Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Iraq Expels US Weapons Inspectors, President Clinton denounces the action but refrains from military response
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1997 in United States of America — Page 2
Explore 95 historical events and records for United States of America in 1997.
Historical records for United States of America in 1997
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 95 unique records.
95Unique records
2 of 3Page
37Named events on this page
21Named people on this page
13Places on this page
November
International Sanctions
The US imposes sanctions on Sudan, Clinton orders stricter prohibitions for alleged sponsorship of terrorism and human rights abuses
Politics
The US imposes sanctions on Sudan, Clinton orders stricter prohibitions for alleged sponsorship of terrorism and human rights abuses
Sanctions
The US imposes sanctions on Sudan, Clinton orders stricter prohibitions for alleged sponsorship of terrorism and human rights abuses
Europa November Flyby
Galileo returns to Europa for another close encounter near the end of the primary mission.
Clinton sends Carrier in Warning to Iraq, dispatches George Washington and four
Clinton sends Carrier in Warning to Iraq, dispatches George Washington and four other ships to join the Nimitz in Persian Gulf as further sign that the US is prepared to act to prevent Iraq from developing ability to use chemical or biological weopons
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Clinton sends carrier warning to Iraq, dispatches George Washington and four other ships to join the Nimitz in Persian Gulf as further sign that the US is prepared to act to prevent Iraq from developing ability to use chemical or biological weapons
Clinton welcomes Saddam Husseins decision to back down and allow United Nations
Clinton welcomes Saddam Husseins decision to back down and allow United Nations inspectors to resume search for weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Clinton welcomes Saddam Hussein's decision to back down and allow United Nations inspectors to resume search for weapons of mass destruction
December
Conference of Ottawa
Nations sign a Treaty banning land mines, about 120 nations at the Ottawa conference agree to outlaw global production and use, the United States, China, and Russia attend but do not sign Treaty
International Conference at Ottawa
Nations sign a Treaty banning land mines, about 120 nations at the Ottawa conference agree to outlaw global production and use, the United States, China, and Russia attend but do not sign Treaty
Galileo Europa Mission Extension
NASA approves an extended Galileo mission emphasizing repeated close encounters with Europa.
Large Hadron Collider International Participation
Signs an agreement establishing major United States participation in construction of the Large Hadron Collider and its experiments.
Europa Extended-Mission Flyby
Galileo makes a close Europa flyby as the extended Galileo Europa Mission begins.
Treaty of Bosnia Agreement
Clinton Extends Troops Bosnia Agreement, decides G.I.s should remain past scheduled departure in June as part of peacekeeping force
Other events (month unknown)
Absolute Power
Directs and stars in Absolute Power, a political thriller about presidential corruption.
Academy Award
Fargo brings McDormand the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Asteroid Radar
Uses radar to determine asteroid shapes, rotation and trajectories
Beach Boys
Appointed Member of Beach Boys, 2nd term
Bloody Treason
Twyman published Bloody Treason, presenting a broad conspiracy theory based on assassination records, medical evidence and claims of government concealment.
Box Set
Releases a box set collecting rarities and live material.
Cold Mountain
Publication of "Cold Mountain"
Deconstructing Harry Film
In 1997, Woody Allen made Deconstructing Harry, a nonlinear comedy-drama about a writer facing characters from his own stories.
Discovery of Rho Coronae Borealis b
Helps report a short-period giant planet orbiting Rho Coronae Borealis.
Discovery of Rho Coronae Borealis b
Contributes radial-velocity observations to the discovery of Rho Coronae Borealis b.
Emmy Award X Files Actress
Gillian Anderson won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Dana Scully on The X Files.
Europa Ice Raft Terrain
Galileo images reveal disrupted blocks of Europa's icy crust that appear to have rotated and shifted relative to surrounding terrain.
Europa Young Surface Evidence
The scarcity of large impact craters in Galileo images indicates that Europa's visible surface is geologically young.
First Seven High-z Supernova Constraints
Perlmutter and the Supernova Cosmology Project publish cosmological constraints from an initial sample of seven high-redshift Type Ia supernovae.
Galileo Ganymede Flyby
Galileo measures evidence of Ganymede's magnetic field.
Health Reform
Successfully increases research funding for prostate cancer and childhood asthma at the National Institutes of Health. Along with Senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch, she is a force behind passage of the State Childrens Health Insurance Program
How I Learned to Drive Premiere
Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive premiered off Broadway, using memory and nonlinear scenes to examine abuse and survival.
Io Volcanic Surface Changes
Galileo imaging documents major surface changes on Io caused by continuing volcanic eruptions.
Kundun
Directs, Kundun
Legislation
Along with Senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch, she is a force behind passage of the State Childrens Health Insurance Program
LIGO
Weiss helps shape the laser interferometer design that becomes central to LIGO
LIGO Scientific Collaboration
Barish establishes the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, expanding participation beyond Caltech and MIT and creating an international framework for detector research and gravitational-wave data analysis.
Marriage
Woody Allen marries Soon-Yi Previn
Men in Black
Stars in Men in Black
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Directs Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, adapted from the nonfiction bestseller.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.