1997

1997 the band 1997 (band) August 2020 1997 1997 1997 2 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 Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.2011-10-23 Turkey hints at strike on Cypriot missiles https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/turkey-hints-strike-cypriot-missiles-1282572.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/turkey-hints-strike-cypriot-missiles-1282572.html May 1, 2022 subscription 2021-03-08 The Independent en January 16 – Murder of Ennis Cosby: Near Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, 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.http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9701/19/hebron.arafat/index.html Arafat arrives in Hebron for 'victory' celebration January 19, 1997 CNN World News December 29, 2021 December 29, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211229161043/http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9701/19/hebron.arafat/index.html dead (→ Hebron Agreement) January 23 – Madeleine Albright becomes the first female Secretary of State of the United States, after confirmation by the United States Senate.http://secretary.state.gov/www/albright/albright.html Biography: Madeleine Korbel Albright Office of the US Secretary of State July 9, 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160204185811/http://secretary.state.gov/www/albright/albright.html February 4, 2016 January 26 – VJTI changes its name from Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute to Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Mumbai. February February 2 – 1997 Liechtenstein general election: The Patriotic Union remains the largest party and wins a majority of 13 seats in the Landtag.Liechtenstein Parliamentary Chamber: Landtag Elections Held in 1997 http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2187_97.htm 22 July 2026 Inter-Parliamentary Union February 4 On their way to Lebanon, two Israeli troop-transport helicopters collide, killing all 73 on board.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-02-05-mn-25740-story.html Israeli Helicopters Collide in Midair; 73 Soldiers Killed Miller Marjorie February 5, 1997 Los Angeles Times February 2, 2018 en-US 0458-3035 September 28, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150928170426/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-02-05/news/mn-25740_1_israeli-soldiers live https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-remembers-73-soldiers-who-died-in-helicopter-disaster-19-years-ago-444000 Israel remembers 73 soldiers who died in helicopter disaster 19 years ago Amir Noam Maariv Hashavua February 5, 2016 The Jerusalem Post February 2, 2018 February 3, 2018 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 live After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milošević recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections. A magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes North Khorasan province, Iran, killing 88 people and injuring 1,948.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 https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/5447 Archived copy March 13, 2022 March 10, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220310061851/https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/5447 bot: unknown 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 astronauts from the Space Shuttle Discovery.Aeronautics and Space Report of the President ... Activities National Aeronautics and Space Council 1996 1 February 28 North Hollywood shootout: Two robbers, wearing kevlar body armor, and armed with illegally modified 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.April 2019 1997 Turkish military memorandum: As a result of a meeting held by the National Security Council, the Turkish Armed Forces issues a memorandum to adopt more secular criteria. Later on June 18, the Turkish government resigns because of the pressure. March March 4 – U.S. President Bill Clinton bans federal funding for any research on human cloning.Memorandum on the Prohibition on Federal Funding for Cloning of Human Beings The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/memorandum-the-prohibition-federal-funding-for-cloning-human-beings 2025-09-11 www.presidency.ucsb.edu March 7 – In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers overrun a military base and kill over 100 Sri Lankan troops. March 9 – American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. is murdered in Los Angeles.2012-12-08 Rapper Notorious B.I.G.'s autopsy released 15 years after murder https://www.reuters.com/article/world/uk/rapper-notorious-bigs-autopsy-released-15-years-after-murder-idUSBRE8B703L/ 2025-09-14 Reuters en-US 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 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, 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 winning Best Picture. During the event, the DVD format is launched in the United States. March 24–26 – In San Diego, 39 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.March 26, 1997 Papua New Guinea Head Steps Down After Mutiny https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/26/world/papua-new-guinea-head-steps-down-after-mutiny.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20160308051336/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/26/world/papua-new-guinea-head-steps-down-after-mutiny.html March 8, 2016 December 29, 2021 New York Times Associated Press April April 3 – The Thalit massacre in Algeria: all but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas.6 April 1997 More than 80 Algerians killed in weekend massacres http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9704/06/algeria.massacre/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20240612075645/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9704/06/algeria.massacre/ 12 June 2024 5 September 2024 CNN April 14 Fire breaks out in a pilgrim camp on the Plain of Mena, 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.https://www.csmonitor.com/1997/0417/041797.intl.intl.2.html Ex-Nazi's Trial Opens Up Italy's Fascist Past April 17, 1997 Lara Santoro Christian Science Monitor December 29, 2021 December 29, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211229161044/https://www.csmonitor.com/1997/0417/041797.intl.intl.2.html live 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 by Celestis company. 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. April 23 – 42 villagers are killed in the Omaria massacre in Algeria. April 29 The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), CWC treaty enters into force. 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 wins the 1997 United Kingdom general election and returns to government for the first time in 18 years.The Election. The Statistics. How the UK voted on May 1st. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/news/05/0505/stats.shtml BBC Politics 97 BBC News 8 July 2020 March 24, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150324034533/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/news/05/0505/stats.shtml live May 10 – The 7.3 w Qayen earthquake strikes eastern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). At least 1,567 were 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 Russia–Chechnya Peace Treaty is signed. An 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 "Secret War" in Laos (1953–1975) during the Vietnam War, and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans.http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130512005048/en/Laos-Hmong-Veterans-Vietnam-War-Honored-National Laos, Hmong Veterans of Vietnam War Honored At National Ceremonies Businesswire 13 May 2013 13 May 2024 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 Kabila march into Kinshasa. May 21 – Radiohead releases OK Computer May 23 Mohammad Khatami wins the 1997 Iranian presidential election and becomes the first Iranian Reformist president. A riot in Banjarmasin, Indonesia breaks out, causing at least 137 deaths.130 looters die in fire during Indonesian riot – CNN 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 2012-04-06 . Articles.cnn.com (1997-05-25). Retrieved on 2011-06-12. May 25 – A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koroma. May 27 – The 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-led Centre-left coalition won the second-round in 1997 French legislative elections, began with the third Cohabitation (1997–2002). 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 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 votes for a total ban on handguns. June 13 – A jury sentences Timothy McVeigh to 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 Great Western Forum in Los Angeles.Voepel Mechelle 2016-06-16 Twenty seasons later, a look back at WNBA's first game https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/16256278/twenty-years-later-look-back-wnba-first-game live https://web.archive.org/web/20191007192630/https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/16256278/twenty-years-later-look-back-wnba-first-game October 7, 2019 2019-10-07 ESPN.com en 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 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 General Election. July July – The 1997 Central European flood occurs across Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. July 1 – The United Kingdom hands sovereignty of the British colony in Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. July 2 – The Bank of Thailand floats the baht, triggering the Asian financial crisis.Joseph E. Stiglitz, The roaring nineties: a new history of the world's most prosperous decade (WW Norton & Company, 2004) pp 12–16. 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. The Egyptian Islamic Group announces a cessation-of-violence initiative. 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 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. 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 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 3–11 – 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 animated television comedy 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 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.Pogue David David Pogue January 25, 2007 A Stream of Movies, Sort of Free The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/technology/25pogue.html live limited https://web.archive.org/web/20160322100820/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/technology/25pogue.html March 22, 2016 0362-4331 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 am.http://www.emergency.com/dianaded.htm Series of Real-Time Reports involving the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales Emergency 1997 December 9, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20080507233601/http://www.emergency.com/dianaded.htm May 7, 2008 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.https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/06/sports/athens-wins-a-vote-for-tradition-and-the-2004-olympics.html?mcubz=0 The New York Times September 18, 2017 September 6, 1997 Athens Wins a Vote for Tradition, and the 2004 Olympics Jere Longman September 18, 2017 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 live September 6 – The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, takes place at Westminster Abbey, London, UK, watched by over two billion people worldwide.https://ew.com/article/1997/12/26/adding-princess-dianas-impact-1997/ Take a look back at Princess Diana's impact on 1997 Entertainment Weekly Suna Chang Anna Holmes 26 December 1997 14 May 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20140101062606/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,290815,00.html 2014-01-01 live September 11 – Scotland votes in favour of a devolved Parliament, forming the Scottish Parliament less than two years later. Television series, Melangkah di Atas Awan was aired by Indonesian private television station, Indosiar. It was a final TV series of Ryan Hidayat, who died on 8 February 1997, before the TV series was broadcast. September 15 – The Norwegian parliamentary election is held in Norway. September 18 Al-Qaeda carries out a terrorist attack in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Wales votes in favour of devolution and the formation of a National Assembly for Wales. September 20 – 53 people are killed in the Guelb El-Kebir massacre in Algeria.http://www.dispatch.co.za:80/1997/09/22/page%207.htm 53 die in Algerian massacre Daily Dispatch 22 September 1997 11 May 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20050227101937/http://www.dispatch.co.za/1997/09/22/page%207.htm 27 February 2005 dead September 21 The Islamic Salvation Army, the Islamic Salvation Fronts' armed wing, declares a unilateral ceasefire in Algeria. St. Olaf's Church, a stone church from the 16th century in Tyrvää, Finland, is burnt down.http://www.sastamalanseurakunta.fi/pyhaolavi/english.shtml https://web.archive.org/web/20110720193052/http://www.sastamalanseurakunta.fi/pyhaolavi/english.shtml dead Church of St Olaf July 20, 2011 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. October October 1 – Luke Woodham walks into Pearl High School in Pearl, Mississippi, United States, and 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. 19971010-0 Accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 LV-WEG Nuevo Berlin 26 May 2011 October 12 – Sidi Daoud massacre: 43 are killed at a false roadblock 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 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.https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/insider/history-times-color-photos.html The New York Times 4 October 2018 25 November 2022 When the Gray Lady Started Wearing Color Will Higginbotham November 25, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221125190925/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/insider/history-times-color-photos.html live 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 22 – Danish escaped criminal Steen Christensen robs the Hotel Palace in Helsinki, Finland, killing two police officers while evading capture.https://www.city.fi/ilmiot/steen+christensen+pyovelin+puheenvuoro/4812 Steen Christensen: Pyövelin puheenvuoro Larros Heini Suhonen Pete November 27, 1998 City-lehti September 24, 2021 fi September 24, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210924020801/https://www.city.fi/ilmiot/steen+christensen+pyovelin+puheenvuoro/4812 live https://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/a/2016061821756836 Poliisisurmat järkyttivät Suomea 1997 – kaksi poliisia ammuttiin kadulle Palmén Tiia June 19, 2016 Iltalehti September 24, 2021 fi October 22, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073640/https://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/2016061821756836_uu.shtml live October 29 – Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq says it will begin shooting down Lockheed U-2 surveillance planes being used by UNSCOM inspectors. November November 2 – Severe Tropical Storm Linda devastates southern Vietnam and Thailand, killing 3,275 people.Joint Typhoon Warning Center 2001 1997 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report 2010-03-22 http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/1997atcr/pdf/1997_complete.pdf dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110606210557/http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/1997atcr/pdf/1997_complete.pdf 2011-06-06 November 9 – BBC News 24 has launched a new channel at 5:30pm, after the final closedown with the last national anthem of God Save the Queen, which occurred at approximately 2:57am for BBC One, following the death of Lady Diana Spencer. November 11 – Telecom companies WorldCom and MCI Communications announce a US$37 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, 62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut. November 18 - Metallica released the album Reload internationally. 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 – 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 CPI(ML) Party Unity stronghold Lakshmanpur-Bathe, killing 63 lower caste people 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, Russia, South Korea and 32 other nations do not 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.https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVII-7-a&chapter=27&lang=en 7.a Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UN Treaty Database 27 November 2014 8 October 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181008095709/https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVII-7-a&chapter=27&lang=en dead December 15 – Microsoft releases Windows 98 Beta 3. December 16 – In Japan, over 700 children suffer photosensitive epilepsy attacks after watching an episode of the 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 beats Australia 6–0 in the FIFA Confederations Cup final. December 24 – 50–1010 villagers are killed in the Sid El-Antri massacre in Algeria. December 27 – Ulster loyalist paramilitary leader Billy Wright is assassinated inside Long Kesh prison in Northern Ireland. 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 A virus subtype H5N1 strain. December 30 – Wilaya of Relizane massacres of December 30, 1997: In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, 423 people from four villages in the wilaya of Relizane are killed. Births and deaths :Category:1997 births Deaths in 1997 Nobel Prizes right|120px 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 References 1990s External links 1997 Year in Review – CNN