It’s been ages since we had a walk back in time on Mamamia – check out the links to see what we were doing in 1999 and 2002 and then dust off the cobwebs and cast your mind back to 1997.
It was a big one.
John Howard was in his first full year as Prime Minister. Bill Clinton was inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States and Tony Blair was elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, ending the Tory party’s 18-year reign.
Yasser Arrafat returned to Hebron after a 30 year absence to join celebrations of the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
Hong Kong was handed back to Chinese authorities after more than 150 years of British rule. South-East Asia and Japan faced a financial crisis, set off by the collapse of the Thai baht.
Divorce became legal in the Republic of Ireland and homosexuality was decriminalised in Tasmania, the final Australian state to do so.
A colour photograph appeared on the front page of The New York Times for the very first time. Madonna won a Golden Globe for her performance in Evita while Ellen Degeneres came out.
The first Harry Potter book written by JK Rowling was published. James Cameron released The Titanic and closer to home, an icon was born when The Castle arrived in Australian cinemas.
Who did we mourn?
1997 had its share of tragedies.
Update:How could we forget to mention that 1997 was the year that Michael Hutchence died? We did and we apologise
Top Comments
I started out 97 unhappily engaged to one guy and ended the year pregnant to another. That sounds really bad doesn't it!!
Thredbo was surreal. I remember standing in my street in Canberra watching the helicopter carrying Stuart Diver fly over on the way to the hospital. We all stood there in silence on that cold night.
Princess Diana's death hit me hard. I was 27, on the brink of ending my 6 year relationship and this woman who had meant so much to so many had died needlessly because she got into car with a drunk driver and didn't put her seatbelt on. I cried my eyes out watching her funeral.
When Michael Hutchence died all I could think of was how sad it was because Tigerlily would never know her father and an absOlute rock god was gone. I met him once and he was a quiet and deep and sexy as hell!!
Just a footnote, my baby boy was born in Sept 98 and his father and I are still together (nearly 15 years) and we have gone on to have 2 more beautiful boys!!
I turned 13 and started high school that year. Was into Hanson (I had a MASSIVE crush on Taylor), the Spice Girls, Savage Garden, Meredith Brooks, The Wallflowers and Silverchair. I loved watching Home & Away, Blue Heelers and Hey Hey It's Saturday. I had the hots for Johnny Depp. I spent every Saturday at my grandparents' house, and I watched Stuart Diver being rescued after the Thredbo landslide on TV at their place. And I was sitting in the backseat of my mum's car driving down to pick my brother up from a mate's place when we heard about Princess Diana.
15 years later, I'm 28. I'm still a Hanson fan (and will be seeing them live when they come to Australia in September - I can't wait), I still think Johnny Depp is a looker, but just about everything else is different. I'm older, I'm taller, my tastes in music and TV are almost drastically different, and my crush on Taylor Hanson has been toned down quite a bit, though he's still my favourite member of Hanson (and probably always will be). His wife would probably give me the evil eye if I tried to jump him now :p