At A Glance

31 January 1997 at a glance

Day of the week
31 January 1997 was a Friday.
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 31 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 31 January 1997 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 31 January 1997 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 31 January

  • 1978 The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) goes on public display after being returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
  • 1988 Doug Williams becomes the first African American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl and leads the Washington Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XXII.
  • 2003 The Waterfall rail accident occurs near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia.
  • 2007 Emergency officials in Boston mistakenly identify battery-powered LED placards depicting characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force as Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), causing a panic.
  • 2019 Abdullah of Pahang is sworn in as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

Famous people born on 31 January

  • Julián Alvarez, Argentine footballer (born 2000)
  • Justin Timberlake, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor (born 1981)
  • Minnie Driver, English singer-songwriter and actress (born 1970)
  • Jackie Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster (1919–1972)

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 →