1996

Events in 1996 66

• 1896 – 1996 George Burns (1896-1996) Died 9 March 1996, aged 100 George Burns was an American comedian and actor whose career in vaudeville, radio, television, and film spanned nearly a century. He won an Academy Award for "The Sunshine Boys" in 1976 and remained a beloved performer into his final years. He died just months after turning 100.
• 1903 – 1996 Claudette Colbert (1903-1996) Died 30 July 1996, aged 92 Claudette Colbert was a French-born American actress who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for "It Happened One Night" in 1934. She was one of the highest-paid and most popular stars of Hollywood's golden age. She died at her home in Barbados after a series of strokes.
• 1904 – 1996 Greer Garson (1904-1996) British-born actress who became MGM's leading lady of the war years, winning the Oscar for Mrs. Miniver.
• 1904 – 1996 Nnamdi Azikiwe (1904-1996) Died 11 May 1996, aged 91 Nnamdi Azikiwe was a Nigerian statesman who served as the country's first President after independence and is regarded as a founding father of Nigerian nationalism. He was a leading pan-Africanist journalist and politician before assuming the presidency in 1963. He remained an influential elder statesman until his death.
• 1907 – 1996 Frank Whittle (1907-1996) Died 9 August 1996, aged 89 Frank Whittle was a British Royal Air Force engineer who independently invented and patented the turbojet engine in the 1930s, laying the foundation for the jet age. His engine designs powered Britain's first jet aircraft during the Second World War. He later emigrated to the United States and taught at the US Naval Academy.
• 1908 – 1996 Lew Ayres (1908-1996) American actor, star of All Quiet on the Western Front and Dr. Kildare, and a conscientious objector who served as a medic.
• 1911 – 1996 Bill Monroe Mandolinist, singer, bandleader American musician who created bluegrass with his Blue Grass Boys, named after his home state of Kentucky.
• 1912 – 1996 Gene Kelly (1912-1996) Died 2 February 1996, aged 83 Gene Kelly was an American dancer, actor, and director renowned for athletic, innovative choreography in Hollywood musicals. He starred in and co-directed classics including "Singin' in the Rain" and "An American in Paris." His work redefined the possibilities of dance on film.
• 1912 – 1996 David Packard (1912-1996) Died 26 March 1996, aged 83 David Packard co-founded Hewlett-Packard with Bill Hewlett in a Palo Alto garage in 1939, building it into one of the world's largest technology companies. He also served as US Deputy Secretary of Defense in the late 1960s. Packard was a major philanthropist through the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
• 1914 – 1996 Dorothy Lamour (1914-1996) American actress and singer, the sarong-clad star of the Road to... films with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.
• 1916 – 1996 François Mitterrand (1916-1996) Died 8 January 1996, aged 79 François Mitterrand served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest tenure in French republican history. He was the first Socialist elected to the office under the Fifth Republic and oversaw major reforms including abolition of the death penalty. He died of prostate cancer in Paris shortly after leaving office.
• 1917 – 1996 Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (25 April 1917 -- 15 June 1996) was an American jazz vocalist widely considered the greatest female jazz singer in history. Known as the First Lady of Song, her voice combined extraordinary technical range (three octaves), perfect intonation, rhythmic precision and an improvisational gift -- particularly in scat singing -- that placed her alongside the greatest instrumental soloists in jazz. Her Songbook series for Verve Records (1956-1964) -- eight albums dedicated to the great American songwriters -- are the definitive recordings of the American popular song tradition. She won 13 Grammy Awards and sold over 40 million records.
• 1918 – 1996 Ben Johnson (1918-1996) American rodeo champion and actor, a John Ford regular who won an Oscar for The Last Picture Show.
• 1918 – 1996 Spiro Agnew (1918-1996) Died 17 September 1996, aged 77 Spiro Agnew served as the 39th Vice President of the United States under Richard Nixon before resigning in 1973 amid a criminal investigation into bribery and tax evasion. He pleaded no contest to a single charge and left office in disgrace. He spent his later years as a businessman largely out of public life.
• 1919 – 1996 Jon Pertwee (1919-1996) Died 20 May 1996, aged 76 Jon Pertwee was an English actor best known for playing the third incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction series "Doctor Who" from 1970 to 1974. He also had a long career in British radio comedy and children's television. He died of a heart attack while on holiday in the United States.
• 1920 – 1996 Timothy Leary (1920-1996) Died 31 May 1996, aged 75 Timothy Leary was an American psychologist and writer who became a leading advocate for the therapeutic and recreational use of psychedelic drugs in the 1960s counterculture. His research at Harvard and public campaigns for LSD experimentation made him a controversial and widely recognized figure. He died of prostate cancer at his home in Beverly Hills.
• 1924 – 1996 Marcello Mastroianni (1924-1996) Died 19 December 1996, aged 72 Marcello Mastroianni was an Italian actor celebrated for his roles in Federico Fellini films including "La Dolce Vita" and "8½." He received three Academy Award nominations and was one of the most internationally recognized European film stars of his era. He died in Paris of pancreatic cancer.
• 1927 – 1996 Erma Bombeck (1927-1996) Died 22 April 1996, aged 69 Erma Bombeck was an American humorist whose syndicated newspaper column on suburban family life ran in hundreds of papers for decades. Her bestselling books, including "If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?", made her one of the most widely read American writers of her generation. She died following complications from a kidney transplant.
• 1934 – 1996 Carl Sagan (1934-1996) Died 20 December 1996, aged 62 Carl Sagan was an American astronomer and science communicator best known for the television series "Cosmos" and his efforts to popularize planetary science and the search for extraterrestrial life. He advised NASA on numerous missions and authored bestselling books including "Contact" and "The Demon-Haunted World." He died of pneumonia following a long battle with myelodysplasia.
• 1937 – 1996 Beryl Burton The Yorkshire Powerhouse One of Britain's greatest; set a 12-hour record that exceeded the men's record.
• 1941 – 1996 Krzysztof Kieślowski (1941-1996) Died 13 March 1996, aged 54 Krzysztof Kieślowski was a Polish film director acclaimed for the "Three Colors" trilogy and "The Decalogue," works noted for their moral seriousness and visual precision. He announced his retirement from filmmaking shortly before his death from a heart attack. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential European directors of his era.
• 1954 – 1996 Margaux Hemingway (1954-1996) Died 1 July 1996, aged 42 Margaux Hemingway was an American model and actress, granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway, who rose to fame as one of the highest-paid models of the 1970s. She later appeared in films including "Lipstick" alongside her sister Mariel. She died of an overdose in Santa Monica, California, ruled a suicide.
• 1960 – 1996 Jonathan Larson (1960-1996) Died 25 January 1996, aged 35 Jonathan Larson was an American composer and playwright who wrote the rock musical "Rent," a reimagining of "La Bohème" set among artists in New York's East Village. He died suddenly of an aortic dissection the night before the show's first Off-Broadway preview. "Rent" went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical.
• 1964 – 1996 The Kinks English rock band London band of brothers Ray and Dave Davies, with Pete Quaife and Mick Avory — inventors of the power-chord riff and chroniclers of English life.
• 1971 – 1996 Tupac Shakur (1971-1996) Died 13 September 1996, aged 25 Tupac Shakur was an American rapper and actor whose albums, including "All Eyez on Me," made him one of the best-selling and most influential musicians in hip-hop history. He was shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, and died of his injuries six days later. His unsolved murder remains one of the most notorious cases in American music history.
• 1996 – present Alicia Keys The Neo-Soul Star A classically trained pianist who brought soul and substance to the early 2000s charts.
• 1996 Atlanta 1996 -- injury forces withdrawal At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Bubka injures his Achilles tendon during the warm-up and is forced to withdraw before competing. It is his second Olympic failure -- the first (Los Angeles 1984) was due to politics; this one is due to his body. He never competes at another Olympics. His Olympic record -- one gold (Seoul 1988), two absences (Los Angeles 1984, Atlanta 1996), one catastrophic failure (Barcelona 1992) -- is the most dramatic single anomaly in an otherwise flawless career.
• 1996 – present Coldplay The Global Stadium Band Evolved from indie-rock to global pop-rock giants; known for immersive live shows.
• 1996 – 2014 Depression and the long struggle -- the hidden story Behind the gold medals, Thorpe has been struggling with depression since his teenage years -- a condition that intensifies after retirement and which he does not discuss publicly until 2014. The depression is severe enough, at points, to involve contemplation of suicide. Antidepressants fail to provide adequate relief. He turns to alcohol to manage the pain. The drinking becomes its own problem. He spends years in a cycle of treatment, partial recovery and relapse. His 2012 autobiography This Is Me addresses depression but does not resolve the underlying crisis. The full story -- the severity of the depression, the role of the alcohol, the connection to the concealment of his sexuality -- emerges only in the 2014 Parkinson interview.
• 1996 – 2025 Diogo Jota -- Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jose Teixeira da Silva, known as Diogo Jota (4 December 1996 - 3 July 2025), was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a forward for Liverpool and the Portugal national team. Known for his intelligent movement, clinical finishing and tireless work rate, he scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool, helping them win the Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup. He won 49 caps for Portugal and was part of two UEFA Nations League-winning squads. He died at 28 in a car accident in Spain alongside his brother Andre, just two weeks after his wedding.
• 1996 – present Eminem Slim Shady The best-selling artist of the 2000s; brought hip-hop to unprecedented global commercial heights.
• 1996 – 1997 First national selection -- youngest to represent Australia In 1996, with his sister Christina qualifying for the Atlanta Olympics, coach Doug Frost sends the 14-year-old Thorpe to national qualifiers in Sydney to give him a taste of high-level competition. The following year, 1997, Thorpe qualifies for the Pan Pacific Championships in Fukuoka, Japan -- becoming, at 14, the youngest male swimmer ever to represent Australia at the national level. The Pan Pacific debut is the first step onto the international stage, and the beginning of a decade-long dominance of world freestyle swimming.
• 1996 Jeff Van Gundy becomes head coach Van Gundy takes over the bench, continuing the Knicks' defense-first identity through the late 1990s.
• 1996 – 2026 Johan Cruijff ArenA Amsterdam, Netherlands Ajax's ground and the first stadium in Europe with a retractable roof. Renamed for Johan Cruyff in 2018, three years after his death.
• 1996 – present Kanye West Ye Revolutionary producer and rapper who redefined the sonic landscape of hip-hop and pop.
• 1996 – 2017 Linkin Park The Face of Nu-Metal Fused rock, metal, and hip-hop; their debut "Hybrid Theory" defined the early 2000s.
• 1996 Yasser Arafat Elected President of the Palestinian Authority First Palestinian presidential election held in the West Bank and Gaza Yasser Arafat was elected President of the newly formed Palestinian Authority in the first Palestinian presidential election, held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip under the Oslo Accords framework. He won with an overwhelming majority against a single opponent. The vote also elected the first Palestinian Legislative Council.
• 1996 Kasparov defeats Deep Blue 4-2 First major man vs machine match Kasparov defeated IBM's Deep Blue 4-2 in Philadelphia in the first major match between a world champion and a computer under tournament conditions. Deep Blue won game 1 — the first time a computer beat a reigning champion in classical chess.
• 1996 – present Daniil Medvedev The Chess Player 2021 US Open champion known for his unique defensive style.
• 1996 Pokémon Red and Green Released in Japan Game Boy titles launch a global media franchise Nintendo and Game Freak released Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy in Japan, introducing a monster-collecting role-playing game built around trading and battling. The games' success spawned an enormous multimedia franchise spanning games, trading cards, and an animated television series. It went on to become one of the best-selling video game franchises in history.
• 1996 UK Mad Cow Disease Crisis Government links BSE to fatal human brain disease, triggering global beef bans The British government announced a probable link between bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle and a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. The European Union responded with a worldwide ban on British beef exports that lasted years. The crisis devastated the UK farming industry and prompted the mass slaughter of millions of cattle.
• 1996 Project Blue — Pepsi goes all-blue Iconic rebrand launched globally — April 1996 In April 1996 Pepsi launched "Project Blue" — a global rebrand replacing the red, white and blue can with an all-blue design. The launch included a Concorde aircraft painted entirely blue and a banner attached to the Russian Mir space station. The redesign gave birth to the "Pepsi Globe" logo still used today.
• 1996 Unabomber Ted Kaczynski Arrested FBI captures the serial bomber at a remote Montana cabin Theodore Kaczynski was arrested at his isolated cabin near Lincoln, Montana, ending an 18-year manhunt for the domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber. He was identified after his family recognized his writing style in a manifesto published by newspapers. Kaczynski's bombing campaign had killed three people and injured 23 others.
• 1996 Qana Massacre in Lebanon Israeli shelling of a UN compound kills over a hundred refugees During Israel's "Operation Grapes of Wrath" offensive against Hezbollah, Israeli artillery shells struck a United Nations compound in Qana, southern Lebanon, where civilians had taken shelter. More than 100 people were killed. The incident drew international condemnation and hastened a ceasefire ending the operation.
• 1996 1996 World Snooker Championship Hendry Title 6 Winner: Stephen Hendry; Runner-up: Peter Ebdon. Score: 18–12.
• 1996 – present Ashleigh Barty Ash Retired as World No. 1 after winning the 2022 Australian Open.
• 1996 ValuJet Flight 592 Crashes in the Everglades DC-9 goes down after cargo fire, killing all 110 aboard ValuJet Flight 592 crashed into the Florida Everglades shortly after takeoff from Miami, killing all 110 people on board. Investigators determined that improperly labeled and stored oxygen generators in the cargo hold had ignited a fire. The disaster led to stricter US regulations on hazardous cargo handling.
• 1996 Twister #3 film of 1996 — $495m worldwide Directed by Jan de Bont, starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. Storm chasers pursue tornadoes across Oklahoma.
• 1996 Mission: Impossible #2 film of 1996 — $457m worldwide Directed by Brian De Palma, starring Tom Cruise. An American agent is accused of being a double agent and must find the real traitor.
• 1996 Nintendo 64 Launches in Japan Nintendo's 64-bit console debuts, later launching worldwide Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 console in Japan, introducing 64-bit gaming and launch titles including Super Mario 64. The console popularized analog stick control and three-dimensional platforming design that influenced the industry for years afterward. It launched in North America and Europe later the same year.
• 1996 Khobar Towers Bombing Truck bomb attack kills 19 US servicemen in Saudi Arabia A truck bomb exploded outside the Khobar Towers housing complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 19 US Air Force personnel and wounding hundreds more. The attack was later linked to Saudi Hezbollah with alleged Iranian support. It prompted a major reassessment of US military force protection in the Middle East.
• 1996 Boris Yeltsin Re-elected President of Russia Yeltsin defeats Communist challenger Gennady Zyuganov Boris Yeltsin won a second term as President of Russia in a runoff election against Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov. The campaign took place amid Yeltsin's declining health and heavy backing from Russian business oligarchs and media. He suffered a serious heart attack shortly before the runoff vote.
• 1996 Independence Day #1 film of 1996 — $817m worldwide Directed by Roland Emmerich, starring Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum. Aliens launch a devastating attack on Earth.
• 1996 Dolly the Sheep is Born First mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell Dolly was born at the Roslin Institute in Scotland, cloned from a mammary gland cell using somatic cell nuclear transfer. Her existence was kept secret until announced in February 1997, after which it became one of the most famous scientific breakthroughs of the decade. She lived until 2003 and proved that a specialized adult cell could be reprogrammed to create a whole new organism.
• 1996 TWA Flight 800 Crashes off Long Island Boeing 747 explodes shortly after takeoff, killing 230 TWA Flight 800 exploded in mid-air and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off East Moriches, New York, minutes after departing JFK Airport for Paris. All 230 people aboard were killed. Investigators concluded the probable cause was an explosion of flammable fuel-air vapors in a nearly empty center fuel tank, though the crash also fueled persistent conspiracy theories.
• 1996 1996 Summer Olympics XXVI Olympiad - Atlanta Centennial Summer Games. Winner: USA.
• 1996 Centennial Olympic Park Bombing Pipe bomb attack during the Atlanta Games kills one and injures over a hundred A pipe bomb detonated in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics, killing one person and injuring more than a hundred others. Eric Rudolph, an anti-abortion extremist, was later identified as the bomber and captured in 2003. The attack was one of several bombings he carried out over the following years.
• 1996 NASA Announces Possible Fossil Life in Mars Meteorite ALH84001 sparks debate over ancient Martian microbes NASA scientists announced that the Allan Hills 84001 meteorite, found in Antarctica and believed to originate from Mars, contained structures resembling fossilized microorganisms. The claim triggered intense scientific debate and briefly renewed public fascination with the search for extraterrestrial life. Subsequent research cast doubt on a biological origin for the structures.
• 1996 Charles and Diana's Divorce Finalized Prince and Princess of Wales officially end their marriage The divorce of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, was finalized after years of separation and public scandal. Diana retained the title Princess of Wales but lost the style "Her Royal Highness." The divorce closed one of the most heavily scrutinized royal marriages of the twentieth century, a year before Diana's death.
• 1996 Khasavyurt Accord Ends First Chechen War Ceasefire agreement halts fighting between Russia and Chechen separatists Russian and Chechen representatives signed the Khasavyurt Accord, ending the First Chechen War with a ceasefire and a deferral of the question of Chechnya's political status. The nearly two-year conflict had killed tens of thousands of people and left Grozny devastated. The unresolved status of Chechnya contributed to the outbreak of a second war in 1999.
• 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Opens for Signature UN treaty seeks to ban all nuclear explosions worldwide The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was opened for signature at the United Nations, aiming to prohibit all nuclear weapon test explosions for both civilian and military purposes. It was adopted after India blocked consensus in the Conference on Disarmament, forcing a vote in the General Assembly. The treaty has never entered into force because several required states have not ratified it.
• 1996 Taliban Capture Kabul Militia seizes the Afghan capital and imposes strict Islamic rule Taliban forces captured Kabul, overthrowing the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani and executing former president Mohammad Najibullah. The group went on to establish an Islamic emirate governed by a strict interpretation of Sharia law across most of Afghanistan. Resistance continued in the north under the Northern Alliance.
• 1996 First Congo War Begins Rebellion led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila rises against Mobutu's Zaire An armed rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda broke out in eastern Zaire, led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila's Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo. The uprising exploited unrest tied to the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and widespread discontent with Mobutu Sese Seko's long rule. It grew into a continent-spanning war that toppled Mobutu the following year.
• 1996 Bill Clinton Re-elected US President Clinton defeats Bob Dole to win a second term Bill Clinton won re-election as President of the United States, defeating Republican challenger Bob Dole and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot. Clinton carried 31 states and became the first Democrat to win a second term since Franklin Roosevelt. The election was fought largely over the strength of the US economy.
• 1996 Star Trek: First Contact The finest TNG film and arguably the best Star Trek film of the 1990s. Picard and crew travel back to 2063 to prevent the Borg from assimilating Earth before first contact with the Vulcans. Directed by Jonathan Frakes. Alice Krige as the Borg Queen. Tense, emotional and spectacularly realised. Budget: $45 million. Gross: $150 million.
• 1996 Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis Begins in Lima Tupac Amaru rebels seize hundreds of hostages at a diplomatic reception Members of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement stormed a reception at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru, taking hundreds of hostages including diplomats and government officials. Most hostages were released over the following weeks, but dozens remained captive for months. The siege ended in April 1997 when Peruvian commandos stormed the residence.