Major Events
- Apr 29 Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 comes into force, outlaws production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons among its signatories
- Jun 30 British lease on the New Territories in Hong Kong, established by the Second Convention of Peking, expires
- Jul 1 United Kingdom returns Hong Kong and the New Territories to the People's Republic of China
- Jul 25 Scientists announce the first human stem cells to be cultured in a laboratory using tissue taken from aborted human embryos
- Aug 31 Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in a road tunnel in Paris
- Sep 16 Apple Computer Inc names co-founder Steve Jobs interim CEO
- Dec 11 Delegates from 150 industrial nations attending a UN climate conference in Kyoto, Japan, reach agreement to control heat-trapping greenhouse gases
- Dec 29 Hong Kong begins slaughtering all its chickens to prevent bird flu
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1997 in Film & TV
- Mar 10 "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" created by Joss Whedon and starring Sarah Michelle Geller premieres on WB Television Network
- Aug 9 "Just to See You Smile" single released by Tim McGraw (Billboard Song of the Year 1998)
- Nov 1 "Titanic" directed by James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet premieres at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Academy Awards Best Picture 1998)
Did You Know?
Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland announce they have cloned an adult mammal, producing Dolly the sheep - born 5 July 1996 (d. 2003)
More People Born in 1997
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Famous Weddings in 1997
- Jan 4 "Smothers Brothers" actor-singer Dick Smothers (58) weds third wife Denby Franklin (47) in Las Vegas, Nevada; divorce in 2006
- Jan 4 Czech Republic's first president Vaclav Havel (60) weds Czech actress Dagmar Havlova (43) in Prague, Czech Republic
- Feb 1 Retired MLB player Johnny Bench (49) weds stockbroker Elizabeth Benton
Famous Divorces in 1997
- Jan 27 "Wall Street" actor Charlie Sheen (31) divorces model Donna Peele after nearly 5 months of marriage
- May 2 Donald Trump and Marla Maples announce they are separating
- Jun 24 Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry (30) divorces MLB outfielder David Justice (31) after more than 4 years of marriage
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