Editing 1997

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Events by month|1997}}
{{Year dab|1997|the band|1997 (band)}}
[[File:1997 Events montage 16-grid version.jpg|From left, clockwise: [[Korean Air Flight 801]] crashes during heavy [[rain]] on [[Guam]], killing 229 people; [[SilkAir Flight 185]] crashes a river killing 104 people including [[Bonny Hicks]]; [[Golden Bauhinia Square]], where [[sovereignty]] of [[Hong Kong]] is [[Handover of Hong Kong|handed over]] from the [[United Kingdom]] to the [[People's Republic of China]]; flowers left outside [[Kensington Palace]] following the [[death of Diana, Princess of Wales]], in a car crash in [[Paris]]; [[Garuda Indonesia Flight 152]] crashes a forest killing 234 people caused by [[1997 Indonesian forest fires|haze]]; Evacuation of the United States citizens during the [[1997 Albanian civil unrest|Civil War]]; [[Kyoto Protocol]] is signed; [[Luxor massacre|Luxor Massacre]] killing 62 people by terrorist; [[Comet Hale-Bopp]] passes by [[Earth]] and becomes one of the most observed [[comet|comets]] of the [[20th century]]; ''[[Mars Pathfinder]]'' and ''[[Sojourner (rover)|Sojourner]]'' land on [[Mars]]; ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' is published; [[movie set]] of ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', the [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing]] movie in history at the time; [[Japanese embassy hostage crisis]] is ended;  [[Mars Global Surveyor]] landed on [[Mars]]; the [[1997 Central European flood|Central European flood]] kills 114 people in the [[Czech Republic]], [[Poland]], and [[Germany]]; [[Tropical Storm Linda (1997)|Tropical Storm Linda]] killing 3275 people making it worst typhoon in [[Vietnam|southern vietnam]];|300x300px|thumb|right]]
{{Year nav|1997}}
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{{Year article header|1997}}

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==Events==
===January===
* [[January 1]] – The [[Emergency Alert System]] is introduced in the [[United States]].
* [[January 11]] – [[Turkey]] threatens [[Cyprus]] on account of a deal to buy [[S-300 missile system|Russian S-300 missiles]], prompting the [[Cypriot S-300 crisis|Cypriot Missile Crisis]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-10-23 |title=Turkey hints at strike on Cypriot missiles |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/turkey-hints-strike-cypriot-missiles-1282572.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/turkey-hints-strike-cypriot-missiles-1282572.html |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2021-03-08 |website=The Independent |language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[January 16]] – [[Murder of Ennis Cosby]]: Near [[Interstate 405 (California)]] on a [[Los Angeles]] freeway, [[Bill Cosby]]'s son Ennis is shot in the head in a failed robbery attempt.
* [[January 17]] – A [[Delta II]] rocket carrying a military [[GPS]] payload explodes, shortly after liftoff from [[Cape Canaveral]].
* [[January 18]] – In northwest [[Rwanda]], [[Hutu]] militia members kill 6 Spanish aid workers and three soldiers, and seriously wound another.
* [[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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9701/19/hebron.arafat/index.html |title=Arafat arrives in Hebron for 'victory' celebration |date=January 19, 1997 |website=CNN World News |access-date=December 29, 2021 |archive-date=December 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229161043/http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9701/19/hebron.arafat/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> (→ [[Hebron Agreement]])
* [[January 23]] – [[Madeleine Albright]] becomes the first female Secretary of State of the United States, after confirmation by the [[United States Senate]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://secretary.state.gov/www/albright/albright.html |title=Biography: Madeleine Korbel Albright |publisher=Office of the US Secretary of State |access-date=July 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204185811/http://secretary.state.gov/www/albright/albright.html |archive-date=February 4, 2016}}</ref>
* [[January 26]] – [[Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute|VJTI]] changes its name from Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute to Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Mumbai.

===February===
* [[February 4]]
** On their way to [[Lebanon]], two Israeli troop-transport helicopters [[1997 Israeli helicopter disaster|collide]], killing all 73 on board.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-02-05-mn-25740-story.html |title=Israeli Helicopters Collide in Midair; 73 Soldiers Killed |last=Miller |first=Marjorie |date=February 5, 1997 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0458-3035 |archive-date=September 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928170426/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-02-05/news/mn-25740_1_israeli-soldiers |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-remembers-73-soldiers-who-died-in-helicopter-disaster-19-years-ago-444000 |title=Israel remembers 73 soldiers who died in helicopter disaster 19 years ago |last1=Amir |first1=Noam |first2=Maariv |last2=Hashavua |date=February 5, 2016 |work=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=February 2, 2018 |archive-date=February 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203064350/http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-remembers-73-soldiers-who-died-in-helicopter-disaster-19-years-ago-444000 |url-status=live }}</ref>
** After at first contesting the results, [[Serbia]]n President [[Slobodan Milošević]] recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.
** A [[1997 Bojnurd earthquake|magnitude 6.5 earthquake]] strikes [[North Khorasan province]], Iran, killing 88 people and injuring 1,948.<ref name=NGDC>[[National Geophysical Data Center]] / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. [[NOAA]] [[National Centers for Environmental Information]]. [[doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K]] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310061851/https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/5447 |date=March 10, 2022 }}</ref>
* [[February 10]] – [[Sandline affair]]: Australian newspapers publish stories that the government of [[Papua New Guinea]] has brought mercenaries onto [[Bougainville Island]].
* [[February 13]] – ''[[STS-82]]'': Tune-up and repair work on the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] is started by [[astronaut]]s from the [[Space Shuttle Discovery|Space Shuttle ''Discovery'']].<ref>{{cite book |title=Aeronautics and Space Report of the President ... Activities |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Council |year=1996 |page=1}}</ref>
* [[February 28]] – [[North Hollywood shootout]]: Two robbers, wearing [[kevlar]] body armor, and armed with illegally modified [[Type 56|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.{{relevance inline|date=April 2019}}

===March===
* [[March 4]] – U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] bans federal funding for any research on [[human cloning]].
* [[March 7]] – In [[Sri Lanka]], the [[Tamil Tigers]] [[1997 Vavunathivu Offensive|overrun a military base]] and kill over 100 Sri Lankan troops.
* [[March 9]] – American rapper [[The Notorious B.I.G.]] is [[Murder of the Notorious B.I.G.|murdered]] in [[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]] Municipality, out of part of [[Sichuan]].
* [[March 16]] – [[Sandline affair]]: On [[Bougainville Island]] in [[Papua New Guinea]], soldiers of commander [[Jerry Singirok]] arrest [[Tim Spicer]] and his [[mercenary|mercenaries]] of the [[Sandline International]].
* [[March 18]] – The tail of a Russian [[An-24]] charter plane [[Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023|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]] in [[Los Angeles]], with ''[[The English Patient (film)|The English Patient]]'' winning [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]. During the event, the [[DVD]] format is launched in the United States.
* [[March 24]]–[[March 26|26]] – In [[San Diego]], 39 [[Heaven's Gate (religious group)|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]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 26, 1997 |title=Papua New Guinea Head Steps Down After Mutiny |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/26/world/papua-new-guinea-head-steps-down-after-mutiny.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308051336/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/26/world/papua-new-guinea-head-steps-down-after-mutiny.html |archive-date=March 8, 2016 |access-date=December 29, 2021 |website=New York Times|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

===April===
* [[April 3]] – The [[Thalit massacre]] in [[Algeria]]: all but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 April 1997 |title=More than 80 Algerians killed in weekend massacres |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9704/06/algeria.massacre/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612075645/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9704/06/algeria.massacre/ |archive-date=12 June 2024 |access-date=5 September 2024 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref>
* [[April 14]]
** [[Mecca fire of 1997|Fire breaks out]] in a pilgrim camp on the Plain of Mena, {{convert|11|km|mi}} from [[Mecca]]; 343 die.
** Former SS Captain [[Erich Priebke]] is retried; on [[July 22]] he is sentenced to fifteen years in prison.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1997/0417/041797.intl.intl.2.html |title=Ex-Nazi's Trial Opens Up Italy's Fascist Past |date=April 17, 1997 |author=Lara Santoro |website=Christian Science Monitor |access-date=December 29, 2021 |archive-date=December 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229161044/https://www.csmonitor.com/1997/0417/041797.intl.intl.2.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[April 18]] – The [[Red River of the North]] breaks through dikes and [[1997 Red River flood|floods]] [[Grand Forks, North Dakota]], and [[East Grand Forks, Minnesota]], causing US$2&nbsp;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]].
** A [[Japanese embassy hostage crisis|126-day hostage crisis]] at the residence of the Japanese ambassador in [[Lima]], [[Peru]].
* [[April 23]] – 42 villagers are killed in the [[Omaria massacre]] in Algeria.
* [[April 29]]
** The [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons]] (OPCW), [[Chemical Weapons Convention|CWC]] treaty enters into force.
** [[Rongjiawan train disaster|Two trains crash]] at [[Hunan]], China; 126 are killed.

===May===
* [[May 1]] – [[Tony Blair]] becomes [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]], as the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] wins the [[1997 United Kingdom general election]] and returns to government for the first time in 18 years.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Election. The Statistics. How the UK voted on May 1st. |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/news/05/0505/stats.shtml |website=BBC Politics 97 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=8 July 2020 |archive-date=March 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324034533/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/news/05/0505/stats.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[May 9]] – The first genetically modified three-parent baby is born.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.docguide.com/healthy-baby-born-after-worlds-first-successful-cytoplasmic-transfer |title=DocGuide |publisher=DocGuide |access-date=2015-11-25 |archive-date=October 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012010231/http://www.docguide.com/healthy-baby-born-after-worlds-first-successful-cytoplasmic-transfer |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[May 10]] – The 7.3 {{M|w}} [[1997 Qayen earthquake|Qayen earthquake]] strikes eastern [[Iran]] with a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] of X (''Extreme''). At least 1,567 were killed and 2,300 were injured.
* [[May 11]] – [[IBM]]'s [[Deep Blue (chess computer)|Deep Blue]] defeats [[Garry Kasparov]] in the [[Deep Blue – Kasparov, 1997, Game 6|last game]] of the rematch, the first time a computer beats a [[chess]] World champion in a match.
* [[May 12]]
**The [[Russia–Chechnya Peace Treaty]] is signed.
**An [[1997 Miami tornado|F1-rated tornado strikes]] downtown [[Miami]], 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 [[Laotian Civil War|"Secret War" in Laos]] ([[1953]]–[[1975]]) during the [[Vietnam War]], and dedicates the [[Laos Memorial]] in honor of [[Hmong people|Hmong]] and other "Secret War" veterans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130512005048/en/Laos-Hmong-Veterans-Vietnam-War-Honored-National|title=Laos, Hmong Veterans of Vietnam War Honored At National Ceremonies|website=Businesswire|date=13 May 2013|access-date=13 May 2024}}</ref>
* [[May 16]]
** [[First Congo War]] ends when president [[Mobutu Sese Seko]] is exiled from [[Zaire]].
** U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] 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-Désiré Kabila|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]]ian [[Reformist]] [[President of Iran|president]].
**A [[1997 Banjarmasin riot|riot]] in [[Banjarmasin]], [[Indonesia]] breaks out, causing at least 137 deaths.<ref>[http://articles.cnn.com/1997-05-25/world/9705_25_indo.elex_1_mitra-plaza-rioting-police-and-troops?_s=PM:WORLD 130 looters die in fire during Indonesian riot – CNN] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406042644/http://articles.cnn.com/1997-05-25/world/9705_25_indo.elex_1_mitra-plaza-rioting-police-and-troops?_s=PM:WORLD |date=2012-04-06 }}. Articles.cnn.com (1997-05-25). Retrieved on 2011-06-12.</ref>
* [[May 25]] – A [[military coup]] in [[Sierra Leone]] replaces President [[Ahmad Tejan Kabbah]] with Major [[Johnny Paul Koroma]].
* [[May 27]] – The [[1997 Prairie Dell-Jarrell tornado|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]] and [[New Brunswick]], Canada.

===June===
* [[June 1]] 
** [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]]-led Centre-left coalition won the second-round in [[1997 French legislative elections]], began with the third [[Cohabitation (government)|Cohabitation]] (1997–2002).
** [[Hugo Banzer]] wins the [[1997 Bolivian general election|Presidential elections]] in [[Bolivia]].
* [[June 2]] – In [[Denver]], [[Colorado]], [[Timothy McVeigh]] is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 [[Oklahoma City bombing]].
* [[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 of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] votes for a [[Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997|total ban]] on [[handgun]]s.
* [[June 13]] – A jury sentences [[Timothy McVeigh]] to [[capital punishment|death]] 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 Forum (Inglewood, California)|The Great Western Forum]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Voepel |first=Mechelle |date=2016-06-16 |title=Twenty seasons later, a look back at WNBA's first game |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/16256278/twenty-years-later-look-back-wnba-first-game |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007192630/https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/16256278/twenty-years-later-look-back-wnba-first-game |archive-date=October 7, 2019 |access-date=2019-10-07 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> 
* [[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, Montserrat|Plymouth]].
** An uncrewed spacecraft [[Progress M-34]] collides with the Russian space station Mir.
* [[June 26]] – [[Bertie Ahern]] 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]].

===July===
* [[July]] – The [[1997 Central European flood]] 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]].<ref>Joseph E. Stiglitz, ''The roaring nineties: a new history of the world's most prosperous decade'' (WW Norton & Company, 2004) pp 12–16.</ref>
* [[July 4]] – [[NASA]]'s [[Mars Pathfinder|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 [[1997 Cambodian coup d'état|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]], [[Hungary]], and [[Poland]] to [[Enlargement_of_NATO#Visegrád_Group|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]] – [[Royal Jomtien Resort Hotel fire]] at [[Pattaya]], [[Thailand]]'s worst hotel fire, kills 90.
* [[July 13]] – The remains of [[Che Guevara]] are returned to [[Cuba]] for burial, alongside some of his comrades. [[Ñancahuazú Guerrilla|Guevara and his comrades]] were executed on October 9 [[1967]] in [[Bolivia]].
* [[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 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 4]] – [[Jeanne Calment]], 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]] – [[Trey Parker]] and [[Matt Stone]]'s [[Animation|animated]] television comedy [[Television series|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]], as part of a [[Northern Ireland peace process|peace process]].
* [[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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pogue |first=David |author-link=David Pogue |date=January 25, 2007 |title=A Stream of Movies, Sort of Free |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/technology/25pogue.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322100820/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/technology/25pogue.html |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[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&nbsp;am.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emergency.com/dianaded.htm |title=Series of Real-Time Reports involving the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales |publisher=Emergency |year=1997 |access-date=December 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080507233601/http://www.emergency.com/dianaded.htm |archive-date=May 7, 2008}}</ref>

===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]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/06/sports/athens-wins-a-vote-for-tradition-and-the-2004-olympics.html?mcubz=0 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 18, 2017 |date=September 6, 1997 |title=Athens Wins a Vote for Tradition, and the 2004 Olympics |first=Jere |last=Longman |archive-date=September 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918201607/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/06/sports/athens-wins-a-vote-for-tradition-and-the-2004-olympics.html?mcubz=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[September 6]] – The [[funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales]], takes place at [[Westminster Abbey]], London, UK, watched by over two billion people worldwide.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1997/12/26/adding-princess-dianas-impact-1997/|title=Take a look back at Princess Diana's impact on 1997|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|first1=Suna|last1=Chang|first2=Anna|last2=Holmes|date=26 December 1997|access-date=14 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101062606/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,290815,00.html|archive-date=2014-01-01|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[September 11]] – [[Scotland]] [[1997 Scottish devolution referendum|votes]] in favour of a [[Scottish devolution|devolved]] Parliament, forming the [[Scottish Parliament]] less than two years later
* [[September 15]] – The [[1997 Norwegian parliamentary election|Norwegian parliamentary election]] is held in [[Norway]].
* [[September 18]]
** [[Al-Qaeda]] carries out a [[Mostar car bombing|terrorist attack]] in [[Mostar]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]].
** [[Wales]] [[1997 Welsh devolution referendum|votes]] in favour of [[Welsh devolution|devolution]] and the formation of a [[National Assembly for Wales]].
* [[September 20]] – 53 people are killed in the [[Guelb El-Kebir massacre]] in Algeria.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dispatch.co.za:80/1997/09/22/page%207.htm | title=53 die in Algerian massacre | publisher=Daily Dispatch | date=22 September 1997 | accessdate=11 May 2017 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050227101937/http://www.dispatch.co.za/1997/09/22/page%207.htm | archivedate=27 February 2005 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[September 21]]
** The [[Islamic Salvation Army]], the [[Islamic Salvation Front]]s' 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sastamalanseurakunta.fi/pyhaolavi/english.shtml |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720193052/http://www.sastamalanseurakunta.fi/pyhaolavi/english.shtml |url-status=dead |title=Church of St Olaf |archivedate=July 20, 2011}}</ref>
* [[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 1]] – [[Luke Woodham]] walks into Pearl High School in [[Pearl, Mississippi]] and [[1997 Pearl High School shooting|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.<ref name="AviationSafety">{{ASN accident|id= 19971010-0|type= Accident|title=McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 LV-WEG Nuevo Berlin |accessdate= 26 May 2011}}</ref>
* [[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&nbsp;km/h (763.035&nbsp;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]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/insider/history-times-color-photos.html |website=The New York Times |date=4 October 2018 |access-date=25 November 2022 |title=When the Gray Lady Started Wearing Color |first=Will |last=Higginbotham |archive-date=November 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125190925/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/insider/history-times-color-photos.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[October 17]] – The remains of [[Che Guevara]] are laid to rest with full military honours in a specially built [[Che Guevara Mausoleum|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.city.fi/ilmiot/steen+christensen+pyovelin+puheenvuoro/4812 |title=Steen Christensen: Pyövelin puheenvuoro |last1=Larros |first1=Heini |last2=Suhonen |first2=Pete |date=November 27, 1998 |work=City-lehti |access-date=September 24, 2021 |language=fi |archive-date=September 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924020801/https://www.city.fi/ilmiot/steen+christensen+pyovelin+puheenvuoro/4812 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/a/2016061821756836 |title=Poliisisurmat järkyttivät Suomea 1997 – kaksi poliisia ammuttiin kadulle |last=Palmén |first=Tiia |date=June 19, 2016 |work=[[Iltalehti]] |access-date=September 24, 2021 |language=fi |archive-date=October 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073640/https://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2016061821756836_uu.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[October 29]] – [[Iraq disarmament timeline 1990–2003|Iraq disarmament crisis]]: Iraq says it will begin shooting down [[Lockheed U-2]] surveillance planes being used by UNSCOM inspectors.

===November===
* [[November 2]] – [[Tropical Storm Linda (1997)|Severe Tropical Storm Linda]] devastates southern [[Vietnam]] and [[Thailand]], killing 3,275 people.<ref>{{cite web|author=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|year=2001|title=1997 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report|access-date=2010-03-22|url=http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/1997atcr/pdf/1997_complete.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606210557/http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/1997atcr/pdf/1997_complete.pdf|archive-date=2011-06-06}}</ref>
* [[November 11]] – Telecom companies [[WorldCom]] and [[MCI Communications]] announce a US$37&nbsp;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]], [[Luxor massacre|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, [[Laxmanpur Bathe massacre|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 mine]]s. 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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVII-7-a&chapter=27&lang=en |title=7 .a Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |work=UN Treaty Database |access-date=27 November 2014 |archive-date=8 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008095709/https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVII-7-a&chapter=27&lang=en |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[December 15]]   – Microsoft releases Windows 98 Beta 3
* [[December 16]] – In [[Japan]], over 700 children suffer [[Photosensitive epilepsy|epileptic attacks]] after watching [[Dennō Senshi Porygon|an episode]] of the [[Pokémon (TV series)|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 national football team|Brazil]] beats [[Australia men's 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&nbsp;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 [[Relizane Province|''wilaya'' of Relizane]] are killed.

== Births and deaths ==
{{Main|:Category:1997 births|Deaths in 1997}}

==Nobel Prizes==
[[File:Nobel medal.png|right|120px]]
* [[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==
{{reflist}}
{{Portal|1990s}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070102220022/http://www.time.com/time/reports/yir/1997/main.html 1997 Year in Review] – [[CNN]]
{{Events by month links}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997}}
[[Category:1997| ]]