It's been 20 years since The Boy Who Lived first came into our lives.

June 26 will mark the anniversary of J.K. Rowling's debut novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

It was first published by Bloomsbury in 1997 and by mid-2008, official translations of the book had been published in 67 languages.

Selling more than 107 million copies, fans were eager to follow Harry's journey from the cupboard under the stairs to the wizarding world of Hogwarts, as the story unfolded in six more books.

Throw in the film franchise, which is the second highest grossing film series in the world, it's no wonder the characters are so iconic.

It's safe to say Harry, Ron and Hermione have a firm place in the hearts of bookworms and movie lovers across the globe.

To mark one of the biggest trends of all time, we've put together a news throwback - see what else hit the headlines in 1997.

Time Line

Biggest news and headlines from 1997

  1. January 20

    Bill Clinton is sworn in for a second term as President of the United States.

  2. February 27

    Divorce becomes legal in the Republic of Ireland.

  3. March 31

    The popular children's television show Teletubbies debuts on BBC Two.

  4. April 1

    Pokémon, TV series based on the videogame franchise, premieres on TV Tokyo.

  5. May 2

    The Labour Party returns to power for the first time in 18 years, with Tony Blair becoming Prime Minister, in a landslide majority in the general election.

  6. June 26

    Bloomsbury Publishing publishes J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in London.

  7. July 15

    Spree killer Andrew Cunanan shoots fashion designer Gianni Versace to death outside Versace's Miami residence.

  8. August 31

    Princess Diana dies after a car accident in Paris

  9. September 11

    Scotland votes to create its own Parliament after 290 years of union with England.

  10. October 16

    The first color photograph appears on the front page of The New York Times.

  11. November 13

    Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing

  12. December 19

    James Cameron's Titanic, the then highest-grossing film of all time, premieres in the U.S.