1996 - What happened in 1996 ?

January 1996

Sunday 07:

One of the worst blizzards in American history hits eastern states killing more than 100.

Wednesday 24:

Polish Premier Jozef Oleksy resigns amid charge he spied for Moscow.

Friday 26:

Whitewater scandal: Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies before a grand jury.

Monday 29:

First release of Duke Nukem 3D.

Tuesday 30:

Suspected leader of the Irish National Liberation Army Gino Gallagher is killed while in line for his unemployment benefit.

February 1996

Thursday 01:

Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress

Sunday 04:

Major snowstorm paralyzes Midwestern United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin ties all-time record low temperature at -26°F. (-32°C)

Thursday 08:

The U.S. Congress passes the Communications Decency Act.

Tuesday 13:

The Nepalese People's War began.

Thursday 29:

A Peruvian Boeing 737 crashes in the Andes, killing 123 people.

March 1996

Thursday 07:

The first democratically elected Palestinian parliament is formed.

Sunday 10:

The "Summit of Peacemakers" takes place in Egypt.

Monday 11:

John Howard comes to power as the twenty-fifth Prime Minister of Australia.

Wednesday 13:

The Dunblane Massacre: in Dunblane, Scotland, 16 children and 1 adult teacher are shot dead by a spree killer who then commits suicide.

Thursday 14:

American President Bill Clinton commits $100 million to an anti-terrorism agreement with Israel to track down and root out terrorists.

April 1996

Wednesday 03:

An Air Force 737 carrying United States Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown crashes in Croatia, killing 35 of the 36 on-board, including Brown.

Tuesday 16:

France Télécom introduces its Wanadoo Internet service.

Thursday 18:

In Lebanon, 102 Lebanese civilians are killed when the Israel Defense Forces shell the UN compound at Qana (see Qana Massacre).

Monday 22:

Cisco Systems acquires StrataCom for $4B

Wednesday 24:

In the United States, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is introduced.

May 1996

Saturday 04:

José María Aznar is appointed Prime Minister of Spain, thus ending 13 years of Socialist rule.

Friday 10:

A "rogue storm" near the summit of Mount Everest kills eight climbers, making this the deadliest day in the mountain's history. Among the dead are experienced climbers Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, both of whom were leading paid expeditions to the summit.

Monday 13:

Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.

Monday 20:

Gay rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Romer v. Evans against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of homosexuals.

Monday 27:

First Chechnya War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire in the war.

June 1996

Monday 10:

Peace talks begin in Northern Ireland without Sinn Féin.

Thursday 13:

An 81-day standoff between the Freemen and FBI agents ends with their surrender in Montana.

Sunday 16:

First round of voting in the Russian presidential election

Tuesday 18:

Ted Kaczynski, suspected of being the Unabomber, is indicted on ten criminals counts.

Monday 24:

Michael Johnson breaks the world record in the 200 metres with a time of 19.66 seconds

July 1996

Saturday 13:

A Garuda Indonesia Airways DC-10 crashes on take-off from Fukuoka Airport, Japan, killing 3 passengers.

Wednesday 17:

Off the coast of Long Island, New York, a Paris-bound Boeing 747 carrying TWA flight 800 explodes, killing all 230 on board.

Saturday 27:

Centennial Olympic Park bombing: In Atlanta, Georgia, a pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics, killing one and injuring 111.

Sunday 28:

Kennewick Man, the remains of a prehistoric man, was discovered near Kennewick, Washington.

Wednesday 31:

MIL-STD-1750A is declared inactive for use in new designs.

August 1996

Thursday 01:

Olympic Games: Michael Johnson wins the 200 meters in 19.32 seconds, beating the old world record by over 0.3 seconds.

Tuesday 06:

NASA announces that the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms.

Friday 16:

Sigma Beta Rho is founded at the University of Pennsylvania.

Wednesday 28:

Britain's Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, are divorced.

Thursday 29:

A Vnukovo Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 crashes into a mountain on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen, killing all 141 aboard.

September 1996

Wednesday 04:

War on Drugs: Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) attack a military base in Guaviare, starting three weeks of guerrilla warfare that will claim the lives of at least 130 Colombians.

Saturday 07:

In Las Vegas, Nevada, actor and recording artist Tupac Shakur is shot several times after attending a boxing match, he dies six days later.

Friday 13:

After surviving for six days, U.S. rapper/actor Tupac Shakur dies after being shot four times in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Friday 27:

In Afghanistan, the Taliban capture the capital city Kabul after driving out President Burhanuddin Rabbani and executing former leader Mohammad Najibullah.

Sunday 29:

Super Mario 64, a revolutionary platformer game for the Nintendo 64, is released in the United States.

October 1996

Wednesday 02:

Lance Armstrong is diagnosed with testicular cancer that spreads to his liver, lungs, and brain.

Monday 07:

The Fox News Channel, an American cable news network, is launched.

Wednesday 16:

84 are killed and more than 180 injured as 47,000 soccer fans attempt to squeeze into the 36,000-seat Mateo Flores Stadium in Guatemala City.

Wednesday 23:

The civil trial of former American football player O.J. Simpson opens in Santa Monica, California.

Thursday 31:

A Brazilian TAM Fokker-100 crashes into several houses in São Paulo, Brazil killing 98 including 2 on the ground

November 1996

Tuesday 05:

U.S. presidential election, 1996: Democrat incumbent Bill Clinton defeats Republican challenger Bob Dole to win his second term.

Wednesday 06:

The family of Eduardo Quihua Maquixtle from Vicente Guerrero, Mexico, including his four children, are stabbed by three men accusing them of witchcraft.

Tuesday 12:

A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakh Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane collide in mid-air near New Delhi, India killing 349.

Monday 18:

World-renowned bird expert Tony Silva is sentenced to seven years in prison without parole for leading an illegal parrot smuggling ring.

Sunday 24:

Rusty Wallace wins the Suzuka NASCAR Thunder 100 racing event at Suzuka Circuitland in Suzuka City (this was the first NASCAR competition held in Japan).

December 1996

Friday 13:

Kofi Annan elected as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Thursday 26:

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification goes into force

Friday 27:

Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram air base which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul.

Sunday 29:

Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union sign a peace accord that ends a 36 year civil war.

Monday 30:

Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.