This Is What Summer Looked Like 20 Years Ago

It was the summer that gave us Harry Potter, Netflix, and hope about the new Stars Wars film.

1. The Spice Girls were one of the biggest acts in the world and appeared on their iconic Rolling Stone cover.

Rolling Stone Magazine

They also had a huge summer hit with their song "Say You'll Be There."

2. Having the internet meant you were using dial-up and, also, you were most likely using AOL.

jaygeiger.com

At the time only 18% of US households had internet in their homes.

3. Speaking of AOL, the summer of '97 was when the company launched its iconic AIM.

tokyopc.org

4. Friends wrapped up its third season with "The One at the Beach."

Warner Bros. Television

The show was one of the main anchors of NBC's "Must-See TV," alongside Seinfeld and E.R. The Single Guy and Suddenly Susan were also part of the block.

5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer wrapped up its first season — which was only 12 episodes long.

Sony Television

The series debuted in March of that year.

6. South Park debuted its very first episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe."

Viacom

The creators of the show, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, created their first short with the characters five years earlier, in 1992, when they were students at the University of Colorado.

7. Tom Cruise, Toni Braxton, and Drew Barrymore were named three of People magazine's "Most Beautiful People in the World."

People

8. Mariah Carey announced she was separating from her husband and label honcho Tommy Mottola.

Hulton Archive

They would divorce the following year.

9. Nude photos of Brad Pitt (taken by paparazzi in the 1995) were published in Playgirl.

wonderclub.com

Brad ended up suing and winning a restraining order against the magazine over invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress. The magazine would end up stopping reprints of the issue.

10. Puff Daddy had the biggest hit song of the summer with "I'll Be Missing You."

Bad boy Records

The song spent 11 weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

11. Backstreet Boys' "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)"...

Sony Music

12. ...and Hanson's infectious "MMMBop" were two other songs of the summer.

UMG

13. MTV premiered its sixth season of The Real World, which was set in Boston...

MTV/ mtv.com

Future Wisconsin Republican Congressman Sean Duffy was part of the cast.

14. ...while Daria wrapped up its first season.

MTV

15. Disney released its 35th animated movie, Hercules.

Disney

And the world was treated to the Muses. 🙌

16. Netflix was founded.

logos.wikia.com

FYI: The story that the idea to create Netflix came from one of the founders being charged a $40 late fee by Blockbuster is not entirely true.

17. Mike Tyson bit off a piece Evander Holyfield's ear during the third round of their WBA Heavyweight Championship fight.

Jeff Haynes / AFP / Getty Images

18. The UK transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong back to China after controlling it for 156 years.

Paul Lakatos / AFP / Getty Images

19. Gianni Versace was murdered in front of his Miami Beach home by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.

Robert Sullivan / AFP / Getty Images

20. Princess Diana was killed, at age 36, in a car accident in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel in Paris.

Johnny Eggit / AFP / Getty Images

21. Luc Besson's epic cult classic The Fifth Element was released.

Columbia Pictures

It went on the be the ninth-biggest-grossing movie of the year, internationally.

22. Mike Myers hosted the fifth annual MTV Movie Awards.

MTV /mtvasia.com

He also used it to promote his new film, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

23. Vivica A. Fox and Will Smith won the Movie Award for Best Kiss for Independence Day, and Jim Carrey tried to recreate it during the show.

MTV

24. Speaking of Will Smith, he also had one of the biggest movies of the summer with Men in Black.

Sony Pictures

It was also the second-biggest movie of the year.

25. Jurassic Park's highly anticipated sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released.

Universal Pictures

26. George Clooney starred as Batman in the critically panned Batman & Robin.

Warner Bros.

Since then, Joel Schumacher apologized to anyone who hated the film.

27. Fox and Pepsi sponsored a give-away of a perfect replica of the Simpson's house that was built in Henderson, Nevada.

David Waite / Getty Images

The house was also completely decorated inside with items of furniture designed like the ones seen on the show.

28. Nintendo released its classic and revolutionary game GoldenEye 007.

Nintendo/ steamcommunity.com

29. George Lucas released the Star Wars: Special Edition Trilogy on VHS — he would never release the original non-Special Edition films again.

ebay.com

30. Filming began on The Phantom Menace and hype for the long-awaited prequels was in full ~force~.

ew.com

George Lucas had actually begun writing the script for Phantom Menace three years earlier, in 1994.

31. And finally, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published in the UK.

Bloomsbury/ independent.co.uk

But it wouldn't be published in the US till the following year.