Timeline April 1997

Events in April 1997 8

• 1918 – 1997 Chaim Herzog (1918-1997) Died 17 April 1997, aged 78 Chaim Herzog served as the sixth President of Israel from 1983 to 1993, following a career as a military intelligence officer and diplomat. He was Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in the 1970s. He died in Tel Aviv.
• 1926 – 1997 Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) Died 5 April 1997, aged 70 Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and leading figure of the Beat Generation, best known for his poem Howl. His work challenged censorship laws and influenced the counterculture movements of the 1960s. He died of liver cancer complications in New York.
• 1997 AMD K6 — competitive with Pentium II AMD introduces the K6 processor in April 1997 — using NexGen-derived architecture — and for the first time since the 386 era, AMD has a processor that competes directly with Intel's best on performance. The K6 runs at 200–300MHz and matches the Pentium II in most benchmarks at significantly lower prices. Intel responds with price cuts. The K6 restores AMD's credibility as a serious competitor and generates the revenue AMD needs to fund the Athlon development. AMD reaches $2.4 billion in revenues in 1997.
• 1997 Wins the Masters by 12 strokes Youngest Masters champion in history At 21 years old, Woods won the Masters Tournament by a record 12 strokes with a tournament-record score of 270, becoming the youngest champion in the event's history and the first golfer of Black or Asian heritage to win it. The performance was widely regarded as a seismic shift in golf, instantly elevating Woods to global superstardom.
• 1997 Comet Hale-Bopp reaches perihelion One of the brightest comets of the 20th century Comet Hale-Bopp made its closest approach to the sun and was visible to the naked eye for months, one of the longest such viewing periods on record. Discovered in 1995 by amateur astronomers Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp, it became one of the most-observed comets in history.
• 1997 Grand National evacuated after bomb threat Aintree racecourse cleared, race rerun two days later The Grand National horse race at Aintree was abandoned minutes before the start after an IRA coded bomb warning forced evacuation of the course. Thousands of spectators were left stranded overnight. The race was rerun two days later and won by Lord Gyllene.
• 1997 Tiger Woods wins the Masters Youngest champion and first golfer of color to win the tournament Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament at Augusta National by a record 12 strokes, becoming the youngest champion at age 21. He was the first golfer of Black or Asian heritage to win the event. The victory is widely regarded as a turning point in golf's popularity and diversity.
• 1997 1997 World Snooker Championship Doherty Victory Ken Doherty ends Hendrys reign. Winner: Ken Doherty; Runner-up: Stephen Hendry. Score: 18–12.