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.

The first Harry Potter book

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 TheNew 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.

Flowers left at Kensington Palace for Princess Diana, the woman dubbed the People’s Princess.

Update:How could we forget to mention that 1997 was the year that Michael Hutchence died?  We did and we apologise

In July 18 people were killed in the Thredbo landslide. Stuart Diver was the lone survivor.

Days later a car accident killed Diana Princess of Wales and her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed in a Paris tunnel. Two billion people around the world watched her funeral at Westminster Abbey where Elton John performed a Candle in the Wind, which became the second highest rating single of the year.

The world then stopped to mourn the loss of Mother Teresa.

The world also bid farewell to rapper Notorious B.I.G, musician Jeff Buckley, the French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Gianni Versace who was murdered on his doorstep.

Winona Ryder on the cover of People magazine

Who did we love?

Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Johnny Depp, Renee Zellweger, Bill Clinton and Princess Diana were among the famous faces to grace the coveted cover spot on Vanity Fair magazine.

Time Magazine ranked Tiger Woods, John McCain, Harvey Weinstein, Dilbert, Colin Powell and Rosie O’Donnell among its list of the 25 most influential Americans.

Winona Ryder topped People magazine’s Top 50 Most Beautiful list, which also featured The Spice Girls, Brad Pitt, Clare Danes, Cube Gooding Jnr and Juliette Binoche.

Who was with who?

Tom and Nicole in 1997

Will Smith married Jada Pinkett, Brad Pitt was engaged to Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon was dating Winona Ryder and Victoria Adam (aka Posh) started seeing David Beckham.

Sarah Jessica Parker married Matthew Broderick, Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon started their romance while Tom and Nicole were still in the midst of their marriage. Andrew Upton married Cate Blanchett and John Stamos and Rebecca Romijn got engaged.

What did we listen to?

The Top 5 singles from 1997 were

[youtube NHozn0YXAeE 640 390] What did we watch on the small screen?

South Park, The View and Ally McBeal all premiered on television in 1997. The Crocodile Hunter debuted on Animal Planet. But it was the final year for both long running sitcoms Roseanne and Married…with children.

Harold and Madge renewed their vows, Billy and Anne finally united while Neighbours’ longest-serving resident, Helen Daniels, died. The 2000

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episode of Home and Away is aired in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Blue Heelers had the highest average viewers of all television programs aired in 1997.

What did we watch at the movies?

Top 10 Grossing Films

10. Face/Off

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And a final piece of random trivia. 1997 bore witness to the second largest cash robbery in US history when $US17.3 million (mostly in small bills) was stolen from a North Carolina office of Wells Fargo.

Where were you and what were you doing?

Click through the gallery below for more images from 1997…

Bridget Jones by Helen Fielding

New Weekly

John Travolta

Blue Heelers

Mission Impossible

Braveheart

Primal Fear

Space Jam

The Spice Girls

Toni Braxton

Toy Story

Scream, via @_horror_movie_pics_'s Instagram

Seinfeld, via @giri_infinite

Hey Hey It's Saturday, via @lozloz1988's Twitter

a-time-to-kill-movie-poster-1996-1020190221

Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt

Princess Diana

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