Historical Events
- 27th Fiesta Bowl: #10 Kansas State beats #14 Syracuse, 35-18
- 72 year-old Marv Levy retires as coach of the NFL Buffalo Bills after 12 seasons, including 4 consecutive losing Super Bowl appearances
- Buffalo's Czech NHL goalie Dominik Hasek stops 36 shots for his 27th career shutout in Sabres' 3-0 win over Ottawa Senators; his 6th shutout in month of December; first since George Hainsworth in 1928-29 to achieve the feat
Event of Interest
Intel cuts price of Pentium II-233 MHz from $401 to $268
- Microsoft buys Hotmail email service for $400 million and re-launches it as MSN Hotmail
- More Swedes died than were born in 1997, 1st time since 1809
- Orlando Hernandez, half-brother of pitcher Livan, defects from Cuba
- South African & US surgeons separate Zambian Siamese twins joined at the head
Famous Weddings
Helen Mirren
Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren (52) weds The Devil's Advocate director Taylor Hackford (53) at the Ardersier Parish Church near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands
Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith
American rapper and actor "The Fresh Prince" Will Smith (31) weds actress Jada Pinkett (26) in Baltimore, Maryland
Famous Deaths
- 76 law enforcement officers, killed by felons in US this year
- Billie Dove [Lilian Bohny], American actress (Black Pirate, Stolen Bride), dies at 96
- Dominique de Menil, French-American arts patron (Menil Collection Houston) and human rights advocate, dies at 89
- Floyd Cramer, American Country Music Hall of Fame pianist ("Last Date"; "On the Rebound"), dies of cancer at 64
- Michael Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy, dies in ski accident at 39
About December 31, 1997
Day of the Week: Wednesday
How Long Ago? 25 years, 2 months and 20 days
Leap Year: No
Generation: Generation Z
Chinese Zodiac: Ox
Star Sign: Capricorn
Music Charts
#1 Song: Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight - Elton John
#1 Song: Too Much - Spice Girls
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
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Scientists