Featured moment
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Published
J.K. Rowling's debut novel launched the most successful book series in history.
The boy who lived.
Harry Potter was published, Final Fantasy VII made RPGs mainstream, and the world mourned Princess Diana.
The Cost of Living in 1997
Gallon of Gas
$1.29
Loaf of Bread
$0.91
Gallon of Milk
$2.60
World Population
5.88 billion
Featured moment
Final Fantasy VII Released
Square's cinematic masterpiece sold 10 million copies on PlayStation and popularized JRPGs in the West.
Featured moment
Death of Princess Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a Paris car crash, prompting an unprecedented global outpouring of grief.
The wider picture
More from 1997
A few more things worth remembering.
Cinema & TV
Titanic Released
James Cameron's epic romance became a cultural phenomenon, winning 11 Oscars and becoming the highest-grossing film ever.
Technology
Deep Blue Defeats Garry Kasparov
IBM's supercomputer defeated the reigning world chess champion, a milestone in artificial intelligence.
Technology
Steve Jobs Returns to Apple
Apple purchased NeXT, bringing Steve Jobs back to save the struggling company he founded.
Gaming
GoldenEye 007 Released
Rare's N64 shooter proved that first-person shooters could excel on consoles and defined 90s split-screen multiplayer.
Internet
Netflix Founded
Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph founded a DVD-by-mail rental service that would eventually kill Blockbuster.
World Events
Kyoto Protocol Adopted
An international treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions was adopted in Japan.
You arrivedin 1997.
The longer view
This was only the opening scene.
Follow the world as it changed around you, from 1997 to today.