In 1997, "Candle in the Wind 1997" topped the charts, Titanic packed theaters, a stamp cost 32¢, the average home went for about $145,000.
🎵 Top songs of 1997
"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton John
"You Were Meant for Me / Foolish Games" — Jewel
"I'll Be Missing You" — Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112
🎬 In theaters
Titanic
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Men in Black
What things cost in 1997
$1.23
Gallon of gas
32¢
Postage stamp
$4.59
Movie ticket
$2.71
Gallon of milk
$145,000
Average home
$19,214
New car
$37,010
Household income
A $1.23 gallon of gas in 1997 has the buying power of roughly $2.40 in 2024 dollars. A 32¢ stamp is around 63¢ today, and a $4.59 movie ticket is about $8.95.
The biggest moments of 1997
Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris in August.
J.K. Rowling published the first Harry Potter book.
Hong Kong was returned to China on July 1.
NASA's Pathfinder landed on Mars on July 4, 1997, and millions followed the little Sojourner rover's tracks online — a first for the young web.
Tiger Woods won his first Masters by a record 12 strokes in April, becoming the tournament's youngest champion at 21.
Comet Hale-Bopp blazed in the evening sky for months, the brightest comet most people had ever seen.
Toys, TV & trends of 1997
Tamagotchi virtual pets arrived in America, and kids begged teachers for time to feed their beeping digital companions.
McDonald's Teenie Beanie Babies caused Happy Meal pandemonium as the Beanie Baby craze hit its peak.
Goosebumps books were in every backpack, and N64 players spent countless hours on Mario Kart 64 with friends.
GoldenEye 007 hit the Nintendo 64 and turned four-player split-screen into the official sport of sleepovers.
Final Fantasy VII arrived on PlayStation and showed American kids that video games could make you cry.
AOL Instant Messenger launched in May 1997, and the art of the away message was born.
The music scene
Bubblegum was back in 1997: three brothers from Tulsa took "MMMBop" to No. 1 in a dozen countries, and the Spice Girls conquered America with "Wannabe" topping the U.S. charts. The year's most poignant chart story belonged to Elton John, whose tribute recorded after Princess Diana's death became the best-selling single since charts began, with more than 30 million copies sold for charity. Radiohead's OK Computer, meanwhile, gave critics their album of the decade.
At the movies
Titanic nearly sank its studios before it soared — its budget swelled past $200 million, making it the most expensive film ever made and a punchline before release; James Cameron had the last laugh. Good Will Hunting introduced the world to two childhood friends from Boston named Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who wrote themselves an Oscar. And The Full Monty, a scrappy British comedy made for pennies, danced all the way to a Best Picture nomination.
Cartoons kids loved
South Park
Rugrats
Hey Arnold!
Animation pushed in every direction at once in 1997. On cable, a crudely animated show about four Colorado kids proved grown-up cartoons could be a cultural earthquake, while Disney launched its polished One Saturday Morning block on ABC. And over in Japan, a new series about pocket monsters debuted in April 1997 — within eighteen months it would land in America and change childhood entirely.
The world in 1997
World population: about 5.9 billion
U.S. President: Bill Clinton
Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, was announced
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in December 1997, the first international agreement setting binding targets on greenhouse gases.
Mother Teresa died in September at 87, and India honored the Nobel laureate with a state funeral.
Tony Blair's landslide election in May ended 18 years of Conservative government in Britain.
1997 birthday questions
How old is someone born in 1997?
Someone born in 1997 turns 29 in 2026 (28 if their birthday has not come round yet).
What was the number one song in 1997?
"Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John was among the biggest hits of 1997.
What movie came out in 1997?
Titanic was one of the films packing theaters in 1997.
How much did gas cost in 1997?
A gallon of gas ran about $1.23 in 1997, and a postage stamp cost 32¢.
How much did a house cost in 1997?
The average home went for roughly $145,000 in 1997, against a typical household income of about $37,010.