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List Of Prime Ministers Of Greenland

List of Prime Ministers of Greenland

List of Prime Ministers of Greenland
- Jonathan Motzfeldt (1979-1991)
- Lars Emil Johansen (1991-1997)
- Jonathan Motzfeldt (1997-2002)
- Hans Enoksen (2002-present) For leaders before this see: List of Governors of Greenland Greenland, List of Prime Ministers of

Prime Minister

A prime minister may be either:
- chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or
- the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives of the President. President (1940-1945, 1951-1955)]] In parliamentary systems like the Westminster system, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of head of state is largely ceremonial. In some monarchies the prime minister exercises powers (known as the Royal Prerogative) which are constitutionally vested in the Crown and can be exercised without the approval of parliament. As well as being Head of Government, a prime minister may have other roles or titles—the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, for example, is also First Lord of the Treasury. Prime ministers may take other ministerial posts—for example during the Second World War Winston Churchill was also Minister of Defence.

Prime ministers in republics and in monarchies

The post of prime minister is one which may be encountered both in constitutional monarchies (such as Belgium, Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom), and in republics in which the head of state is an elected (such as France) or unelected official (such as Germany) with varying degrees of real power. This contrasts with the presidential system, in which the President (or equivalent) is both the head of state and the head of the government. See also "First Minister" , "Premier", "Chief Minister" "Chancellor" and "Taoiseach": alternative titles usually equivalent in meaning to "prime minister." In some presidential or semi-presidential systems such as those of France, Russia, South Korea, or Taiwan the prime minister is an official generally appointed by the President but approved by the legislature and responsible for carrying out the directives of the President and managing the civil service. In these systems, it is possible for the president and the prime minister to be from different political parties if the legislature is controlled by a party different from that of the president. When it arises, such a state of affairs is usually referred to as (political) cohabitation.

Entry into office

In parliamentary systems a prime minister can enter into office by a number of means.
- by appointment by the head of state without the need for confirmation by parliament; Examples: New Zealand, the United Kingdom, where the monarch appoints a prime minister without the need for confirmation from parliament, which gets its first chance to indicate its view on the new government in the vote on the Speech from the Throne, in which the new government outlines its legislative programme. The method of prime ministerial appointment by the British sovereign is known as Kissing Hands. In Austria the chancellor takes office immediately after appointment and swear in by the Federal president.
- appointment by the head of state after parliament nominates a candidate; Example: The Republic of Ireland where the President of Ireland appoints the Taoiseach on the nomination of the Dáil Éireann.)
- appointment by the head of state after the majority parliamentary party nominates a candidate; Example: the Australian federal government, Canada, India, and New Zealand.
- the head of state nominates a candidate for prime minister who is then submitted to parliament for approval before appointment as prime minister; Example: Spain, where the King sends a nomination to parliament for approval. Also Germany where under the Basic Law (constitution) the Bundestag votes on a candidate nominated by the Federal President. In these cases, parliament can choose another candidate who then would be appointed by the head of state.)
- the head of state appoints a prime minister who has a set timescale within which s/he must gain a vote of confidence; (Example: Italy.)
- direct election by parliament (the premiers of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut);
- direct election by the public (Example: Israel, 1996-2001.); The prime minister is elected in a general election, with no regard to political affiliation.
- appointment by a state office holder other than the head of state or his/her representative; Example: Under the modern Instrument of Government 1974, which came into force in 1975, the power of commissioning someone to form a government was moved from the Monarch of Sweden to the Speaker of Parliament, who, once it has been approved, formally makes the appointment. Though most prime ministers are 'appointed', they are generally, if inaccurately, described as 'elected'.

Prime ministers and constitutions

Monarch of Sweden in the 1970s]] The position, power and status of prime ministers differ depending on the age of the constitution in individuals. Britain's constitution, being uncodified and largely unwritten, makes no mention of a prime minister. Though it had de facto existed for centuries, its first mention in official state documents did not occur until the first decade of the twentieth century. Australia's Constitution makes no mention of a prime minister of Australia. The office has a de facto existence at the head of the Executive Council. Ireland's constitution, Bunreacht na hÉireann (1937) provided for the office of taoiseach in detail, listing powers, functions and duties. Germany's Basic Law (1949) lists the powers, functions and duties of the federal Chancellor.

Exit from office

Contrary to popular and journalistic myth, most prime ministers in parliamentary systems are not appointed for a specific term of office and in effect may remain in power through a number of elections and parliaments. For example, Margaret Thatcher was only ever appointed prime minister on one occasion, in 1979. She remained continuously in power until 1990, though she used the assembly of each House of Commons after a general election to reshuffle her cabinet. Some states, however, do have a term of office of the prime minister linked to the period in office on the parliament. Hence the Irish Taoiseach is formally 'renominated' after every general election. (Some constitutional experts have questioned whether this process is actually in keeping with the provisions of the Irish constitution, which appear to suggest a taoiseach should remain in office, without the requirement of a renomination, unless s/he has clearly lost the general election.) The position of prime minister is normally chosen from the political party that commands majority of seats in the lower house of parliament. renomination from 1966-1977 and 1980-1984]] In parliamentary systems, governments are generally required to have the confidence of the lower house of parliament (though a small minority of parliaments, by giving a right to block Supply to upper houses, in effect make the cabinet responsible to both houses, though in reality upper houses, even when they have the power, rarely exercise it). Where they lose a vote of confidence, have a motion of no confidence passed against them, or where they lose Supply, most constitutional systems require either: a) a letter of resignation or b) a request of a parliamentary dissolution. The latter in effect allows the government to appeal the opposition of parliament to the electorate. However in many jurisdictions a head of state may refuse a parliamentary dissolution, requiring the resignation of the prime minister and his or her government. In most modern parliamentary systems, the prime minister is the person who decides when to request a parliamentary dissolution. Older constitutions often vest this power in the cabinet. (In Britain, for example, the tradition whereby it is the prime minister who requests a dissolution of parliament dates back to 1918. Prior to then, it was the entire government that made the request. Similarly, though the modern 1937 Irish constitution grants to the Taoiseach the right to make the request, the earlier 1922 Irish Free State Constitution vested the power in the Executive Council (the then name for the Irish cabinet).

Titles

A number of different terms are used to describe prime ministers. The German prime minister is actually titled Federal Chancellor while the Irish prime minister is called the Taoiseach. In many cases, though commonly used, "prime minister" is not the official title of the office-holder; the Spanish prime minister is the President of the Government (Presidente del Gobierno). Other common forms include President of the Council of Ministers (for example in Italy, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), President of the Executive Council, or Minister-President. In federations, the head of government of a state or province is most commonly known as the Premier or Chief Minister.

Style of a prime minister

The title prime minister is a job title that does not form part of the prime minister's name. It is therefore poor style to refer to “Prime Minister Blair”, just as it would be strange to call someone “Bus Driver Edwards”. The correct form is "Prime Minister Tony Blair" or "Tony Blair, Prime Minister". This mistake is particularly common in the United States, where a high office title is often adopted as if it were a military rank. The title of prime minister is lost when the officer holder ceases to be prime minister. This is not the case for some comparable positions in the United States, which can cause some confusion. When former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jim Bolger became the Ambassador to the United States, he was referred to as “Prime Minister Bolger”, which was both poor style and factually incorrect. Commonwealth Realm prime ministers are often Privy Counsellors entitled to the style the right honourable. In the New Zealand Parliament's debating chamber the Prime Minister is referred to as the Right Honourable the Prime Minister, rather than by name. In non-Commonwealth countries the prime minister may be entitled to the style of Excellency like a President.

Articles on prime ministers

Lists of prime ministers

The following table groups the list of past and present prime ministers and details information available in those lists.

External links

- [http://www.pm.gov.au/ website of the Prime Minister of Australia]
- [http://www.primeminister.gov.bb/ website of the Prime Minister of Barbados]
- [http://www.premier.fgov.be/ website of the Prime Minister of Belgium]
- [http://pm.gc.ca/ website of the Prime Minister of Canada]
- [http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/en/ website of the Prime Minister of France]
- [http://www.primeminister.gr/gr/ website of the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic (Greece)]
- [http://www.kormany.hu/archivum/index.en.html website of the Prime Minister of Hungary]
- [http://eng.forsaetisraduneyti.is/ website of the Prime Minister of Iceland]
- [http://pmindia.nic.in website of the Prime Minister of India]
- [http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/index.asp website of the Taoiseach of Ireland]
- [http://www.pmo.gov.il/ website of the Prime Minister of Israel]
- [http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/index-e.html website of the Prime Minister of Japan]
- [http://www.opm.go.kr/warp/webapp/home/en_home website of the Prime Minister of South Korea]
- [http://www.pmo.gov.my website of the Prime Minister of Malaysia]
- [http://www.ministerpresident.nl/ website of the Prime Minister of The Netherlands]
- [http://www.primeminister.govt.nz/ website of the Prime Minister of New Zealand]
- [http://odin.dep.no/smk/engelsk/index-b-n-a.html website of the Prime Minister of Norway]
- [http://www.kprm.gov.pl/ website of the Prime Minister of Poland]
- [http://www.predsednik.gov.yu/ website of the Chairman of Serbia and Montenegro Council]
- [http://www.gov.si/pv/index.php?lng=eng website of the Prime Minister of Slovenia]
- [http://www.la-moncloa.es/webIngles/asp/inicio.asp website of the President of the Government of Spain]
- [http://www.pmoffice.go.th website of the Prime Minister of Thailand]
- [http://opm.gov.tt/ website of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago]
- [http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp home page of 10 Downing St, residence & office of the Prime Minister of the UK] Prime minister Category:Government occupations Prime minister ja:?? ko:?? zh-min-nan:Siú-siòng nb:Premierminister simple:Prime Minister th:????????????

Jonathan Motzfeldt

Jonathan Motzfeldt (born September 25, 1938) was the first Prime Minister of Greenland. From 1971 to 1979, he presided the Greenland Assembly. He was prime minister twice from May 1, 1979 to March 18, 1991 and September 19, 1997 to December 14, 2002. Motzfeldt, Jonathan Motzfeldt, Jonathan Motzfeldt, Jonathan

1991

1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Events

January

- January 2 - Sharon Pratt Dixon is sworn in as mayor of Washington, DC becoming the first black woman to lead a city of that size and importance.
- January 4 - The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to condemn Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
- January 10 - SA State Govt forced to bail out State Bank.
- January 11 - The Soviets storm Vilnius to stop Lithuanian independence.
- January 12 - Gulf War: The U.S. Congress passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to liberate Kuwait.
- January 13 - The Soviet Union troops assault the Vilnius TV tower in Lithuania and kill 14 unarmed civilians, many more are injured.
- January 13 - Soccer stampede and fight at Johannesburg, South Africa - 42 dead.
- January 14 - Three PLO guerilla chiefs assassinated in Tunis.
- January 16 - US serial killer Aileen Wuornos confesses to the murders of six men.
- January 17 - Operation Desert Storm begins.
- January 17 - Gulf War: The air strikes against Iraq begin.
- January 17 - Gulf War: Iraq fires 8 Scud missiles into Israel.
- January 17 - Harald V becomes King of Norway on the death of his father, Olav V.
- January 18 - Eastern Airlines shuts down after 62 years citing financial problems.
- January 26 - The Somalian president Siad Barre flees his compound in Mogadishu.
- January 29 - Siad Barre is succeeded by Ali Mahdi Muhammad.

February

February.]]
- February 4 - The Baseball Hall of Fame votes to ban Pete Rose.
- February 5 - A Michigan court bars Dr Jack Kevorkian from assisting in suicides.
- February 7 - Haiti's first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in.
- February 7 - The IRA launches a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
- February 9 - Voters in Lithuania vote for independence.
- February 11 - UNPO, the Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization, forms in the Hague, Netherlands.
- February 13 - Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy an underground bunker in Baghdad killing hundreds of Iraqis. Iraqi officials claim that the bunker was a bomb shelter but United States military intelligence identified it as a military facility.
- February 15 - The Visegrad Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
- February 16 - Gulf War: American and British war planes bomb the suburbs of Baghdad, injuring at least 11 civilians and killing three others.
- February 22 - Gulf War: Iraq accepts a Russian proposed cease fire agreement. The US rejects the agreement, but said that retreating Iraqi forces would not be attacked if they left Kuwait within 24 hours.
- February 23 - Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabian border and enter Kuwait, thus starting the ground phase of the war.
- February 23 - Thailand: General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup d'état, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.
- February 25 - Gulf War: An Iraqi Scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 US Marines.
- February 26 - Gulf War: On Baghdad radio, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announces the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Iraqi soldiers set fire to Kuwaiti oil fields as they retreat.
- February 27 - Gulf War: Kuwait is liberated, and a ceasefire is declared, after 100 hours of ground fighting. Iraq accepts the terms of the ceasefire, which call for the country to disarm.

March

- March-April - Iraqi forces suppress rebellions in the southern and northern parts of the country, creating a humanitarian disaster on the borders of Turkey and Iran
- March 1 - Ballistic Missile Submarine USS-Lafayette (now ex-Lafayette) starts to be deactivated
- March 1 - Ethan-Allen-class submarine USS-Sam Houston (now ex-Sam Houston SSBN-609) starts to be deactivated
- March 1 - Clayton Keith Yeutter finishes as the United States Secretary of Agriculture, under the George H. W. Bush administration
- March 3 - An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers.
- March 3 - Latvia and Estonia vote to become independent of the Soviet Union
- March 4 - Vermont celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
- March 4 - Most primitive form of World Wide Web is put online.
- March 9 - Massive demonstrations are held against Slobodan Milošević in Belgrade. Two people are killed and tanks are in the streets
- March 10 - Gulf War: Operation Phase Echo - 540,000 American troops begin to leave the Persian Gulf
- March 11 - A curfew is imposed on black townships in South Africa after fighting between rival political gangs killed 49.
- March 13 - The United States Department of Justice announces that Exxon has agreed to pay $1 billion for the clean-up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
- March 14 - After 16 years in prison for allegedly bombing a pub in an Irish Republican Army attack, the "Birmingham Six" are freed when a court determines that the police fabricated evidence
- March 15 - Four Los Angeles, California police officers are indicted for the videotaped March 3, 1991 beating of motorist Rodney King during an arrest.
- March 15 - Germany formally regains complete independence after the four post-World War II occupying powers (France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union) relinquish all remaining rights.
- March 31 - The Warsaw Pact is officially dissolved.
- March 31 - Albania has the first multi-party elections

April

- April 1 - The New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times report that [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0910366/ Selene Walters] had verified her claim that then SAG President Ronald Reagan raped her in her home in 1952
- April 3 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.N. Security Council passes the Cease Fire Agreement, Resolution 687. The resolution called for the destruction or removal of all of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons, all stocks of agents and components, and all research, development, support and manufacturing facilities for ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150km and production facilities; and for an end to its support for international terrorism. Iraq accepts the terms of the resolution on April 6
- April 4 - Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania and six others are killed when a helicopter collided with their plane over Merion, Pennsylvania
- April 9 - Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia declared the restoration of independence of Georgia
- April 10 - A rare tropical storm develops in the Southern Hemisphere off the coast of Angola; the first of its kind to be documented by Satelites.
- April 14 - In the Netherlands, thieves steal 20 paintings worth $500 million from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Less than an hour later they are found in an abandoned car near the museum
- April 17 - After approaching 3,000 in July 1990, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for the first time ever, closing at 3,004.46.
- April 17 - First Performance of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at the OK Hotel in Seattle, Washington the song that marked the beggining of a new movement in music called Grunge. It managed to turn a crowd calmly seated at tables into a moshpit.
- April 18 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq declares some of its chemical weapons and materials to the UN, as required by Resolution 687, and claims that it does not have biological weapons program.
- April 26 - Tornadoes break out in the central United States. The most notable tornado of the day was the one that hit in Andover, Kansas. The outbreak of nearly seventy tornadoes killed 17 people in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The tornado that hit Andover was the only F5 of the year. (see The Andover, Kansas Tornado)
- April 29 - A tropical cyclone hits Bangladesh killing an estimated 138,000 people.

May

- May 5 - The shooting of a Salvadoran man by police in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington D.C. ignites the Cinco de Mayo Riots, which bring the city to a standstill for 3 days.
- May 15 - Edith Cresson becomes France's first female premier
- May 16 - HM Queen Elizabeth II gives a speech to the US Congress.
- May 19 - Willy T. Ribbs becomes the first African-American driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500
- May 21 - In Sri Perumbudur near Madras, former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated by a terrorist bomb hidden in a bouquet of flowers
- May 26 - In Thailand, a Lauda Air Boeing 767 crashes near Bangkok killing all 223 people on-board
- May 28 - The capital city of Addis Ababa falls to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Civil War.

June

- June 6 - George and Barbara Loeb, members of the Church of the Creator, are arrested and charged with murder
- June 12 - Boris Yeltsin is elected president of Russia, the largest and most populous of the fifteen Soviet republics.
- June 13 - A spectator is killed by lightning at the U.S. Open [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/slide-show/tstm/slide114.html]
- June 15 - Pinatubo climactic eruption, one of the most destructive volcanic event of the century shaked the Phillipines
- June 17 - Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act, which had required racial classification of all South Africans at birth
- June 17 - Exhemation of US President Zachary Taylor to discover whether or not his death was caused by arsenic poisoning, instead of acute gastrointestinal illness. No trace of arsenic is found.
- June 23 - Sonic the Hedgehog was created and released for the Sega Genesis
- June 23-June 28 - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.N. inspection teams attempt to intercept Iraqi vehicles carrying nuclear related equipment. Iraqi soldiers fire warning shots in the air to prevent inspectors from approaching the vehicles
- June 25 - Croatia and Slovenia declare their independence from Yugoslavia

July

- July 1 - The Warsaw Pact is officially dissolved.
- July 7 - The Brioni Agreement ends the ten day war in Slovenia
- July 9 - International Human Rights Federation cites human rights violations committed by police and military personnel during Oka crisis in Quebec.
- July 10 - Boris Yeltsin begins his 5-year term as the first elected president of Russia
- July 11 - Total Solar Eclipse.(Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Brazil).
- July 19 - Mike Tyson rapes Desiree Washington.
- July 22 - Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested after the remains of 11 men and boys are found in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin apartment.

August

August is torn down in Moscow, signalling the Collapse of the Soviet Union.]]
- August 6 - Tim Berners-Lee releases files describing his idea for the "World Wide Web."
- August 7 - Assassination of Shapora Baktiari, former prime minister of Iran
- August 8 - Collapse of Warsaw radio mast, the tallest construction ever built
- August 17 - Strathfield Massacre (Sydney, Australia) - taxi driver Wade Frankum shoots seven people and injuring 6 others before turning the gun on himself.
- August 18 - Collapse of the Soviet Union: Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is put under house arrest while vacationing in the Crimea. The putsch is led by eight high-ranking hard-liners, and will collapse in less than 72 hours.
- August 20 - Collapse of the Soviet Union: Estonia declares its independence from the Soviet Union and more than 100,000 people rally outside the Soviet Union's parliament building protesting the coup that deposed President Mikhail Gorbachev
- August 21 - Collapse of the Soviet Union: Latvia declares its independence from the Soviet Union
- August 24 - Ukraine declares independence from Soviet Union
- August 25 - Student Linus Torvalds post a messages to Usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix about the new operating system kernel he has been developing.
- August 29 - Maronite general Michel Aoun leaves Lebanon via a French ship into exile
- August 31 - Kyrgyzstan declares independence from the Soviet Union

September

- September 2 - The United States recognizes the independence of the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
- September 3 - In Hamlet, North Carolina, a grease fire breaks out at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant, killing 25 people.
- September 5 - Fall of Communism in the USSR.
- September 5-September 7 - At the 35th Annual Tailhook Symposium, 83 women and 7 men are assaulted.
- September 6 - The Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the Baltic States.
- September 6 - The name "Saint Petersburg" is restored to Russia's second-largest city, which had been renamed "Leningrad" in 1924.
- September 8 - Republic of Macedonia becomes independent.
- September 15 - The C-17 Globemaster III flys for the first time. The C-17 is regarded by many in the industry as the best, safest and most capable aircraft in the history of aviation.
- September 16 - Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion album was released.
- September 21 - Armenia declares independence from the Soviet Union
- September 21-September 30 - Iraq disarmament crisis: IAEA inspectors discover files on Iraq's hidden nuclear weapons program. Iraqi officials confiscate documents from UN weapons inspectors, and refuse to allow them to leave the site without turning over other documents. A four-day standoff ensues. Iraq permits the team to leave with the documents after a statement from the UN Security Council threatens enforcement actions.
- September 22 - The Dead Sea Scrolls are made available to the public for the first time, by the Huntington Library.
- September 24 - The release of Nirvanas Nevermind signified the start of the Grunge era that would dominate the music scene up to the mid-90's.
- September 30 - Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed from power.

October

- October 2 - Arkansas Governor William J. Clinton announces he will seek the 1992 Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States.
- October 8 - The Croatian Parliament cuts all remaining ties with Yugoslavia
- October 11 - KGB is replaced by the SVR
- October 11 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.N. Security Council passes Resolution 715, which demands that Iraq "accept unconditionally the inspectors and all other personnel designated by the Special Commission". Iraq rejects the resolution, calling it "unlawful"
- October 12 - Askar Akayev, previously chosen President of Kyrgyzstan by republic's Supreme Soviet, is confirmed president in an uncontested poll
- October 14 - Bulgarians celebrate the end of the rule of the communist party
- October 15 - Following a bitter confirmation hearing that involved allegations of sexual misconduct, the United States Senate votes 52 to 48 to confirm Judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court of the United States
- October 16 - George Hennard guns down 24 people in Texas
- October 19 - 7.0 Richter Scale earthquake in Northern Italy - 2000 dead
- October 20 - Oakland Hills firestorm kills 25 and destroys 3469 homes and apartments
- October 27 - The first free parliamentary elections in Poland
- October 29 - The American Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid
- Winter - Centennial of Basketball

November

- November 4 - Ronald Reagan opened his presidential library in Simi Valley.
- November 5 - Body of publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell is found floating in the sea - he had fallen off his yacht
- November 7 - Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson announces that he has HIV, effectively ending his career in the NBA.
- November 7 - The last oil well was put out of fire in Kuwait.
- November 14 - American and British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan intelligence officials in connection with the downing of the Pan Am Flight 103
- November 14 - Cambodian Prince Norodom Sihanouk returns to Phnom Penh after 13 years of exile
- November 18 - Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon set Anglican Church envoys Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland free
- November 18 - Serb troops take Vukovar after siege of 87 days
- November 23 - Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the band Queen, issues a public statement confirming that he is stricken with AIDS. He would die of complications the next day.
- November 24 - Freddie Mercury dies of AIDS in his home in London, of AIDS-Related Chronic problems.
- November 27 - The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopts UN Security Council Resolution 721, opening the way to the establishment of peacekeeping operations in Yugoslavia.
- November 29 - Federal Yugoslavian Army begins to withdraw from Zagreb

December

- December 1 - Cold War: Ukrainian voters overwhelmingly approve a referendum for independence from the Soviet Union
- December 4 - Journalist Terry Anderson is released after seven years' captivity as a hostage in Beirut (he was the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon).
- December 4 - Pan American World Airways ends operations.
- December 8 - Leaders of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine met and signed an agreement ending the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Reserve in Belarus
- December 12 - Russian SFSR ceases to be a part of the Soviet Union
- December 19 - Paul Keating replaces Bob Hawke as Australian prime minister
- December 25 - Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as president of the Soviet Union
- December 26 - Supreme Soviet meets and formally dissolves the Soviet Union
- December 31 - Soviet Union officially ceases to exist

Undated events

- Carbon nanotubes invented by Sumio Iijima
- University of South Australia founded.
- Impostor James Hogue exposed in Princeton University
- Milo Kirk elected president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Births

- February 17 - Bonnie Wright, English actress
- March 8 - Devon Werkheiser, American actor
- March 28 - Amy Bruckner, American actress
- April 4 - Jamie Lynn Spears, American actress
- April 10 - Amanda Michalka, American actress and singer
- April 20 - Thomas Curtis, American actor
- May 17 - Daniel Curtis Lee, American actor
- June 27 - Madylin Sweeten, American actress
- July 5 - Jason Dolley, American actor
- July 7 - Devon Alan, American actor
- July 12 - Erik Per Sullivan, American actor
- August 21 - Tess Gaerthé, Dutch singer and actress
- August 28 - Kyle Orlando Massey, American actor
- October 19 - Christopher Gerse, American actor

Deaths

January-February

- January 5 - Vasko Popa, Yugoslavian poet (b. 1922)
- January 8 - Steve Clark, English guitarist (Def Leppard) (b.1960)
- January 11 - Carl David Anderson, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
- January 17 - King Olav V of Norway (b. 1903)
- January 29 - Yasushi Inoue, Japanese historian (b. 1907)
- January 30 - John Bardeen, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908
- January 30 - John McIntire, American actor (b. 1907)
- February 5 - Dean Jagger, American actor (b. 1903)
- February 6 - Salvador Luria, Italian-born biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1912)
- February 6 - Danny Thomas, American singer, comedian, and actor (b. 1914)
- February 21 - John S. Cooper, a U.S. Republican senator
- February 14 - John McCone, American Central Intelligence Agency director (b. 1902)
- February 21 - Margot Fonteyn, English ballet dancer (b. 1919)
- February 24 - John Charles Daly, South African-born journalist and game show host (b. 1914)
- February 24 - George Gobel, American comedian (b. 1919)

March-May

- March 2 - Serge Gainsbourg, French singer (b. 1928)
- March 3 - Arthur Murray, American dancer and dance instructor (b. 1895)
- March 12 - Ragnar Granit, Finnish neuroscientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1900)
- March 14 - Howard Ashman, American lyricist (b. 1950)
- March 14 - Doc Pomus, American composer (b. 1925)
- March 29 - Lee Atwater, American Presidential advisor (b. 1951)
- April 1 - Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1894)
- April 3 - Charles Goren, American bridge player, writer, and columnist (b. 1901)
- April 3 - Graham Greene, English writer (b. 1904)
- April 4 - Max Frisch, Swiss writer (b. 1911)
- April 4 - H. John Heinz III, U.S. Senator (plane crash) (b. 1938)
- April 4 - Forrest Towns, American runner (b. 1914)
- April 10 - Natalie Schafer, American actress (b. 1900)
- April 26 - Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (b. 1910)
- April 28 - Ken Curtis, American actor (b. 1916)
- May 8 - Jean Langlais, French composer and organist (b. 1907)
- May 8 - Rudolf Serkin, Austrian pianist (b. 1903)
- May 15 - Andreas Floer, German mathematician (b. 1956)
- May 21 - Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (b. 1944)
- May 22 - Derrick Henry Lehmer, American mathematician (b. 1905)
- May 24 - Wilhelm Kempff, German pianist (b. 1895)
- May 27 - Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist (b. 1904)

June-December

- June 9 - Claudio Arrau, Chilean-born pianist (b. 1903)
- June 14 - Peggy Ashcroft, British actress (b. 1907)
- June 15 - Arthur Lewis, British economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
- July 1 - Michael Landon, American actor (b. 1936)
- July 4 - Victor Chang, Australian physician (murdered) (b. 1936)
- July 15 - Bert Convy, American game show host, actor, and singer (brain tumor) (b. 1933)
- July 16 - Robert Motherwell, American painter (b. 1915)
- July 18 - André Cools, Belgian politician (assassinated) (b. 1927)
- July 24 - Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-born Yiddish writer, Nobel Prize laureate
- August 1 - Chris Short, American baseball pitcher (b. 1937)
- August 5 - Paul Brown, American football coach (b. 1908)
- August 8 - James Irwin, astronaut (b. 1930)
- August 11 - J.D. McDuffie, American race car driver (b. 1938)
- August 13 - James Roosevelt, American businessman and politician (b. 1907)
- August 14 - Richard A. Snelling, Governor of Vermont (b. 1927)
- August 30 - Jean Tinguely, Swiss painter and sculptor (b. 1925)
- September 2 - Alfonso García Robles, Mexican diplomat and politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1911)
- September 3 - Frank Capra, Italian-born film director (b. 1897)
- September 7 - Edwin McMillan, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
- September 17 - Zino Francescatti, French violinist (b. 1902)
- September 24 - Dr. Seuss, American children's author (b. 1904)
- September 26 - Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1926)
- October 24 - Gene Roddenberry, American television producer (b. 1921)
- November 24 - Eric Carr, American drummer (Kiss) (b. 1950)
- November 24 - Freddie Mercury, Zanzibar-born singer (Queen) (b. 1946)
- December 1 - George Joseph Stigler, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- December 6 - Richard Stone, British economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- December 10 - Greta Kempton, American artist (b. 1901)
- December 15 - Vasily Zaitsev, Russian World War II hero (b. 1915)
- December 16 - Horatio Luro, Argentine-born racehorse trainer (b. 1901)
- December 18 - George Abecassis, English race car driver (b. 1913)

Nobel Prizes

- 24 September 1946) was the second Prime Minister of Greenland from 1991 to 1997. Johansen, Lars Emil Johansen, Lars Emil Johansen, Lars Emil

1997

1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Designations

International organizations, including the United Nations, designated 1997 as the International Year of the Reef.

Events

January

- January 5 - NBC's Today Show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time
- January 8 - Mister Rogers receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- January 9 - Yachtsman Tony Bullimore found alive five days after his boat capsized in the Southern Ocean
- January 16 - Ennis Cosby, the only son of actor Bill Cosby, is killed by a gunman while changing a flat tire in Los Angeles, California
- January 18 - In north west Rwanda, Hutu militia members kill 3 Spanish aid workers, 3 soldiers and seriously wound one other.
- January 19 - Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city
- January 20 - Bill Clinton starts his second term as President of the United States
- January 21 - Newt Gingrich becomes the first leader of the United States House of Representatives to be internally disciplined for ethical misconduct
- January 22 - Madeleine Albright becomes the first female secretary of state after confirmation by the United States Senate.
- January 23 - Mir Aimal Kasi receives the death sentence for a 1993 assault rifle attack outside CIA headquarters that killed two and wounded three others.
- January 27 - It is revealed that French museums had nearly 2,000 pieces of art that were stolen by Nazis.
- January 28 - Clive Davis receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

February

- February 4
- O. J. Simpson is found in civil court to be liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Simpson is ordered to pay $35,000,000 in damages to the families of the two victims
- On their way to Lebanon two Israeli troop-transport helicopters collide killing 73
- After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milošević recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections
- February 5
- The so-called "Big Three" banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families
- Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter investment banks announce a $10 billion merger.
- February 6 - British Diane Blood wins the right to use the sperm of her dead husband to have a child
- February 9 - The Simpsons surpasses The Flintstones as the longest-running prime-time animated series.
- February 10 - The United States Army suspends Sgt. Major Gene McKinney, its top-ranking enlisted soldier, after hearing allegations of sexual misconduct
- February 10 - Australian newspapers publish stories that the government of Papua New Guinea has brought mercenaries onto Bougainville - the Sandline affair goes public
- February 11 - Bill Parcells becomes head coach of New York Jets.
- February 13
- Tune-up and repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope is started by astronauts from the Space Shuttle Discovery
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 7,000 for the first time gaining 60.81 to 7,022.44.
- February 19 - The last of the People's Republic of China's major revolutionaries, Deng Xiaoping dies at 92, this was followed by weeks of mourning for the leader.
- February 22 - In Roslin, Scotland, scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly had been successfully cloned and was born in July 1996.
- February 23 - A large fire occurred in the Russian Space station, Mir.

March

- March 1 - Osaka Dome opens in Chiyozaki, Nishi-ku, Osaka, Japan.
- March 4 - United States President Bill Clinton bars federal funding for any research on human cloning.
- March 6 - Picasso's Tete de Femme is stolen from a London gallery (it was recovered a week later).
- March 6 - In Sri Lanka, Tamil Tigers overrun a military base and kill more than 200
- March 9 - Rap legend Notorious B.I.G. is murdered in Los Angeles, just six months after the killing of Tupac Shakur.
- March 10 - The main office of Fuji TV moves from Kawadacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan to Odaiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
- March 11 - An explosion at a nuclear waste reprocessing plant in Japan exposes 35 workers to low-level radioactive contamination in the worst nuclear accident in Japan's history.
- March 12 - Mikail Markhasev is arrested in Los Angeles, California and charged with shooting Bill Cosby's 27-year-old son, Ennis Cosby.
- March 13 - India's Missionaries of Charity chooses Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as its leader.
- March 16 - Sandline affair - On Bougainville, soldiers of commander Jerry Singirok arrest Tim Spicer and his mercenaries of the Sandline International
- March 18 - The tail of a Russian An-24 charter plane breaks off while en-route to Turkey causing the plane to crash killing all 50 on board and later the grounding of all An-24s.
- March 21 - In Zaire, Etienne Tshiksekedi is appointed new prime minister - he ejects supporters of Mobutu Sese Seko from his cabinet
- March 21 - Mercenaries of Sandline International withdraw from Papua New Guinea
- March 22 - 14 year, 10 month old Tara Lipinski becomes the youngest champion of the women's world figure skating competition.
- March 24 - Roberto Sanchez Vilella, the second Democratically Elected Governor of Puerto Rico, dies at age 84.
- March 26
- Thirty-nine bodies found in Heaven's Gate cult suicide.
- Survey of a claimed gold site of Bre-X Minerals in Indonesia reveals it is worthless; Bre-X complains and accuses Internet rumours.
- March 26 - Julius Chan resigns as a prime minister of Papua New Guinea - the Sandline affair ends.
- March 30 - The UK's fifth terrestrial television channel, Channel Five begins broadcasting at 6pm

April

- April 3 - Thalit massacre begins in Algeria; all but 1 of the 53 inhabitants of Thalit are killed by guerrillas.
- April 11 - Fire damages Turin Cathedral in Italy
- April 14
- Fire breaks out in a pilgrim camp on the Plain of Mena, seven miles form Mecca - 343 dead
- Former SS captain Erich Priebke is retried. On July 22 he is sentenced for five years in prison
- April 16 - Houston, Texas socialite Doris McGowen Beck Angleton is murdered in her River Oaks home. Roger Nicholas Angleton admits to the crime in the suicide note. Despite being found innocent of the crime by a Texas jury, he later gets arrested by the Department of Justice for similar charges.
- April 18 - The Red River of the North breaks through dikes and floods Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, causing 2 billion USD in damage.
- April 21 - First space burial, carrying the remains of 24 people on a Pegasus rocket into earth orbit.
- April 22 - Haouch Khemisti massacre in Algeria; 93 villagers killed.
- April 22 - A 126-day hostage crisis at the residence of the Japanese ambassador in Lima, Peru ends after government commandos storm and capture the building rescuing 71 hostages. One hostage dies of a heart attack, two soldiers are killed from rebel fire and all 14 Tupac Amaru rebels are slain
- April 22 - France supports new transitional government for Zaire, withdrawing its support of Zaire
- April 22 - In Lima, Peru, after four-month standoff, government troops storm the Japanese ambassador's residence - they release 71 hostages and kill one hostage and 14 captors
- April 23 - Omaria massacre in Algeria; 42 villagers killed.
- April 27 - Andrew Cunanan murders Jerffrey Trail, beginning a murder spree that will last until July and terminate with the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace.
- April 31 - Mobutu and Laurent Kabila meet aboard South African warship Outenigus with Nelson Mandela and United Nations envoy Mohammad Sahnoun. They do not reach agreement

May

Mohammad Sahnoun on May 2, 1997]]
- May 1
- Tasmania becomes the last state in Australia to decriminalize homosexuality
- The UK's Labour Party end 18 years of Conservative rule in the 1997 UK general election
- HM Prison Pentridge in Melbourne, Australia is officially closed
- May 2 - Tony Blair appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- May 10 - An earthquake near Ardekul in northeastern Iran kills at least 2,400
- May 11 - IBM's Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, the first time a computer beat a chess World champion in a match.
- May 12
- Barnes and Noble Inc. filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com, a day before Amazon launched its initial public offering.
- The Russian-Chechen Peace Treaty signed.
- May 14 - The Star Alliance is formed between Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS, Thai Airways International and United Airlines
- May 14 - Laurent Kabila does not attend a second meeting with Mobutu
- May 16- Mobutu Sese Seko leaves Kinshasa (eventually settles in Morocco)
- May 16 - US President Bill Clinton issues a formal apology to the surviving victims of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and their families, 25 years after the 40 year "study" was exposed by reporter Jean Heller.
- May 17 - Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa
- May 22 - Women in the military: Kelly Flinn, US Air Force's first female bomber pilot certified for combat, accepts a general discharge in order to avoid a court martial
- May 25
- Strom Thurmond becomes the longest serving member in the history of the United States Senate (41 years and 10 months)
- A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koromah.
- May 27 - A strong tornado hits in Jarrell, Texas killing 27 people. It was the second deadliest tornado of the 1990s (see Jarrell Tornado).
- May 31 - Official opening of the Confederation Bridge, the longest bridge spanning ice covered waters.

June

- June - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi military escorts on board an UNSCOM helicopter try to physically prevent the UNSCOM pilot from flying the helicopter in the direction of its planned destination, threatening the safety of the aircraft and their crews.
- June 2 - Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- June 5 - Kim Hyun Chul, son of Kim Young Sam, president of South Korea, is charged with bribery and corruption related to the awarding of government contracts
- June 6 - Melissa Drexler kills her newborn baby in a toilet
- June 7 - A computer user known as "_eci" published his Microsoft C source code on a Windows 95 and Windows NT exploit, which would later become WinNuke. The source code gets wide distribution across the internet, and Microsoft is forced to release a security patch.
- June 7 - The Detroit Red Wings sweep the Philadelphia Flyers in 4 games in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals.
- June 10 - Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot orders the killing of his defense chief Son Sen and 11 of Sen's family members before Pol Pot flees his northern stronghold (the news did not reach outside Cambodia for three days)
- June 11 - The British House of Commons votes for a total ban on handguns
- June 12 - The United States Department of the Treasury unveils a new $50 bill meant to be more counterfeit-resistant
- June 13 - A jury sentences Timothy McVeigh to the death penalty for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
- June 16 - Dairat Labguer massacre in Algeria; some 50 people killed.
- June 19 - Fast food chain McDonald's won a partial victory in its libel trial, known as the McLibel case, against two environmental campaigners. The judge decided it was true that McDonald's targeted its advertising at children, who pestered their parents into visiting company's restaurants.
- June 25 - An unmanned Progress spacecraft collided with the Russian Space station, Mir.

July

Mir.]]
- July 1 - The United Kingdom hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China
- July 4 - NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.
- July 5 - In Cambodia, Hun Sen of the Cambodian People's Party overthrows Norodom Ranariddh in a coup
- July 8 - Mayo Clinic researchers warn that the dieting-drug "fen-phen" can cause severe heart and lung damage
- July 8 - NATO invites the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to join the alliance in 1999
- July 10 - In London, scientists report their DNA analysis findings from a Neanderthal skeleton which support the out of Afr