From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.
1996 is a year in the 20th century. It is a leap year.
[edit] The most important events
- Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Bill Clinton wins re-elction as President of the United States, beating Republican Bob Dole.
- January 16 - Jamaican authorities open fire on Jimmy Buffett's seaplane, mistaking it for a drug trafficker's plane. U2 singer Bono was also on the plane, but neither singer was injured.
- January 18 - Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from Michael Jackson.
- January 29 - Garth Brooks refuses to accept his American Music Award for "Favorite Overall Artist". Brooks says that Hootie and the Blowfish had done more for music that year than he did.
- February 4 - Former Milli-Vanilli member Rob Pilatus is hospitalized when a man hits him over the head with a baseball bat in Hollywood, California. Pilatus was attempting to steal the man's car.
- February 14 - The Artist Formerly Known As Prince marries backup singer Mayte Garcia.
- February 20 - Snoop Doggy Dogg and his bodyguard acquitted of first degree murder. The jury deadlocks on voluntary manslaughter charges and a mistrial is declared.
- March 4 - The Beatles' second reunion song is released, as part of their first reuinion since the band's breakup 26 years earlier. The song is simply a finished version of a John Lennon demo from 1980; a song called Real Love.
- March 13 - Ramones fans riot in Buenos Aires, Argentina after waiting all night for concert tickets only to find out that the show had been sold out.
- March 16 - Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men ends its 16th consecutive week at No. 1 with "One Sweet Day". It is the longest consecutive week stay at No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history.
- March 18 - The Sex Pistols announce that they are reuniting for a 20th anniversary tour.
- March 28 - Phil Collins announces that he is leaving Genesis to focus on his solo career.
- April 3 - M.C. Hammer files for bankruptcy.
- April 4 - The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia's widow, Deborah, scatter part of Garcia's ashes in the Ganges River in India.
- April 15 - The remaining part of Jerry Garcia's ashes are scattered near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
- April 24 - This Train, Rick Elias, Jimmy A, Phil Keaggy, Carolyn Arends, Third Day & Ashley Cleveland perform a tribute concert for Rich Mullins at Nashville's Cafe Milano. Speakers included Reunion Records executive Terry Hemmings, record producer Reed Arvin, disc jockey Jon Rivers, & author Brennan Manning.
- May 8 - In Los Angeles, California, a judge rules against Tommy Lee and wife actress Pamela Anderson Lee in their attempt to keep Penthouse magazine from publishing still photos taken from an X-rated home movie which was stolen from their home.
- July - The Smashing Pumpkins drummer, Jimmy Chamberlin, is arrested for possession of a controlled substance. The other band members fire him because they said his "insidious battle with drugs and alcohol" had nearly ruined everything for the band.
- August 6 - The Ramones play their last ever show at Lollapalooza.
- September 7 - Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot 4 times in Las Vegas, Nevada while leaving the MGM Grand hotel, after seeing the Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon boxing match, in what is apparently a drive-by shooting.
- September 12 - Controversy follows The Eagles when the band dedicates "Peaceful Easy Feeling" to Saddam Hussein at a United States Democratic Party fundraiser held in Los Angeles.
- September 13 - Tupac Shakur died in hospital after his wounds from the Las Vegas, Nevada MGM Grand shooting.
- November 8 - After having first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, the film Hype!, a documentary on the Seattle grunge scene, opens to general audiences
- Larry Ewing creates Tux, the Linux mascot.
- Sildenafil patented.
[edit] Births
[edit] Deaths
- January 25 - Jonathan Larson, composer
- February 2 - Gene Kelly, actor
- February 6 - Guy Madison, actor
- February 11 - Phil Regan, singer,actor
- February 13 - Martin Balsam, actor
- February 14 - McLean Stevenson, actor
- February 15 - Tommy Rettig, actor
- February 17 - Evelyn Laye, English actress and singer
- February 20 - Toru Takemitsu, composer
- February 25 - Haing S. Ngor, actor
- March 2 - Lyle Talbot, actor
- March 4 - Minnie Pearl (84)
- March 13 - Krzysztof Kieslowski, Polish film director
- March 15 - Olga Rudge (101), violinist
- March 17 - René Clément, French film director
- March 22 - Don Murray, The Turtles
- April 6 - Greer Garson, actress
- April 16 - Lucille Bremer, actress
- April 18 - Bernard Edwards, Chic, pneumonia
- May 8 - Celedonio Romero, leader of the Romeros guitar quartet,
- May 20 - Jon Pertwee, actor
- May 21 - Lash La Rue, cowboy actor
- May 25 - Brad Nowell, lead singer and guitarist for Sublime
- June 7 - Max Factor, make-up artist and founder of Max Factor Cosmetics
- June 10 - Jo Van Fleet, actress
- June 11 - Brigitte Helm, German actress
- June 15 - Ella Fitzgerald, jazz singer
- July 2 - Margaux Hemingway, model, actress
- July 16 - John Panozzo, 48, drummer for Styx and brother of Chuck Panozzo
- July 17 - Marcel Dadi 45, French country and western guitarist died in crash of TWA flight 800
- July 29 - Jason Thirsk, bass member of Pennywise
- July 30 - Claudette Colbert, actress
- August 13 - David Tudor, pianist and composer
- August 14 - Sergiu Celibidache, orchestral conductor
- September 7 - Bibi Besch, actress
- September 10 - Joanne Dru, actress
- September 13 - Tupac Shakur, rap singer/songwriter, actor
- September 14 - Juliet Prowse, dancer, actress
- September 18 - Annabella, actress
- September 22 - Dorothy Lamour, actress
- October 14 - Laura La Plante, actress
- October 31 - Marcel Carné, French film director
- November 14 - Virginia Cherrill, actress
- November 19 - Véra Korène, Russian born French actress
- November 30 - Tiny Tim, musician
- December 8 - Howard E. Rollins Jr, actor
- December 19 - Marcello Mastroianni, actor
- December 20 - Carl Sagan
- December 29 - Mireille, French singer
- December 30 - Lew Ayres, actor
[edit] Films released
- 101 Dalmatians
- 12 Monkeys
- A Time to Kill
- Fargo
- Island of Dr. Moreau
- Independence Day
- Jerry Maguire
- Matilda
- Mission: Impossible
- Ransom
- Romeo and Juliet
- Sling Blade
- Space Jam
- The Birdcage
- The Nutty Professor
- The Rock
- Trainspotting
- Twister
[edit] Hit songs
- "Angry Johnny" - Poe
- "Macarena" - Los Del Rio
- "Professional Widow (Star Trunk Funkin' Mix)" - Tori Amos
- "Wonderwall" - Oasis
- "6th Avenue Heartache" - The Wallflowers
- "Aeroplane" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
- "All Mixed Up" - 311
- "California Love" - 2Pac
- "Can't Get You Off My Mind" - Lenny Kravitz
- "Change the World" - Eric Clapton
- "Down" - 311
- "Free As A Bird" - The Beatles
- "Give Me One Reason" - Tracy Chapman
- "Head Over Feet" - Alanis Morissette
- "How Do U Want It" - 2Pac
- "I Want To Come Over" - Melissa Etheridge
- "If It Makes You Happy" - Sheryl Crow
- "The Beautiful People" - Marilyn Manson
- "Wash Away" - Vertical Horizon
- "You Learn" - Alanis Morissette
[edit] New books
- Absolute Power - David Baldacci
- Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
- Bandarshah - Al-Tayyib Salih
- By the Shores of Gitchee Gumee - Tama Janowitz
- Excession - Iain M. Banks
- Executive Orders - Tom Clancy
- Feet of Clay - Terry Pratchett
- Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
- Fighting for Canada (Maîtres Chanteurs Chez Nous!) - Diane Francis
- A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
- The Fourth Estate - Jeffrey Archer
- Gods and Generals - Jeff Shaara
- The Goldberg Variations - Nancy Huston
- The Gun Seller - Hugh Laurie
- Hackers - short story collection
- Hogfather - Terry Pratchett
- How Stella Got Her Groove Back - Terry McMillan
- Intensity - Dean R. Koontz
- Kiki's Memoirs - Kiki, (translation by Samuel Putnam)
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt
- Moonlight Becomes You - Mary Higgins Clark
- Polaroids From The Dead - Douglas Coupland
- Primary Colors - Joe Klein as "Anonymous"
- The Runaway Jury - John Grisham
- Selected Stories - Mavis Gallant
- Sofia; The Sultan's Daughter - Ann Chamberlin
- The Tailor of Panama - John le Carré
- The Tenth Insight - James Redfield
- Undaunted Courage - Stephen Ambrose
- A Vicious Circle - Amanda Craig
