1997

Events in 1997 64

• 1904 – 1997 Willem de Kooning Abstract Expressionism · Netherlands / USA Willem de Kooning (April 24, 1904 – March 19, 1997) was a Dutch-American painter and a leading figure of Abstract Expressionism. His Woman series provoked fierce debate about the relationship between abstraction and figuration.
• 1904 – 1997 Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) Died 19 February 1997, aged 92 Deng Xiaoping was the paramount leader of China from the late 1970s, who launched the economic reforms that opened the country to market forces and foreign investment. He held no formal head-of-state title in his later years but remained China's most powerful figure. His policies transformed China into a major global economic power.
• 1905 – 1997 Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) Died 2 September 1997, aged 92 Viktor Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor who developed logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy centered on finding meaning in life. His memoir Man's Search for Meaning, based on his experience in concentration camps, sold millions of copies worldwide. He died in Vienna.
• 1907 – 1997 Burgess Meredith (1907-1997) American actor whose career ran from Broadway's Winterset to the Penguin in Batman and Mickey in Rocky.
• 1908 – 1997 James Stewart (1908-1997) Died 2 July 1997, aged 89 James Stewart was an American actor known for films including It's a Wonderful Life, Vertigo, and Rear Window. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Philadelphia Story and received an honorary Oscar in 1985. He also served as a decorated bomber pilot during World War II.
• 1910 – 1997 Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997) Died 25 June 1997, aged 87 Jacques Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, and filmmaker who co-invented the Aqua-Lung and pioneered underwater documentary filmmaking. His television series brought ocean life to a global audience for decades. He was a prominent advocate for marine conservation.
• 1910 – 1997 Mother Teresa (1910-1997) Died 5 September 1997, aged 87 Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta and devoted her life to caring for the poor and dying. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. She died just days after Princess Diana, and was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 2016.
• 1912 – 1997 Prince Bertil The Engine Prince A beloved royal who waited decades to marry his commoner love to ensure the succession.
• 1913 – 1997 Red Skelton (1913-1997) Died 17 September 1997, aged 84 Red Skelton was an American comedian and clown whose variety show ran on television for two decades. He was known for recurring characters such as Clem Kadiddlehopper and Freddie the Freeloader. He died in Rancho Mirage, California.
• 1914 – 1997 William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) Died 2 August 1997, aged 83 William S. Burroughs was an American writer and a central figure of the Beat Generation, best known for his novel Naked Lunch. His experimental cut-up writing techniques influenced generations of writers and musicians. He died in Lawrence, Kansas, of a heart attack.
• 1917 – 1997 Robert Mitchum (1917-1997) Died 1 July 1997, aged 79 Robert Mitchum was an American actor known for his roles in film noir classics such as Out of the Past and The Night of the Hunter. He appeared in more than 130 films over a five-decade career. He died one day before fellow screen legend James Stewart.
• 1918 – 1997 Chaim Herzog (1918-1997) Died 17 April 1997, aged 78 Chaim Herzog served as the sixth President of Israel from 1983 to 1993, following a career as a military intelligence officer and diplomat. He was Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in the 1970s. He died in Tel Aviv.
• 1923 – 1997 Roy Lichtenstein Pop Art · USA Roy Lichtenstein (October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American Pop Art painter who transformed comic book imagery into fine art. His bold primary colours and Ben-Day dots became one of the most recognisable styles of the 20th century.
• 1926 – 1997 Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) Died 5 April 1997, aged 70 Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and leading figure of the Beat Generation, best known for his poem Howl. His work challenged censorship laws and influenced the counterculture movements of the 1960s. He died of liver cancer complications in New York.
• 1938 – 1997 Fela Kuti (1938-1997) Died 2 August 1997, aged 58 Fela Kuti was a Nigerian musician and political activist who created the Afrobeat genre, fusing jazz, funk, and traditional Yoruba music. His outspoken criticism of Nigeria's military governments led to repeated arrests and violent raids on his compound. He died of complications from AIDS in Lagos.
• 1943 – 1997 John Denver (1943-1997) Died 12 October 1997, aged 53 John Denver was an American singer-songwriter known for hits including Take Me Home, Country Roads and Rocky Mountain High. He died when the experimental aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Monterey, California. He had sold tens of millions of records over his career.
• 1944 – 1997 Townes Van Zandt (1944-1997) Died 1 January 1997, aged 52 Townes Van Zandt was an American singer-songwriter whose songs, including Pancho and Lefty, were covered by numerous country and folk artists. Though he achieved little mainstream commercial success in his lifetime, he is regarded as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation. He died in Smyrna, Tennessee, on New Year's Day.
• 1946 – 1997 Gianni Versace (1946-1997) Died 15 July 1997, aged 50 Gianni Versace was an Italian fashion designer who built one of the world's leading luxury fashion houses. He was shot and killed outside his Miami Beach mansion by spree killer Andrew Cunanan, who died by suicide days later. His sister Donatella took over creative direction of the company.
• 1960 – 1997 Michael Hutchence (1960-1997) Died 22 November 1997, aged 37 Michael Hutchence was the lead singer of the Australian rock band INXS, known for hits including Need You Tonight and Never Tear Us Apart. He was found dead in a Sydney hotel room; a coroner ruled the death a suicide. His death shocked fans worldwide and led to years of speculation about its circumstances.
• 1961 – 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales The People’s Princess Global icon known for her humanitarian work and royal fame.
• 1964 – 1997 Chris Farley (1964-1997) Died 18 December 1997, aged 33 Chris Farley was an American comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member known for physical comedy sketches and films including Tommy Boy and Black Sheep. He died of a drug overdose in Chicago at age 33. His death drew comparisons to that of his idol John Belushi.
• 1966 – 1997 Jeff Buckley American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley (1966-1997) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, son of folk musician Tim Buckley, celebrated for his extraordinary four-octave voice and his 1994 debut album Grace. He died by accidental drowning in the Mississippi River at 30, leaving behind one of the most cherished and influential catalogs in rock music.
• 1972 – 1997 Notorious B.I.G. (1972-1997) Died 9 March 1997, aged 24 Christopher Wallace, known as the Notorious B.I.G., was a rapper whose album Ready to Die established him as one of hip hop's most influential artists. He was shot and killed in Los Angeles amid the East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry, six months after the murder of Tupac Shakur. His case remains officially unsolved.
• 1996 – 1997 First national selection -- youngest to represent Australia In 1996, with his sister Christina qualifying for the Atlanta Olympics, coach Doug Frost sends the 14-year-old Thorpe to national qualifiers in Sydney to give him a taste of high-level competition. The following year, 1997, Thorpe qualifies for the Pan Pacific Championships in Fukuoka, Japan -- becoming, at 14, the youngest male swimmer ever to represent Australia at the national level. The Pan Pacific debut is the first step onto the international stage, and the beginning of a decade-long dominance of world freestyle swimming.
• 1997 Death of Princess Diana Paris car crash Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris, leading to worldwide mourning.
• 1997 Dolly the sheep First cloned mammal Dolly, announced in 1997, was the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell, opening a new era in biology and ethics.
• 1997 – 2003 Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings Films Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003) is the most ambitious film production in history at the time: three films shot simultaneously over 15 months in New Zealand, with a combined production budget exceeding $280 million, employing over 2,400 crew and 20,000 extras. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King collectively won 17 Academy Awards from 30 nominations -- including 11 Oscars for The Return of the King, tying Ben-Hur and Titanic for the most ever won by a single film. They grossed nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office and transformed New Zealand's cultural identity and film industry permanently.
• 1997 Princess Diana dies Princess Diana dies Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris in the early hours of 31 August 1997, along with Dodi Fayed and the driver Henri Paul. The French inquiry blamed speed and the driver's intoxication, with pursuing photographers a contributing factor. Public grief in Britain was extraordinary and forced the monarchy to respond.
• 1997 – 2006 The numbers -- a career in statistics Across his nine years of elite competition (1997-2006), Ian Thorpe accumulates: 5 Olympic gold medals (2 silver, 2 bronze); 13 World Aquatics Championship gold medals; 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals; 22 world records (long course); 4 Swimming World Swimmer of the Year awards; 5 consecutive Australian Swimmer of the Year titles (1999-2003); and 4 Sport Australia Male Athlete of the Year awards. He is the only Olympian to win medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle at the same Games (Athens 2004). He is the first swimmer to win six gold medals at a single World Championships (Fukuoka 2001). No Australian has won more Olympic gold medals than his five (equal with Emma McKeon as of his retirement).
• 1997 15th Elfstedentocht — most recent edition Winner: Henk Angenent — 6h 49m The most recent official Elfstedentocht was held on 4 January 1997 with 16,731 participants. Henk Angenent won in 6 hours and 49 minutes in a dramatic final sprint. Klasina Seinstra was the first woman to finish. Climate change has since prevented another edition. The Dutch remain hopeful and watchful every cold winter.
• 1997 – present Egan Bernal The Zipa First Latin American to win the Tour de France (2019).
• 1997 Heaven's Gate mass suicide 39 cult members die in coordinated suicide near San Diego Police discovered the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate religious group at a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The group believed a UFO trailing Comet Hale-Bopp would carry their souls to a higher existence after death. It remains the largest mass suicide on US soil.
• 1997 Comet Hale-Bopp reaches perihelion One of the brightest comets of the 20th century Comet Hale-Bopp made its closest approach to the sun and was visible to the naked eye for months, one of the longest such viewing periods on record. Discovered in 1995 by amateur astronomers Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp, it became one of the most-observed comets in history.
• 1997 Grand National evacuated after bomb threat Aintree racecourse cleared, race rerun two days later The Grand National horse race at Aintree was abandoned minutes before the start after an IRA coded bomb warning forced evacuation of the course. Thousands of spectators were left stranded overnight. The race was rerun two days later and won by Lord Gyllene.
• 1997 Tiger Woods wins the Masters Youngest champion and first golfer of color to win the tournament Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament at Augusta National by a record 12 strokes, becoming the youngest champion at age 21. He was the first golfer of Black or Asian heritage to win the event. The victory is widely regarded as a turning point in golf's popularity and diversity.
• 1997 1997 World Snooker Championship Doherty Victory Ken Doherty ends Hendrys reign. Winner: Ken Doherty; Runner-up: Stephen Hendry. Score: 18–12.
• 1997 Tony Blair becomes British prime minister Labour wins landslide general election victory The Labour Party led by Tony Blair won a landslide victory in the UK general election, ending eighteen years of Conservative government. Blair became prime minister at age 43, one of the youngest in British history. Labour secured a majority of 179 seats in the House of Commons.
• 1997 Liar Liar #5 film of 1997 — $302m worldwide Directed by Tom Shadyac, starring Jim Carrey. A lawyer is cursed by his son's birthday wish to tell the truth for one whole day.
• 1997 Deep Blue defeats Kasparov 3½-2½ Machine beats champion for first time IBM's improved Deep Blue defeated Kasparov 3½-2½ in New York in the rematch, becoming the first computer to defeat a reigning World Champion in a classical match. The result shocked the world and marked a turning point in artificial intelligence.
• 1997 Mobutu Sese Seko overthrown in Zaire Laurent-Desire Kabila takes power, renames country Congo Rebel leader Laurent-Desire Kabila's forces captured Kinshasa, ending Mobutu Sese Seko's 32-year rule over Zaire. Kabila declared himself president and renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mobutu fled into exile and died months later.
• 1997 Foo Fighters release The Colour and the Shape Everlong With Everlong and My Hero — their breakthrough.
• 1997 The Lost World: Jurassic Park #2 film of 1997 — $618m worldwide Directed by Steven Spielberg. A research team goes to the island where the dinosaurs have bred naturally.
• 1997 Timothy McVeigh sentenced to death Jury verdict for the Oklahoma City bombing A federal jury sentenced Timothy McVeigh to death for the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people. McVeigh was convicted on charges including conspiracy and use of a weapon of mass destruction. He was executed in 2001.
• 1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone published J.K. Rowling's debut launches a global publishing phenomenon Bloomsbury published J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter novel in the United Kingdom with a modest initial print run. The book introduced the boy wizard and launched what became one of the best-selling book series in history. It was published in the United States the following year under a different title.
• 1997 Hong Kong returned to China End of 156 years of British rule — "one country, two systems" At midnight on 1 July 1997, sovereignty over Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, ending 156 years of British colonial rule. The handover was governed by the Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984), which guaranteed Hong Kong's capitalist system and civil liberties under "one country, two systems" for 50 years. In 2020, Beijing imposed a national security law that critics said effectively ended this arrangement.
• 1997 Asian financial crisis begins Thailand devalues the baht, triggering regional collapse Thailand floated the baht after depleting foreign currency reserves defending its peg to the US dollar, triggering a wave of currency devaluations across Southeast Asia. The crisis spread to Indonesia, South Korea, and other economies, wiping out billions in market value. It prompted large IMF bailout packages across the region.
• 1997 Mars Pathfinder lands on Mars First successful Mars rover mission, Sojourner NASA's Mars Pathfinder spacecraft landed on Mars and deployed the Sojourner rover, the first wheeled vehicle to operate on another planet. The mission returned thousands of images and analyzed Martian rocks and soil. It reestablished American interplanetary exploration after a two-decade gap since Viking.
• 1997 Steve Jobs returns to lead Apple Gil Amelio ousted as Apple CEO amid company crisis Apple's board forced out CEO Gil Amelio as the company neared bankruptcy, and cofounder Steve Jobs, who had returned to Apple earlier in the year through its acquisition of NeXT, stepped in as de facto leader. Jobs was formally named interim CEO that September. His return began Apple's turnaround into one of the world's most valuable companies.
• 1997 Sixth World Championship gold -- Athens 1997 At the 1997 IAAF World Championships in Athens, Bubka wins his sixth consecutive world title -- an achievement without precedent in any single athletics event at World Championships level. He is 33 years old. The Athens title is the capstone of the competitive phase of his career: six titles, 1983-1997, every two years without interruption. No other athlete in the history of the IAAF World Championships has won six consecutive titles in the same event.
• 1997 F-22 Raptor first flight Marietta, Georgia The first production-representative F-22 flies from Lockheed's plant in Marietta, Georgia.
• 1997 Scottish devolution referendum passes Voters approve creation of a Scottish Parliament Scottish voters approved the creation of a devolved Scottish Parliament with tax-varying powers by a wide margin. The referendum followed the Labour government's manifesto commitment to devolution. The Scottish Parliament convened for the first time in 1999.
• 1997 Bridges to Babylon Twenty-first album — September 29, 1997 Bridges to Babylon was released on September 29, 1997. Produced in part by the Dust Brothers and Rob Trujillo, it reached number 1 in the UK and number 3 in the US.
• 1997 – present Max Verstappen Super Max Youngest ever race winner and multiple World Champion; known for his aggressive and clinical driving style.
• 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam signed European Union agreement expands institutional powers European Union member states signed the Treaty of Amsterdam, amending the Maastricht Treaty and expanding EU authority over employment, justice, and foreign policy. It also prepared institutional groundwork for further enlargement of the union. The treaty entered into force in 1999.
• 1997 Cassini-Huygens probe launched Mission to study Saturn and its moon Titan NASA launched the Cassini orbiter carrying the European Huygens probe on a seven-year journey to Saturn. The mission would go on to reveal detailed images of Saturn's rings and moons and land Huygens on Titan in 2005. It was a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency.
• 1997 – present Charles Leclerc The Prince of Monaco Ferrari star and home-race winner in Monaco; seen as a future world champion.
• 1997 – present Naomi Osaka The Hard Court Specialist Four-time major winner and former World No. 1.
• 1997 Mary McAleese inaugurated as President of Ireland McAleese, born in Belfast, becomes the first person from Northern Ireland to serve as Irish president.
• 1997 Luxor massacre Gunmen kill 62 people, most of them foreign tourists, at the Temple of Hatshepsut near Luxor.
• 1997 South Korea requests IMF bailout Hit by the Asian financial crisis, South Korea asks the International Monetary Fund for help, leading to a record rescue package.
• 1997 Yamaichi Securities collapses One of Japans four big brokerages shuts down after hiding losses, the largest Japanese corporate failure since the war.
• 1997 Kyoto Protocol adopted International treaty to curb greenhouse gas emissions Delegates at the UN Climate Change Conference in Kyoto, Japan adopted the Kyoto Protocol, committing industrialized nations to binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It was the first major international treaty to address climate change. The protocol would not enter into force until 2005.
• 1997 Tomorrow Never Dies — Pierce Brosnan Bond battles a megalomaniacal media mogul who manipulates news coverage to trigger a war between Britain and China. The villain is a barely-disguised Rupert Murdoch figure. Michelle Yeoh co-stars as Chinese agent Wai Lin in one of the franchise's strongest female roles. Budget: $110 million. Box office: $339.5 million.
• 1997 Titanic #1 film of 1997 — $2.19bn worldwide Directed by James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. A love story set aboard the ill-fated RMS Titanic. Won 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture.