1996 in the United States

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Last updated March 03, 2025

Events from the year 1996 in the United States.

Incumbents

Federal government

President: Bill Clinton (D–Arkansas)
Vice President: Al Gore (D–Tennessee)
Chief Justice: William Rehnquist (Virginia)^[1]
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Newt Gingrich (R–Georgia)
Senate Majority Leader:

Bob Dole (R–Kansas) (until June 12)

Trent Lott (R–Mississippi) (starting June 12)

Congress: 104th

Governors and lieutenant governors
Governors Governor of Alabama: Fob James (Republican) Governor of Alaska: Tony Knowles (Democratic) Governor of Arizona: Fife Symington III (Republican) Governor of Arkansas: Jim Guy Tucker (Democratic) (until July 15), Mike Huckabee (Republican) (starting July 15) Governor of California: Pete Wilson (Republican) Governor of Colorado: Roy Romer (Democratic) Governor of Connecticut: John G. Rowland (Republican) Governor of Delaware: Thomas R. Carper (Democratic) Governor of Florida: Lawton Chiles (Democratic) Governor of Georgia: Zell Miller (Democratic) Governor of Hawaii: Ben Cayetano (Democratic) Governor of Idaho: Phil Batt (Republican) Governor of Illinois: Jim Edgar (Republican) Governor of Indiana: Evan Bayh (Democratic) Governor of Iowa: Terry E. Branstad (Republican) Governor of Kansas: Bill Graves (Republican) Governor of Kentucky: Paul E. Patton (Democratic) Governor of Louisiana: Edwin W. Edwards (Democratic) (until January 8), Murphy J. Foster, Jr. (Republican) (starting January 8) Governor of Maine: Angus King (Independent) Governor of Maryland: Parris N. Glendening (Democratic) Governor of Massachusetts: William F. Weld (Republican) Governor of Michigan: John Engler (Republican) Governor of Minnesota: Arne H. Carlson (Republican) Governor of Mississippi: Kirk Fordice (Republican) Governor of Missouri: Mel Carnahan (Democratic) Governor of Montana: Marc Racicot (Republican) Governor of Nebraska: Ben Nelson (Democratic) Governor of Nevada: Bob Miller (Democratic) Governor of New Hampshire: Steve Merrill (Republican) Governor of New Jersey: Christine Todd Whitman (Republican) Governor of New Mexico: Gary Johnson (Republican) Governor of New York: George Pataki (Republican) Governor of North Carolina: Jim Hunt (Democratic) Governor of North Dakota: Ed Schafer (Republican) Governor of Ohio: George Voinovich (Republican) Governor of Oklahoma: Frank Keating (Republican) Governor of Oregon: John Kitzhaber (Democratic) Governor of Pennsylvania: Tom Ridge (Republican) Governor of Rhode Island: Lincoln C. Almond (Republican) Governor of South Carolina: David Beasley (Republican) Governor of South Dakota: William J. Janklow (Republican) Governor of Tennessee: Don Sundquist (Republican) Governor of Texas: George W. Bush (Republican) Governor of Utah: Mike Leavitt (Republican) Governor of Vermont: Howard Dean (Democratic) Governor of Virginia: George Allen (Republican) Governor of Washington: Mike Lowry (Democratic) Governor of West Virginia: Gaston Caperton (Democratic) Governor of Wisconsin: Tommy Thompson (Republican) Governor of Wyoming: Jim Geringer (Republican) Lieutenant governors Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: Don Siegelman (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Fran Ulmer (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: until July 16: Mike Huckabee (Republican) July 16-November: vacant starting November: Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of California: Gray Davis (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Gail Schoettler (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Jodi Rell (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Ruth Ann Minner (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Florida: Buddy MacKay (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Pierre Howard (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Mazie Hirono (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Butch Otter (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Bob Kustra (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Frank O'Bannon (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Joy Corning (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: until June 11: Sheila Frahm (Republican) June 11-July 18: vacant starting July 18: Gary Sherrer (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Steve Henry (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: Melinda Schwegmann (Democratic) (until January 8), Kathleen Blanco (Democratic) (starting January 8) Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Paul Cellucci (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Connie Binsfeld (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: Joanne E. Benson (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Eddie Briggs (Republican) (until January 16), Ronnie Musgrove (Democratic) (starting January 16) Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: Roger B. Wilson (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Denny Rehberg (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: Kim M. Robak (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Lonnie Hammargren (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Walter Dwight Bradley (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of New York: Betsy McCaughey (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Dennis A. Wicker (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Rosemarie Myrdal (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: Nancy P. Hollister (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: Mary Fallin (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Mark S. Schweiker (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Robert Weygand (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: Bob Peeler (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: Carole Hillard (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: John S. Wilder (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Bob Bullock (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Utah: Olene S. Walker (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Barbara W. Snelling (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Don Beyer (Democratic) Lieutenant Governor of Washington: Joel Pritchard (Republican) Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Scott McCallum (Republican)

Events

January

January 2 – Philadelphia police officer Lauretha Vaird is shot and later pronounced dead during a botched armed bank robbery by rapper Cool C. She becomes Philadelphia's first female police officer killed in the line of duty.
January 7 – One of the worst blizzards in American history hits the eastern states, killing more than 150 people. Philadelphia receives a record 30 inches of snowfall and New York City's public schools close for the first time in 18 years. The federal government in Washington, D.C. is closed for several days, extending the time federal employees are out of the office from the 1996 federal government shutdown.
January 19 – The North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The North Cape barge is pulled along with it and leaks 820,000 gallons of home heating oil.
January 23 – State of the Union Address.
January 26
- Whitewater scandal: U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton testifies before a grand jury.
- Millionaire philanthropist John Eleuthère du Pont shoots dead his protégé, Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz, at Foxcatcher Farm.
January 28 – Super Bowl XXX: The Dallas Cowboys become the first NFL franchise to win 3 Super Bowls in a span of 4 seasons, as they defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–17 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. It is the Cowboys' fifth Super Bowl championship.

February

February 1 – Sundance Channel debuts.
February 2 – Frontier Middle School shooting: A gunman kills his algebra teacher and two other students in Moses Lake, Washington.
February 6 – 1996 Honolulu hostage crisis: A gunman takes hostages at his former place of employment in Honolulu, Hawaii.
February 15 – The U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece comes under mortar fire.
February 16 – 1996 Maryland train collision: A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited , collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people.
February 17 – In Philadelphia, Garry Kasparov beats "Deep Blue" in a second chess match.^[2]
February 24 – Cuban fighter jets shoot down two American aircraft belonging to the Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Cuban officials assert that they invaded Cuban airspace.
February 29 – In Lumberton, North Carolina, Daniel Green is convicted of the murder of James Jordan, the father of basketball star Michael Jordan.

March

March 4 – DISH Network, a Direct Broadcast Satellite service, begins as a service of EchoStar.
March 8 – The People's Republic of China begins surface-to-surface missile testing and military exercises off Taiwanese coastal areas. The United States government condemns the act as provocation, and the Taiwanese government warns of retaliation.
March 10 – In Mesquite, Nevada, motorcycle stunt rider Butch Laswell is killed in front of a crowd of spectators, after a motorcycle stunt goes horribly wrong.
March 19 – In Los Angeles, Lyle and Erik Menendez are found guilty of first-degree murder for the shotgun killing of their parents.
March 25
- An 81-day-long standoff begins between anti-government Freemen and federal officers in Jordan, Montana.
- The 68th Academy Awards, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, are held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, with Mel Gibson's Braveheart winning five awards out of ten nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The telecast garners over 44.8 million viewers.
March 30 – After being convicted of the murder of Colleen Slemmer in Tennessee, 20-year-old Christa Pike becomes the youngest woman to be sentenced to death in the United States during the post-Furman period.^[3]

April

April 3
- A Boeing 737 military jet crashes into a mountain north of Dubrovnik, Croatia. All 35 people on board die, including United States Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown (see 1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash).
- Suspected "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski is arrested at his Montana cabin.
April 9 – President Bill Clinton signs the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, granting the U.S. president line-item veto power. Just over two years later, in the case of Clinton v. City of New York , 524 U.S. 417 (1998), the Supreme Court of the United States would rule that the law is unconstitutional.
April 11 – Jessica Dubroff, 7, is killed in a plane crash in Cheyenne, Wyoming while attempting to set a record as the youngest person to pilot an airplane across the United States.
April 16 – The NBA's 1995–1996 Chicago Bulls, with Michael Jordan's lead, go on to set a new NBA record for the most wins in a season, achieving their 70th win.
April 24 – President Bill Clinton signs the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 into law.
April 29 – The Broadway hit musical Rent opens at the Nederlander Theatre.

May

May 8 – The Keck II telescope is dedicated in Hawaii.
May 10 – Twister is released in theaters to commercial success, becoming the highest grossing movie in the history of Warner Bros.
May 11 – After takeoff from Miami, Florida, a fire started by improperly handled oxygen canisters in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Flight 592, causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 on board.
May 20 – Gay rights – Romer v. Evans : The Supreme Court of the United States rules against a law that prevents any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of homosexuals.
May 30 – The Hoover Institution releases an optimistic report that global warming will probably reduce mortality in the United States and provide Americans with valuable benefits.^[4]

June

June – Iraq disarmament crisis: As Iraq continues to refuse inspectors access to a number of sites, the U.S. fails in its attempt to build support for military action against Iraq in the UN Security Council.
June 10 – The Colorado Avalanche wins their first Stanley Cup in their first season based out of Denver, Colorado, defeating the Florida Panthers 4 games to none. Avalanche captain Joe Sakic wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
June 12 – In Philadelphia, a panel of federal judges blocks a law against indecency on the internet. The panel says that the 1996 Communications Decency Act would infringe upon the free speech rights of adults.
June 13 – An 81-day standoff between the Montana Freemen and FBI agents ends with their surrender in Montana.
June 16 – The Chicago Bulls win their fourth NBA Championship by defeating the Seattle SuperSonics in the best-of-7 series 4 games to 2.
June 20 – The last fourth-generation Chevrolet Corvette rolls off the assembly line at the GM Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
June 21 – Walt Disney Pictures' 34th feature film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame , considered to be one of the studio's darkest animated films, is released to positive reviews and commercial success.
June 25 – The Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia kills 19 U.S. servicemen and one Saudi local.
June 28 – Universal Pictures releases The Nutty Professor , a remake of a 1963 film of the same name, in theaters. The film is a commercial and box office success, ranking as the 8th highest-grossing movie of the year.

July

July 12 – Hurricane Bertha makes landfall in North Carolina as a Category 2 storm, causing $270 million in damage to the United States and its possessions and many indirect deaths.
July 17 – Paris and Rome-bound TWA Flight 800 (Boeing 747) explodes off the coast of Long Island, New York, killing all 230 on board.
July 19 – The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta begin.
July 27 – The Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics kills 2 and injures 111.
July 29 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act (1996) is struck down as "too broad" by a U.S. federal court.

August

August – The unemployment rate drops to 5.1%, the lowest since March 1989, which saw the lowest rate of the previous business cycle.
August 1 – Michael Johnson wins the 200m finals of 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta in a world-record time of 19.32 seconds.
August 6 – NASA announces that the Allan Hills 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, may contain evidence of primitive life-forms; further tests are inconclusive.
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 – Binti Jua, a gorilla, saves a three-year-old boy who fell into the 20 foot (6.1 m) deep gorilla enclosure at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago.
August 19 – The invasive species Asian long-horned beetle is found in New York.^[5]
August 21 – President Bill Clinton signs the War Crimes Act of 1996 into law.
August 22 – President Clinton signs the landmark Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act into law.
August 23 – Osama bin Laden writes "The Declaration of War on the Americans Occupying the Country of the Two Sacred Places," a call for the removal of American military forces from Saudi Arabia.
August 24 – Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington found the Valve Corporation.
August 26
- During the 1996 Democratic National Convention, Chicago Seven activist David Dellinger, antiwar activist Bradford Lyttle, and nine others are arrested by the Federal Protective Service while protesting in a demonstration at the Kluczynski Federal Building in downtown Chicago.^[6]
August 29
- Tiger Woods makes his professional PGA Tour debut at the Greater Milwaukee Open, four days after winning his third consecutive U.S. Amateur Championship.
- U.S. President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore are re-nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
August 31 – The Big 12 Conference is inaugurated with a football game between Kansas State University and Texas Tech University in Manhattan, Kansas.

September

September 3
- Iraq disarmament crisis: As Iraq continues to refuse inspectors access to a number of sites, the U.S. fails in its attempt to build support for military action against Iraq in the UN Security Council.^[7]
- The U.S. launches Operation Desert Strike against Iraq in reaction to the attack on Arbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
September 4 - The 1996 MTV Video Music Awards is held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The show was hosted by Dennis Miller and the most nominated artist of the year was The Smashing Pumpkins.
September 5 – Hurricane Fran makes landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 115 mph, just weeks prior to the landfall of Hurricane Bertha near the same location. It caused $3.2 billion in damages and claimed a total of 27 lives.
September 7 – Shortly after attending the Mike Tyson – Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM Grand Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada, rapper Tupac Shakur is critically wounded in a drive-by shooting, while cruising the Las Vegas Strip with Suge Knight. Shakur is rushed to UMC Medical Center and placed on life support.
September 8 – Blue's Clues premieres on the Nick Jr. Channel
September 12 – 21-year-old Ricardo López commits suicide in his apartment in Hollywood, Florida, after mailing a letter bomb to singer Björk's home in London. He recorded his own suicide using a VHS camera.
September 13 – Following the drive-by shooting that left the rapper in critical condition, 25-year-old rapper Tupac Shakur dies at UMC Medical Center, after succumbing to his gunshot wounds six day later.
September 14 – The U.S. wins the inaugural 1996 World Cup of Hockey by defeating Canada.
September 16 – Ricardo López is found dead in his apartment by Hollywood Police after reports of a foul odor in the room. After watching his suicide tape, police contact Scotland Yard to warn them about an explosive package on its way to Björk's home in London. London Metro Police Officers intercept the package and safely detonate it, leaving Björk unharmed.
September 24 – U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at the United Nations.
September 29 – Nintendo releases the Nintendo 64 in North America.

October

October 1 – Animal Planet and Discovery Civilization are launched.
- Walt Disney World celebrates its 25th anniversary.
October 2 – The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments are signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
October 4 – Discovery Science debuts.
October 6 – Jim Lehrer hosts the first presidential debate between Bob Dole and President Clinton.
October 7
- The Fox News Channel is launched on U.S. cable systems.
- The popular children's TV series, Arthur , debuts on PBS Kids.
October 7–November 5 — At least sixty-six people become sick and one baby dies as a result of drinking apple juice infected with E. coli.
October 9 – Al Gore and Jack Kemp participate in the 1996 vice presidential debate in Florida.
October 14 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 40.62 to close at 6,010.00, the Dow's first close above 6,000.
October 16 – The final presidential debate of the 1996 election takes place at the University of San Diego.
October 26 – The New York Yankees defeat the Atlanta Braves to win their first World Series in 18 years.

November

November 5 – U.S. presidential election, 1996: Democratic incumbent Bill Clinton defeats Republican challenger Bob Dole to win his second term. This election had the lowest voter turnout since 1924.
November 7 – NASA launches the Mars Global Surveyor .
November 11 – Discovery Kids debuts.
November 15
- State Street in Chicago is re-opened to pedestrian traffic after a revitalization project.
- Space Jam , directed by Joe Pytka, is released in theaters.
November 16 – Mother Teresa receives honorary U.S. citizenship.
November 19 – STS-80: Space Shuttle Columbia conducts the longest mission of the Space Shuttle program.
November 21 – A propane explosion at the Humberto Vidal shoe store and office building in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 33.
November 25
- An ice storm strikes the U.S., killing 26 directly and hundreds more from accidents. A powerful windstorm blasts Florida; winds gust to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h).
- The U.S. stock market, especially the Dow Jones Industrial Average, gains at an incredibly fast pace following the 1996 presidential election. It gains 10 days in a row during the month.
November 26 – The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas is imploded to make way for the Venetian Hotel.
November – CrossLink International is founded.^[8]

December

December 6 – The General Motors EV1, the first production electric car of the modern era, is launched and becomes available for lease.
December 20 – Steve Jobs' company NeXT is bought by Apple Computer, the company co-founded by Jobs.
December 25 (probable date) – Death of JonBenét Ramsey: A six-year-old beauty queen is beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado; her body is found the following day.
December 31
- The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway is merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the BNSF Railway, making it one of the largest railroad mergers in U.S. history.
- The Hacienda resort on the Las Vegas Strip is imploded to make way for the Mandalay Bay.
- Laurel Mountain (Oregon) receives 204.04 inches (5,182.6 mm) of rainfall equivalent during the year, the most ever recorded for a calendar year in the contiguous United States.^[9]

Ongoing

Iraqi no-fly zones (1991–2003)^[10]
Dot-com bubble (c. 1995–c. 2000)