1997

**1997** (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday in the Gregorian calendar.

## Births 
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### January
* January 3 – Rahul Shah, Indian cricketer
* January 17 - Adyam Tesfalem, Eritrean road racing cyclist

### February
### March
* March 4 – Beatrice Vio, Italian wheelchair foil fencer
* March 8 – Sam Vanderpump, English former race kart driver, businessman and television personality
* March 21 – Martina Stoessel, Argentina actrees & singer

### April
* April 1 – Asa Butterfield, English actor
* April 15 – Maisie Williams, British actress 

### May
* May 1 – Ariel Gade, American actress

### June
### July
* July 18 – Maria Nikka Feliselda, Filipina Bassist

### August
* August 10 – Kylie Jenner, American television personality and founder of Kylie Cosmetics
* August 16 – Greyson Chance, American singer

### September
* September 1 – Jungkook, South Korean singer (BTS)
* September 8 – Matthew Josten, American actor

### October
* October 2 – Liezel Lopez, Philippine actress
* October 8 – Bella Throne, American actrees & singer

### November
* November 16 – Alex Polidori, Italian actress and younger sister of Gabriele Patriarca
* November 19 – McCaughey septuplets, famous American set of septuplets

### December
* December 16 – Zara Larsson, Sweden singer

## Deaths 
### January 
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* January 8 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist (b. 1911)
* January 9 – Edward Osobka-Morawski, Polish politician (b. 1909)
* January 10 – Alexander R. Todd, Scottish chemist (b. 1907)
* January 10 – Sheldon Leonard, American producer (b. 1907)
* January 12 – Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian cancer researcher (b. 1901)
* January 15 – Helenio Herrera, Argentine football manager (b. 1916)
* January 17 – Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer (b. 1906)
* January 18 – Paul Tsongas, American politician (b. 1941)
* January 19 – James Dickey, American poet and novelist (b. 1923)
* January 21 – Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch-born American celebrity manager (b. 1909)
* January 25 – Jeane Dixon, American psychic (b. 1904)

### February 
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* February 1 – Herb Caen, American newspaper columnist (b. 1916)
* February 1 – Marjorie Reynolds, American actress (b. 1917)
* February 2 – Chico Science, Brazilian musician (b. 1967)
* February 5 – Pamela Harriman, U.S. Ambassador to France (b. 1920)
* February 16 – Bozorg Alavi, Iranian writer (b. 1904)
* February 17 – Asfaw Wossen, Emperor-in-exile of Ethiopia (b. 1916)
* February 19 – Deng Xiaoping, Leader of the People's Republic of China (b. 1904)
* February 21 – Josef Posipal, German footballer (b. 1927)

### March 
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* March 6 – Cheddi Jagan, President of Guyana (b. 1918)
* March 6 – Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1924)
* March 9 – The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (b. 1972)
* March 14 – Fred Zinnemann, American director (b. 1907)
* March 19 – Willem de Kooning, Dutch artist (b. 1904)
* March 21 - Wilbert Awdry, English writer (b. 1911)
* March 31 – Lyman Spitzer, American physicist (b. 1914)

### April 
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* April 5 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (b. 1926)
* April 7 – Georgi Shonin, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1935)
* April 7 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese movie producer (b. 1910)
* April 11 – Wang Xiaobo, Chinese writer (b. 1952)
* April 12 – George Wald, American scientist (b. 1903)
* April 17 – Chaim Herzog, President of Israel (b. 1918)
* April 21 – Diosdado Macapagal, President of the Philippines (b. 1910)

### May 
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* May 2 – John Eccles, Australian neuropsychologist (b. 1903)
* May 4 – Wijeyananda Dahanayake, Prime Minister of Ceylon (b. 1902)
* May 16 – Giuseppe De Santis, Italian movie director (b. 1917)
* May 20 – Virgilio Barco Vargas, President of Colombia (b. 1922)
* May 22 – Alfred Hershey, American biochemist (b. 1908)
* May 29 – Jeff Buckley, American musician (b. 1966)

### June 
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* June 1 – Nikolai Tikhonov, Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1905)
* June 2 – Helen Jacobs, American tennis player (b. 1908)
* June 6 – Magda Gabor, American actress (b. 1914)
* June 14 – Richard Jaeckel, American actor (b. 1926)
* June 15 – Edmond Leburton, Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1915)
* June 23 – Betty Shabazz, American widow of Malcolm X (b. 1936)
* June 24 – Brian Keith, American actor (b. 1921)
* June 25 – Jacques Cousteau, French underwater explorer (b. 1910)
* June 26 – Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Hawaiian singer (b. 1959)
* June 29 – William Hickey, American actor (b. 1927)

### July 
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* July 1 – Robert Mitchum, American actor (b. 1917)
* July 2 – James Stewart, American actor (b. 1908)
* July 15 – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer (b. 1946)
* July 18 – Eugene Shoemaker, American astronomer (b. 1928)
* July 24 – Saw Maung, Prime Minister of Myanmar (b. 1928)
* July 24 – Frank Parker, American tennis player (b. 1916)
* July 28 – Seni Pramoj, Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1905)
* July 30 – Bảo Đại, Vietnamese Emperor (b. 1913)

### August 
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* August 2 – William S. Burroughs, American writer (b. 1914)
* August 4 – Jeanne Calment, French supercentenarian (b. 1875)
* August 8 – Sviatoslav Richter, Ukrainian pianist (b. 1915)
* August 12 – Luther Allison, American musician (b. 1939)
* August 23 – John Kendrew, British molecular biologist (b. 1917)
* August 30 – Ernst Willimowski, Polish footballer (b. 1931)
* August 31 – Diana, Princess of Wales (b. 1961)
* August 31 – Dodi al-Fayed, Egyptian businessman (b. 1955)

### September 
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* September 5 – Mother Teresa, Albanian nun and missionary (b. 1910)
* September 7 – Mobutu Sese Seko, President of Zaire (b. 1930)
* September 9 – Burgess Meredith, American actor (b. 1907)
* September 11 – Matrika Prasad Koirala, Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1912)
* September 17 – Red Skelton, American entertainer (b. 1913)
* September 18 – Jimmy Witherspoon, American blues singer (b. 1920)
* September 29 – Roy Lichtenstein, American artist (b. 1923)

### October 
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* October 5 – Brian Pillman, American professional wrestler (b. 1962)
* October 12 – John Denver, American musician (b. 1943)
* October 16 – James A. Michener, American writer (b. 1907)
* October 16 – Audra Lindley, American actress (b. 1918)
* October 22 – Leonid Amalrik, Russian animator (b. 1905)
* October 30 – Samuel Fuller, American screenwriter and director (b. 1912)

### November 
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* November 8 – Mohammad-Ali Jamalzadeh, Iranian writer (b. 1892)
* November 22 – Michael Hutchence, Australian musician (b. 1960)
* November 25 – Hastings Banda, 1st President of Malawi (b. 1907)

### December 
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* December 1 – Stephane Grappelli, French violinist (b. 1908)
* December 7 – Billy Bremner, Scottish footballer (b. 1942)
* December 16 – Lillian Disney, American artist (b. 1899)
* December 18 – Chris Farley, American actor and comedian (b. 1964)
* December 20 – Juzo Itami, Japanese movie director (b. 1933)
* December 24 – Toshiro Mifune, Japanese actor (b. 1920)
* December 27 – Billy Wright, Northern Irish paramilitary leader (b. 1960)

## Events 
### January 
 becomes UN Secretary-General.]]
* January 1 – Kofi Annan becomes Secretary-General of the UN.
* January 8 – Mister Rogers receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
* January 9 – Yachtsman Tony Bullimore is found alive five days after his boat capsized in the Southern Ocean.
* January 18 – In north west Rwanda, Hutu militia members kill 3 Spanish aid workers, 3 soldiers and seriously wound 1 other.
* January 19 – Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
* January 20 – Bill Clinton starts his second term as President of the United States.
* January 21 – Newt Gingrich becomes the first leader of the United States House of Representatives to be internally disciplined for ethical misconduct.
* January 22 – Madeleine Albright becomes the first female secretary of state after confirmation by the United States Senate.
* January 23 – Mir Aimal Kasi receives the death sentence for a 1993 assault rifle attack outside CIA headquarters that killed 2 and wounded 3 others.
* January 27 – It is revealed that French museums had nearly 2,000 pieces of art that were stolen by Nazis.
* January 28 – Clive Davis receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

### February 
* February 22 – Scientists in Scotland announce the cloning of Dolly, born on July 5, 1996.
* February 23 – A small fire occurs on the Mir space station.
* February 27 – Divorce becomes legal in the Republic of Ireland.

### March 
 becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.]]
n Airlines Flight 801 crashes on Guam.]]
* March 6 – Guyana's President Cheddi Jagan dies in office.
* March 22 – At age 14, Tara Lipinski becomes the youngest figure skating world champion.
* March 24 – The movie *The English Patient* wins an Academy Award for best picture.

### April 
* April 29 – 126 people are killed in a train crash in Hunan, China.

### May 
* May 1 – Tony Blair of the Labour Party is elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in a landslide victory over the Conservatives, who lose all of their seats in Scotland and Wales, and lose power after 18 years in Government.
* May 3 – Katrina and the Waves win the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom.
* May 10 – An earthquake in northeastern Iran kills 2400 people.
* May 16 – Mobutu Sese Seko leaves Zaire.
* May 17 – Laurent Kabila's troops enter Kinshasa, as Zaire changes its name to Democratic Republic of the Congo.
* May 23 – Mohammad Khatami is elected President of Iran.

### June 
* June 13 – Timothy McVeigh is sentenced to death for the Oklahoma City bombing.
* June 25 – The town of Plymouth on the Caribbean island of Montserrat is evacuated as the Soufriere Hills volcano erupts.
* June 26 – Bertie Ahern becomes Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland.

### July 
* July 1 – The United Kingdom hands control of Hong Kong back to the People's Republic of China.
* July 15 – Fashion designer Gianni Versace is shot dead in Florida by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.
* July 25 – K. R. Narayanan becomes President of India.

### August 
* August 4 – Jeanne Calment dies after a record human lifespan of 122 years and 164 days.
* August 6 – Korean Air Flight 801 crash lands on the island of Guam, killing 228 people.
* August 13 – *South Park* debuts on Comedy Central.
* August 31 – Diana, Princess of Wales, Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul are killed in a car crash in Paris.

### September 
 on September 6, 1997]]
* September 5 – The 2004 Summer Olympics are awarded to Athens, Greece.
* September 6 – The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales takes place at Westminster Abbey in London. It is watched by over 2 billion people worldwide.
* September 11 – Voters in Scotland approve the creation of their own regional parliament in a referendum.
* September 18 – Voters in Wales approve the creation of their own Assembly in a referendum.
* September 26 – The regions of Umbria and Marche in Italy are hit by a strong earthquake.
* September 26 - An Airbus A300 of Garuda Indonesia Airlines crashes in Medan, Sumatra, killing all 234 people on board.

### October 
* October 15 – NASA launches the Cassini-Huygens probe to Saturn.
* October 16 – The New York Times' first colour photographs appear.
* October 26 – The Florida Marlins win the 1997 World Series, defeating the Cleveland Indians in seven games.  This is their first championship in franchise history.

### November 
 is chosen as President of Ireland on November 11, 1997.]]
* November 11 – Mary McAleese is chosen to succeed Mary Robinson as President of the Republic of Ireland, marking the first-ever woman to woman Presidential transfer.
* November 17 – 62 people are killed by Islamist terrorists in Luxor, Egypt.

### December 
* December 11 – The Kyoto protocol is approved by a UN committee.
* December 19 – Janet Jagan becomes President of Guyana, succeeding her deceased husband, Cheddi Jagan.
* December 19 – James Cameron's movie Titanic is released in the US.

### Other significant events 
* Algerian Civil War: Hundreds of people are killed in massacres throughout the year.

## Nobel Prizes 
*Chemistry: Paul D. Boyer, John E. Walker, Jens C. Skou
*Economics: Robert C. Merton, Myron C. Scholes
*Literature: Dario Fo
*Nobel Peace Prize: International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Jody Williams
*Physics: Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, William D. Phillips
*Medicine: Stanley B. Prusiner

## Movies Released 
* *Air Force One*
* *Amistad*
* *As Good as It Gets*
* *Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery*
* *Batman & Robin*
* *Breakdown*
* *Cop Land*
* *Con Air*
* *Contact*
* *Face/Off*
* *Fire Down Below*
* *Gattaca*
* *Good Will Hunting*
* *Hercules*
* *Home Alone 3*
* *Into Thin Air*
* *L.A. Confidential*
* *Liar Liar*
* *Men in Black*
* *Mononoke Hime*
* ''My Best Friend's Wedding*
* *Suicide Kings*
* *The Fifth Element*
* *The Full Monty*
* *The Ice Storm*
* *The Lost World: Jurassic Park*
* *The Rainmaker*
* *The Sweet Hereafter*
* *Titanic*
* *Tomorrow Never Dies*
* *U Turn*
* *Power Rangers Turbo: The Movie*
* *Volcano*

## New books 
* *American Pastoral*  –  Philip Roth
* *Are You Experienced?* – William Sutcliffe
* *Barney's Version* –  Mordecai Richler
* *The Best Laid Plans*  –  Sidney Sheldon
* *The Bible Code*  –  Michael Drosnin
* *Budgie: The Little Helicopter* – Sarah Ferguson
* *Cat & Mouse*  –  James Patterson
* *Cold Mountain*  –  Charles Frazier
* *Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs*  –  Dave Barry
* *Deja Dead* – Kathy Reichs
* *Diana: Her True Story* – Andrew Morton
* *Everyday Wicca* – Gerina Dunwich
* *Fall On Your Knees* – Ann-Marie MacDonald
* *The Ghost*  –  Danielle Steel
* *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* – J. K. Rowling
* *Hornet's Nest*  –  Patricia Cornwell
* *I Am the Most Interesting Book of All* (translation) – Marie Bashkirtseff
* *Instruments of Darkness* – Nancy Huston
* *Jingo* – Terry Pratchett
* *Larry's Party*  –  Carol Shields
* *Last Standing Woman* – Winona LaDuke
* *Moab Is My Washpot* – Stephen Fry (autobiography)
* *Morisson of Peking* – Cyril Pearl
* *Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet* – Karen Armstrong
* *Night Train* – Martin Amis
* *The Partner*  –  John Grisham
* *Pretend You Don't See Her* – Mary Higgins Clark
* *The Ranch*  –  Danielle Steel
* *The Red Tent* – Anita Diamant
* *Special Delivery*  –  Danielle Steel
* *The Subtle Knife* – Philip Pullman
* *Timequake* – Kurt Vonnegut
* *Toulouse-Lautrec: The Soul of Montmartre* – Reinhold Heller
* *Tuesdays With Morrie* – Mitch Albom
* *Unnatural Exposure*  –  Patricia Cornwell
* *A Walk in the Woods* – Bill Bryson
* *A Wiccan's Guide to Prophecy and Divination* – Gerina Dunwich

## Hit songs 
* *Candle in the Wind 1997'' – Elton John
* "MMMBop" – Hanson
* "My Heart Will Go On" – Céline Dion
* "Wannabe" – The Spice Girls
* "A Long December" – Counting Crows
* "All By Myself" – Céline Dion
* "Bitch" – Meredith Brooks
* "Don't Speak" – No Doubt
* "Forty Six & 2" – Tool
* "Longneck Bottle" – Garth Brooks
* "Magdalene" – Lenny Kravitz
* "Silver Springs" – Fleetwood Mac
* "The Difference" – The Wallflowers
* "Volcano" – Presidents of the United States of America
* "You Were Meant For Me" – Jewel