At A Glance

18 August 1997 at a glance

Day of the week
18 August 1997 was a Monday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “I'll Be Missing You” by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112.
Top Film of 1997
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1997 was Titanic.
Bestselling Novel of 1997
“The Partner” by John Grisham was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1997.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Seinfeld” (NBC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1997–98 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 18 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 18 August 1997 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 18 August 1997 was Full Moon.

On this day: 18 August

  • 1976 The Soviet Union's robotic probe Luna 24 successfully lands on the Moon.
  • 2005 A massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java; affecting almost 100 million people, it is one of the largest and most widespread power outages in history.
  • 2008 The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, resigns under threat of impeachment.
  • 2008 War of Afghanistan: The Uzbin Valley ambush occurs.
  • 2019 One hundred activists, officials, and other concerned citizens in Iceland hold a funeral for Okjökull glacier, which has completely melted after having once covered six square miles (15.5 km2).

Famous people born on August 18

  • Robert Redford, American actor, director, and producer (1936–2025)
  • Patrick Swayze, American actor and dancer (1952–2009)
  • Edward Norton, American actor (born 1969)
  • Kaitlin Olson, American actress and comedian (born 1975)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1997 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1997 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 28 – North Hollywood shootout: Two heavily armed bank robbers conflict with officers from the Los Angeles Police Department in a mass shootout.
  • March 21 – Liar Liar is released in theaters nationwide, later going on to rank as the 7th highest grossing film of the year.
  • March 24 – The 69th Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, with Anthony Minghella's The English Patient winning nine awards out of 12 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The telecast garners nearly 40.1 million viewers.

Life in the US in 1997

President

Bill Clinton

Gas (per gallon)

$1.23

Loaf of Bread

$1.00

Average House

$146,000

Weekly Wage

$507

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 →