How many years ago was 1997?

How long ago was 1997?

To put into perspective how long ago 1997 was:

• The teenagers that existed in 1997 are now 40–46 years old.
• Two decades have passed since then.
• People were still listening to music on portable cassette players called Walkmans.
• Most people in 1997 didn't have a cellphone.
• High-definition televisions weren't a thing back then.
• Movies came on VHS tapes.
• CDs were relatively new at the time.
• Google didn't exist.
• Same-sex marriage wasn't legal in the United States.
• Motorists had to rely on printed maps and directions to get to places, as GPS navigation systems for vehicles did not become available until 2001.
• The Moon is moving away from Earth at roughly 1.49 inches per year. That means that it has moved away by about 40 inches since 1997.
• There have been roughly 1,404 weekends since then.
• Names such as Eminem, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Angelina Jolie, Osama bin Laden, Dwayne Johnson, Justin Timberlake, Floyd Mayweather Jr, and SpongeBob SquarePants were not famous at the time.
• Popular songs that year included the likes of "Un-break My Heart" by Toni Braxton, "Wannabe" by Spice Girls, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" by Puff Daddy, "Hypnotize" by The Notorious B.I.G., "Mmmbop" by Hanson, and "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy & Faith Evans.
• Films such as "Michael", "The Relic", "Beverly Hills Ninja", "Jerry Maguire", "Star Wars SE", and "Empire Strikes Back SE" were playing at movie theaters in 1997.
• Bill Clinton was still the President of the United States.
• The Earth has travelled 122 billion miles through space since 1997.
• Wi-Fi wasn't a thing. Most people still had dial-up Internet access.
• Texting was not really popular yet.
• Video games such as "GoldenEye 007", "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night", "Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee", "Carmageddon", "Theme Hospital", and "Grand Theft Auto" were released that year.
• Due to the expansion of the Atlantic Ocean, the distance between the United States and Europe has grown 68 centimeters since 1997.
• A person who was born that year has had roughly 54–81 colds in their lifetime.
• The world has gone through 108 seasons of weather.
• Michael Jordan was still playing for the Chicago Bulls.
• USB flash drives didn't exist.
• "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "King of the Hill", "Stargate SG-1", "Oz", "Ally McBeal", and "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction" were among the TV shows that started airing that year.