1996

See: Wikipedia.
Events:
January 1 - Curacao gains limited self-government.
January 5 - Hamas operative Yahya Ayyash is killed by an Israeli-planted booby-trapped
cell phone.
January 7 - One of the worst blizzards in American history hits eastern states killing more
than 100.
January 14 - Jorge Sampaio is elected president of Portugal.
January 20 - Yasser Arafat is elected president of the Palestinian Authority.
January 22 - Andreas Papandreou, Prime Minister of Greece resigns due to health
problems. New government formed under Costas Simitis.
January 24 - Polish Premier Jozef Oleksy resigns amid charge he spied for Moscow.
January 26 - Whitewater scandal: Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies before a grand jury.
January 27 - Colonel Ibrahim Bare Mainassara deposes the first democratically elected
president of Niger Mahamane Ousmane in a military coup.
January 29 - President Jacques Chirac announces a "definitive end" to French nuclear testing.
January 30 - Suspected leader of the Irish National Liberation Army Gino Gallagher is killed
while in line for his unemployment benefit.
January 31 - An explosives-filled truck rams into the gates of the Central Bank in Colombo,
Sri Lanka killing at least 86 and injuring 1,400.
February - Iraq disarmament crisis: Recently defected Iraqi weapons program leader and
son-in-law to Saddam Hussein, Hussein Kamel, returns to Iraq. Within days of his return,
he is murdered along with his brother, father, sister and her children. Kamel had forced
Iraq to reveal portions of its illegal nuclear and chemical weapons programs.
February 1 - Communications Decency Act is passed by the United States Congress.
February 10 - Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov for the first time..
February 17 - In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the
"Deep Blue" supercomputer in a chess match.
March - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi forces refuse UNSCOM inspection teams access
to five sites designated for inspection. The teams enter the sites only after delays of up
to 17 hours.
March 11 - John Howard becomes the twenty-fifth Prime Minister of Australia.
March 13 - The Dunblane Massacre.
March 14 - American President Bill Clinton commits $100 million to an anti-terrorism
agreement with Israel to track down and root out terrorists.
March 20 - In Los Angeles, California, Erik and Lyle Menendez are found guilty of
first-degree murder for the shotgun killing of their parents.
March 23 - The Republic of China on Taiwan holds its first direct elections for
president. Lee Teng-hui is reelected.
March 25 - An 81-day long standoff between antigovernment Freemen in Jordan,
Montana and federal officers begins.
March 26 - The International Monetary Fund approves a $10.2 billion loan to
Russia for economic reform.
April 3 - Suspected "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski is arrested at his Montana cabin.
April 6 - An overflow crowd of 31,683 at Spartan Stadium witnessed the historic
first game for Major League Soccer. San Jose Clash forward Eric Wynalda scored the
league's first goal in a 1-0 victory over D. C. United.
April 18 - Over 100 Lebanese civilians were killed after Israel shelled the UN
compound in Qana. See Qana Massacre.
May 11 - After taking-off from Miami, a fire started by improperly-handled oxygen
canisters in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Flight 592 causes the Douglas
DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 on board.
May 13 - Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kills 600.
May 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.
May 23 - Swede Göran Kropp reaches Mount Everest summit alone without
oxygen after having bicycled there from Sweden.
May 27 - First Chechnya War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan
rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire in the war.
May-June - Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM supervises the destruction of
Al-Hakam, Iraq's main production facility of biological warfare agents.
June - Iraq disarmament crisis: As Iraq continues to refuse inspectors access
to a number of sites, the U.S. fails in its attempt to build support for military action
against Iraq in the UN Security Council.
June 6 - The sons of Darlie Routier, Damon and Devon are stabbed to death in their
Rowlett, Texas home. Their mother would later be convicted of the murder.
June 15- A large bomb explosion devastates Manchester City Centre.
June 25 - 19 U.S. servicemen are killed at Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.
June 30 - Costas Simitis is elected President of the Panhellenic Socialist
Movement of Greece.
July - Iraq disarmament crisis: U.N. Inspector Ritter attempts to conduct surprise
inspections on the Republican Guard facility at the airport, but is blocked by Iraqi officials.
July 5 - Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult
cell, is born.
July 8 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a hand-delivered document,
"A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Security the Realm," spelling out how Israel could
abrogate the Oslo Accords, and pursue a permanent annexation of
the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip, among other policies. The paper had been prepared
for him by
Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld, Doug Feith, David Wurmser and John Bolton.
July 17 - Off the coast of Long Island, New York, a Paris-bound Boeing 747 carrying
TWA flight 800 explodes killing all 230 on board.
July 18 - 21 - Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River in Quebec,
in one of Canada's most costly natural disasters.
July 27 - The Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics
kills one and injures 111.
July 29 - The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act
(1996) is struck down as too broad by a US federal court.
July 31 - MIL-STD-1750A was declared inactive for use in new designs.
August 6 - NASA announces that the ALH 84001 meteorite thought to originate from
Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms.
August 28 Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Wales, are formally
divorced at the High Court in London. Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales
is restyled, Diana, Princess of Wales.
August 31 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi forces launch an offensive into
the northern No-Fly Zone and capture Arbil.
September 4 - War on Drugs: Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC)
attack a military base in Guaviare, Colombia starting three weeks of guerrilla warfare
that will claim the lives of at least 130 Colombians.
September 7 - In Las Vegas, Nevada, actor and recording artist Tupac Shakur is
shot several times after attending a boxing match.
September 22 - The Panhellenic Socialist Movement under the leadership of
Costas Simitis succeeds in the Greek legislative election, 1996.
September 27 - In Afghanistan, the Taliban capture capital city Kabul after driving out
President Burhanuddin Rabbani and executing former leader Mohammad Najibullah.
October 2 - The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments
are signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
October 31 - Ireland's first Irish language television channel, TG4 (formerly Teilifís
na Gaeilge) begins broadcasting.
October/November (sources vary) - Al-Jazeera, Arabic television news channel
based in Qatar, starts broadcasting.
November - Bill Clinton defeats Bob Dole in the U.S. presidential election.
November - Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM inspectors uncover buried prohibited
missile parts. Iraq refuses to allow UNSCOM teams to remove remnants of missile
engines for analysis outside of the country.
November 5 - U.S. presidential election, 1996: Democrat incumbent Bill Clinton defeats
Republican challenger Bob Dole to win his second term.
November 7 - NASA launches the Mars Global Surveyor.
November 16 - Mother Teresa receives honorary US citizenship.
November 18 - World-renowned bird expert Tony Silva is sentenced to seven
years in prison without parole for leading an illegal parrot smuggling ring.
December 2 - US President Bill Clinton signs Electronic Freedom of Information
Act Amendments.
December 5 - Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan gives a speech in
which he suggests that "irrational exuberance" may have "unduly escalated asset values".
December 12 - Uday Hussein is seriously injured in an assassination attempt.
December 26 - JonBenét Ramsey, a six-year-old beauty queen, was found murdered
in her family's basement in Boulder, Colorado.
December 27 - Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram air base which solidifies
their buffer zone around Kabul.
December 29 - Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union
sign a peace accord that ends a 36 year a civil war.
December 30 - In the Indian state of Assam, a passenger train is bombed by Bodo
separatists killing 26.
December 30 - Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests
from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.

unknown date:
id Software releases the first person shooter computer game Quake.
The O. J. Simpson trial begins.
Martina Hingis youngest person in history (age 16) to win at Wimbledon (Ladies
Doubles event).
Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
A bomb goes off at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia killing one person. The
media and investigators almost immediately focus their attention on security guard
Richard Jewell, but later clear him as a suspect.
Web comic Sabrina Online first published.
Ask Jeeves formed.

1996 in film:
The English Patient.
Fargo.
1996 in sports:
January 28 - Super Bowl XXX Dallas Cowboys (27) def. Pittsburgh Steelers (17).
1996 in television:
The O. J. Simpson civil trial begins.
Zenith introduces the first HDTV-compatible front projection TV in the U.S.. Broadcasters,
TV & PC manufacturers set industry standards for digital HDTV.
Over a billion
households worldwide now own television sets.

Births:
March 5 - Matilde Maria de Place Hansen.
April 6 - Jannik Fabian.
July 5 - Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal.
July 16 - Marinus Jan (Martijn) van den Houten.
September 23 - Bo Temminck.

Deaths:
January 5 - Yahya Ayyash, terrorist.
January 8 - François Mitterrand, French politician and President of France.
January 17 - Barbara Jordan, politician.
January 20 - Gerry Mulligan, musician.
January 28 - Jerry Seigel, cartoonist, creator of "Superman".
February 3 - Audrey Meadows, actress.
February 6 - Guy Madison, actor.
February 9 - Marinus Baltus van den Houten.
February 11 - Amelia Rosselli, poet.
February 11 - Bob Shaw, science fiction writer.
February 11 - Cyril Poole, English cricket player.
February 11 - Kebby Musokotwane, prime minister of Zambia (1985-1989).
February 11 - Phil Regan, actor.
February 16 - Edmund G. Brown, Governor of California.
February 16 - Brownie McGhee, blues singer.
February 20 - Toru Takemitsu, composer.
February 25 - Hang S. Ngor, actor.
February 26 - Elizabeth Laurina van den Houten.
March 4 - Minnie Pearl, country music performer.
March 9 - George Burns, actor, singer.
March 10 - Ross Hunter, producer.
March 13 - Krzysztof Kieslowski, film director.
March 17 - René Clément, French film director.
March 26 - David Packard, engineer.
April 6 - Greer Garson, actress.
April 8 - Willem (Mosje) van den Houten.
April 22 - Erma Bombeck, humorist, writer.
April 23 - Aksel Leon (Aksel) Andreassen.
April 26 - Stirling Silliphant, writer, producer.
May 5 - Salli Terri, mezzo soprano.
May 18 - Johannes Maarten van den Houten.
May 20 - Jon Pertwee, actor.
May 31 - Paul Peter Piech, artist.
June 2 - Ray Combs, game show host, comedian.
June 6 - Johanna Christina van den Houten.
June 6 - Damon Routier, son of Darlie Routier.
June 6 - Devon Routier, son of Darlie Routier.
June 9 - Albertine Maria van den Houten.
June 15 - Ella Fitzgerald, jazz singer.
June 19 - G. David Schine, investigator and businessman.
June 23 - Andreas Papandreou, Greek politician.
July 28 - Roger Tory Peterson, naturalist, artist, educator.
July 30 - Claudette Colbert, actress.
August 13 - David Tudor, pianist and composer.
August 28 - Johanna Mastenbroek.
September 6 - Martje Pieternella (Maxy) Dijkstra.
September 13 - Tupac Shakur, rapper, poet, actor.
September 16 - Cornelis Leendert Graafland.
September 18 - Gerardina Adriana van den Houten.
November 30 - Tiny Tim, musician.
December 11 - Willie Rushton, UK comedian, satirist, actor and cartoonist.
December 20 - Carl Sagan, US astronomer.

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