Events
January
*
January 1
January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__
Events ...
– The
Emergency Alert System is introduced in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
*
January 11
Events Pre-1600
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
* 630 – Conquest of Mecca: Muhammad and his ...
–
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
threatens
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
on account of a deal to buy
Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the
Cypriot Missile Crisis.
*
January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1458 BC – Hatshepsut dies at the age of 50 and is buried in the Valley of the Kings.
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the R ...
–
Murder of Ennis Cosby: Near
Interstate 405 (California) on a
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
freeway,
Bill Cosby's son Ennis is shot in the head in a failed robbery attempt.
*
January 17
Events Pre-1600
* 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
* 1362 – Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 peopl ...
– A
Delta II
Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, and sometimes known as the Thorad Delta 1. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family, derived directly from the Delta 3000, and entered service in ...
rocket carrying a military
GPS payload explodes, shortly after liftoff from
Cape Canaveral.
*
January 18
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later.
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail.
* 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the C ...
– In northwest
Rwanda
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...
,
Hutu militia members kill 6 Spanish aid workers and three soldiers, and seriously wound another.
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to '' Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surren ...
–
Yasser Arafat returns to
Hebron after more than 30 years, and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled
West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
city. (→
Hebron Agreement
The Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron, also known as the Hebron Protocol or Hebron Agreement, was signed on 17 January 1997 by Israel, represented by Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Palestine Liberation Organiz ...
)
*
January 23
Events Pre-1600
* 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor.
* 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao.
* 1229 ...
–
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Körbelová, later Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political science, political scientist who served as the 64th United States Secretary of State, United S ...
becomes the first female Secretary of State of the United States, after confirmation by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
.
*
January 26
Events Pre-1600
* 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
* 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
* 1564 – The Council of T ...
–
VJTI changes its name from Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute to Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Mumbai.
February
*
February 4
Events Pre–1600
* 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...
** On their way to
Lebanon, two Israeli troop-transport helicopters
collide, killing all 73 on board.
** After at first contesting the results,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
n President
Slobodan Milošević recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.
** A
magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes
North Khorasan province, Iran, killing 88 people and injuring 1,948.
[ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA ]National Centers for Environmental Information
The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is a U.S. government agency that manages one of the world's largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic data. The current director is Deke Arndt.
NCEI is operate ...
. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
*
February 10 –
Sandline affair: Australian newspapers publish stories that the government of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
has brought mercenaries onto
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island (; Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. Its land area is . The highest point is Mount Balbi, on the main island, at .
The much smaller Buk ...
.
*
February 13 – ''
STS-82'': Tune-up and repair work on the
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...
is started by
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...
s from the
Space Shuttle ''Discovery''.
*
February 28
Events Pre-1600
*202 BC – Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty.
* 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople (Roman Catholic), Fourth Council of Co ...
–
North Hollywood shootout: Two robbers, wearing
kevlar body armor, and armed with illegally modified
Type 56S rifles with high-capacity magazines and other weapons, injure 20 police officers and civilians in a gun battle. The incident sparks debate on the appropriate firepower for United States patrol officers to have available in similar situations in the future.
March
*
March 4 – U.S. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
bans federal funding for any research on
human cloning.
*
March 7 – In
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, the
Tamil Tigers overrun a military base and kill over 100 Sri Lankan troops.
*
March 9 – American rapper
The Notorious B.I.G. is
murdered in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
*
March 13
** India's Missionaries of Charity chooses
Sister Nirmala, to succeed
Mother Teresa as its leader.
** The
National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China creates a new
Chongqing
ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...
Municipality, out of part of
Sichuan.
*
March 16 –
Sandline affair: On
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island (; Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. Its land area is . The highest point is Mount Balbi, on the main island, at .
The much smaller Buk ...
in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
, soldiers of commander
Jerry Singirok arrest
Tim Spicer and his
mercenaries of the
Sandline International.
*
March 18 – The tail of a Russian
An-24 charter plane
breaks off while en route to Turkey, causing the plane to crash, killing all 50 on board, and resulting in the grounding of all An-24s.
*
March 21 – In
Zaire,
Étienne Tshisekedi is appointed prime minister; he ejects supporters of
Mobutu Sese Seko from his cabinet.
*
March 22 – The
Comet Hale–Bopp makes its closest approach to Earth.
*
March 24 – The
69th Academy Awards, hosted by
Billy Crystal, are held at the
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, an ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, with ''
The English Patient'' winning
Best Picture. During the event, the
DVD format is launched in the United States.
*
March 24–
26 – In
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, 39
Heaven's Gate cultists commit
mass suicide at their compound.
*
March 26 –
Julius Chan resigns as prime minister of Papua New Guinea, effectively ending the
Sandline affair.
April
*
April 3 – The
Thalit massacre in
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
: all but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas.
*
April 14
Events Pre-1600
* 43 BC – Legions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.
* 69 – Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor ...
**
Fire breaks out in a pilgrim camp on the Plain of Mena, from
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
; 343 die.
** Former SS Captain
Erich Priebke is retried; on
July 22 he is sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
*
April 18 – The
Red River of the North breaks through dikes and
floods Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in North Dakota, third-most populous ...
, and
East Grand Forks, Minnesota
East Grand Forks (also known as EGF) is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Polk County's largest community. It is in the Red ...
, causing US$2 billion in damage.
*
April 21 – A
Pegasus rocket carries the remains of 24 people into earth orbit, in the first
space burial by
Celestis company.
*
April 22
**
Haouch Khemisti massacre: 93 villagers are killed in
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
.
** A
126-day hostage crisis at the residence of the Japanese ambassador in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
,
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
.
*
April 23 – 42 villagers are killed in the
Omaria massacre in Algeria.
*
April 29
** The
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW),
CWC treaty enters into force.
**
Two trains crash at
Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
, China; 126 are killed.
May
*
May 1 –
Tony Blair becomes
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, as the
Labour Party wins the
1997 United Kingdom general election and returns to government for the first time in 18 years.
*
May 9 – The first genetically modified three-parent baby is born.
*
May 10
Events Pre-1600
* 28 BC – A sunspot is observed by Han dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, one of the earliest dated sunspot observations in China.
* 1291 – Scottish nobles recognize the authority of ...
– The 7.3
Qayen earthquake strikes eastern
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
with a maximum
Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). At least 1,567 were killed and 2,300 were injured.
*
May 11 –
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
's
Deep Blue defeats
Garry Kasparov in the
last game of the rematch, the first time a computer beats a
chess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
World champion in a match.
*
May 12
**The
Russia–Chechnya Peace Treaty is signed.
**An
F1-rated tornado strikes downtown
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, causing $525,000 in damages. Pictures and videos of this tornado made news headlines around the world.
*
May 15 – The United States government acknowledges existence of the
"Secret War" in Laos (
1953–
1975) during the
Vietnam War, and dedicates the
Laos Memorial in honor of
Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans.
*
May 16
**
First Congo War ends when president
Mobutu Sese Seko is exiled from
Zaire.
** U.S. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
issues a formal apology to the surviving victims of the
Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male and their families.
*
May 17 – Troops of
Laurent Kabila march into
Kinshasa.
*
May 21 –
Radiohead release
OK Computer
*
May 23
**
Mohammad Khatami wins the
1997 Iranian presidential election and becomes the first
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ian
Reformist president.
**A
riot in
Banjarmasin,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
breaks out, causing at least 137 deaths.
*
May 25 – A
military coup in
Sierra Leone replaces President
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major
Johnny Paul Koroma.
*
May 27 – The
fourth-deadliest tornado of the 1990s hits in
Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people and causing extreme damage in the Double Creek Estates.
*
May 31 – The 13-kilometer
Confederation Bridge, the world's longest bridge spanning ice-covered waters, opens between
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
and
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
, Canada.
June
*
June 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
* 1298 – Residents of Riga and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida.
* 1495 – A monk, John Cor, rec ...
**
Socialist Party-led Centre-left coalition won the second-round in
1997 French legislative elections, began with the third
Cohabitation (1997–2002).
**
Hugo Banzer wins the
Presidential elections in
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
.
*
June 2 – In
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
,
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
,
Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, United States, on April 19, 1995. The bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Perpetr ...
.
*
June 10 –
Khmer Rouge leader
Pol Pot orders the killing of his defense chief,
Son Sen, and 11 of Sen's family members, before Pol Pot flees his northern stronghold.
*
June 11 – In the United Kingdom, the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
votes for a
total ban on
handguns.
*
June 13 – A jury sentences
Timothy McVeigh to
death
Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
*
June 16 – About 50 people are killed in the
Daïat Labguer (M'sila) massacre in Algeria.
*
June 21 – The Women's National Basketball Association (
WNBA) plays its first game at
The Great Western Forum in Los Angeles.
*
June 25
** A massive eruption of the
Soufrière Hills volcano on the island of
Montserrat leads to evacuation and eventual abandonment of the capital,
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
.
** An uncrewed spacecraft
Progress M-34 collides with the Russian space station Mir.
*
June 26
Events Pre-1600
*4 AD, 4 – Augustus adopts Tiberius.
* 221 – Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar (title), Caesar.
* 363 – Roman emperor Julian (emperor), J ...
–
Bertie Ahern is appointed as the 10th
Taoiseach of the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
and
Mary Harney is appointed as the 16th, and first female,
Tánaiste, after their parties,
Fianna Fáil and the
Progressive Democrats respectively, win the
1997 General Election.
July
*
July – The
1997 Central European flood occurs across Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
*
July 1 – The United Kingdom
hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China.
*
July 2 – The Bank of Thailand floats the
baht, triggering the
Asian financial crisis.
*
July 4 –
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
's
Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of
Mars.
*
July 5
** In Cambodia,
Hun Sen of the
Cambodian People's Party overthrows
Norodom Ranariddh in a
coup.
** The Egyptian
Islamic Group announces a
cessation-of-violence initiative.
*
July 8 –
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
invites the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
,
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
to
join the alliance in
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
.
*
July 10 – In London, scientists report their
DNA analysis findings from a
Neanderthal 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 –
Royal Jomtien Resort Hotel fire at
Pattaya,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
's worst hotel fire, kills 90.
*
July 13 – The remains of
Che Guevara are returned to
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
for burial, alongside some of his comrades.
Guevara and his comrades were executed on October 9
1967 in
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
.
*
July 15 –
Spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer
Gianni Versace
Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up ...
dead outside Versace's
Miami Beach residence.
*
July 17 – The
F. W. Woolworth Company closes after 117 years in business.
*
July 25 –
K. R. Narayanan is sworn in as India's 10th president and the first member of the
Dalit caste to hold this office.
*
July 27 – About 50 are killed in the
Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria.
*
July 30 – 18 people are killed in the
Thredbo landslide in the
Snowy Mountains resort in Australia.
August
*
August 3 – Between 40 and 76 villagers are killed in the
Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre in Algeria.
*
August 3–
11 – Two of the three islands of the
Union of the Comoros –
Anjouan and
Mohéli – attempt to revert to colonial rule by France. The plan fails when the French government of President
Jacques Chirac refuses to recolonize them, resulting in the two islands being reintegrated into the Comoros over the next two years.
*
August 4 –
Jeanne Calment
Jeanne Louise Calment (; 21 February 1875 – 4 August 1997) was a French supercentenarian. With a documented lifespan of 122 years and 164 days, she was the oldest people, oldest person in history whose age has been verified. Her longevity at ...
, the verified oldest person to have ever lived, dies at 122 years and 164 days.
*
August 6 –
Korean Air Flight 801 crash lands west of
Guam International Airport, resulting in the deaths of 228 people.
*
August 13
Events Pre-1600
* 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes.
* 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas.
* 554 &ndash ...
–
Trey Parker and
Matt Stone's
animated television comedy
series,
South Park, started broadcasting with the first episode,
Cartman Gets an Anal Probe, on
Comedy Central.
*
August 20 – More than 60 are killed, 15 kidnapped in the
Souhane massacre in Algeria.
*
August 26
** 60–100 are killed in the
Beni Ali massacre in Algeria.
** The
Independent International Commission on Decommissioning is set up in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, as part of a
peace process
A peace process is the set of political sociology, sociopolitical negotiations, agreements and actions that aim to solve a specific armed conflict.
Definitions
Prior to an armed conflict occurring, peace processes can include the prevention of ...
.
*
August 29
** Over 98 (and possibly up to 400) are killed in the
Rais massacre in Algeria.
**
Netflix, Inc. is founded as a DVD-by-mail rental service.
*
August 31 –
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales:
Diana, Princess of Wales, is taken to a hospital after a car accident shortly after midnight, in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. She is pronounced dead at 4:00 am.
September
*
September 1 –
Dublin Regulation on treatment of applications for
right of asylum under
European Union law first comes into force.
*
September 5
** Over 87 are killed in the
Beni Messous massacre in Algeria.
** The
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
picks
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, Greece, to be the host city for the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece.
The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
.
*
September 6 – The
funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, takes place at
Westminster Abbey, London, UK, watched by over two billion people worldwide.
*
September 11 –
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
votes in favour of a
devolved Parliament, forming the
Scottish Parliament less than two years later
*
September 15 – The
Norwegian parliamentary election is held in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
.
*
September 18
**
Al-Qaeda carries out a
terrorist attack in
Mostar,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
.
**
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
votes in favour of
devolution and the formation of a
National Assembly for Wales.
*
September 20 – 53 people are killed in the
Guelb El-Kebir massacre in Algeria.
*
September 21
** The
Islamic Salvation Army, the
Islamic Salvation Fronts' armed wing, declares a unilateral ceasefire in Algeria.
**
St. Olaf's Church, a stone church from the 16th century in
Tyrvää,
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, is burnt down.
*
September 26
**
Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crashes while on approach to
Medan,
North Sumatra
North Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan on the east coast of the island. It borders Aceh to the northwest, Riau to the sou ...
, during the
1997 Southeast Asian haze, killing all 234 people on board. This becomes the deadliest aviation accident in Indonesian history.
** An
earthquake strikes the Italian regions of
Umbria and
Marche, causing part of the
Basilica of St. Francis at
Assisi to collapse.
October
*
October 1 –
Luke Woodham walks into Pearl High School in
Pearl, Mississippi and
opens fire, killing two girls, after killing his mother earlier that morning.
*
October 2 – British scientists Moira Bruce and John Collinge, with their colleagues, independently show that the new variant form of the
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease is the same disease as
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
*
October 3 – The
President of Paraguay,
Juan Carlos Wasmosy, orders the arrest of political opponent
Lino Oviedo.
*
October 10 – Uruguay's worst air disaster occurs when
Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553 crashes near
Nuevo Berlín, killing all 74 on board.
*
October 12 –
Sidi Daoud massacre: 43 are killed at a false roadblock in Algeria.
*
October 15
**
Andy Green sets the first supersonic
land speed record for the
ThrustSSC team, led by
Richard Noble of the UK. ThrustSSC goes through the flying mile course at Black Rock Desert, Nevada at an average speed of 1,227.985 km/h (763.035 mph).
**
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
launches the
Cassini–Huygens probe to Saturn.
*
October 16 – The first color photograph appears on the front page of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''.
*
October 17 – The remains of
Che Guevara are laid to rest with full military honours in a specially built
mausoleum in the city of Santa Clara,
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, where he had won the
decisive battle of the
Cuban Revolution 39 years before.
*
October 22 – Danish escaped criminal
Steen Christensen robs the Hotel Palace in Helsinki, Finland, killing two police officers while evading capture.
*
October 29 –
Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq says it will begin shooting down
Lockheed U-2 surveillance planes being used by UNSCOM inspectors.
November
*
November 2 –
Severe Tropical Storm Linda devastates southern
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
and
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, killing 3,275 people.
*
November 11 – 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
A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
.
*
November 13 –
Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the
1993 World Trade Center bombing.
*
November 17 – In
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
,
62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the
Temple of Hatshepsut.
*
November 19 – In
Des Moines, Iowa, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to
septuplets in the second known case where all seven babies are born alive, and the first in which all survive infancy.
*
November 27 –
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
's
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission is launched, the start of the satellite component of the
Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System.
December
*
December 1 – In the Indian state of
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
,
Ranvir Sena attacks the
CPI(ML) Party Unity stronghold Lakshmanpur-Bathe,
killing 63 lower caste people.
*
December 3 – In
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign a
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
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
is moved from
Almaty to
Astana.
*
December 11 – The
Kyoto Protocol is adopted by a
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
.
*
December 15 – Microsoft releases Windows 98 Beta 3
*
December 16 – In
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, over 700 children suffer
epileptic attacks after watching
an episode of the
Pokémon anime.
*
December 19
**
Janet Jagan (widow of
Cheddi Jagan) takes office in
Guyana.
**
SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River, near Palembang in Indonesia, killing 104.
*
December 21 –
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
beats
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
6–0 in the
Confederations Cup final.
*
December 24 – 50–100 villagers are killed in the
Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria.
*
December 27 –
Ulster loyalist paramilitary
A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.
Overview
Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
leader
Billy Wright is assassinated in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, inside
Long Kesh prison.
*
December 29 – Hong Kong begins to kill all the chickens within its territory (1.25 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 strain.
*
December 30 –
Wilaya of Relizane massacres of December 30, 1997: In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, 400 people from four villages in the
''wilaya'' of Relizane are killed.
Births and deaths
Nobel Prizes
*
Chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
–
Paul D. Boyer,
John E. Walker,
Jens C. Skou
*
Economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
–
Bank of Sweden –
Robert C. Merton,
Myron Scholes
*
Literature
Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
–
Dario Fo
*
Peace –
International Campaign to Ban Landmines and
Jody Williams
*
Physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
–
Steven Chu,
Claude Cohen-Tannoudji,
William D. Phillips
*
Medicine
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
–
Stanley B. Prusiner
References
External links
1997 Year in Review–
CNN
{{DEFAULTSORT:1997