Aug 31
Princess Diana Dies
Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. 2.5 billion people watched the funeral. America mourned alongside the world.
🇺🇸United States · 90s
The World Wide Web
Diana dies, Titanic sails, and the internet changes everything.
What happened
5 milestones of 1997
Mar 26
Heaven's Gate Mass Suicide
39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult were found dead in a mansion near San Diego. They believed a spaceship behind Comet Hale-Bopp would take them. The internet age's first viral cult.
mass death
Jun 2
Timothy McVeigh Convicted
Timothy McVeigh was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people. Domestic terrorism had a face.
terrorism
Jul 4
Pathfinder Lands on Mars
NASA's Pathfinder spacecraft landed on Mars and deployed the Sojourner rover. 566 million people visited NASA's website in one day — crashing the server. The internet had arrived.
Apr 13
Tiger Woods Wins First Masters
21-year-old Tiger Woods won the Masters by 12 strokes — the largest margin of victory in tournament history. Golf would never be the same.
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
Titanic
James Cameron — 'I'm the king of the world!' The highest-grossing film ever. Leonardo DiCaprio became a legend.
Good Will Hunting
Gus Van Sant — 'How do you like them apples?' Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote themselves into stardom.
Men in Black
Barry Sonnenfeld — Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Aliens in New York. Summer blockbuster perfection.
L.A. Confidential
Curtis Hanson — Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey. 1950s noir at its finest.
As Good as It Gets
James L. Brooks — 'You make me want to be a better man.' Jack Nicholson won his third Oscar.
What was on TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1997-2003 — Sarah Michelle Gellar kicked ass and redefined teen television.
South Park
1997-present — Crude animation. Brilliant satire. Parker and Stone spared nobody.
King of the Hill
1997-2010 — Mike Judge's gentle Texas comedy. Hank Hill sold propane and propane accessories.
Seinfeld
1989-1998 — Final full season. The show about nothing was still the best thing on TV.
Friends
1994-2004 — The wedding, the break-ups, the coffee. Thursday nights belonged to NBC.
How much things cost
Currency: USD
Gallon of milk$2.99
Gallon of gas$1.23
New house (median)$146,000
New car (average)$16,900
Loaf of bread$0.87
Movie ticket$4.59
Inflation: 2.3%
The dot-com boom was accelerating. The budget deficit was shrinking. Optimism was everywhere.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Gallon of milkBLS
1997 (USD)
$2.99
→
Today's value ($)
--
Gallon of gasEIA
1997 (USD)
$1.23
→
Today's value ($)
--
New house (median)Census Bureau
1997 (USD)
$146,000
→
Today's value ($)
--
New car (average)BLS
1997 (USD)
$16,900
→
Today's value ($)
--
Loaf of breadBLS
1997 (USD)
$0.87
→
Today's value ($)
--
Movie ticketNATO
1997 (USD)
$4.59
→
Today's value ($)
--
Technology
Deep Blue beats Kasparov
IBM's Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov. The machines were getting smarter.
Mars Pathfinder & Sojourner
A rover drove on Mars. NASA's website crashed from the traffic.
AOL Instant Messenger
AIM launched. 'A/S/L?' became the greeting of a generation.
Netflix founded
Reed Hastings founded Netflix as a DVD-by-mail service.
Wi-Fi standard (802.11)
The first Wi-Fi standard was released. Wireless internet was coming.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Platform shoesCargo pantsBaby tees and low-rise jeans
Slang
Bling— Flashy jewelry
My bad— My mistake
You go, girl!— Expression of encouragement
Behavior
- Biggie Smalls was murdered in March — the East-West Coast war reached its tragic end
- Tamagotchi virtual pets drove kids crazy
- Diana's death produced an unprecedented global outpouring of grief
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