1997 Timeline

• Madeleine Albright is appointed the first ever female Secretary of State in the United

States.

• Dolly the sheep is introduced to the world as the first fully-cloned complex organism.

• An explosion at a nuclear waste facility in Japan injures 35 workers and creates a

radioactive cleanup nightmare.

• 39 Heaven’s Gate cultists are found dead, having committed suicide based upon their

belief that the approaching Hale-Bopp comet would transport their spirits to the afterlife.

• Tony Blair is elected as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, replacing John Major.

• A bridge connecting Canada’s province of Prince Edward Island to the mainland is finally

opened. It measures 13 kilometers and is dubbed the Confederation Bridge.

• Hong Kong is no longer ruled by the United Kingdom as China is given control of the

powerful economic center.

• Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, and her boyfriend, Dodi Al-Fayed, is killed in a car

accident while fleeing paparazzi in Paris. The subsequent investigation would enthrall millions of people and her death would be mourned the world over.

• 121 countries sign a treaty banning the production and use of land mines in an attempt

to curb the death and casualty toll exacted by these weapons every year.

• The Kyoto Protocol, an environmental agreement meant to combat global warming is

negotiated in Japan.

• Mad Cow Disease, otherwise known as BSE dominates headlines when it is conclusively

shown that it can be transmitted to humans through the consumption of infected beef.

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• I’ll Be Missing You – Puff Daddy and the Family
• Candle In The Wind 1997 – Elton John
• Don’t Speak – No Doubt
• Barbie Girl – Aqua
• Don’t Cry For Me Argentina – Madonna
• Mmmbop – Hanson
• Foolish Games – Jewel
• Honey – Mariah Carey
• Da Funk – Daft Punk
• Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
• Smack My Bitch Up – The Prodigy
• Karma Police – Radiohead
• Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin’ Beats
• Push – Matchbox 20
• Tubthumping – Chumbawumba
• Walkin’ On The Sun – Smash Mouth
• Mo Money Mo Problems – Notorious B.I.G. feat. Mase & Puff Daddy
• Feel So Good – Ma$e feat. Kelly Price
• 3 A.M. – Matchbox 20
• Superman’s Dead – Our Lady Peace
• Song 2 – Blur
• On & On – Erykah Badu
• Sex & Candy – Marcy Playground
• Staring At The Sun – U2
• Brick – Ben Folds Five
• Step Into A World (Rapture’s Delight) – KRS-One

King of the Hill
From the creator of Beavis and Butt-Head, this animated family comedy follows the life of Hank Hill and his brood living in Arlen, Texas.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Buffy, a teenage girl recruited against her will to fight the evil undead in this comedy / drama that would become a pop culture phenomenon.

Just Shoot Me!
David Spade and Laura San Giacomo make the best of their day jobs at a fashion magazine while dealing with the shenanigans of the staff and models.

Ally McBeal
A lawyer living in Boston has to handle her anxieties, love life and professional direction. The program incorporates a heavy dose of fantasy into each episode.

The Simpsons
America’s favorite dysfunctional family and purveyors of comedy genius routinely own the top ratings of any comedy being broadcast.

Dharma and Greg
This odd couple fight their way through day after day of misunderstandings and the humorous trials of married life.

The Practice
Riding the wave of renewed television interest in the legal profession, The Practice would eventually spin-off the extremely popular Boston Legal program.

Stargate SG-1
Long-lived science-fiction drama that details the exploits of a group of inter-dimensional travelers protecting the Earth from alien influence.

Titanic
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane
A romance set against the tragedy of one of the world’s worst maritime disasters, Titanic would become the highest-grossing film of all time, taking in almost 2 billion dollars.

Men In Black
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Linda Fiorentino
When aliens strike, it’s the Men In Black who are called in to clean up the mess and keep things out of the headlines.

Tomorrow Never Dies
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Michelle Yeoh and Teri Hatcher
James Bond fights against terrorists in addition to thwarting the plans of a media mogul bent on not just reporting the events of the world but also controlling them.

Air Force One
Starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Glenn Close
The president of the United States sees his personal aircraft hijacked and he must take back control of the plane before everyone on board is murdered.

As Good As It Gets
Starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear
In one of the first roles that would acknowledge him becoming a member of film’s elder statesmen, Nicholson plays an author who has his world and his mind opened up after befriending a local waitress.

Liar Liar
Starring Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney and Jennifer Tilly
Jim Carrey is forced to tell the truth and nothing but the truth when his son makes a birthday wish, complicating both his career as a lawyer and his life with his family.

The Full Monty
Starring Robert Carlyle, William Snape and Mark Addy
This surprise comedy hit follows the exploits of a group of male strippers trying to break free from their dead-end lives.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Starring Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore and Vince Vaughn
A sequel to the original film about genetically-engineered dinosaurs, The Lost World takes things a step further and unleashes a T. rex in urban San Diego.

The Fifth Element
Starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman
Sprawling sci-fi thriller set in a dystopian future where the very survival of all of mankind is at stake.

Amistad
Starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins and Matthew McConaughey
Director Steven Spielberg turns his attention to the slave trade of the 1800’s in this historical drama.

Boogie Nights
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, William H. Macy and Luis Guzmán
A tale of 70’s excess and 80’s heartbreak set against the unlikely backdrop of the porn business. An ultimately tragic examination of one man’s rise and fall from grace.

Good Will Hunting
Starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Robin Williams
Written by Affleck and Damon, this story of a young genius unable to breakaway from his working class roots launched the careers of Affleck and Damon into the ranks of Hollywood royalty.

I Know What You Did Last Summer
Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr.
When a group of teens accidentally kill a stranger in a car accident, they try to cover up the crime, with terrifying results.

L.A. Confidential
Starring Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger
A sultry detective story set in 1950’s Los Angeles would introduce millions of movie fans to both Pearce and Crowe.

The Sweet Hereafter
Starring Sarah Polley, Ian Holm and Bruce Greenwood
A busload of school children are killed in a terrible accident, tearing a small town apart and forcing each resident to deal with their grief in their own unique way.

Wag The Dog
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro and Anne Heche
In order to keep the public from focusing on a scandal involving the American president, a movie producer is hired to fake a war and draw media heat away from the real issues of the day.

The Devil’s Advocate
Starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron
A young lawyer from Florida is recruited by a big New York City firm, not realizing that his new boss just might be the Devil himself.

My Best Friend’s Wedding
Starring Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Dermot Mulroney
All is fair in love and war, except it seems when your best friend, whom you never realized you were in love with, decides to get hitched to someone else. This is the delicate scenario faced by Julia Roberts in this romantic comedy.

Mike Tyson takes a bite out of Evander Holyfield’s ear.

Tiger Woods wins his first Masters.