This article is about the year 1997. For the number (and other uses) see 1997 (number). For the band see 1997 (band). Millennium: 2nd millennium Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1960s  1970s  1980s  1990s  2000s  2010s  2020s Years: 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 1997 by topic: Subject Archaeology Architecture Art Aviation Awards Comics Film Home video Literature (Poetry) Meteorology Music (Country Metal) Rail transport Radio Science Spaceflight Sports Television Video gaming By country Australia Canada People's Republic of China Ecuador France Germany Greece India Ireland Israel Italy Japan Luxembourg Malaysia Mexico New Zealand Norway Pakistan Philippines Russia Singapore South Africa UK USA Zimbabwe Leaders Sovereign states State leaders Religious leaders Law Birth and death categories Births Deaths Establishments and disestablishments categories Establishments Disestablishments Works and introductions categories Works Introductions v d e 1997 in other calendars Gregorian calendar 1997 MCMXCVII Ab urbe condita 2750 Armenian calendar 1446 Bah' calendar 153 154 Bengali calendar 1404 Berber calendar 2947 British Regnal year 45 Eliz. 2  46 Eliz. 2 Buddhist calendar 2541 Burmese calendar 1359 Byzantine calendar 7505 7506 Chinese calendar (4633/4693-11-22) to (4634/4694-12-2) Coptic calendar 1713 1714 Ethiopian calendar 1989 1990 Hebrew calendar 5757 5758 Hindu calendars  - Bikram Samwat 2053 2054  - Shaka Samvat 1919 1920  - Kali Yuga 5098 5099 Holocene calendar 11997 Iranian calendar 1375 1376 Islamic calendar 1417 1418 Japanese calendar Heisei 9 (9) Korean calendar 4330 Thai solar calendar 2540 Unix time 852076800 883612799 v d e Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 1997

1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year that started on a Wednesday. In the Gregorian calendar it was the 1997th year of the Common Era or of the Anno Domini designation; the 997th year of the 2nd millennium; the 97th year of the 20th century; and the 8th of the 1990s. Events January January 9 Yachtsman Tony Bullimore is found alive 5 days after his boat capsized in the Southern Ocean. Bill Clinton the President of the United States began his second term on January 20 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 3 Spanish aid workers 3 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. January 20 U.S. President Bill Clinton is inaugurated for his second term. January 22 Madeleine Albright becomes the first female Secretary of State after confirmation by the United States Senate. January 23 Mir Aimal Kasi is sentenced to death for a 1993 assault rifle attack outside CIA headquarters that killed 2 and wounded 3. January 27 It is revealed that French museums had nearly 2000 pieces of art that had been stolen by Nazis. February February 4 On their way to Lebanon 2 Israeli troop-transport helicopters collide killing 73. After at first contesting the results Serbian President Slobodan Miloevi recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections. British Home Secretary Michael Howard informs Moors Murderer Myra Hindley that she will never be released from prison. Mr. Howard has made the decision in agreement with a recommendation made by his predecessor David Waddington in 1990. February 5 The so-called "Big Three" banks in Switzerland announced the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families. Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter Reynolds investment banks announced a $10 billion merger. February 10 The United States Army suspends Gene C. McKinney Sergeant Major of the Army its top-ranking enlisted soldier after hearing allegations of sexual misconduct. 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 astronauts from Space Shuttle Discovery. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 7000 for the first time gaining 60.81 to 7022.44. February 22 In Roslin Scotland scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly had been successfully cloned and was born in July 1996. February 23 A small fire occurs on the Russian space station Mir. February 27 Divorce becomes legal in the Republic of Ireland. February 28 North Hollywood shootout: Two robbers wearing kevlar body armor armed with AKMs containing armor-piercing bullets injure 17 police officers and civilians in a gun battle. The incident sparked debate on the appropriate firepower for United States patrol officers to have available in similar situations in the future. March March 4 U.S. President Bill Clinton bars federal funding for any research on human cloning. March 6 President of Guyana Cheddi Jagan dies in office. Pablo Picasso's Tte de Femme is stolen from a London gallery (recovered a week later). In Sri Lanka Tamil Tigers overrun a military base and kill more than 200. 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 are seen over Phoenix AZ. March 16 Sandline affair: On Bougainville Island soldiers of commander Jerry Singirok arrest Tim Spicer and his mercenaries of the Sandline International. March 18 The tail of a Russian An-24 charter plane 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 Etienne Tshiksekedi is appointed prime minister; he ejects supporters of Mobutu Sese Seko from his cabinet. Mercenaries of Sandline International withdraw from Papua New Guinea. March 22 Tara Lipinski 14 becomes the youngest women's world figure skating champion. 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 California with The English Patient winning Best Picture. March 26 In San Diego California 39 Heaven's Gate cultists commit mass suicide at their compound. Julius Chan resigns as prime minister of Papua New Guinea ending the Sandline affair. April April 3 The Thalit massacre in Algeria: All but one of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas. April 11 Fire damages the Turin Cathedral in Italy. April 14 Fire breaks out in a pilgrim camp on the Plain of Mena 7 miles (11 km) from Mecca; 343 die. Former SS Captain Erich Priebke is retried; on July 22 he is sentenced to 5 years in prison. April 16 Houston Texas socialite Doris Angleton is murdered in her River Oaks home. Roger Angleton later admits to the crime in his suicide note. Despite being found innocent of the crime by a Texas jury he is later arrested by the United States Department of Justice on similar charges. 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. April 21 A Pegasus rocket carries the remains of 24 people into earth orbit in the first space burial. April 22 Haouch Khemisti massacre: 93 villagers are killed in Algeria. A 126-day hostage crisis at the residence of the Japanese ambassador in Lima Peru ends after government commandos storm and capture the building rescuing 71 hostages. One hostage dies of a heart attack 2 soldiers are killed by rebel fire and all 14 Tupac Amaru rebels are slain. France supports the new transitional government in Zaire withdrawing its support of Mobutu Sese Seko. April 23 42 villagers are killed in the Omaria massacre in Algeria. April 27 Andrew Cunanan murders Jeffrey Trail beginning a murder spree that lasts until July and ends with the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace. April 29 Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) CWC treaty enters into force. Two trains crash at Hunan China; 126 are killed. May May 2 Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister in the United Kingdom. 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 An earthquake near Ardekul in northeastern Iran kills at least 2400. 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 14 The Star Alliance is formed between Air Canada Lufthansa Scandinavian Airlines System Thai Airways International and United Airlines. May 15 The United States government acknowledges existence of the "Secret War" in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans. May 16 Mobutu Sese Seko leaves Kinshasa eventually settling in Morocco. 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 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 won at 1997 Iranian presidential election and became 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 Koromah. 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 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi military escorts on board an UNSCOM helicopter try to physically prevent the UNSCOM pilot from flying the helicopter in the direction of its planned destination threatening the safety of the aircraft and their crews. Hugo Banzer wins the 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 6 In Lacey Township New Jersey high school senior Melissa Drexler kills her newborn baby in a toilet. 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 8 A United States Coast Guard helicopter crashes near Humboldt Bay California; all 4 crewmembers perish. 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 16 About 50 are killed in the Dairat Labguer massacre in Algeria. June 19 The fast food chain McDonald's wins a partial victory in its libel trial known as the McLibel case against two environmental campaigners. June 22 Swedish musician Ted Grdestad commits suicide by jumping in front of a train. He is found dead later that morning. June 25 A massive eruption of the Soufrire 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 Tnaiste after their parties Fianna Fil and the Progressive Democrats respectively win the 1997 General Election. June 30 Bloomsbury Publishing publish J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in London. 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 Mayo Clinic researchers warn that the dieting drug "fen-phen" can cause severe heart and lung damage. 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 100000 to 200000 years ago. Miguel ngel Blanco is kidnapped in Ermua Spain and murdered by the ETA. July 11 Thailand's worst hotel fire at Pattaya kills 90. July 13 The remains of Che Guevara are returned to Cuba for burial alongside some of his comrades. July 15 Spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer Gianni Versace to death outside Versace's Miami Florida residence. July 16 The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 63.17 to close at 8038.88. It is the Dow's first close above 8000. 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. 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 27 About 50 are killed in the Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria. 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 2 Australian ski instructor Stuart Diver is rescued as the sole survivor from the Thredbo landslide in New South Wales in which 18 die. August 3 Between 4076 villagers are killed in the Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre in Algeria. August 4 185000 Teamsters Union United Parcel Service drivers walk off the job. 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 defeat Sporting Cristal of Peru 10 becoming the Copa Libertadores de Amrica champions for the second time. August 20 Over 60 are killed 15 kidnapped in the Souhane massacre in Algeria; . August 26 60100 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 peace process. August 29 Over 98 (and possibly up to 400) are killed in the Rais massacre in Algeria. August 31 Diana Princess of Wales is taken to hospital after a car accident shortly after midnight in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. She is pronounced dead at 04:00 a.m September The funeral cortege of Diana Princess of Wales on route to Westminster Abbey from Kensington Palace. September 4 In Lorain Ohio the last Ford Thunderbird for 3 years rolls off the assembly line. 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. 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 Norwegian parliamentary election 1997 September 17 Iraq disarmament crisis: While waiting for access to a site UNSCOM inspectors witness and videotape Iraqi guards moving files burning documents and dumping waste cans into a nearby river. September 18 Wales votes in favour of devolution and the formation of a National Assembly. September 19 53 are killed in the Guelb El-Kebir massacre in Algeria. September 21 The Islamic Salvation Army the Islamic Salvation Fronts' armed wing declares a unilateral ceasefire in Algeria. September 25 Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM inspector Dr. Diane Seaman catches several Iraqi men sneaking out the back door of an inspection site with log books for the creation of prohibited bacteria and chemicals. September 26 An air crash in Indonesia (likely caused by smoke rising from numerous forest fires in the area) kills 235 people (see Garuda Indonesia Flight 152). 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 Poega in Croatia is founded. October October 1 Luke Woodham walks into Pearl High School in Pearl Mississippi and opens fire killing 2 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 4 One million men gather for Promise Keepers' "Stand in the Gap" event in Washington DC. 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 12 43 are killed at a false roadblock in the Sidi Daoud massacre in Algeria. 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 1227.985 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 28 In the U.S. the Dow Jones Industrial Average gains a record 337.17 points closing at 7498.32. One billion shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time ever. October 29 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq says it will begin shooting down Lockheed U-2 surveillance planes being used by UNSCOM inspectors. October 30 In Newton Massachusetts British au pair Louise Woodward is found guilty of the baby-shaking death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen. November Mary McAleese. 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). A Fairfax Virginia jury finds Mir Aimal Kasi guilty of murdering 2 CIA employees in 1993. 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 World Trade Center 1993 bombings. November 17 In Luxor Egypt 62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut. 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 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 and Russia do not sign the treaty. December 8 Myra Hindley one of the Moors murderers arrives at the High Court of Justice to contest a recent Home Secretary's decision that she should remain in prison until she dies. 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. December 16 "Denn Senshi Porygon" an episode of the Pokmon TV series is aired in Japan inducing seizures in hundreds of Japanese children. December 18 Myra Hindley loses her High Court appeal against the government's decision to keep her behind bars for the rest of her life. December 19 Janet Jagan the former wife of Cheddi Jagan took office in Guyana. James Cameron's Titanic the highest-grossing film of all time until his other film Avatar premieres in the US. December 24 50100 villagers are killed in the Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria. 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. December 30 Wilaya of Relizane massacres of December 30 1997: In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency 400 are killed from four villages in the wilaya of Relizane. Date unknown The Toyota Prius the first hybrid vehicle to go into full production is unveiled in Japan in October and goes on sale in Japan in December. It comes to U.S. showrooms in July 2000.1 In fiction In the book 2001: A Space Odyssey the computer HAL 9000 was activated on January 17. In the 1965 TV series Lost in Space the spacecraft Jupiter II is launched on October 16 1997. The 1984 film The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day both referenced the year 1997 as the time in which the fictional computer entity Skynet would launch a catastrophic massive nuclear attack on mankind on August 29. The 1987 NES RPG-game Crystalis references October 1 1997 as the day when a terrible war takes place and the whole human kind goes back in time therefore strange animals populate in cities and a few build a tower that goes high into the sky. John Carpenter's 1981 film Escape from New York is set in 1997 of a United States so crime-ridden that Manhattan Island in New York City has become a maximum security prison. The events of Alan Moore and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta supposedly begin on November 5 1997. The 1990 film Predator 2 takes place in 1997 Los Angeles. The manga and anime InuYasha takes place in 1997 in Tokyo. Births January 14 Nastya and Masha Tolmacheva (The Tolmachevy Twins) Russian singers February 10 Chloe Moretz American actress February 25 Isabelle Fuhrman American actress April 1 Asa Butterfield English actor June 21 Rebecca Black American singer August 5 Xu Jiao Chinese actress August 10 Kylie Jenner American television personality August 16 Greyson Chance American singer songwriter and pianist October 8 Bella Thorne American actress Deaths January January 1 Townes Van Zandt American folk singer (b. 1944) January 4 Harry Helmsley American real estate mogul (b. 1909) January 5 Burton Lane American composer and lyricist (b. 1912) January 6 Catherine Scorsese Italian-American actress (b. 1912) January 9 Jesse White American actor (b. 1917) January 10 Sheldon Leonard American producer actor director (b. 1907) Alexander R. Todd Baron Todd Scottish chemist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907) January 12 Charles Brenton Huggins Canadian-born cancer researcher recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1901) Jill Summers English actress (b. 1910) January 16 Ennis Cosby comedian Bill Cosby's son (b. 1969) January 17 Clyde Tombaugh American astronomer (b. 1906) January 18 Paul Tsongas U.S. Senator from (Massachusetts) and one-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination (b. 1941) January 19 James Dickey American poet and novelist (b. 1923) January 20 Curt Flood American baseball player (b. 1938) January 21 Colonel Tom Parker Dutch-born celebrity manager (b. 1909) January 22 Billy Mackenzie Scottish singer (b. 1957) January 23 Richard Berry African-American singer and composer (b. 1935) January 25 Jeane Dixon American astrologer (b. 1904) January 27 Cecil Arthur Lewis MC British fighter pilot who flew in World War I and last surviving World War I ace (b. 1898) January 31 Johnny Klein American drummer (b. 1918) February Deng Xiaoping February 1 Herb Caen American newspaper columnist (b. 1916) 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 11 Don Porter American actor (b. 1912) February 12 James Cossins English actor (b. 1903) February 17 Zein Isa Palestinian militant imprisoned in the United States for the honor killing of his daughter February 19 Deng Xiaoping leader of the People's Republic of China (b. 1904) February 23 Tony Williams American musician (b. 1945) February 24 Isabelle Lucas Canadian-born British actress (b. 1927) February 24 Allder Keitning British Filmmaker writer author and actor (b 1924) February 26 David Doyle American actor (b. 1929) March March 4 Robert H. Dicke American experimental physicist (b. 1916) Carey Loftin American actor and stuntman (b. 1914) March 6 Cheddi Jagan President of Guyana (b. 1918) March 7 Edward Mills Purcell American physicist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912) Martin Kippenberger German artist (b. 1953) March 9 The Notorious B.I.G. American rapper (b. 1972) Terry Nation Welsh screenwriter (b. 1930) March 10 La Vern Baker American singer (b. 1929) March 14 Fred Zinnemann Austrian-born director (b. 1907) March 15 Gail Davis American actress (b. 1925) March 17 Jermaine Stewart American singer (b. 1957) March 19 Willem de Kooning Dutch artist (b. 1904) March 20 Tony Zale American boxer (b. 1913) March 21 Wilbert Awdry British children's writer (b. 1911) April Allen Ginsberg April 1 Jolie Gabor Hungarian socialite (b. 1896) April 4 Leo Picard Israeli geologist and an expert in the field of hydrology (b. 1900) April 5 Allen Ginsberg American poet (b. 1926) April 8 Laura Nyro American singer and composer (b. 1947) April 7 Witto Aloma Cuban baseball player (b. 1923) Georgi Shonin Russian cosmonaut (b. 1935) April 12 George Wald American scientist recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1903) April 15 Mildred Cleghorn Chairwoman of the Fort Sill Apache tribe (b. 1910) April 16 Doris Angleton American socialite (b. 1951) Roland Topor French illustrator (b. 1938) April 19 El Duce American singer and drummer (b. 1958) April 20 Jean Louis American costume designer (b. 1907) Henry Mucci American Colonel of the 98th Ranger Battalion (b. 1909) April 22 Baroness Seear President of the UK Liberal Party (b. 1913) April 24 Pat Paulsen American comedian (b. 1927) April 26 John Beal American actor (b. 1909) April 30 Henry Picard American golfer (b. 1906) May May 1 Bo Widerberg Swedish film director (b. 1930) May 2 John Eccles Australian neurophysiologist recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1903) May 4 Alvy Moore American actor (b. 1921) May 5 Walter Gotell German actor (b. 1924) May 11 Howard Morton American actor (b. 1925) May 14 Harry Blackstone Jr. American magician (b. 1934) Thelma Carpenter American singer and actress (b. 1922) May 16 Giuseppe De Santis Italian film director (b. 1917) May 22 Alfred Hershey American biochemist recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1908) May 23 James Lee Byars American artist (b. 1932) May 24 Edward Mulhare Irish actor (b. 1923) May 29 Jeff Buckley American musician (b. 1966) May 29 George Fenneman American radio and television announcer (b. 1919) May 31 James Bennett Griffin American archaeologist (b. 1905) June Jacques-Yves Cousteau June 2 Helen Jacobs American tennis champion (b. 1908) June 3 Dennis James American game show host (b. 1917) June 6 Magda Gabor American actress (b. 1914) June 8 Reid Shelton American actor (b. 1924) June 9 Christina Kokubo American actress (b. 1950) June 12 Bulat Okudzhava Soviet non-mainstream singer of Georgian descent (b. 1924) June 14 Richard Jaeckel American actor (b. 1926) June 22 Grard Pelletier French journalist politician and diplomat (b. 1919) Don Henderson British actor (b. 1932) June 23 Betty Shabazz American widow of Malcolm X (b. 1936) June 24 Don Hutson American football player (b. 1913) Brian Keith American actor (b. 1921) June 25 Jacques-Yves Cousteau French explorer (b. 1910) June 26 Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Hawaiian singer (b. 1959) June 28 Mrs. Miller American singer (b. 1907) June 29 William Hickey American actor (b. 1927) July James Stewart July 1 Robert Mitchum American actor (b. 1917) July 2 James Stewart American actor (b. 1908) July 4 Charles Kuralt American television reporter (b. 1934) John Zachary Young British biologist (b. 1907) July 7 Royston Tickner English actor (b. 1922) July 13 Alexandra Danilova Russian dancer (b. 1903) July 14 Sir Garfield Barwick Australian Chief Justice (b. 1903) July 15 Gianni Versace Italian fashion designer (b. 1946) July 18 Eugene Merle Shoemaker American astronomer (b. 1928) July 20 John Akii-Bua Ugandan hurdler (b. 1949) July 23 Chuhei Nambu Japanese athlete (b. 1904) July 24 William J. Brennan U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1906) Frank Parker American tennis champion (b. 1916) July 25 Ben Hogan American golf champion (b. 1912) July 30 Bao Dai Emperor of Vietnam (b. 1913) August Diana Princess of Wales August 2 William S. Burroughs American author (b. 1914) Fela Kuti Nigerian musician and political activist (b. 1938) August 4 Jeanne Calment French supercentenarian and the oldest living person ever documented in history. (b. 1875) August 8 Sviatoslav Richter Ukrainian pianist (b. 1915) August 10 Conlon Nancarrow American-born composer (b. 1912) August 12 Luther Allison American musician (b. 1939) August 16 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Pakistani Qawwali musician (b. 1948) August 23 John Kendrew British molecular biologist recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1917) August 24 Louis Essen English physicist (b. 1908) August 27 Sally Blane American actress (b. 1910) Brandon Tartikoff American television executive (b. 1949) August 31 Diana Princess of Wales (b. 1961) Dodi Al-Fayed Egyptian businessman (b. 1955) September Mother Teresa September 2 Rudolph Bing Austrian opera manager (b. 1902) Viktor Frankl Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (b. 1905) September 5 Georg Solti Hungarian conductor (b. 1912) Mother Teresa Albanian missionary and humanitarian recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1910) September 7 Mobutu Sese Seko president of Zaire (b. 1930) September 9 Burgess Meredith American actor (b. 1907) September 12 Leonard Maguire Scottish actor (b. 1924) September 17 Red Skelton American comedian (b. 1913) September 18 Jimmy Witherspoon American blues singer (b. 1920) September 19 Jack May English actor (b. 1922) Rich Mullins American musician (b. 1955) September 23 Shirley Clarke American filmmaker (b. 1919) September 25 Jean Franaix French composer (b. 1912) September 27 Walter Trampler American violist (b. 1915) September 29 Roy Lichtenstein American artist (b. 1923) October James A. Michener Samuel Fuller October 1 Jerome H. Lemelson American inventor (b. 1923) October 4 Gunpei Yokoi Japanese video game franchise creator (b. 1941) October 5 Brian Pillman American professional wrestler (b. 1962) Arthur Tracy American singer (b. 1899) October 6 Adrienne Hill British actress (b. 1937) Johnny Vander Meer baseball player (b. 1914) October 12 John Denver American musician (b. 1943) October 14 Harold Robbins American writer (b. 1916) October 16 Audra Lindley American actress (b. 1918) James A. Michener American writer (b. 1907) October 19 Glen Buxton American guitarist (b. 1947) October 20 Ron Tarr English actor (b. 1936) October 22 Leonid Amalrik Russian animator (b. 1905) October 23 Bert Haanstra Dutch filmmaker (b. 1916) October 24 Don Messick American voice actor (b. 1926) October 28 Paul Jarrico American screenwriter (b. 1915) October 29 Andreas Gerasimos Michalitsianos Greek-American NASA astrophysicist (b. 1947) Anton Szandor LaVey American founder of the Church of Satan (b. 1930) October 30 Samuel Fuller American screenwriter and director (b. 1912) November November 4 Eddie Arcaro American jockey (b. 1916) November 5 James Robert Baker American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1946) November 11 Rod Milburn American athlete (b. 1950) November 12 Carlos Surinach Spanish composer (b. 1915) November 15 Saul Chaplin American composer (b. 1912) Douglas MacArthur II nephew of World War II General Douglas MacArthur (b. 1909) November 17 John Wimber American leader of the Vineyard Movement (b. 1934) November 21 Robert Simpson English composer (b. 1921) November 22 Michael Hutchence Australian musician (b. 1960) November 25 Monique Serf French singer (b. 1930) Hastings Kamuzu Banda former President of Malawi (b. 1896) November 27 Buck Leonard American baseball player (b. 1907) November 29 Coleman Young Detroit mayor (b. 1918) November 30 Kathy Acker American author (b. 1947) December Stephane Grappelli December 1 Stephane Grappelli French violinist (b. 1908) December 2 Shirley Crabtree British wrestler best known as Big Daddy (b. 1930) Michael Hedges American composer and guitarist (b. 1953) December 7 Billy Bremner British footballer (b. 1942) December 14 Stubby Kaye American actor (b. 1918) December 18 Chris Farley American actor and comedian (b. 1964) December 19 David Schramm American astrophysicist (b. 1945) December 20 Juzo Itami Japanese film director (b. 1933) Denise Levertov English-born American poet (b. 1923) December 21 Amie Comeaux American country singer (b. 1976) December 23 Stanley Cortez American cinematographer (b. 1908) December 24 Toshir Mifune Japanese actor (b. 1920) December 25 Denver Pyle American actor (b. 1920) December 27 Billy Wright Northern Irish paramilitary leader (b. 1960) December 31 Billie Dove American actress (b. 1903) Date unknown Laurence Henry Hicks Australian composer (b. 1912) Nobel Prizes 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 Templeton Prize Pandurang Shastri Athavale References 1 1997 Year in Review - CNN