Some of us remember 1997 vividly, some of us not so vividly (Bacardi Breezers were not our friends!) and some of us weren't even born in 1997 (you young whippersnappers!), so let's all go back in our time machine of choice, to the 97th year of the 20th century and (re)discover what was happening in World News in the year Buffyus Premierus.....
January:
January 20
Bill Clinton is sworn in for a second term as President of the United States.
January 22
Madeleine Albright becomes the first female Secretary of State, after confirmation by the United States Senate.
February:
February 4
After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milošević recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.
February 5
The so-called "Big Three" banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families.
Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter Reynolds investment banks announce a $10 billion merger.
February 13
STS-82: Tune-up and repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope is started by astronauts from the Space Shuttle Discovery.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 7,000 for the first time, gaining 60.81 to 7,022.44.
February 22
In Roslin, Scotland, scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly had been successfully cloned, and was born in July 1996.
February 27
Divorce becomes legal in the Republic of Ireland.
March:
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.
The Phoenix Lights, a series of UFOs, are seen over Phoenix, Arizona.
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 26
Julius Chan resigns as prime minister of Papua New Guinea, ending the Sandline affair.
April:
April 1
Comet Hale–Bopp meets or exceeds most predictions when it passes perihelion.
April 11
Fire damages the Turin Cathedral in Italy.
April 18
The Red River of the North breaks through dikes and floods Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, causing US$2 billion in damage.
May:
May 2
The Labour Party of the United Kingdom returns to power for the first time in 18 years, with Tony Blair becoming Prime Minister, in a landslide majority in the 1997 general election.
May 3
Katrina and the Waves win the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 for the UK with "Love Shine a Light", the most successful Eurovision entry ever.
May 10
The 7.3 Mw Qayen earthquake shakes eastern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). At least were 1,567 killed and 2,300 were injured.
May 11
IBM's Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, the first time a computer beats a chess World champion in a match.
May 12
The Russian–Chechen Peace Treaty is signed.
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 17
Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa.
May 22
Kelly Flinn, the U.S. Air Force's first female bomber pilot certified for combat, accepts a general discharge in order to avoid a court-martial.
May 23
Mohammad Khatami wins the 1997 Iranian presidential election and becomes the first Iranian Reformist president.
May 25
Strom Thurmond becomes the longest-serving member in the history of the United States Senate (41 years and 10 months).
A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koroma.
May 27
The second-deadliest tornado of the 1990s hits in Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people.
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
Hugo Banzer wins the Presidential elections in Bolivia.
June 7
A computer user known as "_eci" publishes his Microsoft C source code on a Windows 95 and Windows NT exploit, which later becomes WinNuke. The source code gets wide distribution across the internet, and Microsoft is forced to release a security patch.
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 (the news does not reach outside Cambodia for 3 days).
June 11
In the United Kingdom, the House of Commons votes for a total ban on handguns.
June 12
The United States Department of the Treasury unveils a new $50 bill, meant to be more difficult to counterfeit.
June 13
A jury sentences Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
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.
An unmanned Progress spacecraft 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 General Election.
July:
July 1
The United Kingdom hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China.
July 4
NASA'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.
July 7
The Great Flood begins in southern Poland.
July 8
NATO invites the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to 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 13
The remains of Che Guevara are returned to Cuba for burial, alongside some of his comrades. Guevara and his comrades were executed on 9 October 1967 in Bolivia.
July 15
Spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer Gianni Versace to death outside Versace's Miami residence.
July 16
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 63.17 to close at 8,038.88. It is the Dow's first close above 8,000. The Dow has doubled its value in 30 months.
July 17
The F. W. Woolworth Company closes after 117 years in business.
July 21
On her 200th birthday, the fully restored USS Constitution (aka "Old Ironsides") sets sail for the first time in 116 years.
The first genetically modified 3 parent baby is born.
July 23
Digital Equipment Corporation files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.
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 30
18 people are killed in the Thredbo landslide in the Snowy Mountains resort in Australia. Stuart Diver is the only survivor.
August:
August 1
Boeing and McDonnell Douglas complete a merger.
Steve Jobs returns to Apple Computer, Inc at Macworld in Boston.
August 3
Two of the three islands of the Union of the Comoros — Anjouan and Mohéli — attempt to succeed to revert to colonial rule by France. It 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 oldest person ever, dies at age 122 years 164 days in Arles, France.
August 6
Microsoft buys a $150 million share of financially troubled Apple Computer.
Korean Air Flight 801 crash lands west of Guam International Airport, resulting in the deaths of 228 people.
August 13
In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Cruzeiro defeats Sporting Cristal of Peru 1–0, becoming the Copa Libertadores de América champions for the second time.
August 26
The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning is set up in Northern Ireland, as part of a peace process.
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 3:00 am.
September:
September 4
In Lorain, Ohio, the last Ford Thunderbird for 3 years rolls off the assembly line.
September 5
The International Olympic Committee picks Athens, Greece, to be the host city for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
September 6
The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, takes place at Westminster Abbey, watched by over 2 billion people worldwide.
A Jean Michel Jarre Oxygene in Moscow concert, celebrating the city's 850th anniversary, draws 3.5 million people.
September 7
The F-22 Raptor makes its first test flight.
September 11
Scotland votes to create its own Parliament after 290 years of union with England.
September 13
Iraq disarmament crisis: An Iraqi military officer attacks an UNSCOM weapons inspector on board an UNSCOM helicopter, while the inspector attempts to take photographs of unauthorized movement of Iraqi vehicles inside a site designated for inspection.
September 15
The Norwegian parliamentary election was held in Norway.
September 18
Wales votes in favour of devolution and the formation of a National Assembly for Wales.
Al-Qaeda carries out a terrorist attack in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
September 21
The Islamic Salvation Army, the Islamic Salvation Fronts' armed wing, declares a unilateral ceasefire in Algeria.
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 earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse.
September 27
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Požega in Croatia is founded.
October:
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 4
One million men gather for Promise Keepers' "Stand in the Gap" event in Washington, D.C.
Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery: The second largest cash robbery in U.S. history ($17.3 million, mostly in small bills) occurs at the Charlotte, North Carolina office of Wells Fargo. An FBI investigation eventually results in 24 convictions and the recovery of approximately 95% of the stolen cash.
October 11
The mixed martial arts organization Pride Fighting Championships holds its inaugural event at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. In the main event Rickson Gracie defeats Nobuhiko Takada by armbar.
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 launches the Cassini–Huygens probe to Saturn.
October 16
The first color photograph appears on the front page of The New York Times.
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, where he had won the decisive battle of the Cuban Revolution 39 years before.
October 24
The Toyota Prius, the first hybrid vehicle to go into full production, is unveiled in Japan.
October 28
In the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average gains a record 337.17 points (+4.71%), closing at 7,498.32. One billion shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time ever.
November:
November 3
In France, striking truck drivers blockade ports during a pay dispute.
November 10
Telecom companies WorldCom and MCI Communications announce a US$37 billion merger to form MCI WorldCom (the largest merger in U.S. history).
November 11
Mary McAleese is elected the 8th 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 12
Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
November 19
In Des Moines, Iowa, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to septuplets in the second known case where all 7 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 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 is moved from Almaty to Astana.
December 11
The Kyoto Protocol is adopted by a United Nations committee.
December 12
Demonstrations occur in the state capitals of Australia against the WTO and IMF.
The 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup begins in Saudi Arabia.
December 16
"Dennō Senshi Porygon", an episode of the Pokémon TV series, is aired in Japan, inducing seizures in hundreds of Japanese children.
December 18
Myra Hindley, one of the Moors murderers, loses her High Court appeal against the UK government's decision to keep her behind bars for the rest of her life.
December 19
Janet Jagan (the former wife of Cheddi Jagan) takes office in Guyana.
December 21
Brazil beats Australia 6–0 in the Confederations Cup final.
December 27
Ulster loyalist paramilitary leader 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 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain.
Nobel Prize Winners in 1997:
Chemistry – Paul D. Boyer, John E. Walker, Jens C. Skou
Economics – Bank of Sweden – Robert C. Merton, Myron Scholes
Literature – Dario Fo
Peace – International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Jody Williams
Physics – Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, William D. Phillips
Medicine – Stanley B. Prusiner
January:
January 20
Bill Clinton is sworn in for a second term as President of the United States.
January 22
Madeleine Albright becomes the first female Secretary of State, after confirmation by the United States Senate.
February:
February 4
After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milošević recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.
February 5
The so-called "Big Three" banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families.
Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter Reynolds investment banks announce a $10 billion merger.
February 13
STS-82: Tune-up and repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope is started by astronauts from the Space Shuttle Discovery.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 7,000 for the first time, gaining 60.81 to 7,022.44.
February 22
In Roslin, Scotland, scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly had been successfully cloned, and was born in July 1996.
February 27
Divorce becomes legal in the Republic of Ireland.
March:
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.
The Phoenix Lights, a series of UFOs, are seen over Phoenix, Arizona.
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 26
Julius Chan resigns as prime minister of Papua New Guinea, ending the Sandline affair.
April:
April 1
Comet Hale–Bopp meets or exceeds most predictions when it passes perihelion.
April 11
Fire damages the Turin Cathedral in Italy.
April 18
The Red River of the North breaks through dikes and floods Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, causing US$2 billion in damage.
May:
May 2
The Labour Party of the United Kingdom returns to power for the first time in 18 years, with Tony Blair becoming Prime Minister, in a landslide majority in the 1997 general election.
May 3
Katrina and the Waves win the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 for the UK with "Love Shine a Light", the most successful Eurovision entry ever.
May 10
The 7.3 Mw Qayen earthquake shakes eastern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). At least were 1,567 killed and 2,300 were injured.
May 11
IBM's Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, the first time a computer beats a chess World champion in a match.
May 12
The Russian–Chechen Peace Treaty is signed.
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 17
Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa.
May 22
Kelly Flinn, the U.S. Air Force's first female bomber pilot certified for combat, accepts a general discharge in order to avoid a court-martial.
May 23
Mohammad Khatami wins the 1997 Iranian presidential election and becomes the first Iranian Reformist president.
May 25
Strom Thurmond becomes the longest-serving member in the history of the United States Senate (41 years and 10 months).
A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koroma.
May 27
The second-deadliest tornado of the 1990s hits in Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people.
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
Hugo Banzer wins the Presidential elections in Bolivia.
June 7
A computer user known as "_eci" publishes his Microsoft C source code on a Windows 95 and Windows NT exploit, which later becomes WinNuke. The source code gets wide distribution across the internet, and Microsoft is forced to release a security patch.
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 (the news does not reach outside Cambodia for 3 days).
June 11
In the United Kingdom, the House of Commons votes for a total ban on handguns.
June 12
The United States Department of the Treasury unveils a new $50 bill, meant to be more difficult to counterfeit.
June 13
A jury sentences Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
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.
An unmanned Progress spacecraft 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 General Election.
July:
July 1
The United Kingdom hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China.
July 4
NASA'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.
July 7
The Great Flood begins in southern Poland.
July 8
NATO invites the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to 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 13
The remains of Che Guevara are returned to Cuba for burial, alongside some of his comrades. Guevara and his comrades were executed on 9 October 1967 in Bolivia.
July 15
Spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer Gianni Versace to death outside Versace's Miami residence.
July 16
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 63.17 to close at 8,038.88. It is the Dow's first close above 8,000. The Dow has doubled its value in 30 months.
July 17
The F. W. Woolworth Company closes after 117 years in business.
July 21
On her 200th birthday, the fully restored USS Constitution (aka "Old Ironsides") sets sail for the first time in 116 years.
The first genetically modified 3 parent baby is born.
July 23
Digital Equipment Corporation files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.
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 30
18 people are killed in the Thredbo landslide in the Snowy Mountains resort in Australia. Stuart Diver is the only survivor.
August:
August 1
Boeing and McDonnell Douglas complete a merger.
Steve Jobs returns to Apple Computer, Inc at Macworld in Boston.
August 3
Two of the three islands of the Union of the Comoros — Anjouan and Mohéli — attempt to succeed to revert to colonial rule by France. It 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 oldest person ever, dies at age 122 years 164 days in Arles, France.
August 6
Microsoft buys a $150 million share of financially troubled Apple Computer.
Korean Air Flight 801 crash lands west of Guam International Airport, resulting in the deaths of 228 people.
August 13
In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Cruzeiro defeats Sporting Cristal of Peru 1–0, becoming the Copa Libertadores de América champions for the second time.
August 26
The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning is set up in Northern Ireland, as part of a peace process.
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 3:00 am.
September:
September 4
In Lorain, Ohio, the last Ford Thunderbird for 3 years rolls off the assembly line.
September 5
The International Olympic Committee picks Athens, Greece, to be the host city for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
September 6
The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, takes place at Westminster Abbey, watched by over 2 billion people worldwide.
A Jean Michel Jarre Oxygene in Moscow concert, celebrating the city's 850th anniversary, draws 3.5 million people.
September 7
The F-22 Raptor makes its first test flight.
September 11
Scotland votes to create its own Parliament after 290 years of union with England.
September 13
Iraq disarmament crisis: An Iraqi military officer attacks an UNSCOM weapons inspector on board an UNSCOM helicopter, while the inspector attempts to take photographs of unauthorized movement of Iraqi vehicles inside a site designated for inspection.
September 15
The Norwegian parliamentary election was held in Norway.
September 18
Wales votes in favour of devolution and the formation of a National Assembly for Wales.
Al-Qaeda carries out a terrorist attack in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
September 21
The Islamic Salvation Army, the Islamic Salvation Fronts' armed wing, declares a unilateral ceasefire in Algeria.
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 earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse.
September 27
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Požega in Croatia is founded.
October:
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 4
One million men gather for Promise Keepers' "Stand in the Gap" event in Washington, D.C.
Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery: The second largest cash robbery in U.S. history ($17.3 million, mostly in small bills) occurs at the Charlotte, North Carolina office of Wells Fargo. An FBI investigation eventually results in 24 convictions and the recovery of approximately 95% of the stolen cash.
October 11
The mixed martial arts organization Pride Fighting Championships holds its inaugural event at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. In the main event Rickson Gracie defeats Nobuhiko Takada by armbar.
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 launches the Cassini–Huygens probe to Saturn.
October 16
The first color photograph appears on the front page of The New York Times.
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, where he had won the decisive battle of the Cuban Revolution 39 years before.
October 24
The Toyota Prius, the first hybrid vehicle to go into full production, is unveiled in Japan.
October 28
In the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average gains a record 337.17 points (+4.71%), closing at 7,498.32. One billion shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time ever.
November:
November 3
In France, striking truck drivers blockade ports during a pay dispute.
November 10
Telecom companies WorldCom and MCI Communications announce a US$37 billion merger to form MCI WorldCom (the largest merger in U.S. history).
November 11
Mary McAleese is elected the 8th 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 12
Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
November 19
In Des Moines, Iowa, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to septuplets in the second known case where all 7 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 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 is moved from Almaty to Astana.
December 11
The Kyoto Protocol is adopted by a United Nations committee.
December 12
Demonstrations occur in the state capitals of Australia against the WTO and IMF.
The 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup begins in Saudi Arabia.
December 16
"Dennō Senshi Porygon", an episode of the Pokémon TV series, is aired in Japan, inducing seizures in hundreds of Japanese children.
December 18
Myra Hindley, one of the Moors murderers, loses her High Court appeal against the UK government's decision to keep her behind bars for the rest of her life.
December 19
Janet Jagan (the former wife of Cheddi Jagan) takes office in Guyana.
December 21
Brazil beats Australia 6–0 in the Confederations Cup final.
December 27
Ulster loyalist paramilitary leader 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 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain.
Nobel Prize Winners in 1997:
Chemistry – Paul D. Boyer, John E. Walker, Jens C. Skou
Economics – Bank of Sweden – Robert C. Merton, Myron Scholes
Literature – Dario Fo
Peace – International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Jody Williams
Physics – Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, William D. Phillips
Medicine – Stanley B. Prusiner
Last edited:
wickedwillow
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