1996 History, Facts, and Trivia
Quick Facts from 1996
Top Ten Baby Names of 1996
Girls: Emily, Jessica, Ashley, Sarah, Samantha Boys: Michael, Matthew, Jacob, Christopher, Joshua
Fashion Icons and Sex Symbols
Claudia Schiffer
Hollywood Hunks and Leading Men
Tupac Shakur, George Clooney, Tom Cruise
The Quotes
“You had me at ‘hello.'” — Renée Zellweger as Dorothy Boyd, Jerry Maguire
“Show me the money!” — Cuba Gooding Jr. as Rod Tidwell, Jerry Maguire
“You can’t handle the truth!” — Jack Nicholson as Col. Jessup, A Few Good Men (1992) — but 1996 was the year everyone started saying it constantly
“To infinity and beyond!” — Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story (1995) — still inescapable in 1996
Time Magazine Person of the Year
Dr. David Ho — AIDS researcher whose development of combination antiretroviral therapy transformed HIV from a near-certain death sentence into a manageable chronic condition.
Miss America and Miss USA
Miss America: Shawntel Smith, Muldrow, OK Miss USA: Ali Landry, Louisiana
FYI
The Amber Alert system was named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas in January 1996. The emergency broadcast system for missing children was established in her memory.
We Lost in 1996
Tupac Shakur, rapper — shot in Las Vegas on September 7, died September 13, age 25
Margaux Hemingway, actress — died July 1, age 41, from a deliberate overdose of phenobarbital; the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway
Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song, died June 15, at age 78
Ernie Banks, baseball Hall of Famer — wait, that was 2015. Banks is fine in 1996.
Greer Garson, actress — died April 6, age 91
Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass — died September 9, age 84
Roger Tory Peterson, ornithologist and author of the landmark A Field Guide to the Birds, died July 28, age 87
Carl Sagan, astronomer and author of Cosmos, died December 20, age 62
Gene Kelly, actor and dancer, died February 2, age 83
Claudette Colbert, actress — died July 30, age 92
George Burns, comedian — died March 9, age 100. He had predicted he would perform at Carnegie Hall on his 100th birthday. He did it at 98.
The Scandals
The United States campaign finance controversy of 1996 involved allegations that the People’s Republic of China attempted to influence American domestic politics during the Clinton administration, alongside questions about the administration’s own fundraising practices.
Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber, was arrested in April 1996 after an 18-year bombing campaign that killed 3 people and injured 23. He was turned in by his own brother, David, who recognized the writing style in his manifesto.
JonBenét Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant, was found murdered in her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996. An unusually lengthy ransom note demanding $118,000 was found in the house despite her body also being there. The case remains unsolved.
Rap Star Murder: Tupac Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, and died six days later. He was 25 years old.
Actress Margaux Hemingway, age 41, died from a deliberate overdose of phenobarbital on July 1, 1996 — one day before the anniversary of her grandfather Ernest Hemingway’s death.
World News: In 1996, Sparta and Athens officially signed a peace agreement ending the Peloponnesian War — a conflict that had concluded approximately 2,400 years earlier in 404 BC. Because some paperwork apparently takes a while.
US News: From 1897 until 1996, the federal government employed a Board of Tea Experts whose sole job was to evaluate imported tea to ensure it met quality standards before being sold in the United States.
Prior to 1996, no ID was required to board a commercial airplane in the United States. The requirement was introduced following the crash of TWA Flight 800 in July 1996, primarily to demonstrate government action.
Pop Culture Facts and History
In 1996, a man in New Zealand broke into a radio station, held the manager hostage, and demanded the station play “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog. The station complied.
Ethernet inventor Robert Metcalfe predicted in 1995 that the Internet would collapse within a year. When it didn’t, he kept his promise — blending a printed copy of his prediction column with liquid and drinking it at a 1997 conference.
Jim Carrey became the first actor to be paid $20 million for a single film — The Cable Guy (1996). The film underperformed at the box office. The precedent did not.
After Scream (1996) featured an anonymous killer who called his victims before murdering them, Caller ID subscriptions tripled across the United States.
Oprah Winfrey launched her book club in 1996. The publishing industry has never been the same.
The wreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge — Blackbeard’s flagship pirate vessel, lost in 1718 — was discovered off the coast of North Carolina in 1996.
Meg and Jack White of The White Stripes publicly portrayed themselves as siblings for years. They had actually been married in 1996 before the band’s formation.
While creating the first Tomb Raider video game in 1996, a developer accidentally increased Lara Croft’s measurements by 150% instead of the intended 50%. His colleagues approved the change before he could correct it, and the marketing team leaned in. The game was a #1 hit.
The word “embiggen,” coined in a 1996 episode of The Simpsons, was officially added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 2018. A perfectly cromulent development.
The Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man — the flailing balloon figure seen outside car dealerships everywhere — was invented for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
There is a light atop the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles that has spelled out “Hollywood” in Morse code since 1956. It stopped only once — in June 1996, for the label’s 50th anniversary, when it briefly blinked “Capitol 50.”
The first person to livestream their life on the internet was 19-year-old Jennifer Ringley, who launched JenniCam from her college dorm room in 1996, broadcasting 24 hours a day. At its peak, the site received 7 million hits per day — a significant percentage of the entire internet at the time.
On April 1, 1996, Taco Bell ran a full-page ad in several major newspapers claiming they had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell. The prank cost $300,000 in advertising and generated millions in free publicity.
Mary Tyler Moore offered a restaurant $1,000 to release a 65-year-old lobster back into the ocean. Rush Limbaugh countered with $2,000 to eat the lobster. The restaurant declined both offers and kept the lobster as a mascot.
It wasn’t until 1996 that minivans offered sliding doors on both sides. Previously, the driver’s side had no sliding door — a design flaw that had annoyed parents for 15 years.
Febreze began test-marketing in 1996. It went nationwide in 1998 and has since convinced millions of people that their homes don’t actually smell.
Dana Carvey’s 1996 variety show lasted only seven episodes — but its writing staff included Steve Carell, Bob Odenkirk, Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, and Charlie Kaufman. Possibly the most talented writers ever assembled for a show nobody watched.
Dave Chappelle starred in Buddies, a Home Improvement spin-off that premiered March 5, 1996, and was canceled April 3, 1996 — after five episodes. Some things are not meant to be.
The Spice Girls’ nicknames — Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger, and Posh — were not created by the group or their management. They were invented by Top of the Pops magazine in 1996 and later adopted by the band.
Travelocity launched online in 1996, initially used mostly by travel agents booking American Airlines flights. Online travel booking would eventually make those same travel agents largely unnecessary.
Abdullah bin al-Hussein, then crown prince and future King of Jordan, made a cameo appearance in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager in 1996. He was a lifelong Trek fan.
Binti, a gorilla at the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois, made international news in 1996 when she gently picked up a 3-year-old boy who had fallen into her enclosure, protected him from the other gorillas, and carried him to the zookeeper’s gate. She was widely celebrated as a hero.
Marvel Comics filed for bankruptcy in 1996, having nearly destroyed itself through overproduction, speculation-driven publishing, and financial mismanagement. The company would eventually recover — and go on to become worth billions.
Marvel Comics writer Mark Gruenwald, who died in 1996, had requested that his ashes be mixed into the printing ink for the collected edition of his series Squadron Supreme. Most first printings of that book contain some of his remains.
The world record for keeping the original 1996–1997 Tamagotchi alive is 89 days. Most people’s lasted about a week.
In 1996, boxer Tommy Morrison’s career ended after testing positive for HIV. In 2007, two HIV experts retained by the New York Times concluded the 1996 test result had likely been a false positive.
The 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics
The Centennial Olympic Games were held in Atlanta, Georgia, from July 19 to August 4, 1996 — marking the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games.
Muhammad Ali, visibly trembling from Parkinson’s disease, lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony in one of the most emotional moments in Olympic history.
Gymnast Kerri Strug famously vaulted on an injured ankle in the team finals, landing her second vault on one foot to secure the gold medal for the U.S. women’s team — the Magnificent Seven. She was carried to the podium by coach Béla Károlyi.
Michael Johnson won gold in both the 200m and 400m sprints, setting a world record of 19.32 seconds in the 200m — a record that stood for 12 years.
Carl Lewis won his ninth Olympic gold medal in the long jump at age 35.
A pipe bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park on July 27, killing 2 people and injuring 111. Security guard Richard Jewell, initially identified as a suspect, was later fully exonerated. The bombing was eventually attributed to Eric Rudolph.
The Habits
Doing the Macarena, Playing with Tickle Me Elmo, Reading Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Christmas Gifts, Toys, and First Appearances of 1996
Tickle Me Elmo, Toy Story, Pokémon (U.S. debut), Beanie Babies — the McDonald’s mini Beanie Baby promotion in 1996 sent the already-growing craze into full mania
Nobel Prize Winners
Physics — David M. Lee, Douglas D. Osheroff, and Robert C. Richardson
Chemistry — Robert F. Curl Jr., Sir Harold W. Kroto, and Richard E. Smalley
Medicine — Peter C. Doherty and Rolf M. Zinkernagel
Literature — Wisława Szymborska
Peace — Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta
Economics — James A. Mirrlees and William Vickrey
Popular and Best-Selling Books of 1996
A Game of Thrones — George R.R. Martin
Airframe — Michael Crichton
Bridget Jones’s Diary — Helen Fielding
Cause of Death — Patricia Cornwell
The Christmas Box — Richard Paul Evans
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline — George Saunders
The Deep End of the Ocean — Jacquelyn Mitchard
Desperation — Stephen King
Executive Orders — Tom Clancy
Falling Up — Shel Silverstein
Fight Club — Chuck Palahniuk
The Green Mile — Stephen King
The Horse Whisperer — Nicholas Evans
How Stella Got Her Groove Back — Terry McMillan
Infinite Jest — David Foster Wallace Intensity — Dean Koontz
It Takes a Village — Hillary Clinton
Kingdom Come — Mark Waid and Alex Ross
Malice — Danielle Steel
Moonlight Becomes You — Mary Higgins Clark
Primary Colors — Anonymous (later revealed to be Joe Klein)
The Regulators — Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
The Runaway Jury — John Grisham
Servant of the Bones — Anne Rice
Silent Honor — Danielle Steel
The Tenth Insight — James Redfield
Broadway and Theater in 1996
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (play) opened March 7, 1996, and ran until April 3, 2005
Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk (dance musical) opened April 25, 1996, and closed January 10, 1999
Rent (musical) opened April 29, 1996, and closed September 7, 2008 — a 12-year run
Chicago (musical revival) opened November 14, 1996 — and is still running as of this writing, making it the longest-running American musical revival in Broadway history
Best Film Oscar Winner
Braveheart, directed by and starring Mel Gibson, won Best Picture at the 1996 Academy Awards, presented for the 1995 film year.
The Bomb
Movie: Bio-Dome, starring Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin — a film so poorly received that it effectively ended both careers simultaneously.
TV: The Naked Truth, starring Tea Leoni, was NBC’s most aggressively promoted new show of the year and one of the quickest to disappoint.
1996 Entries to the National Film Registry
The Awful Truth (1937)
Broken Blossoms (1919)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Destry Rides Again (1939)
Flash Gordon Serial (1936)
The Forgotten Frontier (1931)
Frank Film (1973)
The Graduate (1967)
The Heiress (1949)
The Jazz Singer (1927)
The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (1980)
M*A*S*H (1970)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
The Producers (1968)
Pull My Daisy (1959)
Road to Morocco (1942)
She Done Him Wrong (1933)
Shock Corridor (1963)
Show Boat (1936)
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Topaz (1943/1945)
Verbena trágica (1939)
Woodstock (1970)
Top Movies of 1996
Most Popular TV Shows of 1996
1996 Billboard Number One Songs
December 2, 1995 – March 22, 1996: “One Sweet Day” — Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (carrying over from 1995 — this run of 16 weeks at #1 remains the longest in Billboard Hot 100 history until “Old Town Road” tied it in 2019)
March 23 – May 3: “Because You Loved Me” — Celine Dion
May 4 – May 17: “Always Be My Baby” — Mariah Carey
May 18 – July 12: “Tha Crossroads” — Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
July 13 – July 26: “How Do U Want It” — 2Pac featuring K-Ci and JoJo
July 27 – August 2: “You’re Makin’ Me High” — Toni Braxton
August 3 – November 8: “Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)” — Los Del Rio (14 weeks at #1)
November 9 – December 6: “No Diggity” — Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre
December 7, 1996 – February 21, 1997: “Un-Break My Heart” — Toni Braxton
Sports Champions of 1996
World Series: New York Yankees
Super Bowl XXX: Dallas Cowboys
NBA Champions: Chicago Bulls
Stanley Cup: Colorado Avalanche
U.S. Open Golf: Steve Jones
U.S. Open Tennis — Men: Pete Sampras | Women: Steffi Graf
Wimbledon — Men: Richard Krajicek | Women: Steffi Graf
NCAA Football: Florida
NCAA Basketball: Kentucky
Kentucky Derby: Grindstone
Summer Olympics: The United States topped the medal count with 44 gold medals and 101 total at the Atlanta Games
Sports Highlight: Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games played record in 1995 — he played in his 2,131st straight game on September 6, 1995. By 1996 he was still going, eventually finishing at 2,632 consecutive games in 1998. Note: your source data lists this as a 1996 event — the record-breaking game itself was on September 6, 1995, though Ripken continued to extend the record through 1998.
FAQ — 1996 History, Facts, and Trivia
Q: What was the biggest news event of 1996?
A: Dolly the sheep was born on July 5, 1996 — the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult cell, raising immediate questions about science, ethics, and whether anyone would eventually try this with humans.
Q: What was the #1 song of 1996?
A: “Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)” by Los Del Rio dominated the summer with 14 weeks at #1, but “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men held the top spot for the most weeks overall, carrying over from late 1995 with a record-tying 16-week run.
Q: What was the biggest movie of 1996?
A: Independence Day was the top-grossing film of 1996, followed by Twister and Mission: Impossible.
Q: Who was murdered in Las Vegas in 1996?
A: Rapper Tupac Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting on September 7, 1996, and died six days later at age 25. The case remains officially unsolved.
Q: What happened at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics?
A: The Centennial Games featured Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic torch, Kerri Strug’s legendary injured-ankle vault, Michael Johnson’s 200m world record, and a pipe bomb explosion in Centennial Olympic Park that killed 2 people and injured 111.
Q: What Broadway show opened in 1996 and is still running?
A: Chicago reopened as a revival on November 14, 1996, and became the longest-running American musical revival in Broadway history.
Q: What major comic book company went bankrupt in 1996?
A: Marvel Comics filed for bankruptcy in 1996 after years of financial mismanagement. The company eventually recovered and became one of the most valuable entertainment franchises in the world.
Q: What toy caused a nationwide frenzy in 1996?
A: Tickle Me Elmo was the must-have Christmas gift of 1996, selling out almost immediately and sparking chaos in toy stores across the country.
Q: Who was the Unabomber, and when was he caught?
A: Theodore Kaczynski, who carried out bombings for 18 years, killing 3 people and injuring 23, was arrested in April 1996 after his brother David recognized his writing style in his published manifesto.
Q: What was the Amber Alert named after?
A: The Amber Alert system was named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas in January 1996.
Q: What 1996 book launched one of the most successful fantasy franchises in history?
A: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin was published in 1996 — the first book in the series that eventually became the HBO series Game of Thrones.
Q: What was the most popular dance of 1996?
A: The Macarena — performed to “Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)” by Los Del Rio — was the defining dance craze of 1996, inescapable at weddings, school dances, and sporting events.