WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO SEPTEMBER 1997
Find out what all happened January to September 1997

Beni-Ali massacre in Algeria; 60-100 people killed. (26. August 1997)

Before fleeing his northern stronghold, Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot orders the killing of his defense chief Son Sen and 11 of Sen's family members. (10. June 1997)

An earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and the Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse. (26. September 1997)

The Maeslantkering, a storm surge barrier in the Netherlands that is one of the world's largest moving structures, is opened by Queen Beatrix. (10. May 1997)

Holyfield–Tyson II – Mike Tyson is disqualified in the 3rd round for biting a piece off Evander Holyfield's ear. (28. June 1997)

After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milošević recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections. (4. February 1997)

The Japanese embassy hostage crisis ends in Lima, Peru. (22. April 1997)

Kelly Flinn, the US Air Force's first female bomber pilot certified for combat, accepts a general discharge in order to avoid a court-martial. (22. May 1997)

The North Hollywood shootout takes place, resulting in the injury of 19 people and the deaths of both perpetrators. (28. February 1997)

NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars. (4. July 1997)

Madeleine Albright becomes the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State. (23. January 1997)

The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families. (5. February 1997)

China announces it will spend US$27.7 billion to fight erosion and pollution in the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys. (3. January 1997)

Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre in Algeria; a total of 116 villagers killed, 40 in Oued El-Had and 76 in Mezouara. (3. August 1997)

A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koromah. (25. May 1997)

The Comet Hale-Bopp has its closest approach to Earth. (22. March 1997)

The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of mass protests, riots and gun battles begin in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland. (6. July 1997)

Yi Han-yong, North Korean defector was murdered by unidentified assailants in Bundang, South Korea. (25. February 1997)

A Garuda Indonesia Airbus A300 crashes near Medan, Indonesia, airport, killing 234. (26. September 1997)

The tail of a Russian Antonov An-24 charter plane broke off while en route to Turkey causing the plane to crash and killing all 50 people on board and leading to the grounding of all An-24s. (18. March 1997)