Your time capsule is ready
In your 29 years you’ve been around for…
- 8 Prime Ministers
- 2 monarchs
- 8 World Cups
- +2.3 billion people on Earth
More 1997 discoveries are being added
We're filling in 1997 in detail. In the meantime, the comparisons above and below always work — and every link from here leads somewhere interesting.
When these arrived
You were only…
- 1 Google was founded 1998
- 4 Wikipedia launched 2001
- 7 Facebook was founded 2004
- 8 YouTube was founded 2005
- 10 The iPhone 2007
- 11 Spotify launched 2008
A gentle reality check
Things that are younger than you
- 1998 Google was founded
- 1999 The euro launched
- 1999 The Matrix was released
- 2000 Big Brother came to the UK
- 2001 Wikipedia launched
- 2001 The iPod
- 2003 The human genome was mapped
- 2004 Facebook was founded
1997 vs today
A few things have changed since you arrived
A few things 1997 Today
- Everyone on Earth about 5.9 billion about 8.2 billion
Indicative sample data — being verified and expanded.
See the full Then vs Now →Pick the version you want to share
Know someone born in 1997? Send them their year — or see every way to explore 1997.
Keep exploring
-
What was the world like when you turned 18? →
The year 2015, through fresh eyes.
-
Things that are younger than you →
From the NHS to the iPhone — how much arrived after you did?
-
Your life in history →
A timeline of your milestones, matched with history.
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Compare 1997 with 1998 →
Two birth years, side by side. Try it with family.