – Jimmy Witherspoon, American blues singer (b. 1920) * September 19 – Rich Mullins, American Christian musician (b. 1955) * September 23 – Shirley Clarke, American filmmaker (b. 1919) * September 25 – Jean Françaix, French composer (b. 1912) * September 28 – Ho Feng-Shan, Chinese diplomat (b. 1901) * September 29 – Roy Lichtenstein, American artist (b. 1923)


October

* October 1 – Francisco Aramburu, Brazilian footballer (b. 1922) * October 4 ** Otto Ernst Remer, German Wehrmacht officer (b. 1912) ** Gunpei Yokoi, Japanese video game franchise creator (b. 1941) * October 5 – Brian Pillman, American professional wrestler (b. 1962) * October 7 − Orlando Ramón Agosti, Argentine general (b. 1924) * October 11 – Ivan Yarygin, Soviet and Russian heavyweight wrestler (b. 1948) * October 12 – John Denver, American musician (b. 1943) * October 13 – Adil Çarçani, Albanian politician (b. 1922) * October 14 – Harold Robbins, American writer (b. 1916) * October 16 ** Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark (b. 1903) ** Audra Lindley, American actress (b. 1918) ** James A. Michener, American writer (b. 1907) * October 19 ** Glen Buxton, American guitarist (b. 1947) ** Pilar Miró, Spanish screenwriter and film director (b. 1940) * October 23 **Bert Haanstra, Dutch filmmaker (b. 1916) **Luther Simjian, Armenian-American inventor (b. 1905) * October 29 – Anton LaVey, American author, musician, and occultist (b. 1930) * October 30 – Samuel Fuller, American screenwriter and director (b. 1912)


November

* November 2 – Shōshin Nagamine, Japanese author and soldier, police officer, and karate master (b. 1907) * November 5 – Isaiah Berlin, Russian-British social and political theorist (b. 1909) * November 8 – Mohammad-Ali Jamalzadeh, Iranian author (b. 1892) * November 9 - Carl Gustav Hempel, German philosopher from the Vienna and the Berlin Circle (b. 1905) * November 11 – Rod Milburn, American athlete (b. 1950) * November 16 - George O. Petrie, American actor and director (b. 1912) * November 21 – Robert Simpson (composer), Robert Simpson, English composer (b. 1921) * November 22 ** Joanna Moore, American actress (b. 1934) ** Michael Hutchence, Australian singer-songwriter (b. 1960) * November 24 – Barbara (singer), Barbara, French singer (b. 1930) * November 25 – Hastings Banda, 1st President of Malawi (b. 1898) * November 30 – Kathy Acker, American author (b. 1947)


December

* December 1 – Stéphane Grappelli, French violinist (b. 1908) * December 2 – Michael Hedges, American composer and guitarist (b.
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugosl ...
) * December 7 – Billy Bremner, British footballer (b. 1942) * December 14 ** Stubby Kaye, American actor (b. 1918) ** Owen Barfield, British philosopher, poet, and critic (b. 1898) * December 16 ** Lillian Disney, American artist (b. 1899) ** Nicolette Larson, American pop singer (b. 1952) * December 18 – Chris Farley, American actor and comedian (b. 1964) * December 19 ** Masaru Ibuka, Japanese electronics industrialist (b. 1908) ** Jimmy Rogers, American musician (b. 1924) * December 20 ** Juzo Itami, Japanese film director (b. 1933) ** Denise Levertov, English-born American poet (b. 1923) * December 23 – Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer (b. 1908) * December 24 – Toshiro Mifune, Japanese actor (b. 1920) * December 25 ** Denver Pyle, American actor (b. 1920) ** Anita Conti, French explorer and photographer (b. 1899) ** Anatoli Boukreev, Russian mountain climber (b. 1958) * December 31 – Billie Dove, American actress (b. 1903)


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,