File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank
A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelle ...
explodes on TWA Flight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA800) was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 8:31pm. EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy Internationa ...
, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on board; Eight people die in a blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling ...
on Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...
; Dolly the Sheep
Dolly (5 July 1996 – 14 February 2003) was a female Finnish Dorset sheep and the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell. She was cloned by associates of the Roslin Institute in Scotland, using the process of nuclear transfer from a ...
becomes the first mammal to have been cloned from an adult somatic cell; The Port Arthur Massacre occurs on Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, and leads to major changes in Australia's gun laws; Macarena
"Macarena" is a dance song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, about a woman of the same name. The song uses a type of clave rhythm. Originally appearing on the 1993 album '' A mí me gusta'', a subsequent remix by Miami-based producers The Bays ...
, sung by Los del Río
Los del Río (, "Those from the River"), also known as The Del Rios, are a Spanish Latin pop and dance duo which was formed in 1962 by Antonio Romero Monge (17 February 1948) and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones (10 November 1947). They are best known fo ...
and remixed by The Bayside Boys, becomes a major dance craze and cultural phenomenon; Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 crash-ditches off of the Comoros Islands after the plane was hijacked; the 1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
are held in Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, marking the Centennial (100th Anniversary) of the modern Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
., 300x300px, thumb
rect 0 0 200 200 Centennial Olympic Park bombing
rect 200 0 400 200 TWA FLight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA800) was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 8:31pm. EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy Internationa ...
rect 400 0 600 200 1996 Mount Everest disaster
The 1996 Mount Everest disaster occurred on 10–11 May 1996 when eight climbers caught in a blizzard died on Mount Everest while attempting to descend from the summit. Over the entire season, 12 people died trying to reach the summit, making i ...
rect 0 200 300 400 1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
rect 300 200 600 400 Dolly the Sheep
Dolly (5 July 1996 – 14 February 2003) was a female Finnish Dorset sheep and the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell. She was cloned by associates of the Roslin Institute in Scotland, using the process of nuclear transfer from a ...
rect 0 400 200 600 Ethiopian Airlines FLight 961
rect 200 400 400 600 Macarena
"Macarena" is a dance song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, about a woman of the same name. The song uses a type of clave rhythm. Originally appearing on the 1993 album '' A mí me gusta'', a subsequent remix by Miami-based producers The Bays ...
rect 400 400 600 600 Port Arthur Massacre
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events
January
*
January 8 – A
Zaire
Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...
an cargo plane
crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
,
Kinshasa, killing 300 people.
*
January 9–
20 – Serious fighting breaks out between Russian soldiers and rebel fighters in
Chechnya.
*
January 11
Events Pre-1600
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
* 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muha ...
–
Ryutaro Hashimoto
was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1996 to 1998. He was the leader of one of the largest factions within the ruling LDP through most of the 1990s and remained a powerful back-room player in Japanese politi ...
, leader of the
Liberal Democratic Party, becomes
Prime Minister of Japan
The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...
.
*
January 13 –
Italy's Prime Minister,
Lamberto Dini
Lamberto Dini CGMG (born 1 March 1931) is an Italian politician and economist. He was the Director General of Bank of Italy from 1979 to 1994, Minister of Treasury from 1994 to 1996, the 51st Prime Minister of Italy from 1995 to 1996, and Forei ...
, resigns after the failure of all-party talks to confirm him. New talks are initiated by President
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (; 9 September 1918 – 29 January 2012) was the president of Italy from 1992 to 1999. A member of Christian Democracy (DC), he became an independent politician after the DC's dissolution in 1992, and was close to the centr ...
to form a new government.
*
January 14 –
Jorge Sampaio
Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio (; 18 September 1939 – 10 September 2021) was a Portuguese lawyer and politician who was the 18th president of Portugal from 1996 to 2006. A member of the Socialist Party, a party which he led between 1989 a ...
is elected President of Portugal.
*
January 16 – President of
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
Valentine Strasser
Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser (born 26 April 1967) is an ex-military leader who served as head of state of Sierra Leone from 1992 to 1996. Previously a junior military officer he became the world's youngest Head of State in 1992, seizin ...
is deposed by the chief of defence,
Julius Maada Bio
Julius Maada Wonie Bio (born 12 May 1964) is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier general in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leo ...
. Bio promises to restore power following elections scheduled for February.
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrend ...
** The
''North Cape'' oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat ''Scandia'' ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
. The ''North Cape'' Barge is pulled along with it and leaks 820,000 gallons of home heating oil.
** An
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n ferry sinks off the northern tip of
Sumatra, drowning more than 100 people.
*
January 20 –
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
is re-elected president of the
Palestinian Authority.
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
* 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when ...
– France undertakes its
last nuclear weapons test.
*
January 22 –
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, ...
,
Prime Minister of Greece, resigns due to health problems; a new government forms under
Costas Simitis
Konstantinos G. Simitis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Σημίτης; born 23 June 1936), usually referred to as Costas Simitis or Kostas Simitis (Κώστας Σημίτης), is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece a ...
.
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
*1438 – The Cou ...
– Polish Premier
Józef Oleksy
Józef Oleksy (; 22 June 1946 – 9 January 2015) was a Polish left-wing politician, former chairman of the Democratic Left Alliance (''Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej'', SLD).
Early life and education
In his youth he lived in Nowy Sącz, and wa ...
resigns amid charges that he spied for
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
. He is replaced by
Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz
Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz (, born 13 September 1950) is a Polish left-wing politician who served as Prime Minister of Poland for a year from 7 February 1996 to 31 October 1997, after being defeated in the Parliamentary elections by the Solidarity ...
.
*
January 27 – Colonel
Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
General Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara (May 9, 1949 – April 9, 1999) was a military officer and diplomat in Niger who ruled the country from his seizure of power in 1996 until his assassination during the military coup of April 1999.
Baré Maïn ...
deposes the first democratically elected President of
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[Mahamane Ousmane
Mahamane Ousmane (born 20 January 1950), press release no. 179, is a Nigerien politician. He was the first democratically elected and fourth President of Niger, serving from 16 April 1993, U.S. Department of State. until he was deposed in a mili ...](_blank)
, in a military coup.
*
January 28
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany.
* 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accession ...
– The
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
defeat the
Pittsburgh Steelers 27–17 in
Super Bowl XXX for their fifth Super Bowl victory.
*
January 31
Events Pre-1600
* 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
*1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the ...
**
Colombo Central Bank bombing
The Central Bank bombing was one of the deadliest attacks carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the separatist civil war in Sri Lanka between the government and the Tamil Tigers.
Incident
The attack took place on ...
: an explosives-filled truck rams into the gates of the Central Bank in
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
,
Sri Lanka, killing at least 86 people and injuring 1,400.
**
An amateur astronomer from southern Japan discovers
Comet Hyakutake
Comet Hyakutake (, formally designated C/1996 B2) is a comet, discovered on 31 January 1996, that passed very close to Earth in March of that year. It was dubbed the Great Comet of 1996; its passage near the Earth was one of the closest com ...
; it will pass very close to the Earth in March.
February
*
February 3 – The 6.6
earthquake near Lijiang in South-west China kills up to 322 people, injures 17,000, and leaves 300,000 homeless.
*
February 5 – The Kowloon Station From
Hung Hom Station
Hung Hom () is a railway station in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is an interchange station between the and the domestic services of the MTR network, as well as the southern terminus of cross-border through-trains to mainland China ...
, the Canton Rail to KCR East Rail.
*
February 6 –
Birgenair Flight 301
Birgenair Flight 301 was a flight chartered by Turkish-managed Birgenair partner Alas Nacionales from Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic to Frankfurt, Germany, via Gander, Canada, and Berlin, Germany. On February 6, 1996, the 757-200 ope ...
, on a charter flight from the
Caribbean to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
, killing all 189 passengers and crew.
*
February 7
Events Pre-1600
* 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor.
* 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
* 1301 &nd ...
–
René Préval
René Garcia Préval (; 17 January 1943 – 3 March 2017)
was a Haitian politician and agronomist who served twice as President of Haiti; once from early 1996 to early 2001, and again from mid 2006 to mid 2011. He was also Prime Minister from ...
succeeds
Jean-Bertrand Aristide as President of
Haiti in the first peaceful handover of power since the nation achieved independence 192 years earlier, in 1804.
*
February 9
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
* 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
*1539 – The first recorded race is held ...
** The element
copernicium
Copernicium is a synthetic chemical element with the symbol Cn and atomic number 112. Its known isotopes are extremely radioactive, and have only been created in a laboratory. The most stable known isotope, copernicium-285, has a half-life of ap ...
is created by fusing a
208Pb nucleus with a
70Zn nucleus, forming
278Cn. Given the placeholder name "ununbium", the element is not named until 2010.
** An
IRA
Ira or IRA may refer to:
*Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name
*Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name
*Iran, UNDP code IRA
Law
*Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...
ceasefire ends with the
Docklands bombing in London's
Canary Wharf District, killing two people and causing over £85,000,000 worth of damage.
**
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
formally finalizes its $19 billion acquisition of the
ABC parent,
Capital Cities/ABC Inc.
*
February 10
Events Pre-1600
* 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
* 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, spar ...
–
Bosnian Serb
The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби у Босни и Херцеговини, Srbi u Bosni i Hercegovini) are one of the three constitutive nations (state-forming nations) of the country, predominantly residing in the politi ...
s break off contact with the
Bosnian government and with representatives of Ifor, the
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
localised force, in reaction to the arrest of several Bosnian Serb war criminals.
*
February 14 – Violent clashes erupt between
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
soldiers and
Vietnamese boat people
Vietnamese boat people ( vi, Thuyền nhân Việt Nam), also known simply as boat people, refers to the refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its ...
, as the Filipino government attempts to forcibly
repatriate
Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...
hundreds of Vietnamese
asylum seeker
An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...
s.
*
February 15
** The American Embassy in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
, comes under mortar fire.
** Begum
Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...
is re-elected as Prime Minister of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
. The country's second democratic election is marred by low voter turnout, due to several boycotts and pre-election violence, which has resulted in at least thirteen deaths.
** The UK government publishes the
Scott Report
The Scott Report (the ''Report of the Inquiry into the Export of Defence Equipment and Dual-Use Goods to Iraq and Related Prosecutions'') was a judicial inquiry commissioned in 1992 after reports surfaced of previously restricted arms sales to ...
.
*
February 17 – The 8.2
Biak earthquake strikes the
Papua province of eastern
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
with a maximum
Mercalli intensity
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...
of VIII (''Severe''). A large tsunami followed, leaving 166 people dead or missing and 423 injured.
*
February 24 –
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
n fighter jets shoot down two American aircraft belonging to the Cuban exile group
Brothers to the Rescue
Brothers to the Rescue ( es, Hermanos al Rescate) is a Miami-based activist nonprofit organization headed by José Basulto. Formed by Cuban exiles, the group is widely known for its opposition to the Cuban government and its former leader Fidel Ca ...
. Cuban officials assert that they invaded Cuban airspace.
*
February 25 – Two suicide bombs in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
kill 25 and injure 80;
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam ...
claims responsibility.
*
February 29
February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to leap years. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in mos ...
**
Faucett Perú Flight 251
Faucett Perú Flight 251 refers to a Boeing 737-200 that was operating a domestic scheduled Lima–Arequipa–Tacna passenger service and crashed on 29 February 1996, while completing the first leg, on approach to Rodríguez Ballón Internationa ...
en route from
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
to Rodriguez Ballon airport crashes into a mountain near
Arequipa; all 123 people on board are killed.
** At least 81 people drown when a boat capsizes 120 kilometres east of
Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...
,
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
.
** The
Bosnian government declares the end of the
Siege of Sarajevo
The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav People's Army, the city was then be ...
.
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
–
Iraq disarmament crisis
The Iraq disarmament crisis was claimed as one of primary issues that led to the multinational invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003. Since the 1980s, Iraq was widely assumed to have been producing and extensively running the programs of biologi ...
: Iraqi forces refuse
UNSCOM
United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was an inspection regime created by the United Nations to ensure Iraq's compliance with policies concerning Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction after the Gulf War. Between 1991 and 19 ...
inspection teams access to five sites designated for inspection. The teams enter the sites only after delays of up to seventeen hours.
*
March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...
** The plane of the Brazilian rock band
Mamonas Assassinas crashes in the
Serra da Cantareira, killing all its members on board. Their short lived and "meteoric" success were celebrated for decades and the members are remembered and celebrated even to the present day in Brazil.
**
1996 Australian federal election
The 1996 Australian federal election was held to determine the members of the 38th Parliament of Australia. It was held on 2 March 1996. All 148 seats of the House of Representatives and 40 seats of the 76-seat Senate were up for election. Th ...
: The
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
/
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
Coalition led by
John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...
defeats the
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the la ...
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
led by
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously serv ...
. Howard was sworn in on March 11.
*
March 3
Events Pre-1600
* 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan.
* 1575 & ...
–
José María Aznar, leader of the
Popular Party, is elected as
Prime Minister of Spain
The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government ( es, link=no, Presidente del Gobierno), is the head of government of Spain. The office was established in its current form by the Constitution of Spain, Constitution of 1978 a ...
, replacing
Felipe González
Felipe González Márquez (; born 5 March 1942) is a Spanish lawyer, professor, and politician, who was the Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997, and the 3rd Prime Minister of Spain since the ...
.
*
March 3
Events Pre-1600
* 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan.
* 1575 & ...
–
4 – Two suicide bombs explode in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, killing 32 people. The
Yahya Ayyash Units admit responsibility, and
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
president
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
condemns the killings in a televised address. Israel warns of retaliation.
*
March 6
Events Pre-1600
* 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor.
* 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
* 845 & ...
**
Mesut Yılmaz
Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz () (6 November 1947 – 30 October 2020) was a Turkish politician. He was the leader of the Motherland Party ( tr, Anavatan Partisi, ANAP) from 1991 to 2002, and served three times as Prime Minister of Turkey. His first two p ...
of
ANAP forms the new government of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
(53rd government).
** A boat carrying market traders capsizes outside
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...
harbour in
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
, killing at least 86 people.
**
Chechnya, Chechen rebels attack the Russian government headquarters in
Grozny
Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia.
The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a po ...
; 70 Russian soldiers and policemen and 130 Chechen fighters are killed.
*
March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bou ...
–
China begins
surface-to-surface missile
A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...
testing and military exercises off
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
ese coastal areas. The
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
government condemns the act as provocation, and the
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
ese government warns of retaliation.
*
March 9
Events Pre-1600
* 141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
* 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
* 1226 &nda ...
–
Jorge Sampaio
Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio (; 18 September 1939 – 10 September 2021) was a Portuguese lawyer and politician who was the 18th president of Portugal from 1996 to 2006. A member of the Socialist Party, a party which he led between 1989 a ...
becomes the new Portuguese president.
*
March 13
Events Pre-1600
*624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.
*1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.
*1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...
–
Dunblane massacre
The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996, when Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 pupils and one teacher, and injured 15 others, before killing himself. It remains the deadlie ...
: Unemployed former shopkeeper
Thomas Hamilton walks into the Dunblane Primary School in Scotland and opens fire, killing sixteen infant school pupils and one teacher before committing suicide.
*
March 14 – An international peace summit is held in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
in response to escalating terrorist attacks in the Middle East.
*
March 15
Events Pre-1600
*474 BC – Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce.
* 44 BC – The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place.
* 493 – Odo ...
–
Fokker, a major manufacturer of small size
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
, goes
bankrupt
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
in
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
*
March 16
Events Pre-1600
* 934 – Meng Zhixiang declares himself emperor and establishes Later Shu as a new state independent of Later Tang.
*1190 – Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York.
* 1244 – Over 200 Cathars who refuse ...
–
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...
is re-elected as President of
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
, although only 32% of the electorate actually voted.
*
March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ei ...
–
Sri Lanka wins the Cricket World Cup by beating
Australia in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
.
*
March 18
Events Pre-1600
* 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ''(aka Caligula = Little Boots)'' emperor.Tacitus, ''Annals'' V.10.
* 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Ara ...
– The
Ozone Disco Club fire
The Ozone Disco fire in Quezon City, Philippines, broke out at 11:35 pm Philippine Standard Time on March 18, 1996, leaving at least 162 people dead. It is officially acknowledged as the worst fire in Philippine history, and among the 10 wo ...
in
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
kills 163 people.
*
March 22
Events Pre-1600
* 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
* 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century.
* 871 – Æthelr ...
–
Sweden's Finance Minister
Göran Persson
Hans Göran Persson (; born 20 January 1949) is a Swedish politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007.
Persson was first elected to the Swedish Parliam ...
becomes the new
Prime Minister of Sweden
The prime minister ( sv, statsminister ; literally translating to "Minister of State") is the head of government of Sweden. The prime minister and their cabinet (the government) exercise executive authority in the Kingdom of Sweden and are su ...
.
*
March 23
Events Pre-1600
*1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official.
*1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last rel ...
–
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
(Republic of China) holds its first direct elections for president;
Lee Teng-hui is re-elected.
*
March 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6.
*1387 – English victory over a Franco- Castilian-Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margate o ...
– The
Marcopper mining disaster on the island of
Marinduque,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
takes place.
*
March 25 – The
68th Academy Awards
The 68th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1995 in the United States and took place on March 25, 1996, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beg ...
, hosted by
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
, are held at the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
with ''
Braveheart'' winning
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
.
*
March 26
Events Pre-1600
* 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
*1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, ...
– The
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...
approves a $10.2 billion loan to
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
for economic reform.
April
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
*1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
*1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created.
* ...
** A
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
military jet crashes into a mountain north of Dubrovnik, Croatia. All 35 people on board are killed, including
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...
Ron Brown
Ronald Harmon Brown (August 1, 1941 – April 3, 1996) was an American politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Commerce during the first term of President Bill Clinton. Prior to this he was chairman of the Democratic National Co ...
.
** Massacres of
Hutu
The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the p ...
s by
Tutsi
The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic ...
s in
Burundi take place with more than 450 killed within a few days.
** The FBI arrested
Theodore Kaczynski, the suspected Unabomber at his cabin in
Lincoln, Montana
Lincoln is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,013.
History
Meriwether Lewis passed through the area on his return to St. L ...
.
*
April 6
Events Pre–1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus.
* 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.
*13 ...
** Fighting breaks out in
Monrovia
Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As th ...
,
Liberia, between various rebel factions struggling for power in the country's interrupted civil war. Several foreign nationals leave the nation.
**
Turkish authorities begin Operation Hawk, a military offensive against rebels from the
Kurdistan Workers' Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of sout ...
in south-east Turkey.
*
April 9
Events Pre-1600
* 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, su ...
– In a common statement, the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
officially recognises the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
.
*
April 11
Events Pre-1600
* 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I.
*1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi.
*1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: Franco-Ferrare ...
– The
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i government launches
Operation Grapes of Wrath
Operation Grapes of Wrath ( he, מבצע ענבי זעם ''Mivtsa Enavi Zaam''), known in Lebanon as the April Aggression (), is the seventeen-day campaign of the Israeli Defense Forces against Hezbollah in 1996 which attempted to end rocket at ...
, consisting of massive attacks on
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
, in retaliation for "terrorist attacks", and sparking off a violent series of retaliations.
*
April 13 –
Mansouri massacre: 2 women and 4 children are killed after an Israeli helicopter strikes an ambulance in
Mansouri, Lebanon.
*
April 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
* 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide.
* 73 – Masad ...
–
Nabatieh Fawka massacre: A Israeli strike on a civilian house in
Nabatieh Fawka, Lebanon, kills 9 people, including 7 children.
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
**
Qana massacre
The Qana massacre took place on April 18, 1996, near Qana, a village in Southern Lebanon, when the Israel Defense Forces fired artillery shells at a United Nations compound. The artillery barrage had been launched to cover an Israeli special f ...
: Over 100
Lebanese civilians are killed after Israel shells the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
compound in
Qana
Qana, also spelled Cana or Kana, ( ar, قانا) is a town in southern Lebanon located southeast of the city of Tyre and north of the border with Israel, in an area historically known as Upper Galilee.
The 10,000 residents of Qana are pr ...
. In reaction, an
Islamist group in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
opens fire on a hotel, killing eighteen Greek tourists and injuring seventeen others.
** Two days before the NFL draft, Nebraska
Quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Brook Berringer is killed when the plane he is piloting crashes in an alfalfa field. During the 1996 NFL draft, the league held a moment of silence for Berringer, who was expected to be selected by the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
.
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
–
19 – Two consecutive tornados hit
Decatur, Illinois, causing approximately $10.5 million in damage. The April 19 tornado also hits
Urbana and
Ogden.
*
April 21 – A
general election in Italy proclaims a new center-left government headed by
Romano Prodi
Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Pr ...
, replacing
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies f ...
.
*
April 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th dynasty).
*1183 BC – Traditional reckoning of the Fall of Troy ...
– At the urging of
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
, the
Palestine Liberation Organization drops its clause calling for the removal of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. The Israeli government responds by dropping a similar clause concerning the existence of
Palestine.
*
April 26
Events Pre-1600
* 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
*1348 – Czech king Karel IV founds the Charles University in Prague, which was later named after him and was the first university in Central Europe.
* 1 ...
– Shanghai Five group, predecessor of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
russian: Шанхайская Организация Сотрудничества
, image =
, caption =
, logo = SCO logo.svg
, logo_size = 160px
, map = Shanghai Cooperati ...
, is created with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
by the heads of states of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
*
April 28
Events Pre-1600
* 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...
**
Port Arthur massacre (Australia)
The Port Arthur massacre was a mass shooting that occurred on 28 April 1996 at Port Arthur, a tourist town in the Australian state of Tasmania. The perpetrator, Martin Bryant, killed 35 people and wounded 23 others, the worst massacre in mod ...
:
Martin Bryant
Martin John Bryant (born 7 May 1967) is a convicted Australian mass shooter who murdered 35 people and injured 23 others in the Port Arthur massacre, one of the world's deadliest shooting sprees, in Port Arthur, Tasmania, be ...
kills 35 people at the
Port Arthur tourist site in
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
.
**
Bhai Pheru bus bombing: A bomb explodes in
Bhai Pheru,
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, killing more than 60 people.
May
* May –
Iraq disarmament crisis
The Iraq disarmament crisis was claimed as one of primary issues that led to the multinational invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003. Since the 1980s, Iraq was widely assumed to have been producing and extensively running the programs of biologi ...
: UNSCOM supervises the destruction of Al-Hakam, Iraq's main production facility of biological warfare agents.
*
May 9
Events Pre-1600
* 328 – Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria.
*1009 – Lombard Revolt: Lombard forces led by Melus revolt in Bari against the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
*1386 – England and Portugal formally rati ...
** South Africa's
National Party pulls out of the coalition government formed two years earlier, and the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...
assumes full political control.
**
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
n president
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...
wins a landslide victory in the country's first direct presidential elections, securing 75% of the vote.
*
May 10
**
1996 Everest disaster: A sudden storm engulfs
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...
with several climbing teams high on the mountain, leaving eight people dead. By the end of the month, at least four other climbers die in the worst season of fatalities on the mountain to date.
** The Australian government introduces a nationwide ban on the private possession of both
automatic and
semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger, and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber. For comparison, a bolt-a ...
s, in response to the
Port Arthur massacre.
*
May 11 – After takeoff from
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, a fire started by improperly handled
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...
canisters in the cargo hold of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
-bound
ValuJet Flight 592
ValuJet Airlines Flight 592 was a regularly scheduled flight from Miami International Airport to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. On May 11, 1996, the ValuJet Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9 operating the route crashed into t ...
causes the
Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas.
After ...
to crash in the
Florida Everglades
The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimm ...
, killing all 110 people on board.
*
May 13
Events Pre-1600
*1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book '' Revelations of Divine Love''.
* 1501 – Amerigo Vespu ...
– Severe
thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are some ...
s and a
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
kill 600 people.
*
May 17
Events Pre-1600
*1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army.
*1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.
* 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Flo ...
–
28 –
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...
, is elected as
Prime Minister of India, replacing
P. V. Narasimha Rao of the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
. However, the party does not receive an overall majority and Vajpayee resigns thirteen days later rather than face a no confidence vote and is replaced by the
United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political ...
leader,
Deve Gowda.
*
May 18
Events Pre-1600
* 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople.
* 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of ...
– The
X Prize Foundation launches the $10,000,000
Ansari X Prize.
*
May 21
Events Pre-1600
* 293 – Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as ''Caesar'' to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy.
* 878 – Syracuse, Sicily, is captured by the Muslim Aghlabi ...
** The ''
MV Bukoba'' sinks in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
n waters in
Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000 people in one of Africa's worst maritime disasters.
** The
Trappist
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...
Martyrs of Atlas On the night of 26–27 March 1996, seven monks of the Trappist order from the Our Lady of the Atlas Abbey of Tibhirine near Médéa, Algeria, were kidnapped during the Algerian Civil War. They were held for two months, and found dead in late Ma ...
are executed.
*
May 23
Events Pre-1600
* 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction.
*1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
* 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VI ...
– Members of the
Armed Islamic Group
The Armed Islamic Group (GIA, from french: Groupe Islamique Armé; ar, الجماعة الإسلامية المسلّحة, al-Jamāʿa l-ʾIslāmiyya l-Musallaḥa) was one of the two main Islamist insurgent groups that fought the Algerian gove ...
in
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
kill seven French
Trappist
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...
monks, after talks with French government concerning the imprisonment of several GIA sympathisers break down.
*
May 27 –
First Chechnya War: Russian President
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...
meets with
Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a ceasefire for the dispute.
*
May 28
Events Pre-1600
*585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from ...
–
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
's general election of
May 26
Events Pre-1600
* 17 – Germanicus celebrates a triumph in Rome for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti, and other German tribes west of the Elbe.
* 451 – Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sasanian Empire tak ...
is declared unfair by international monitors, and the ruling
Democratic Party under President Muhannad Ibrahim is charged by the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...
with rigging the elections. Several hundred protestors gather in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
to demonstrate against the election result.
*
May 30 – The
Likud Party
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...
, led by
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
, wins a narrow victory in the
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i general election.
June
* June –
Iraq disarmament crisis
The Iraq disarmament crisis was claimed as one of primary issues that led to the multinational invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003. Since the 1980s, Iraq was widely assumed to have been producing and extensively running the programs of biologi ...
: As Iraq continues to refuse inspectors access to a number of sites, the United States fails in its attempt to build support for military action against Iraq in the UN Security Council.
*
June 1
Events Pre-1600
*1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu.
* 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed k ...
–
3 – The Czech Republic's first general election ends inconclusively. Prime Minister
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...
and his incumbent
Civic Democratic Party emerge as the winners, but are unable to form a majority government. President
Václav Havel
Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...
refuses to invite Klaus to form a coalition.
*
June 4
Events Pre-1600
*1411 – King Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries.
* 1561 – The steeple of St Paul's, the medieval cathedr ...
– The space
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
Ariane 5 explodes forty seconds after takeoff in
French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...
. The project costs European governments $7,500,000,000 over eleven years.
*
June 6 –
Leighton W. Smith, Jr.
Leighton Warren Smith Jr. (born August 20, 1939) is a former United States Navy admiral. In 1994, he became the Commander in Chief of United States Naval Forces Europe and Allied Forces Southern Europe, holding the commands during the height of t ...
resigns as
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
commander in the face of increasing criticism.
*
June 8
Events Pre-1600
* 218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus.
* 452 – Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern province ...
–
30 –
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
hosts the
UEFA Euro 1996
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
football tournament, which is won by
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
*
June 11
Events Pre-1600
* 173 – Marcomannic Wars: The Roman army in Moravia is encircled by the Quadi, who have broken the peace treaty (171). In a violent thunderstorm emperor Marcus Aurelius defeats and subdues them in the so-called "miracle ...
** An explosion in a
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
suburban shopping centre kills 44 people and injures more than 100.
** A peace convoy carrying
Chechen separatist leaders and international diplomats is targeted by a series of remotely controlled land mines; eight people are killed.
*
June 15
Events Pre-1600
* 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
* 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II.
* 923 – Battle of So ...
– In
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, UK, an
IRA bomb injures over 200 people and devastates a large part of the city centre.
*
June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
** A new government is formed in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
, with
Necmettin Erbakan
Necmettin Erbakan (29 October 1926 – 27 February 2011) was a Turkish politician, engineer, and academic who was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997. He was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was later ba ...
of
Refah Partisi
The Welfare Party ( tr, Refah Partisi, RP) was an Islamist political party in Turkey. It was founded by Ali Türkmen, Ahmet Tekdal, and Necmettin Erbakan in Ankara in 1983 as heir to two earlier parties, National Order Party (MNP) and National ...
becoming Prime Minister of the coalition government, and Deputy/Foreign Minister
Tansu Çiller
Tansu Çiller (; born 24 May 1946) is a Turkish academic, economist and politician who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Turkey from 1993 to 1996. She is Turkey's first and only female prime minister to date. As the leader of the True Path P ...
of the
True Path Party
The True Path Party ( tr, Doğru Yol Partisi, DYP) was a centre-right political party in Turkey, active from 1983 to 2007. For most of its history, the party's central figure was Süleyman Demirel, a former Prime Minister of Turkey who previously ...
succeeding him after two years.
** The
Constitution of Ukraine
The Constitution of Ukraine ( uk, Конституція України, translit=Konstytutsiia Ukrainy) is the fundamental law of Ukraine. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the ''Verkhovna Rada'', the parliament ...
is signed into law.
*
June 29
Events Pre-1600
* 226 – Cao Rui succeeds his father as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei.
*1149 – Raymond of Poitiers is defeated and killed at the Battle of Inab by Nur ad-Din Zangi.
* 1194 – Sverre is crowned King of Norway, ...
**
The Prince's Trust
The Prince's Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth y Tywysog) is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are u ...
concert is held in
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Pa ...
, and is attended by 150,000 people.
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
headlines the event in their first performance since 1989.
** An explosion in a firecrackers factory in
Sichuan Province
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
, China kills at least 52 people and injures 83 others.
*
June 30
Events Pre-1600
* 296 – Pope Marcellinus begins his papacy.
* 763 – The Byzantine army of emperor Constantine V defeats the Bulgarian forces in the Battle of Anchialus.
*1422 – Battle of Arbedo between the duke of Milan ...
**
Costas Simitis
Konstantinos G. Simitis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Σημίτης; born 23 June 1936), usually referred to as Costas Simitis or Kostas Simitis (Κώστας Σημίτης), is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece a ...
is elected president of the
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( el, Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellínio Sosialistikó Kínima, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK, (; , ) is a social-democratic political party in Greece. Until 2012, it ...
of Greece.
**
Bosnian Serb
The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби у Босни и Херцеговини, Srbi u Bosni i Hercegovini) are one of the three constitutive nations (state-forming nations) of the country, predominantly residing in the politi ...
leader
Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžić ( sr-cyr, Радован Караџић, ; born 19 June 1945) is a Bosnian Serb politician, psychiatrist and poet. He was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Tr ...
relinquishes power to his deputy,
Biljana Plavšić
Biljana Plavšić ( sr-Cyrl, Биљана Плавшић; born 7 July 1930) is a former Bosnian Serb politician and university professor who served as President of Republika Srpska and was later convicted of crimes against humanity for her role ...
.
July
* July
**
Iraq disarmament crisis
The Iraq disarmament crisis was claimed as one of primary issues that led to the multinational invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003. Since the 1980s, Iraq was widely assumed to have been producing and extensively running the programs of biologi ...
: U.N. Inspector
Scott Ritter
William Scott Ritter Jr. (born July 15, 1961) is an American author and pundit and a former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer and United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) weapons inspector. He served as a junior military analyst d ...
attempts to conduct surprise inspections on the Republican Guard facility at the airport but is blocked by
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
i officials.
** The
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n government officially renames the city of Madras, restoring the name
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
.
*
July 1
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor.
* 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...
** The
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
in Australia legalises voluntary
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different eut ...
.
**
German orthography reform of 1996
The German orthography reform of 1996 (') was a change to German spelling and punctuation that was intended to simplify German orthography and thus to make it easier to learn, without substantially changing the rules familiar to users of the lan ...
agreed internationally.
*
July 3
Events Pre-1600
* 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
* 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revol ...
–
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...
is
re-elected as
President of Russia
The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
after the second round of elections.
*
July 5
Events Pre-1600
* 328 – The official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus ( Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius.
* 1316 – The Burgundian a ...
–
Dolly the sheep
Dolly (5 July 1996 – 14 February 2003) was a female Finnish Dorset sheep and the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell. She was cloned by associates of the Roslin Institute in Scotland, using the process of nuclear transfer from a ...
, the first
mammal to be successfully
cloned
Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, c ...
from an adult
cell
Cell most often refers to:
* Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life
Cell may also refer to:
Locations
* Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...
, is born at the
Roslin Institute
The Roslin Institute is an animal sciences research institute at Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, part of the University of Edinburgh, and is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
It is best known for creat ...
in
Midlothian
Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
,
UK.
*
July 11
Events Pre-1600
* 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death.
* 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abd ...
– Arrest warrants are issued for
Bosnian Serb
The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби у Босни и Херцеговини, Srbi u Bosni i Hercegovini) are one of the three constitutive nations (state-forming nations) of the country, predominantly residing in the politi ...
war criminals
Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžić ( sr-cyr, Радован Караџић, ; born 19 June 1945) is a Bosnian Serb politician, psychiatrist and poet. He was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Tr ...
and
Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić ( sr-Cyrl, Ратко Младић, ; born 12 March 1942) is a Bosnian Serb convicted war criminal and colonel-general who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars. In 2017, he was found guilty of committing ...
by the
Russell Tribunal
The Russell Tribunal, also known as the International War Crimes Tribunal, Russell–Sartre Tribunal, or Stockholm Tribunal, was a private People's Tribunal organised in 1966 by Bertrand Russell, British philosopher and Nobel Prize winner, and ...
in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
.
*
July 12
Events Pre-1600
* 70 – The armies of Titus attack the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Three days later they breach the walls, which enables the army to destroy the Second Temple.
* 927 – King Constantine II of ...
–
Hurricane Bertha The name Bertha has been used for ten tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean.
* Tropical Storm Bertha (1957), a moderate tropical storm that threatened areas devastated by Hurricane Audrey two months earlier, but did not become a hurricane and ca ...
: made landfall in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
as a Category 2 storm, causing $270 million in damage ($ in present-day terms) to the United States and its possessions and many indirect deaths.
*
July 16
Events Pre-1600
* 622 – The beginning of the Islamic calendar.
* 997 – Battle of Spercheios: Bulgarian forces of Tsar Samuel are defeated by a Byzantine army under general Nikephoros Ouranos at the Spercheios River in Greece.
* 1 ...
– An outbreak of
E. coli food poisoning
Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food,
as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease) ...
in Japan results in 6,000 children being ill, including two deaths, after a group of school children eat contaminated lunches.
*
July 17
Events Pre-1600
* 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
* 1048 – Damas ...
** The
Community of Portuguese Language Countries
The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Portuguese: ''Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa''; abbreviated as the CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth (''Comunidade Lusófona''), is an international organization and poli ...
(Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa) is constituted.
** Paris- and Rome-bound
TWA Flight 800
Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA800) was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 8:31pm. EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy Internationa ...
(
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
) explodes off the coast of
Long Island, New York
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...
, killing all 230 people on board.
*
July 19
Events Pre-1600
*AD 64 – The Great Fire of Rome causes widespread devastation and rages on for six days, destroying half of the city.
* 484 – Leontius, Roman usurper, is crowned Eastern emperor at Tarsus (modern Turkey). He is re ...
** The
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, United States, begin.
**
Bosnian Serb
The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби у Босни и Херцеговини, Srbi u Bosni i Hercegovini) are one of the three constitutive nations (state-forming nations) of the country, predominantly residing in the politi ...
President
Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžić ( sr-cyr, Радован Караџић, ; born 19 June 1945) is a Bosnian Serb politician, psychiatrist and poet. He was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Tr ...
resigns from public office in
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...
after being indicted for
war crimes.
*
July 21
Events Pre-1600
* 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson.
* 230 – Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope. After being exiled to Sardinia, he became t ...
– The
Saguenay Flood, one of Canada's most costly
natural disaster
A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...
s, is caused by flooding on the
Saguenay River
__NOTOC__
The Saguenay River () is a major river of Quebec, Canada.
It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east; the city of Saguenay is located on the river. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River. T ...
in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
.
*
July 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1132 – Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily.
* 1148 – Louis VII of France lays siege to Damascus during the Second Crusade.
* 1304 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Sti ...
– The
Dehiwala train bombing
The Dehiwala train bombing was a terrorist attack carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the rush hour of July 24, 1996.
Incident
The Dehiwala train bombing resulted in 64 civilian deaths and wounding 400 others. T ...
kills 56 commuters outside
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
.
*
July 25
Events Pre-1600
* 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops.
* 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. ...
– The
Tutsi
The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic ...
-led
Burundian army performs a
coup and reinstalls previous president
Pierre Buyoya
Pierre Buyoya (24 November 1949 – 17 December 2020) was a Burundian army officer and politician who served two terms as President of Burundi in 1987 to 1993 and 1996 to 2003. He was the second-longest serving president in Burundian history.
An ...
, ousting current president
Sylvestre Ntibantunganya
Sylvestre Ntibantunganya (born 8 May 1956) is a Burundian politician. He was President of the National Assembly of Burundi from 23 December 1993 to 30 September 1994, and President of Burundi from 6 April 1994 to 25 July 1996 (interim to October 1 ...
.
*
July 27
Events Pre-1600
* 1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth.
* 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Ste ...
** The
Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
kills one person and injures 111.
** Indonesian government forces 27 July 1996 incident, attacked the head office of the Indonesian Democratic Party, which was being occupied by supporters of recently ousted party leader Megawati Sukarnoputri.
August
* August
** The first three-parent baby is conceived in New Jersey through mitochondrial donation.
** The invasive species Asian long-horned beetle is found in New York City.
* August 1
** Sarah Balabagan returns to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
** A pro-democracy demonstration supporting Megawati Sukarnoputri in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
is broken up by riot police.
* August 4 – The
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
conclude.
* August 6 – NASA announces that the Allan Hills 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, may contain evidence of primitive lifeforms; further tests are inconclusive.
* August 7 – Heavy rains kill more than 80 campers near Huesca, Spain.
* August 9 –
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...
is sworn in at the Kremlin for a second term as
President of Russia
The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
.
* August 13 – Data sent back by the Galileo (spacecraft), Galileo space probe indicates there may be water on one of Jupiter's moons.
* August 14 – A rocket ignited during a fireworks display in
Arequipa, Peru knocks down a high-tension power cable into a dense crowd, electrocuting 35 people.
* August 15 – Bob Dole is nominated for President of the United States, and Jack Kemp for vice president, at the Republican National Convention in San Diego, California.
* August 16 – Brookfield Zoo, Chicago. After a 3-year-old boy falls into the deep gorilla enclosure, Binti Jua, a female lowland gorilla sits with the injured boy until his rescue.
* August 21
** Former State President of South Africa, F. W. de Klerk, makes an official apology for crimes committed under Apartheid to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa), Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Cape Town.
** In the UK, Queen Elizabeth II issues letters patent on divorced former wives of British princes, taking away from the ex-wives the attribute and style of Royal Highness. With that Sarah, Duchess of York as well as Diana, Princess of Wales legally cease to be Royals, but they remain as non-royal Duchess and Princess.
* August 23 – Osama bin Laden writes "The Declaration of Jihad on the Americans Occupying the Country of the Two Sacred Places," a call for the removal of American military forces from Saudi Arabia.
* August 26 – Civil Rights Movement historian Randy Kryn and 10 others are arrested by the Federal Protective Service (United States), Federal Protective Service while protesting in a demonstration at the Kluczynski Federal Building in downtown Chicago during 1996 Democratic National Convention, that year's Democratic National Convention.
* August 28 – Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Wales, are formally divorced at the High Court of Justice in London. Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales is restyled Diana, Princess of Wales, due to the Queen's letters patent issued a week earlier.
* August 29
** U.S. President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore are re-nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
** A Russian Tupolev 154 jetliner Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801, crashes into a mountain as it approaches the airport at Spitsbergen, Norway, killing all 141 people on board.
* August 31 –
Iraq disarmament crisis
The Iraq disarmament crisis was claimed as one of primary issues that led to the multinational invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003. Since the 1980s, Iraq was widely assumed to have been producing and extensively running the programs of biologi ...
: Iraqi forces launch an offensive into the northern Iraqi no-fly zones, No-Fly Zone and capture Arbil.
September
* September 2 – A permanent peace agreement is signed at the Malacañan Palace between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (Misuari faction), Moro National Liberation Front.
* September 3 – The United States launches Operation Desert Strike against
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in reaction to the attack on Arbil.
* September 4 – The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia attack a military base in Guaviare Department, Guaviare, Colombia, starting three weeks of guerrilla warfare that will claim the lives of at least 130 Colombians.
* September 5 – Hurricane Fran makes landfall near Cape Fear (headland), Cape Fear,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
as a Category 3 hurricane, Category 3 storm with sustained winds. Fran caused over $3 billion in damages ($ in present-day terms) and killed 27 people, mainly in North Carolina. The name "Fran" was retired due to the extensive damage.
* September 10 – Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) signed (it will be ratified 180 days after ratification by 44 Annex 2 countries).
* September 13 – Alija Izetbegović is elected President of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the country's first election since the Bosnian War.
* September 20 – Leader of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
i opposition party Pakistan Peoples Party Murtaza Bhutto is killed during a gunfight with police.
* September 22 – The
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( el, Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellínio Sosialistikó Kínima, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK, (; , ) is a social-democratic political party in Greece. Until 2012, it ...
under the leadership of
Costas Simitis
Konstantinos G. Simitis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Σημίτης; born 23 June 1936), usually referred to as Costas Simitis or Kostas Simitis (Κώστας Σημίτης), is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece a ...
succeeds in the 1996 Greek legislative election.
* September 24 – U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
.
* September 27 – In Afghanistan, the Taliban capture the capital city of Kabul, after driving out President Burhanuddin Rabbani and executing former leader Mohammad Najibullah.
* September 29 – The Nintendo 64 is released in North America.
October
* October 2 – Aeroperú Flight 603 crashes into the Pacific Ocean when the instruments fail just after takeoff from
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
Airport, killing all 70 people on board.
* October 6 – The government of New Zealand agrees to pay $130 million worth of compensation for the loss of land suffered by the Māori people, Māori population between the years of 1844 and 1864.
* October 22 – A fire at La Planta prison in southwest Caracas, Venezuela, kills thirty prisoners.
* October 24 – The First Congo War begins.
* October 31 – TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 crashes into a densely populated area of
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, killing all 96 people on board.
November
* November –
Iraq disarmament crisis
The Iraq disarmament crisis was claimed as one of primary issues that led to the multinational invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003. Since the 1980s, Iraq was widely assumed to have been producing and extensively running the programs of biologi ...
: 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 – 1996 United States presidential election: Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic President Bill Clinton defeats his Republican Party (United States), Republican challenger, Bob Dole and Reform Party of the United States of America, Reform Party candidate Ross Perot.
* November 7
** A Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, category 4 1996 Andhra Pradesh cyclone, cyclone strikes Andhra Pradesh, India, killing at least 1,000 people.
** NASA launches the Mars Global Surveyor.
* November 8 – All 144 people on board a Nigerian-owned Boeing 727 die after the aircraft ADC Airlines Flight 086, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while approaching Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport, airport.
* November 12 – Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, collides in mid-air with Kazakhstan Airlines Il-76 in New Delhi, India, resulting in the loss of 349 lives.
* November 17
** A bomb explodes in Kaspiysk, Russia, killing 32 people.
** Emil Constantinescu is elected as President of Romania.
* November 18 – Frederick Chiluba is re-elected as President of Zambia.
* November 19
** Martin Bryant is sentenced to 35 consecutive sentences of life imprisonment plus 1,035 years without parole for murdering 35 people in a shooting spree in
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
earlier this year.
** Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Organization (CTBTO) established.
** ''STS-80'': Space Shuttle Columbia conducts the longest mission of the Space Shuttle program.
* November 20 – The 1996 Garley Building fire occurred in Hong Kong, resulting in 41 deaths and 81 injuries.
* November 21 – A propane Humberto Vidal explosion, explosion at the Humberto Vidal shoe store and office building in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 33 people.
* November 23
** The Angola, Republic of Angola officially joins the World Trade Organization as ''Angola''.
**
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 is hijacked, then crashes into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Comoros after running out of fuel, killing 125.
* November 25 – An ice storm strikes the U.S. killing 26 directly and hundreds more from accidents. A powerful windstorm blasts Florida with winds gusts up to 90 mph.
December
* December 9 – Jerry Rawlings is re-elected as President of Ghana.
* December 11 – Tung Chee-hwa is appointed to become the new leader of Hong Kong after it reverts to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997, at the end a 99-year lease to the United Kingdom.
* December 13 – Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan is elected by the United Nations Security Council the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.
* December 17 – The Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement takes 72 hostages in the Japanese Embassy in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
, Peru.
* December 25 – At least 283 migrants drown in the Sinking of F174, sinking of ''F174'' near Capo Passero (Sicily).
* December 26
** The 1996–97 strikes in South Korea, largest strike in South Korean history begins.
** Six-year-old Death of JonBenét Ramsey, JonBenét Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado.
* December 27 – Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram Air Base, solidifying their buffer zone around Kabul.
* December 29 – Guatemala and the leaders of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity sign a peace accord that ends the 36-year Guatemalan Civil War.
* December 30 – In the Indian state of Assam, a passenger train is bombed by Bodo people, Bodo separatists, killing 26.
Births
January
* January 2 – Xiaoyu Yu, Chinese figure skater
* January 3 – Florence Pugh, English actress
* January 5
** Maxim Baldry, English actor
** Tyler Ulis, American basketball player
* January 6
** Courtney Eaton, Australian actress
** Harmanpreet Singh, Indian hockey player
* January 7 – Helly Shah, Indian actress
* January 10 – Anna Sztankovics, Hungarian swimmer
*
January 11
Events Pre-1600
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
* 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muha ...
– Leroy Sané, German footballer
* January 12 – Ella Henderson, English singer
* January 15 – Dove Cameron, American actress and singer
*
January 16
** Anastasia Grishina, Russian artistic gymnast
** Jennie (singer), Jennie, South Korean singer and rapper
* January 17 – Nile Wilson, British artistic gymnast
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrend ...
– Taylor Bennett (rapper), Taylor Bennett, American rapper
*
January 21
Events Pre-1600
* 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
* 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when ...
– Marco Asensio, Spanish footballer
*
January 24
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
* 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
*1438 – The Cou ...
– Patrik Schick, Czech footballer
*
January 31
Events Pre-1600
* 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
*1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the ...
– Joel Courtney, American actor
February
* February 1 – Ahmad Abughaush, Jordanian taekwondo athlete
* February 2 – Harry Winks, English footballer
*
February 5 – Zeng Siqi, Chinese artistic gymnast
*
February 7
Events Pre-1600
* 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor.
* 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
* 1301 &nd ...
** Aaron Ekblad, Canadian ice hockey player
** Mai Hagiwara, Japanese singer
*
February 9
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
* 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
*1539 – The first recorded race is held ...
** Jimmy Bennett, American actor
** Kelli Berglund, American actress
** Chungha (singer), Chungha, South Korean singer and dancer
* February 11 – Lucas Torreira, Uruguayan footballer
* February 13 – Muhammad Rian Ardianto, Indonesian badminton player
*
February 14
** Lucas Hernandez, French footballer
** Viktor Kovalenko (footballer), Viktor Kovalenko, Ukrainian footballer
*
February 17 – Sasha Pieterse, South African-born American actress
* February 19 – Ashnikko, American singer and rapper
* February 20 – Mabel (singer), Mabel, English singer
* February 21
** Noah Rubin (tennis), Noah Rubin, American tennis player
** Sophie Turner, English actress
* February 23 – D'Angelo Russell, American basketball player
*
February 25 – Emel Dereli, Turkish shot putter
* February 28 – Shi Yuqi, Chinese badminton player
March
*
March 1
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
– Ye Shiwen, Chinese swimmer
* March 5 – Emmanuel Mudiay, Congolese professional basketball player
** Michael Evans Behling, American actor
*
March 6
Events Pre-1600
* 12 BCE – The Roman emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor.
* 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
* 845 & ...
** Christian Coleman, American sprinter
** Timo Werner, German footballer
** Yan Han (figure skater), Yan Han, Chinese figure skater
*
March 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''.
*1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León.
* 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bou ...
– Emil Imre, Hungarian short track speed skater
*
March 9
Events Pre-1600
* 141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
* 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
* 1226 &nda ...
– Giorgio Minisini, Italian synchronized swimmer
*
March 14 – Janai Haupapa, Canadian rugby league player
*
March 23
Events Pre-1600
*1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official.
*1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last rel ...
– Alexander Albon, Thai racing driver
*
March 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6.
*1387 – English victory over a Franco- Castilian-Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margate o ...
** Valentino Lazaro, Austrian footballer
** Myles Turner, American basketball player
*
March 26
Events Pre-1600
* 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
*1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, ...
– Kathryn Bernardo, Filipina actress
* March 27 – Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, Italian-American actress
* March 28
** Benjamin Pavard, French footballer
** Xie Siyi, Chinese diver
* March 31 – Kira Hagi, Romanian actress
April
* April 2
** Polina Agafonova, Russian figure skater
** Matheus Santana, Brazilian swimmer
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
*1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
*1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created.
* ...
– Sarah Jeffery, Canadian actress
* April 4 – Austin Mahone, American singer-songwriter and actor
*
April 9
Events Pre-1600
* 193 – The distinguished soldier Septimius Severus is proclaimed emperor by the army in Illyricum.
* 475 – Byzantine Emperor Basiliscus issues a circular letter (''Enkyklikon'') to the bishops of his empire, su ...
– Giovani Lo Celso, Argentinian footballer
* April 10
** Andreas Christensen, Danish footballer
** Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australian tennis player
** Loïc Nottet, Belgian singer
*
April 11
Events Pre-1600
* 491 – Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine emperor, with the name of Anastasius I.
*1241 – Batu Khan defeats Béla IV of Hungary at the Battle of Mohi.
*1512 – War of the League of Cambrai: Franco-Ferrare ...
** Dele Alli, English footballer
** Summer Walker, American singer
* April 12 – Polina Korobeynikova, Russian figure skater
* April 14 – Abigail Breslin, American actress
*
April 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
* 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide.
* 73 – Masad ...
– Anya Taylor-Joy, actress
* April 17 – Dee Dee Davis, American actress
* April 22 – Wendy Sulca, Peruvian singer
* April 23 – Álex Márquez, Spanish motorcycle racer
*
April 24
Events Pre-1600
* 1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th dynasty).
*1183 BC – Traditional reckoning of the Fall of Troy ...
– Ashleigh Barty, Australian tennis player
* April 25
** Mack Horton, Australian swimmer
** Allisyn Ashley Arm, American actress
* April 27
** Tejan Koroma, American Football Player
*
April 28
Events Pre-1600
* 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...
– Tony Revolori, American actor
* April 29 – Katherine Langford, Australian actress
May
* May 2 – Julian Brandt, German footballer
* May 3 – Alex Iwobi, Nigerian footballer
* May 4
** Arielle Gold, American snowboarder
** Pelayo Roza, Spanish sprint canoeist.
* May 8 – 6ix9ine, American rapper
*
May 10 – Tyus Jones, American basketball player
*
May 11 – Andrés Cubas, Argentinian footballer
* May 14
** Martin Garrix, Dutch DJ and producer
** Pokimane, Imane Anys, Canadian Twitch streamer
* May 15 – Birdy (singer), Birdy, English singer and songwriter
*
May 17
Events Pre-1600
*1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army.
*1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.
* 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Flo ...
– Ryan Ochoa, American actor and musician
* May 19 – Lakshmi Menon (actress), Lakshmi Menon, Indian film actress
*
May 18
Events Pre-1600
* 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople.
* 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of ...
– Yuki Kadono, Japanese snowboarder
*
May 23
Events Pre-1600
* 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction.
*1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
* 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VI ...
– Katharina Althaus, German ski jumper
*
May 30
** Aleksandr Golovin (footballer), Aleksandr Golovin, Russian footballer
** Lucki, American rapper
* May 31 – Normani, American singer
June
*
June 1
Events Pre-1600
*1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu.
* 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed k ...
– Tom Holland, English actor
* June 3 – Han Tianyu, Chinese short track speed skater
* June 7 – Christian McCaffrey, American football player
* June 10 – Wen Junhui, Chinese singer and actor
* June 12
**Annalisa Cochrane, American actress
**Davinson Sánchez, Colombian footballer
* June 13
** Kingsley Coman, French footballer
** Kodi Smit-McPhee, Australian actor
*
June 15
Events Pre-1600
* 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
* 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II.
* 923 – Battle of So ...
– Aurora (singer), Aurora, Norwegian singer
* June 16 – Lily Zhang, American table tennis player
* June 17 – Godfred Donsah, Ghanese footballer
* June 18 – Alen Halilović, Croatian footballer
* June 19 – Larisa Iordache, Romanian artistic gymnast
* June 22
** Hugo Calderano, Brazilian table tennis player
** Kong Sang-jeong, South Korean short track speed skater
* June 24 – Harris Dickinson, English actor, writer, and director
* June 27 – Lauren Jauregui, American singer
*
June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
** Milot Rashica, Kosovar footballer
** Donna Vekić, Croatian tennis player
July
*
July 1
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor.
* 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...
– Adelina Sotnikova, Russian figure skater
*
July 3
Events Pre-1600
* 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
* 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revol ...
– Kendji Girac, French singer
*
July 5
Events Pre-1600
* 328 – The official opening of Constantine's Bridge built over the Danube between Sucidava (Corabia, Romania) and Oescus ( Gigen, Bulgaria) by the Roman architect Theophilus Patricius.
* 1316 – The Burgundian a ...
– Risa Shōji, Japanese figure skater
* July 7 – Ivan Ljubic, Austrian footballer
* July 10 – Moon Ga-young, South Korean actress
*
July 11
Events Pre-1600
* 472 – After being besieged in Rome by his own generals, Western Roman Emperor Anthemius is captured in St. Peter's Basilica and put to death.
* 813 – Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abd ...
** Alessia Cara, Canadian singer-songwriter
** Andrija Živković, Serbian footballer
* July 18 – Yung Lean, Swedish rapper and record producer
* July 20 – Ben Simmons, Australian basketball player
August
* August 1
** Arisa Higashino, Japanese badminton player
** Cymphonique Miller, American actress and singer
* August 2 – Simone Manuel, American swimmer
* August 5
** Francesca Deagostini, Italian artistic gymnast
** Mai Murakami, Japanese artistic gymnast
* August 10 – Evan Evagora, Australian actor
* August 12 – Arthur Melo, Arthur, Brazilian footballer
* August 14 – Brianna Hildebrand, American actress
* August 16 – Caeleb Dressel, American swimmer
* August 19
** Almoez Ali, Sudanese-Qatari footballer
** Laura Tesoro, Belgian singer and actress
* August 20 – Axell Hodges, American motocross competitor
* August 24 – Kenzō Shirai, Japanese gymnast
* August 27
** Femke Van den Driessche, Belgian cyclist found guilty of mechanical doping
** Ebru Topçu, Turkish footballer
* August 28 – Kim Se-jeong, South Korean singer and actress
* August 30
** Gabriel Barbosa, Brazilian footballer
** Chen Dequan, Chinese short track speed skater
September
* September 1 – Zendaya, American actress and singer
* September 3 – Joy (singer), Joy, South Korean singer and actress
* September 5 – Sigrid (singer), Sigrid, Norwegian singer
* September 9 – Jaïro Riedewald, Dutch footballer
* September 12 – Colin Ford, American actor
* September 13
** Playboi Carti, American rapper
** Lili Reinhart, American actress
September 16 – Baka Prase, Serbian YouTuber, rapper, gamer, and entertainer
* September 17
** Duje Ćaleta-Car, Croatian footballer
** Ella Purnell, English actress
** Esteban Ocon, French Formula 1 Driver
* September 23
** Lee Hi, South Korean singer-songwriter
** Evgeny Rylov, Russian swimmer
* September 25 – Mie Nielsen, Danish swimmer
* September 27 – Maxwel Cornet, French-Ivorian footballer
* September 28 – Michael Ronda, Mexican actor and singer
October
* October 1
** Shenseea, Jamaican Singer
* October 3 – Kelechi Iheanacho, Nigerian footballer
* October 4 – Ella Balinska, English actress
* October 5 – Sevn Alias, Dutch rapper
* October 7 – Lewis Capaldi, Scottish singer-songwriter
* October 8 – Sara Takanashi, Japanese ski jumper
* October 9
** Jacob Batalon, American-Filipino actor
** Bella Hadid, American model
* October 10 – Oscar Zia, Swedish singer and songwriter
* October 13
** Joshua Wong, Hong Kong student activist and politician
** Đỗ Mỹ Linh, Vietnamese model
* October 15 – Zelo, Korean singer
* October 20 – Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Indonesian badminton player
* October 24
** Jaylen Brown, American basketball player
** Kyla Ross, American gymnast
* October 28 – Lee June-hyoung, South Korean figure skater
* October 30
** Devin Booker, American basketball player
** Mizuki Fukumura, Japanese singer
November
* November 1
** Sean Gelael, Indonesian racing driver
** Lil Peep, American rapper (d. 2017)
**Daniela Melchior, Portuguese actress
** Jeongyeon, South Korean singer
* November 4 – Michael Christian Martinez, Filipino figure skater
* November 7
** André Horta, Portuguese footballer
** Lorde, New Zealand singer-songwriter
* November 9
** Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên, Vietnamese swimmer
** Momo Hirai, Japanese singer and dancer
* November 11
** Adam Ounas, French-born Algerian footballer
** Tye Sheridan, American actor
* November 14 – Borna Ćorić, Croatian tennis player
* November 16 – Brendan Murray, Irish singer
* November 17 – Ruth Jebet, Bahraini long-distance runner
* November 18
** Akram Afif, Qatari footballer
** Noah Ringer, American actor
** Sorn (singer), Sorn, South Korean based singer
* November 19 – Liliána Szilágyi, Hungarian swimmer
* November 20 – Denis Zakaria, Swiss footballer
* November 22
** Hailey Baldwin, American model and socialite
** JuJu Smith-Schuster, American football player
* November 23
** James Maddison, English footballer
** Anna Yanovskaya, Russian ice dancer
* November 26 – Louane (singer), Louane Emera, French singer and actress
* November 27 – Felix Kashweka, Zambian journalist and publicist
* November 29 – Gonçalo Guedes, Portuguese footballer
December
* December 1 – Pradyumn Karthic, the indian chad was born.
* December 4 – Daria Svatkovskaya, Russian artistic gymnast
* December 6 – Stefanie Scott, American actress and singer
* December 10
** Joe Burrow, American football player
** Kang Daniel, South Korean singer
* December 11
** Eliza McCartney, New Zealand track and field athlete
** Hailee Steinfeld, American actress, model and singer
** Jack Griffo, American actor
* December 12
** Lucas Hedges, American actor
** Oliver Askew, American racing driver
** Rajinikanth, Indian Actor
* December 14 – Li Zijun, Chinese figure skater
* December 15 – Oleksandr Zinchenko (footballer), Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ukrainian footballer
* December 16 – Wilfred Ndidi, Nigerian footballer
* December 17 – Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Russian figure skater
* December 19 – Franck Kessié, Ivorian footballer
* December 21 – Kaitlyn Dever, American actress
* December 28 – Alfred Kipketer, Kenyan middle-distance runner
* December 29
** Dylan Minnette, American actor, singer and musician
** Sana (singer), Sana, Japanese singer
* December 30
** Stephanie Del Valle, Puerto Rican musician, model and beauty queen
** Zack Baun, American Football Player
Deaths
January
* January 1 – Arleigh Burke, American naval officer (b. 1901)
* January 5 – Yahya Ayyash, Palestinian shaheed (b. 1966)
* January 7
** Károly Grósz, 51st Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1930)
** Tarō Okamoto, Japanese artist (b. 1911)
*
January 8 – François Mitterrand, French politician, 21st President of France (b. 1916)
* January 15
** Les Baxter, American musician and composer (b. 1922)
** Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho, Moshoeshoe II, King of Lesotho (b. 1938)
* January 17 – Barbara Jordan, American lawyer, educator, politician and civil rights activist (b. 1936)
* January 18
** Leonor Fini, Argentine artist (b. 1908)
** Endel Puusepp, Estonian pilot (b. 1909)
** N. T. Rama Rao, Indian actor, producer, director, editor and politician (b. 1923)
*
January 19
Events Pre-1600
* 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to ''Augustus'', and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
* 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrend ...
– Don Simpson, American film producer (b. 1943)
*
January 20 – Gerry Mulligan, American musician (b. 1927)
* January 25 – Jonathan Larson, American composer and playwright (b. 1960)
*
January 28
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – On the death of Nerva, Trajan is declared Roman emperor in Cologne, the seat of his government in lower Germany.
* 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accession ...
** Joseph Brodsky, Russian-born American Nobel poet (b. 1940)
** Jerry Siegel, American cartoonist (b. 1914)
February
* February 2 – Gene Kelly, American actor and dancer (b. 1912)
*
February 3 – Audrey Meadows, American actress (b. 1922)
* February 4 – Alfredo Nobre da Costa, 106th Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1923)
*
February 6 – Guy Madison, American actor (b. 1922)
*
February 7
Events Pre-1600
* 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor.
* 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
* 1301 &nd ...
– Boris Tchaikovsky, Russian composer (b. 1925)
*
February 9
Events Pre-1600
* 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
* 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
*1539 – The first recorded race is held ...
– Adolf Galland, German general (b. 1912)
* February 11
** Kebby Musokotwane, Prime Minister of Zambia (b. 1946)
** Bob Shaw, Irish science fiction writer (b. 1931)
* February 12 – Ryōtarō Shiba, Japanese novelist (b. 1923)
* February 13 – Martin Balsam, American actor (b. 1919)
*
February 14
** Eva Hart, British Titanic survivor (b. 1905)
** Bob Paisley, English football manager (b. 1919)
* February 16 – Pat Brown, American politician (b. 1905)
* February 20
** Solomon Asch, Polish-American psychologist (b. 1907)
** Audrey Munson, American model and actress (b. 1891)
** Toru Takemitsu, Japanese composer (b. 1930)
* February 21 – Morton Gould, American musician and composer (b. 1913)
* February 23
** William Bonin, American serial killer (b. 1947)
** Helmut Schön, German football player and manager (b. 1915)
*
February 25 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian activist and actor (b. 1940)
* February 26 – Mieczysław Weinberg, Polish composer (b. 1919)
* February 27 – Sarah Palfrey Cooke, American tennis player (b. 1912)
March
*
March 2
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his '' bucellarii'' are almost cut o ...
** Jacobo Majluta Azar, 47th President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1934)
** Lyle Talbot, American actor (b. 1902)
*
March 3
Events Pre-1600
* 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
* 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan.
* 1575 & ...
** Marguerite Duras, French author and director (b. 1914)
** John Krol, American cardinal (b. 1910)
* March 4 – Minnie Pearl, American comedian (b. 1912)
* March 5
** Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, 5th President of Bangladesh (b. 1918)
** Whit Bissell, American actor (b. 1909)
*
March 9
Events Pre-1600
* 141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
* 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
* 1226 &nda ...
– George Burns, American comedian and actor (b. 1896)
* March 10 – Ross Hunter, American film producer (b. 1920)
* March 11 – Vince Edwards, American actor (b. 1928)
* March 12 – Gyula Kállai, 48th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1910)
*
March 13
Events Pre-1600
*624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh.
*1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the Eighty Years' War.
*1591 – At the Battle of Tond ...
** Lucio Fulci, Italian film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1927)
** Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish film director (b. 1941)
*
March 17
Events Pre-1600
* 45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
* 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of ei ...
– René Clément, French film director (b. 1913)
*
March 18
Events Pre-1600
* 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ''(aka Caligula = Little Boots)'' emperor.Tacitus, ''Annals'' V.10.
* 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Ara ...
– Odysseas Elytis, Greek writer (b. 1911)
* March 19
** Virginia Henderson, American nurse and theorist (b. 1897)
** Chen Jingrun, Chinese mathematician (b. 1933)
*
March 22
Events Pre-1600
* 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
* 235 – Roman emperor Severus Alexander is murdered, marking the start of the Crisis of the Third Century.
* 871 – Æthelr ...
– Robert F. Overmyer, American astronaut (b. 1936)
*
March 25 – Lola Beltrán, Mexican singer, actress, and television presenter (b. 1932)
*
March 26
Events Pre-1600
* 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
*1021 – On the feast of Eid al-Adha, the death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret for six weeks, ...
** Edmund Muskie, American politician (b. 1914)
** David Packard, American engineer (b. 1912)
* March 31 – Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American musician (b. 1958)
April
*
April 3
Events Pre-1600
* 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul.
*1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.
*1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created.
* ...
–
Ron Brown
Ronald Harmon Brown (August 1, 1941 – April 3, 1996) was an American politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Commerce during the first term of President Bill Clinton. Prior to this he was chairman of the Democratic National Co ...
, American politician (b. 1941)
* April 4 – Barney Ewell, American athlete (b. 1918)
*
April 6
Events Pre–1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus.
* 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.
*13 ...
– Greer Garson, British-American actress (b. 1904)
* April 8 – Ben Johnson (actor), Ben Johnson, American actor and stuntman (b. 1918)
*
April 13 – James Burke (gangster), James Burke, Irish-American gangster (b. 1931)
*
April 16
Events Pre-1600
* 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
* 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide.
* 73 – Masad ...
– Lucille Bremer, American actress and dancer (b. 1917)
*
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
– Bernard Edwards, American bass player (b. 1952)
* April 20 – Christopher Robin Milne, English author and bookseller (b. 1920)
*
April 21 – Dzhokhar Dudayev, Chechen politician and President of Ichkeria (b. 1944)
* April 23 – P. L. Travers, British actress, journalist, novelist and writer (b. 1899)
* April 25 – Saul Bass, American graphic designer (b. 1920)
*
April 26
Events Pre-1600
* 1336 – Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ascends Mont Ventoux.
*1348 – Czech king Karel IV founds the Charles University in Prague, which was later named after him and was the first university in Central Europe.
* 1 ...
– Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1918)
*
April 28
Events Pre-1600
* 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought. Ardashir I defeats and kills Artabanus V effectively ending the Parthian Empire.
* 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory ...
– Siti Hartinah, 2nd First Lady of Indonesia (b. 1923)
May
* May 1 – David M. Kennedy (politician), David M. Kennedy, American politician, businessman (b. 1905)
* May 2 – Emile Habibi, Palestinian Israeli writer and politician (b. 1922)
* May 3 – Jack Weston, American actor (b. 1924)
* May 6 – Leo Joseph Suenens, Belgian cardinal (b. 1904)
*
May 11
**Nnamdi Azikiwe, 1st President of Nigeria (b. 1904)
** Scott Fischer, American mountaineer (b. 1955)
** Rob Hall, New Zealand mountaineer (b. 1961)
**Andy Harris (mountain guide), Andrew Harris, New Zealand mountaineer (b. 1964)
**1996 Mount Everest disaster, Doug Hansen, American mountaineer (b. 1949)
**Yasuko Namba, Japanese mountaineer (b. 1949)
**1996 Mount Everest disaster, Tsewang Samanla, Indo-Tibetan Border police officer and mountaineer (b. 1957)
**1996 Mount Everest disaster, Tsewang Paljor, Indo-Tibetan Border police officer and mountaineer (b. 1968)
**1996 Mount Everest disaster, Dorje Morup, Indo-Tibetan Border police officer and mountaineer (b. 1948)
**Ademir de Menezes, Brazilian footballer (b. 1922)
*
May 17
Events Pre-1600
*1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army.
*1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.
* 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Flo ...
– Johnny "Guitar" Watson, American singer, songwriter and musician (b. 1935)
* May 19 – John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (b. 1917)
* May 20 – Jon Pertwee, British actor (b. 1919)
*
May 23
Events Pre-1600
* 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction.
*1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy.
* 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VI ...
– Sim Iness, American Olympic athlete (b. 1930)
* May 24
** John Abbott (actor), John Abbott, English actor (b. 1905)
** Jacob Druckman, American composer (b. 1928)
* May 25 – Bradley Nowell, American musician (b. 1968)
* May 29 – Tamara Toumanova, Russian-American dancer and actress (b. 1919)
* May 31 – Timothy Leary, American writer and social activist (b. 1920)
June
*
June 1
Events Pre-1600
*1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu.
* 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed k ...
– Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, 6th President of India (b. 1913)
* June 2
** John Alton, American cinematographer (b. 1901)
** Pilar Lorengar, Spanish soprano (b. 1928)
* June 3 – Peter Glenville, English film director (b. 1913)
*
June 6
** Kusuo Kitamura, Japanese Olympic swimmer (b. 1917)
** George Davis Snell, American Nobel geneticist (b. 1903)
* June 10 – Jo Van Fleet, American actress (b. 1914)
*
June 11
Events Pre-1600
* 173 – Marcomannic Wars: The Roman army in Moravia is encircled by the Quadi, who have broken the peace treaty (171). In a violent thunderstorm emperor Marcus Aurelius defeats and subdues them in the so-called "miracle ...
– Brigitte Helm, German actress (b. 1908)
*
June 15
Events Pre-1600
* 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
* 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II.
* 923 – Battle of So ...
– Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (b. 1917)
* June 19
** Hillevi Rombin, Swedish actress and beauty queen (b. 1933)
** Edvin Wide, Swedish middle- and long-distance runner (b. 1896)
* June 23
** Ray Lindwall, Australian cricketer (b. 1921)
**
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, ...
,
Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1919)
* June 26 – Veronica Guerin, Irish journalist (b. 1958)
* June 27 – Albert R. Broccoli, American film producer (b. 1909)
*
June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
– Kwan Tak-hing, Hong Kong actor (b. 1905)
July
*
July 1
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor.
* 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...
– Margaux Hemingway, American fashion model and actress (b. 1954)
*
July 3
Events Pre-1600
* 324 – Battle of Adrianople: Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
* 987 – Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France until the French Revol ...
– Raaj Kumar, Indian film actor (b. 1926)
* July 9
** Eno Raud, Estonian writer (b. 1928)
** Sergey Kuryokhin, Russian pianist, composer, improvisor, performance artist and actor (b. 1954)
* July 13 – Pandro S. Berman, American film producer (b. 1905)
* July 15 – Dana Hill, American actress (b. 1964)
*
July 17
Events Pre-1600
* 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
* 1048 – Damas ...
– Paul Touvier, French Nazi collaborator (b. 1915)
* July 20 – František Plánička, Czech footballer (b. 1904)
*
July 21
Events Pre-1600
* 356 BC – The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is destroyed by arson.
* 230 – Pope Pontian succeeds Urban I as the eighteenth pope. After being exiled to Sardinia, he became t ...
** Luana Anders, American actress (b. 1938)
** Herb Edelman, American actor (b. 1933)
* July 22 – Jessica Mitford, British-American author, journalist and political campaigner (b. 1917)
* July 23 – Jean Muir (actress), Jean Muir, American actress (b. 1911)
*
July 27
Events Pre-1600
* 1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth.
* 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Ste ...
– Jane Drew, English architect (b. 1911)
* July 28 – Roger Tory Peterson, American naturalist and artist (b. 1908)
* July 30 – Claudette Colbert, American actress (b. 1903)
August
* August 1
** Mohamed Farrah Aidid, Somali military commander and politician (b. 1934)
** Frida Boccara, French singer (b. 1940)
** Tadeusz Reichstein, Polish-Swiss Nobel chemist (b. 1897)
* August 2
** Michel Debré, 99th Prime Minister of France (b. 1912)
** Obdulio Varela, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1917)
* August 6 – Hernán Siles Zuazo, 46th President of Bolivia (b. 1914)
* August 8 – Nevill Francis Mott, English Nobel physicist (b. 1905)
* August 11
** Rafael Kubelík, Czech-born Swiss conductor (b. 1914)
** Baba Vanga, Bulgarian mystic, clairvoyant and herbalist (b. 1911)
* August 12 – Viktor Hambardzumyan, Armenian scientist (b. 1908)
* August 13
** António de Spínola, 14th President of Portugal (b. 1910)
** David Tudor, American pianist and composer (b. 1926)
* August 26 – Alejandro Agustín Lanusse, 37th President of Argentina (b. 1918)
* August 27 – Greg Morris, American actor (b. 1933)
* August 30 – Christine Pascal, French actress, director and screenwriter (b. 1953)
September
* September 1 – Vagn Holmboe, Danish composer (b. 1909)
* September 7 – Bibi Besch, American actress (b. 1942)
* September 9
** Ruggero Mastroianni, Italian film editor (b. 1929)
** Bill Monroe, American musician (b. 1911)
* September 10 – Joanne Dru, American actress (b. 1922)
* September 12 – Ernesto Geisel, Brazilian general, 29th President of Brazil (b. 1907)
* September 13 – Tupac Shakur, American rapper (b. 1971)
* September 14 – Juliet Prowse, American dancer and actress (b. 1936)
* September 16
** McGeorge Bundy, American academic (b. 1919)
** Gene Nelson, American dancer and actor (b. 1920)
* September 17 – Spiro Agnew, 39th Vice President of the United States (b. 1918)
* September 18 – Annabella (actress), Annabella, French actress (b. 1907)
* September 20
** Murtaza Bhutto, Pakistani politician (b. 1954)
** Paul Erdős, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1913)
** Max Manus, Norwegian resistance fighter (b. 1914)
* September 22
** Mohamed Ben Ahmed Abdelghani, 1st Prime Minister of Algeria (b. 1927)
** Dorothy Lamour, American actress (b. 1914)
* September 24 – Zeki Müren, Turkish singer, composer, songwriter, actor and poet (b. 1931)
* September 26
** Nicu Ceaușescu, Romanian politician (b. 1951)
** Pavel Sudoplatov, Soviet spy (b. 1907)
** Geoffrey Wilkinson, English Nobel chemist (b. 1921)
* September 27 – Mohammad Najibullah, President of Afghanistan (b. 1947)
* September 29 – Shūsaku Endō, Japanese author (b. 1923)
October
* October 4 – Silvio Piola, Italian footballer (b. 1913)
* October 5 – Seymour Cray, American computer scientist (b. 1925)
* October 11
** Renato Russo, Brazilian singer (b. 1960)
** William Vickrey, Canadian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
* October 12
** René Lacoste, French tennis player (b. 1904)
** Roger Lapébie, French racing cyclist (b. 1911)
* October 13 – Beryl Reid, British actress (b. 1919)
* October 19 – Shamsuddin Qasemi, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and politician (b. 1935)
* October 24 – Artur Axmann, German Nazi leader (b. 1913)
* October 31 – Marcel Carné, French film director (b. 1909)
November
* November 1 – J. R. Jayewardene, 2nd President of Sri Lanka (b. 1906)
* November 2 – Eva Cassidy, American vocalist (b. 1963)
* November 3
** Jean-Bédel Bokassa, 2nd President of the Central African Republic and Emperor of Central Africa (b. 1921)
** Abdullah Çatlı, Turkish nationalist (b. 1956)
* November 6 – Tommy Lawton, English footballer and manager (b. 1919)
* November 14
** Joseph Bernardin, American cardinal (b. 1928)
** Virginia Cherrill, American actress (b. 1908)
* November 15 – Alger Hiss, American diplomat (b. 1904)
* November 18 – Zinovy Gerdt, Russian actor (b. 1916)
* November 21 – Abdus Salam, Pakistani Nobel physicist (b. 1926)
* November 22 – María Casares, French-Spanish actress (b. 1922)
* November 26 – Paul Rand, American graphic designer (b. 1914)
* November 27 – Gertrude Blanch, American mathematician (b. 1897)
* November 28 – Don McNeill (tennis), Don McNeill, American tennis player (b. 1918)
* November 30 – Tiny Tim (musician), Tiny Tim, American musician (b. 1932)
December
* December 3 – Babrak Karmal, President of Afghanistan (b. 1929)
* December 7 – José Donoso, Chilean writer (b. 1924)
* December 9 – Mary Leakey, British archaeologist (b. 1913)
* December 10 – Faron Young, American singer (b. 1932)
* December 11 – Willie Rushton, English comedian, actor and cartoonist (b. 1937)
* December 13 – Cao Yu, Chinese playwright (b. 1910)
* December 16 – Quentin Bell, English biographer and art historian (b. 1910)
** Laurens van der Post, South African author (b. 1906)
* December 17 – Stanko Todorov, Bulgarian communist politician (b. 1920)
* December 18 – Irving Caesar, American lyricist (b. 1895)
* December 19 – Marcello Mastroianni, Italian actor (b. 1924)
* December 20
** Amata Kabua, 1st President of the Marshall Islands (b. 1928)
** Carl Sagan, American astronomer (b. 1934)
* December 30
** Lew Ayres, American actor (b. 1908)
** Jack Nance, American actor (b. 1943)
Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – David M. Lee, Douglas D. Osheroff, Robert Coleman Richardson, Robert C. Richardson
* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Robert Curl, Sir Harold Kroto, Richard Smalley
* Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Medicine – Peter C. Doherty, Rolf M. Zinkernagel
* Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Wisława Szymborska
* Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta
* Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – James Mirrlees, William Vickrey
Right Livelihood Award
* Herman Daly, The Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia, Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad and George Vithoulkas
References
1996 Year in Review– CNN
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1996,
Leap years in the Gregorian calendar