Two tribute songs dominated the singles chart, Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana, Candle in the Wind, and Puff Daddy's tribute to murdered rapper Notorious B.I.G, I'll Be Missing You, were the top sellers of the year.
Notable births included the McCaughey septuplets in Iowa in the US on November 19. Their birth was the first time ever all seven septuplets had survived infancy.
The big films of the year were The Full Monty, Men in Black, Liar Liar and Titanic, with the latter winning the best picture Oscar.
On television, animated comedy South Park made its debut, as did Teletubbies, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Angry Beavers.
Notable deaths included Mother Theresa, Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed, the leader of the People's Republic of China Deng Xiaoping, American musician Jeff Buckley and Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace.
1997 Star Fact: On December 16, an episode of children's cartoon Pokemon aired in Japan caused 685 children to have epileptic seizures.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article