The year in history
1997
Someone born in 1997 turns 29 in 2026
1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1997th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 997th year of the 2nd millennium, the 97th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year of the 1990s decade.
What happened in 1997
The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
Sandline affair: Australian newspapers publish stories that the government of Papua New Guinea has brought mercenaries onto Bougainville Island.
The Comet Hale–Bopp makes its closest approach to Earth.
42 villagers are killed in the Omaria massacre in Algeria.
Radiohead releases OK Computer
A jury sentences Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
The Egyptian Islamic Group announces a cessation-of-violence initiative.
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.
The International Olympic Committee picks Athens, Greece, to be the host city for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
An earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse.
Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq says it will begin shooting down Lockheed U-2 surveillance planes being used by UNSCOM inspectors.
The capital of Kazakhstan is moved from Almaty to Astana.