1990's Events and Timelines: All the 411 about 1996

1996 Timeline

History & Politics | Music | Television | Movies | Sports

1996 was filled with "Virtual Insanity." We pitted man against machine as Gary Kasparov played chess with IBM's Deep Blue supercomputer. We became engrossed with the trial of Erik and Lyle Menendez who were ultimately convicted of murdering their parents. And, we solved the 20 year mystery of the Unabomber with arrest of Theodore Kaczynski.

At the theaters we screamed and chased tornados. ("Cow. 'Nother cow. Actually I think that was the same one.") We spotted some trains and went on impossible missions. We kicked some alien butt and traveled to Fargo, North Dakota. And, we gained a new motto ... "Show me the MONEY!!!"

1996 also saw the emergence of "Girl Power!" as the Spice Girls became an international sensation, launching an invasion of British music not witnessed since

the Beatles. And speaking of the Fab Four, the lads were back on the charts with "Free as a Bird," released as part of their Anthology I compilation album.

If this year taught us anything, it was to "Don't Look Back in Anger," but instead "Change the World" because we're all "Beautiful People."

• 100 people are killed when a blizzard slams into the eastern coast of the United States.

• France makes it known that they will cease testing nuclear weapons. The country had

been one of the few nuclear powers to ignore the test ban treat signed by many other nations in years past.

• Gary Kasparov and IBM supercomputer Deep Blue face off for a series of chess matches

that pit man against machine. Deep Blue became the first computer to win a chess game against a reigning world champion under regular time controls. However, Kasparov went on take the match, winning 4-2. During a rematch in 1997, an upgraded Deep Blue defeated Kasparov and won the six-game match.

• 16 children and a teacher are murdered by a single gunman at an elementary school in

Dunblane, Scotland.

• Wealthy and privileged murderers Erik and Lyle Menendez are convicted of killing their

parents, ending an American media fascination with the crime and trial.

• The Unabomber mystery is finally solved after Theodore Kaczynski, a former university

professor, is arrested by the FBI. This ends a series of letter bomb attacks that occurred over an almost 20 year period.

• 35 are killed and 19 injured when a 28 year old man opens fire in a crowded tourist area

with a machine gun in Port Arthur, Tasmania. The act would lead to stricter gun control regulations being imposed by the Australian government.

• Bill Clinton is elected to a second term as president of the United States, defeating

candidate Bob Dole.

• Close to 1,000 people are drowned in Lake Victoria, Tanzania when an overloaded ferry

capsizes.

• A storm surge caused by a cyclone off the coast of India kills 2,000 people when entire

villages are sucked into the ocean.

• Prince Charles and Princess Diana complete their divorce, ending a scandal-soaked era

in British royalty but opening a new chapter in the press' vilification of the Princess.

IBM's Deep Blue becomes the first machine to beat a reigning world chess champion, Gary Kasparov, at a single game of chess.

Erik & Lyle Menedez are convicted of murdering their parents.

Theodore Kaczynski is named as the infamous Unabomber and arrested by the FBI.

3rd Rock From The Sun
John Lithgow heads up a team of aliens sent to Earth to observe humanity and report back to The Big Giant Head in the zany sitcom.

Nash Bridges
Don Johnson returns to the airwaves as a San Francisco detective teamed with Cheech Marin. Co-starring is a 1971 HemiCuda convertible, one of only 12 ever made and the perfect vehicle for Johnson's larger than life cop persona.

7th Heaven
Jessica Biel would emerge from this family drama as one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood.

Blue's Clues
An animated dog helps children learn about the world around them through an intriguing set of puzzles and clues in this popular Nickelodeon program.

Sabrina, The Teenage Witch
Melissa Joan Hart plays the titular teenage witch in this adaptation of the comic book.

Spin City
As the Deputy Mayor of New York City, Michael J. Fox makes his triumphant return to prime time television as a neurotic whirling dervish.

Moesha
Pop star Brandy's turn as high school student Moesha Mitchell would make for laughs and tears throughout the television program's 5 year run.

Millennium
Ultra-creepy drama starring Lance Henriksen as a man who has the uncanny ability to see into the future and the past while solving a string of seemingly unrelated crimes.

Twister - Look it's a cow. Look it's another cow. Wait...it's the same cow!

Twister
Starring Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Philip Seymour Hoffman
1996 was a year dominated by special effects, and Twister delivered with computer-generated tornados threatening a group of dedicated researchers.

Independence Day
Starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum
When aliens attempt to take over the entire planet, the world's countries must band together and make a last-ditch effort to save humanity.

Mission Impossible
Starring Tom Cruise, Jean Reno and Emmanuelle Beart
Big-screen adaptation of the 60's television show that pits secret agents against a team of nefarious villains and traitors in the quest for global intelligence domination.

101 Dalmatians
Starring Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson
Live-action remake of the animated classic that focuses on a family unexpectedly blessed with 101 Dalmatian puppies and the evil woman who attempts to steal them away.

The Birdcage
Starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane and Gene Hackman
Two families meet as a result of their children's impending marriage, and their radically different social and political stations in life make for crazed hilarity.

The Rock
Starring Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery and Ed Harris
Director Michael Bay makes a huge splash with this action film about two men breaking into Alcatraz in order to foil a renegade military plot.

The Nutty Professor
Starring Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett Smith and James Coburn
Eddie Murphy's character discovers a weight loss drug that has unintended and of course humorous side effects in this re-interpretation of the 1960's classic of the same name.

Jerry Maguire
Starring Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger and Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cruise's turn as a down on his luck sports agent would give audiences the immortal lines 'Show me the money!' and 'You complete me.'

A Time To Kill
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Samuel L. Jackson
Author John Grisham saw yet another one of his legal blockbusters become an enormous cinematic hit in this film that did much to bolster the career of McConaughey as more than just a handsome face.

Ransom
Starring Mel Gibson, Rene Russo and Gary Sinise
A captain of industry sees his son kidnapped and family targeted by both criminals and the FBI in this thriller that had audiences guessing until the final reel.

The Cable Guy
Starring Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick and Leslie Mann
Broderick's character has to deal with a cable installer who becomes obsessed with becoming his best friend in this dark comedy directed by Ben Stiller.

Evita
Starring Madonna, Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce
Screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber's sweeping musical about the life of Argentina's Eva Peron.

Fargo
Starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi
The first major success by the off-beat directing team of the Cohen brothers, the film would introduce a wide audience not only to their inspired plot devices but also a new cast of character actors.

Kingpin
Starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel and Bill Murray
A bowling prodigy loses his hand when he tries to double-cross a gang of mobsters and he must rebuild his life and help a new up and coming bowling star avoid making the same mistakes he did.

The People vs. Larry Flynt
Starring Courtney Love, Woody Harrelson and Ed Norton
Biography of skin trade mogul Larry Flynt that also profiles his court battles against obscenity charges.

Scream
Starring David Arquette, Courtenay Cox and Neve Campbell
Teen slasher horror film that became a phenomenon amongst young moviegoers and helped revive the dying genre.

Sling Blade
Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam and J.T. Walsh
Independent film that deals with a mentally handicapped man who murdered his mother and her boyfriend but who has been released back into society in order to find his way in a confusing world.

Trainspotting
Starring Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle
With its red-hot Scottish slang and unflinching examination of the drug culture, Trainspotting found instant success amongst Gen X movie fans.

• Terry Labonte wins the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship.

• The Chicago Bulls top off a 72 win season by beating the Seattle SuperSonics in the

NBA's championship series, winning 4 games to 2.

• Grindstone wins the Kentucky Derby.

• The Colorado Avalanche, recently moved from Quebec City to Denver handily defeat the

Florida Panthers in a Stanley Cup final sweep.

• Steffi Graf has another incredible year on the tennis courts, repeating as the winner at

Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open, while Richard Krajicek takes the men's Wimbledon title.

• The Summer Olympics are held in Atlanta Georgia. The United States wins 44 gold

medals and comes out on top with 101 medals in total by the end of the festivities.

• Damon Hill wins the Formula 1 championship.

• The New York Yankees defeat the Atlanta Braves to steal back the World Series

championship in baseball.

• The Indy Racing League splits off from CART, creating two competing open-wheel

championships in the United States. Buddy Lazier wins the Indy 500.

• Oscar de la Hoya continues to attract accolades as a Welterweight boxer, winning the

WBC title in that category for 1996.

• Tiger Woods is selected as PGA Rookie of the Year.

• The Dallas Cowboys continue their illustrious decade, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers to

win Super Bowl XXX.

The XXVI Summer Olympics are held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Oscar de la Hoya continues his streak of success by winning the WBC welterweight title.