Here are the biggest news, sports and entertainment stories of 1997…

Diana, Princess of Wales, has died in a car crash in Paris after apparently being chased at high speed by photographers on motorbikes. The driver of her car was thought to be drunk at the time, but many disputed this; some believed that the entire event was a conspiracy plot involving MI5 and the Royal Family. Whatever the true cause of her death; the UK came together to pay tribute to her and, after an unprecedented week of mourning, her funeral was watched by millions on television.

The announcement of the birth of the world’s first successfully cloned mammal also caused much debate. Scientists in Scotland were responsible for the birth of Dolly the sheep, and the world’s media heralded it as one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the decade. However, for some it raised moral dilemmas amid fears the technique could be used to clone humans; The church and animal rights groups cause most of the ethical controversy.

Politically, the Conservative Party finally fell after 18 years in power following a landslide general election victory for the Labor Party; Tony Blair becomes the youngest British Prime Minister of the century at the age of 43.

One of the first changes the new government made was to eliminate tobacco sponsorship in the world of sports; which resulted in billiards, darts and cricket losing substantial amounts of advertising money. Formula One racing seemed to be the biggest casualty but, a week after implementing the ban, Tony Blair specifically exempted the sport from the new law (anything to do with the £1 million Formula One boss , Bernie Ecclestone, had donated to the Labor Party before). general elections?).

Elsewhere in the sport, a lone sailor, Tony Bullimore, miraculously survived for five days at sea after his boat capsized in the Southern Ocean. He took refuge in the capsized hull of his yacht and survived on chocolate and water until a random Australian navy ship spotted him.

As for entertainment, 1997 belonged to the Teletubbies; Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po saying “eh-oh” to the nation for the first time. Made for young children, the show soon became a cult show for kids, students, and adults alike; people find a lot of fun in multicolored aliens running around in a dome. Such was its success that a chart-topping single was also produced!

Theaters saw another homegrown film take center stage; low budget ‘The Full Monty’ being the big blockbuster. The story tells the story of a group of former Sheffield steelworkers who became strippers to earn money during hard times. It was equally popular on both sides of the Atlantic and was nominated for four Oscars.