1997 in the United States explained
Events from the year 1997 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
Events
January
February
Astronauts from Space Shuttle Discovery begin tune-up and repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Two heavily armed bank robbers conflict with officers from the Los Angeles Police Department in a mass shootout.
March
- March 4 - U.S. President Bill Clinton bars federal funding for any research on human cloning.
- March 9 - 24-year-old Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G. is killed in a drive-by shooting shortly after leaving a Vibe magazine party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles before the release of his second album Life After Death. The album is released on March 25.
- March 13 - The Phoenix Lights are seen over Phoenix, Arizona.
- March 14 - A famous study of gender reassignment of a twin boy who lost his penis to a botched circumcision is refuted. The supposedly successful outcome for "Joan" had been widely cited as proof that gender was determined by nurture, yet the patient, David Reimer, was deeply unhappy and had returned to his original gender by the age of 15, thus indicating the exact opposite thesis.[2]
- March 21 – Liar Liar is released in theaters nationwide, later going on to rank as the 7th highest grossing film of the year
- March 24 - The 69th Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, with Anthony Minghella's The English Patient winning nine awards out of 12 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The telecast garners nearly 40.1 million viewers.
- March 26 - In San Diego, California, 39 Heaven's Gate cultists commit mass suicide at their compound.
April
May
June
- 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 gives birth in a toilet and leaves the newborn for dead in the trash.
- June 7
- June 8 - A United States Coast Guard helicopter crashes near Humboldt Bay, California; all four crew members perish.
- 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 19 - The fast food chain McDonald's wins a partial victory in its libel trial, known as the "McLibel case", against two environmental campaigners. The judge agrees that McDonald's targeted its advertising at children, who pestered their parents into visiting the company's restaurants.
- June 25 - The NHL announces the addition of four new franchises to be added to the league by the 2000-01 NHL season.
- June 27 - Walt Disney Pictures' 35th feature film, Hercules, loosely based on the legendary mythological hero of the same name, is released to positive reviews but underperforms at the box office in comparison to its most recent predecessors.
- June 28 - During the Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II boxing match in Las Vegas, Mike Tyson bites off part of Evander Holyfield's ear.
July
- July 2 - Men in Black is released in theaters.
- July 4 - NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
- July 15 - Spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer Gianni Versace to death outside Versace's Miami Beach, Florida, 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 18 - The first Speedway gas station opens in Ohio.
- July 21 - The fully restored (aka "Old Ironsides") celebrates her 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.
- July 23 - Digital Equipment Corporation files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.
August
September
October
- October 1 - Luke Woodham walks into Pearl High School in Pearl, Mississippi and opens fire, killing two girls, after killing his mother earlier that morning.
- October 4
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 15
- October 16 - The first color photograph appears on the front page of The New York Times.
- October 26 - 1997 World Series: The Florida Marlins defeat the Cleveland Indians.
- October 27 - Stock markets around the world crash due to a global economic crisis scare. The Dow Jones Industrial Average follows suit and plummets 554.26, or 7.18%, to 7,161.15. The points loss exceeds the loss from Black Monday. Officials at the New York Stock Exchange for the first time invoke the "circuit breaker" rule to stop trading.
- October 28 - In the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average gains a record 337.17 points, closing at 7,498.32. One billion shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time ever.
- 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
- November - The unemployment rate drops to 4.6%, the lowest since October 1973.
- November 10
- November 12 - Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
- November 14 - Mary Kay Letourneau is sentenced to six months imprisonment in Washington after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree child rape. Letourneau gave birth to her victims' child and the leniency of her sentence was widely criticized.[3]
- November 19 - In Des Moines, Iowa, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to septuplets in the second known case where all seven babies are born alive, and the first in which all survive infancy.
- November 27
December
- December 1 - Michael Carneal opens fire on a prayer group at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, killing three and injuring five.
- 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, and Russia do not sign the treaty.
- December 18 - Comedian and Saturday Night Live actor Chris Farley is found dead from a drug overdose in his apartment on the 60th floor at John Hancock Center in Chicago, Illinois.
- December 19 - James Cameron's Titanic, the highest-grossing film of all time until Avatar (2009), premieres in the U.S.
Ongoing
Births
January
- January 4 - CJ, rapper
- January 7 - Lamar Jackson, American football player
- January 8 - Jack Andraka, inventor
- January 13
- January 14 - Joey Luthman, actor
- January 17
- January 20 - Blueface, rapper
- January 21 - Jeremy Shada, actor and singer
- January 23
- January 24
- January 25 - Noah Hanifin, ice hockey player
- January 26 - Gedion Zelalem, footballer[5]
- January 27 - Peyton Ernst, artistic gymnast[6]
- January 29 - Jack Roslovic, ice hockey player[7]
February
March
- March 2
- March 3
- March 9
- March 10 - Uriah Shelton, actor and singer
- March 11 - Jake Ilardi, skateboarder
- March 14 - Simone Biles, artistic gymnast[11]
- March 16 - Tyrel Jackson Williams, actor
- March 17 - Katie Ledecky, swimmer
- March 18 - Ciara Bravo, actress and singer
- March 20 - Wifisfuneral, rapper
- March 26 - Cameron Smith, football player
- March 29 - Josh Sweat, football player
- March 30 - Gideon Adlon, actress
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
- October 2 - Rubi Rose, rapper and model
- October 3
- October 4
- October 6 - Michael J. Woodard, singer, voice actor
- October 7
- October 8 - Bella Thorne, actress, dancer, singer, and model
- October 10
- October 13
- October 15 - Adora Svitak, prodigy and author
- October 23
- October 24 - Arthur Gunn, singer
- October 25 - Tyler Alvarez, actor[19]
- October 27
- October 28
- October 31 - Sydney Park, actress
November
December
Full date unknown
- Milivi Adams (d. 2002)
- Amanda Balon, actress, vocalist and dancer
- Lexi Peters, first female ice hockey player to appear in an EA Sports NHL Hockey video game
Deaths
January
- January 1 – Townes Van Zandt, American Country-folk music singer-songwriter (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 8 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist (b. 1911)
- January 9
- January 11
- January 12 – Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher (b. 1901)
- January 16 – Ennis Cosby, murder victim, son of Bill Cosby (b. 1969)
- January 17 – Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer (b. 1906)
- January 18 – Paul Tsongas, American politician (b. 1941)
- January 20 – Curt Flood, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1938)
- January 21 – Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch musical entrepreneur and manager for Elvis Presley (b. 1909)
- January 23 – Richard Berry, American singer and composer (b. 1935)
- January 24 – Dr. Jerry Graham, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1921)
- January 25 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer (b. 1904)
- January 26 – Laurence Stoddard, American rower (b. 1903)
- January 30 – Charles Hargens, American painter. (b. 1893)
- January 31 – Johnny Klein, American drummer (b. 1918)
February
March
April
- April 5 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (b. 1926)
- April 8 – Laura Nyro, American singer and composer (b. 1947)
- April 10 – Michael Dorris, American author (b. 1945)
- April 12 – George Wald, American scientist (b. 1906)
- April 13 – Dorothy Frooks, American author, military figure and actress. (b. 1896)
- April 15
- April 16 – Doris Angleton, American socialite (b. 1951)
- April 20
- April 21 – Thomas H. D. Mahoney, American professor and politician (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
June
July
- July 1
- July 2 – James Stewart, American actor and soldier (b. 1908)
- July 4 – Charles Kuralt, American reporter and television journalist (b. 1934)
- July 5 – Mrs. Miller, American singer (b. 1907)
- July 13 – Alexandra Danilova, Russian-American ballerina and dance instructor (b. 1903)
- July 15 – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer (b. 1946)
- July 18 – Eugene Merle Shoemaker, American astronomer (b. 1928)
- July 23 – Andrew Cunanan, American serial killer (b. 1969)
- July 24
- William J. Brennan Jr., American Supreme Court Justice (b. 1906)
- Frank Parker, American tennis champion (b. 1916)
- July 25 – Ben Hogan, American golf champion (b. 1912)
- July 27 – K'tut Tantri, American broadcaster and hotelier (b. 1899)
August
September
October
- October 1 – Jerome H. Lemelson, American inventor (b. 1923)
- October 5
- Brian Pillman, American professional wrestler (b. 1962)
- Arthur Tracy, American singer (b. 1899)
- October 6 – Johnny Vander Meer, American baseball player (b. 1914)
- October 9 – Arch Johnson, American actor (b. 1922)
- October 12 – John Denver, American musician (b. 1943)
- October 14 – Harold Robbins, American writer (b. 1916)
- October 16
- October 19 – Glen Buxton, American guitarist (b. 1947)
- October 21 – Dolph Camilli, American baseball player (b. 1907)
- October 23 – Claire Falkenstein, American sculptor, painter, printmaker, jewelry designer and teacher (b. 1908)
- October 24 – Don Messick, American voice actor (b. 1926)
- October 28 – Paul Jarrico, American screenwriter (b. 1915)
- October 29
- October 30 – Samuel Fuller, American screenwriter and director (b. 1912)
November
December
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: William Rehnquist Biography. biography.com. A&E Television Networks. 28 February 2016.
- News: Sexual Identity Not Pliable After All, Report Says. The New York Times. 14 March 1997. Angier. Natalie.
- https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/1997/11-16/0002_letourneau_sentence_upsets_social.html LeTourneau sentence upsets social workers
- Book: Zenko . Micah . Between Threats and War: U.S. Discrete Military Operations in the Post-Cold War World . 3 August 2010 . Stanford University Press . 978-0-8047-7190-0 . 29 . en.
- Web site: Gedion Zelalem MLSsoccer.com.
- Web site: USA Gymnastics Peyton Ernst . usagym.org . 28 June 2020.
- Web site: Jack Roslovic . ESPN.com . 23 February 2021.
- Web site: Josh Jackson . NBA.com.
- Web site: Lilly King . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20220127182353/https://www.usaswimming.org/meet-the-team/national-team/bio/lillia-king . 2022-01-27.
- Web site: Chloe Grace-Moretz profile . Empire Online . Empire Magazine . 17 May 2020 .
- Web site: Simone Biles . Team USA . 23 April 2019 . en.
- Web site: USA Gymnastics Katelyn Ohashi . usagym.org . 17 May 2021.
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jun/21/caleb-swanigan-dies-portland-trail-blazers-purdue-nba-college-basketball Former Trail Blazers player and "gentle soul" Caleb Swanigan dies aged 25
- Web site: Greenstein . Teddy . Heisman Trophy finalist Dwayne Haskins was destined to select Ohio State. Next up: Become the next Peyton Manning . Chicago Tribune . 7 December 2018 . 7 August 2019.
- Web site: BUNK'D bios - Kevin Quinn. Disney Channel Press. October 15, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20170702141417/http://www.disneyabcpress.com/disneychannel/shows/bunkd/bios/. July 2, 2017. live.
- Web site: Madison Kocian . https://web.archive.org/web/20151031125325/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-gymnastics/athletes/Madison-Kocian . dead . October 31, 2015 . Team USA . 23 April 2019 . en.
- Web site: October 13, 2020 . Inside Corpse Husband's secret life, his true identity and girlfriend . January 5, 2021 . TheNetline . en-US.
- https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=85572 33. Antonee Robinson
- Thank you all for the birthday wishes. I seriously love every single one of you. You guys had me smiling all day. Can't believe I'm 18. 658418983490748416. tyleralvarez. Tyler. Alvarez. October 25, 2015.
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-elks-running-back-dies-after-being-shot-in-memphis-tenn-1.6689881 Edmonton Elks running back dies after being shot in Memphis, Tenn.
- Web site: DK Metcalf Stats, News & Video - WR NFL.com. . August 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200802113843/https://www.nfl.com/players/d-k-metcalf/. August 2, 2020.
- Web site: E.M. Purcell American physicist . Encyclopedia Britannica . 17 May 2021 . en.
- Web site: Obituary: Dorothy Kingsley . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-dorothy-kingsley-1233896.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live . The Independent . 26 October 2021 . en . 23 October 2011.
- Web site: Anton LaVey Biography, Books, & Facts . Encyclopedia Britannica . 16 January 2021 . en.
