1997 - What happened in 1997 ?

January 1997

Wednesday 01:

The Republic of Zaïre officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Zaïre.

Tuesday 21:

Newt Gingrich becomes the first leader of the United States House of Representatives to be internally disciplined for ethical misconduct.

Sunday 26:

Super Bowl XXXI: The Green Bay Packers defeat the New England Patriots, 35-21.

Monday 27:

It is revealed that French museums have nearly 2,000 pieces of art that were stolen by Nazis.

Tuesday 28:

Arista Records founder Clive Davis receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

February 1997

Tuesday 04:

After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milo?evi? recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.

Wednesday 05:

Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter investment banks announce a $10 billion merger.

Monday 10:

The United States Army suspends Sgt. Major Gene C. McKinney, its top-ranking enlisted soldier, after hearing allegations of sexual misconduct.

Saturday 22:

In Roslin, Scotland, scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly had been successfully cloned.

Sunday 23:

A large fire occurs in the Russian Space station, Mir.

March 1997

Tuesday 04:

United States President Bill Clinton bars federal funding for any research on human cloning.

Tuesday 11:

An explosion at a nuclear waste reprocessing plant in Japan exposes 35 workers to low-level radioactive contamination in the worst nuclear accident in Japan's history.

Thursday 13:

India's Missionaries of Charity chooses Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as its leader.

Friday 14:

The Chinese city of Chongqing (formerly Chunking) is upgraded to a centrally administered municipality

Tuesday 18:

The tail of a Russian An-24 charter plane breaks off while en-route to Turkey causing the plane to crash and killing all 50 on board. This leads to the grounding of all An-24s.

April 1997

Sunday 13:

Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament

Tuesday 22:

A 126-day hostage crisis at the residence of the Japanese ambassador in Lima, Peru ends after government commandos storm and capture the building, rescuing 71 hostages. One hostage dies of a heart attack, two soldiers are killed from rebel fire, and all 14 rebels are slain.

Sunday 27:

Andrew Cunanan murders Jeffrey Trail, beginning a murder spree that will last until July and terminate with the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace.

Tuesday 29:

The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 enters into force, outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons among its signatories.

Wednesday 30:

Ellen DeGeneres's character comes out of the closet on the sitcom Ellen.

May 1997

Thursday 01:

HM Prison Pentridge, Melbourne, Australia is officially closed.

Saturday 10:

An earthquake near Ardekul in northeastern Iran kills at least 2,400 people.

Friday 23:

Mohammad Khatami is elected as President of Iran.

Tuesday 27:

The F5-strength Jarrell Tornado slams into the small town of Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people.

Saturday 31:

Canada's Confederation Bridge opens, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick.

June 1997

Monday 02:

Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Thursday 12:

The United States Department of the Treasury unveils a new $50 bill meant to be more counterfeit-resistant. http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/rr1746.htm

Thursday 26:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S.), the first book in J.K. Rowling's hugely popular Harry Potter series, is published.

Saturday 28:

Boxer Mike Tyson is disqualified from WBA title re-match, for biting off part of the ear of his opponent Evander Holyfield.

Monday 30:

China resumes sovereignty over the city-state of Hong Kong, ending 156 years of British colonial rule.

July 1997

Friday 04:

NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.

Tuesday 15:

In Miami, Florida, serial killer Andrew Phillip Cunanan guns down Gianni Versace outside his home.

Thursday 17:

The F.W. Woolworth Company closes after 117 years in business.

Tuesday 22:

The second Blue Water Bridge opens between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario.

Sunday 27:

Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria; about 50 people killed.

August 1997

Thursday 07:

Fine Air Flight 101, a cargo flight from Miami to Santo Domingo crashes onto NW 72nd Ave near Miami International Airport, killing five people.

Thursday 21:

The British Rock Group Oasis release album, Be Here Now.

Tuesday 26:

Beni-Ali massacre in Algeria; 60-100 people killed.

Friday 29:

Serial killer Ángel Maturino Reséndiz bludgeons to death Christopher Maier of Lexington, Kentucky, USA, the first of nine victims.

Sunday 31:

Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in Paris.

September 1997

Wednesday 03:

A Vietnamese Airlines Tupolev TU-134 crashes on approach into Phnom Penh airport, killing 64.

Thursday 04:

A U.S. Air Force C-141 cargo plane and a German TU-154 collide in mid-air over southwest Africa killing 33. <!--can we get a more specific location than "SW Africa"? --->

Friday 05:

1997 - The IOC picks Athens to be the host city for the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Saturday 06:

The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, at Westminster Abbey draws large crowds.

Sunday 07:

The first test flight of the F/A-22 Raptor takes place.

October 1997

Friday 10:

An Austral Airlines DC-9-32 crashes and explodes near Nuevo Berlin, Uruguay, killing 74.

Wednesday 15:

The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn.

Sunday 26:

Basketball player Charles Barkley is charged with aggravated battery and resisting arrest after throwing Jorge Lugo through a plate glass window in a dance club in Orlando, Florida.

Tuesday 28:

The bulls come running back as the Dow Jones Industrial Average gains a record 337.17 points to close at 7,498.32. The massive rally comes a day after a 554 point drop. One billion shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time ever.

Thursday 30:

British au pair Louise Woodward is found guilty of the baby-shaking death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen.

November 1997

Sunday 09:

Mike Lookinland (of The Brady Bunch fame) is charged with drunk driving in St. George, Utah.

Tuesday 11:

Marianne Biancuzzo is charged for drowning her newborn baby in a toilet and hiding the remains in a coffee can in Tucson, Arizona.

Sunday 16:

After nearly 18 years of incarceration, the People's Republic of China releases Wei Jingsheng, a pro-democracy dissident, from jail for medical reasons.

Tuesday 18:

Gary Glitter is arrested in the United Kingdom on child porn charges.

Thursday 27:

Second Souhane massacre in Algeria; 25 killed.

December 1997

Wednesday 17:

A chartered Yakovlev-42 from Ukraine crashes into the mountains near Katerini, Greece killing 70

Monday 22:

Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas were massacred by paramilitary forces.

Monday 29:

Hong Kong begins to kill all the nation's chickens (1.25 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain.

Tuesday 30:

In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres of December 30, 1997, 400 people are killed from four villages.

Wednesday 31:

After 26 years in operation, Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee closes permanently.