Born in 1997
Turns 29 in 2026
Gifts for someone born in 1997
1997 Front PageTheir name. The news from their year.Unframed from $51.50Add their name
Their birth chartThe sky as astrology reads it, cast for one birth.Unframed from $51.50
The Years We Were BornThe whole family, together in years.Unframed from $51.50
Our Story timelineTheir life, told in your words.Unframed from $51.50
Front Page: New Zealand edition. The year is filled in; add their name in the editor. “Your name” is a placeholder. Light news is selected. A new keepsake, not an original newspaper.
BACK TO 1997 · New Zealand
A little history to go with their gift.
Nations adopted the Kyoto Protocol, Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke opened in Japan, and The English Patient won nine Academy Awards. These records place environmental diplomacy alongside Japanese animation and a major film awards season in 1997.
What happened in 1997?
Auckland’s Sky Tower opens
The observation and communications tower opened above central Auckland, becoming one of the city’s most recognisable structures and a prominent addition to its skyline.
Nations agree the Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Japan on 11 December 1997, creating the first major international framework for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change · U.S. Department of State
Deep Blue wins its rematch with Kasparov.
IBM’s Deep Blue defeated reigning chess champion Garry Kasparov 3½–2½ in their six-game rematch in New York. The win was the first time a computer system had beaten a reigning world champion under standard tournament time controls.
Cassini begins its journey to Saturn.
Cassini and the European Space Agency’s Huygens probe left Cape Canaveral on October 15, 1997, aboard a Titan IVB/Centaur rocket. The spacecraft began a seven-year journey to Saturn.
Firsts and new ideas
Hanson reaches No. 1 in New Zealand with ‘Mmmbop’
Mmmbop by Hanson ranked first on New Zealand’s Official Top 40 Singles for 27 June–03 July 1997.
Dolly’s birth brings a new cloning method to light.
Researchers at the Roslin Institute announced Dolly, a sheep cloned from an adult cell, on February 22, 1997. Their report described the method that produced the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell.
The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh · House of Commons Library
Number ones and music in 1997
Chart positions belong to the country and chart named in each record.
The Grammy Awards come to New York.
The 39th Grammy Awards took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City on February 26, 1997.
Radiohead release OK Computer
Radiohead released OK Computer in 1997, moving from guitar-led songs toward a more layered and atmospheric sound.
Prices and everyday money in 1997
New Zealand figures in the money of the time. Units and sources matter: these are not today's prices.
| Item or measure | Then | Unit and source |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol (annual avg.) | $0.91 | litre MBIE via Figure.NZ |
| Average weekly earnings, total (males and females combined) | $632.56 | NZ dollars per week Statistics New Zealand / Stats NZ |
| Standard domestic letter postage (ordinary medium letter) | 40 cents per standard letter | one standard domestic letter Beehive, New Zealand Government (Communications Minister, 22 April 1997) |
Planning the birthday
Someone born in 1997 turns 29 in 2026. Before their birthday they are one year younger. Choose the birth year for the print; add the full date in the editor if you know it.
See milestone birthdays this year