At A Glance

20 January 1997 at a glance

Day of the week
20 January 1997 was a Monday.
Irish Chart Song in 1997
The Irish chart song for 1997 was “Barbie Girl” by Aqua.
Top Film of 1997
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1997 was Titanic.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 January 1997 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 January 1997 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 20 January

  • 1986 In the United States, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
  • 1986 Leabua Jonathan, Prime Minister of Lesotho, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Justin Lekhanya.
  • 1990 Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.
  • 1991 Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south.
  • 2001 President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent four-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Famous people born on 20 January

  • J. J. McCarthy, American football player (born 2003)
  • David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter (1946–2025)
  • Evan Peters, American actor (born 1987)
  • Sid Wilson, American musician (born 1977)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1997 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1997 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 8 January – Russia sought to widen its ban on the importation of Irish beef due to bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
  • 27 February – A new law providing for divorce came into effect.
  • 17 March – The new national independent radio station, Radio Ireland, went on the air.

Life in Ireland in 1997

Taoiseach

John Bruton

Petrol (per litre)

£1.75/gal

Loaf of Bread

£0.80

Average House

£68,000

Weekly Wage

£130

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1990s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →