1897

Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century

Decades: 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s - 1890s - 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s

Years: 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 - 1897 - 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902

• January 1 - Brooklyn, New York merges with New York City
• February 2 - The Pennsylvania state capitol is destroyed by fire.
• April 27 - Grant's Tomb[?] is dedicated.
• May 19 - Oscar Wilde is released from prison.
• August 29 - First Zionist Congress[?] convenes in Basle, Switzerland.
• December 28 - The play Cyrano de Bergerac[?], by Edmond Rostand, premieres in Paris.
• December 30 - Natal annexes Zululand

• Change of US presidency from Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) to William McKinley (1897-1901)
• France allows women to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts

Births

• January 3 - Pola Negri[?], actress (+ 1987)
• January 3 - Marion Davies, actress (+ 1961)
• February 4 - Ludwig Erhard, politician.
• February 10 - John F. Enders[?], scientist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1954 (+ 1985)
• February 10 - Dame Judith Anderson[?], actress (+ 1992)
• February 11 - Yves de La Casiniere[?], composer.
• March 4 - Lefty O'Doul[?], baseball star, restauranteur (+ 1969)
• March 24 - Wilhelm Reich, psychotherapist (+ 1957)
• March 27 - Gloria Swanson, actress (+ 1983)
• March 28 - Sepp Herberger[?], football coach (+ 1977)
• April 7 - Walter Winchell, broadcaster, journalist (+ 1972)
• April 26 - Olga Tschechowa[?], actress (+ 1980)
• April 26 - Douglas Sirk, director (+ 1987)
• May 18 - Frank Capra, producer, director, writer (+ 1991)
• May 19 - Frank Luke, World War I fighter ace (+ 1918)
• June 13 - Paavo Nurmi, Finnish runner.
• July 11 - Blind Lemon Jefferson
• July 24 - Amelia Earhart, aviator
• August 28 - Charles Boyer, actor
• September 8 - Jimmie Rodgers
• September 12 - Irene Joliot-Curie, scientist
• September 23 - Walter Pidgeon, actor (+ 1984)
• September 25 - William Faulkner, novelist

Deaths

• April 3 - Johannes Brahms, composer

Science

• Thompson discovers the electron.