What Happened in June 1997

Historical Events

  • Jun 1 10th Children's Miracle Network Telethon raises $5,400,186
  • Jun 1 1st NY Women Film Festival opens
  • Jun 1 51st Tony Awards: "Titanic" (musical) & "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" (play) win
  • Jun 1 After a huge 7-month buildup, Donovan Bailey of Canada beats American superstar Michael Johnson in 150m race in Toronto; disappointingly, Johnson pulls up at 110m mark with quadriceps injury
  • Jun 1 Hugo Banzer wins the Presidential elections in Bolivia.
  • Jun 1 LA Dodger Wilton Guerrero's bat breaks, revealing it is corked

Once Upon a Mattress

Jun 1 Revival of Mary Rodgers and Marshall Barer's musical comedy "Once Upon a Mattress", starring Sarah Jessica Parker, closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 188 performances

  • Jun 2 Albert Belle's Chicago White Sox tying 27-game hitting streak ends
  • Jun 2 Liberals beat Conservatives in France

Event of Interest

Jun 2 Timothy McVeigh found guilty of 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168

  • Jun 4 UN Security renews its "oilforfood" initiative whereby Iraq may sell $2 billion worth of oil to buy food, medicine and other necessities to alleviate civilian suffering under the sanctions imposed when it invaded Kuwait in 1990
  • Jun 7 129th Belmont: Chris McCarron aboard Touch Gold wins in 2:28.8
  • Jun 7 Cosmos 2344 Proton-K Launch (Russia), Failed

French Open Women's Tennis

Jun 7 French Open Women's Tennis: Iva Majoli of Croatia wins her 1st and only career Grand Slam singles title; upsets world #1 Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-2

  • Jun 7 Stanley Cup Final, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings edge Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1 for a 4-0 series sweep; 8th title in Wings' franchise history and first since 1955

French Open Men's Tennis

Jun 8 French Open Men's Tennis: Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil wins first of 3 French titles; beats Spaniard Sergi Bruguera 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

  • Jun 8 Horton Foote's stage drama "The Young Man From Atlanta" starring Rip Torn and Shirley Knight opens at Longacre Theatre, NYC, after 85 performances
  • Jun 10 Feng Yun-2B Long March 3 Launch (China) is successful
  • Jun 10 Kevin Brown of Florida Marlins no hits SF Giants 9-0

Event of Interest

Jun 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

  • Jun 12 1st ever baseball regular season inter-league game SF Giants beat Texas Rangers 4-3

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Replica

Jun 12 Shakespeare's Globe theatre opens in London, England, replica of original Globe theatre (1599-1642) with performance of Henry V, after campaign by Sam Wanamaker

  • Jun 13 51st NBA Championship: Chicago Bulls beat Utah Jazz 4, games to 2
  • Jun 13 American fugitive Ira Einhorn is arrested in France for the murder of Holly Maddux after 16 years on the run, though he would not return for another four years
  • Jun 13 Jurors in Oklahoma City bombing trial sentence Timothy McVeigh to death
  • Jun 15 "Little Foxes" closes at Vivian Beaumont Theater NYC after 56 performances

Naomi Campbell Overdoses

Jun 15 British model Naomi Campbell hospitalized due to drug overdose

US Golf Open

Jun 15 US Open Men's Golf, Congressional CC: Ernie Els wins his second Open title, the second of his 4 major championships, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Colin Montgomerie

  • Jun 16 The Dairat Labguer massacre in Algeria; 50 people are killed
  • Jun 17 NHL announces it will add Nashville in 1998, Atlanta in 1999 & Minneapolis-St Paul & Columbus, Ohio in 2000
  • Jun 17 Wynton Marsalis releases his "Blood on the Fields" album (first jazz work to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music - 1997) [1]
  • Jun 19 "Forever Tango!" opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
  • Jun 20 Negotiators announce agreement in principle with tobacco industry
  • Jun 21 "Defending the Caveman" closes at Helen Hayes NYC after 671 performances

Sports History

Jun 21 NHL Draft: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) center Joe Thornton first pick by Boston Bruins

  • Jun 21 Women's National Basketball Association begins as NY Liberty beats LA Sparks
  • Jun 22 WLAF World Bowl 5, Olympic Stadium, Barcelona: Barcelona Dragons beat Rhein Fire, 38-24
  • Jun 23 Dow Jones drops 192.25 pts
  • Jun 23 In the Central African Republic, soldiers fire on foreign peacekeepers in the third major rebellion since May

Baseball Record

Jun 24 Despite an AL record 19-strikeout performance by Randy Johnson, A's first baseman Mark McGwire hits a massive 538 foot home run in Oakland's 4-1 defeat of Seattle Mariners

  • Jun 24 Melissa Drexler, 18, charged with killing her baby during her prom
  • Jun 24 USAF reports Roswell 'space aliens' were dummies

Event of Interest

Jun 25 Christies auctions off some of the wardrobe of Diana, Princess of Wales, for $5.5 million

Special Delivery

Jun 25 Danielle Steel’s romantic novel “Special Delivery” is published

  • Jun 25 Galileo, 2nd Callisto Flyby (Orbit 9)
  • Jun 25 Intelsat 802 Ariane 4 Launch is successful
  • Jun 25 Jamaica issues warrant for singer Sade, who fails to report to court on charges of failure to obey a cop who signaled her to stop

Sports History

Jun 25 NBA Draft: Wake Forest power forward Tim Duncan first pick by San Antonio Spurs

  • Jun 25 NHL approves franchises in Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Minnesota-St Paul
  • Jun 25 Progress M-34 Collides with and damages Mir Space Station
  • Jun 26 Galileo, Ganymede Observations (Orbit 9)

Harry Potter Published

Jun 26 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1st book in J. K. Rowling's best-selling series, is published

  • Jun 26 The U.S. Supreme Court upholds doctor-assisted suicide ban
  • Jun 26 U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Communications Decency Act, inconsistent with the 1st Amendment

Glastonbury Festival

Jun 27 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: The Prodigy, and Radiohead headline; other performers include Smashing Pumpkins, Ray Davies, Van Morrison, Sting, Beck, Phish, and Nanci Griffith

  • Jun 28 American TV evangelist Robert Schuller (70) attacks a male flight attendant (33), after disputes regarding during a luggage stowage, and cheese [1] [2]

Steel Pier

Jun 28 John Kandor and Fred Ebb's musical "Steel Pier" closes at Richard Rodgers Theater, NYC, after 76 performances

Master Class

Jun 28 Terrence McNally's play "Master Class", starring Audra McDonald and Zoe Caldwell, closes at John Golden Theater, NYC, after 598 performances and 2 Tony Award wins

  • Jun 29 "American Daughter" closes at Cort Theater NYC after 88 performances
  • Jun 29 "London Assurance" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 72 performances
  • Jun 29 Progress M-35 Soyuz Launch (Russia)
  • Jun 29 Tyrenda Williams, 18, of Alabama, crowned 40th America's Junior Miss
  • Jun 29 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Olympia Fields CC: Graham Marsh of Australia wins by 1 stroke ahead of South African John Bland
  • Jun 30 British lease on the New Territories in Hong Kong, established by the Second Convention of Peking, expires
  • Jun 30 Leap Second to synchronize atomic clocks
1997 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jun 3 Louis Hofmann, German actor (Dark), born in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
  • Jun 11 Kodak Black [Bill Kapri], American rapper (Dying To Live), born in Pompano Beach, Florida
  • Jun 12 William Cuddy, Canadian actor (Amelia)
  • Jun 16 Camila Morrone, American model and actress (Daisy Jones & the Six), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jun 17 KJ Apa [Keneti James Apa], New Zealand actor (Riverdale), born in Auckland, New Zealand
  • Jun 20 Bálint Kopasz, Hungarian canoeist (Olympic gold men's K-1 1000m 2020; World C'ship gold 2019), born in Szeged, Hungary
  • Jun 20 Maria Lark, Russian-born American actress
  • Jun 26 Jacob Elordi, Australian actor (The Kissing Booth, Euphoria), born in Brisbane, Australia
  • Jun 27 H.E.R [Gabriella Wilson], American R&B singer (I Can't Breathe), born in Vallejo, California
Born in 1997

Famous Weddings

Kenny Rogers

Jun 1 Grammy Award-winning pop-country singer Kenny Rogers (59) weds Wanda Miller (31) at his ranch in Athens, Georgia

Noel Gallagher

Jun 5 British "Oasis" guitarist Noel Gallagher (30) weds Meg Mathews at the Little Church of the West in Las Vegas, Nevada; divorce in 2001

Snoop Dogg

Jun 12 Rapper and actor Snoop Dogg (25) weds high school sweetheart Shante Taylor at The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Marina Del Rey, California

Robert De Niro

Jun 17 Actress and philanthropist Grace Hightower (42) weds actor Robert De Niro (53) at their Marbletown home

Colin Firth

Jun 21 British "Bridget Jones' Diary" actor Colin Firth (36) weds Italian film producer Livia Giuggioli (27) in Tuscany, Italy; divorce 2019

  • Jun 21 Princess Zahra Aga Khan (26) weds businessman Mark Boyden at the Chateau de Chantilly in Paris

Famous Divorces

Halle Berry & David Justice

Jun 24 Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry (30) divorces MLB outfielder David Justice (31) after more than 4 years of marriage

Jim Carrey

Jun 25 "Dumb and Dumber" actress Lauren Holly (33) divorces actor-comedian Jim Carrey (35) due to irreconcilable differences after 9 months of marriage


Famous Deaths

  • Jun 1 Nikolai Tikhonov, Soviet politician (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union 1980-85), dies at 92
  • Jun 2 Aldophus "Doc" Cheatham, American jazz trumpeter, dies of stroke at 91
  • Jun 2 Charles Jones, Canadian contemporary classical composer and music educator, dies at 86

Helen Jacobs (1908-1997)

Jun 2 American tennis player (7 Grand Slam singles titles, US Open 1932-35), dies of heart failure at 88

  • Jun 3 Dennis James, American wrestling announcer and TV host (PDQ), dies at 79
  • Jun 3 John Holt, West Indian cricket batsman (17 Tests, 1066 runs at 36.75; 2 x 100s), dies at 73
  • Jun 4 Johnny "Hammond" Smith, American jazz and bop organist (Wild Horses Rock Steady), dies of cancer at 63
  • Jun 4 Kurt Alfred Adler, Austrian therapist and writer, dies at 92
  • Jun 4 Ronnie Lane, British rock bassist (Small Faces), dies of multiple sclerosis at 51
  • Jun 5 J Anthony Lukas, writer (Pulitizer, Common Ground), suicide at 64
  • Jun 6 Magda Gabor [Magdolna Gábor], Hungarian actress (Mai lányok, People vs Zsa Zsa Gabor), dies of renal failure at 81
  • Jun 8 George Turner, Australian author (b. 1916)
  • Jun 9 Reid Shelton, American stage and screen actor (Annie - "Daddy Warbucks"; 1st & 10 - "Ernie"), dies of stroke at 71
  • Jun 9 Stanley Knowles, Canadian politician (b. 1908)
  • Jun 11 Thalassa Cruso, English-American gardening expert (The Mike Douglas Show; The Tonight Show), dies of Alzheimer's at 88
  • Jun 12 Bulat Okudzhava, Russian poet-bard and singer-songwriter (founder of author's song genre), dies at 73
  • Jun 14 Henry Charles Gordon, American test pilot and astronaut (Dynasoar), dies at 71
  • Jun 14 Richard Jaeckel, American actor (3:10 to Yuma, Sands of Iwo Jima, Sometimes a Great Notion), dies of cancer at 70
  • Jun 14 Tesslynn O'Cull, American child abuse victim (featured in Oregon "Stop the Abuse" campaign), murdered by her mother's boyfriend at 3
  • Jun 16 Dal Stivens, Australian author, dies at 85
  • Jun 16 John Wolters, American drummer (Dr. Hook -"When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman"), dies at 52
  • Jun 18 Lev Kopelev, Russian writer and dissident (b. 1912)
  • Jun 19 Bobby Helms [Robert Lee Helms], American country music singer (Jingle Bell Rock), dies at 63
  • Jun 20 John Akii-bua, Ugandan athlete (Olympic gold 400m hurdles 1972), dies at 49
  • Jun 20 Lawrence Payton, American pop & soul singer (Four Tops - "I'll Be There"), dies at 59
  • Jun 21 Arthur Prysock, American jazz and R&B singer ("I Didn't Sleep a Wink Last Night"; "In The Rain"), dies at 68 or 73 [birth year disputed]
  • Jun 21 Fidel Velázquez Sánchez, Mexican labor leader, dies at 97
  • Jun 21 Shintaro Katsu, Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director (Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman), dies at 65
  • Jun 22 Don Henderson, British actor (The XYY Man, Strangers), dies at 65
  • Jun 22 Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer (b. 1956)
  • Jun 23 "Wino" Willie Forkner, American biker (Wild One), dies of a heart attack at 77

Betty Shabazz (1940-1997)

Jun 23 American educator and civil rights activist who was the widow of Malcolm X, dies from burns suffered in a fire started by her young grandson at 63

  • Jun 24 Brian Keith, American actor (Family Affair, Loneliest Runner, The Parent Trap), commits suicide at 75
  • Jun 24 Jacques Van der Schueren, Belgian minister of Economic Affairs, dies at 75

Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997)

Jun 25 French oceanic explorer (Calypso), dies of a heart attack at 87

  • Jun 25 William Lyle Woratzeck, American convicted killer, executed in Arizona at 51
  • Jun 25 Ziggy Talent, American saxophonist and novelty singer (Vaughn Monroe Orchestra - "Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long"), dies at 85
  • Jun 26 Charlie Chester, English comedian (Never Say Die), dies at 83

Don Hutson (1913-1997)

Jun 26 American College-Pro Football HOF end (Uni of Alabama; NFL MVP 1941, 42; 8 × First-team All-Pro, 4 × NFL All-Star; Green Bay Packers), dies at 84

  • Jun 26 Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Native Hawaiian singer, songwriter ("Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World"), and Hawaiian sovereignty advocate, dies from respiratory failure at 38
  • Jun 29 William Hickey, American actor (Prizzi's Honor, The Nightmare Before Christmas), dies of emphysema at 69
  • Jun 30 Albus Dumbledore [Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore], fictional character, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, dies at 115
  • Jun 30 Larry O'Day, Australian wrestler, dies of cancer at 53