1996
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades: 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s
Years: 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 - 1996 - 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Births
Deaths
- January 8 - Francois Mitterrand, French politician and President of France.
- February 11 - Amelia Rosselli, poet.
- February 11 - Bob Shaw, science fiction writer.
- February 11 - Cyril Poole, English cricket player.
- February 11 - Kebby Musokotwane, prime minister of Zambia (1985-1989).
- February 11 - Phil Regan, actor.
- May 20 - Jon Pertwee, actor
- May 31 - Paul Peter Piech, artist
- December 20 - Carl Sagan - US astronomer
- Thomas Kuhn, philosopher of science
- Willie Rushton, UK comedian and cartoonist
Events
- Dolly the sheep is the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell.
- ID Software releases the first person shooter computer game, Quake
- Martina Hingis youngest person in history (age 16) to win at Wimbledon (Ladies Doubles event)
- Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- May 23 - Swede Göran Kropp reaches Mount Everest summit alone without oxygen after having bicycled there from Sweden.
- November - Bill Clinton defeats Bob Dole in the U.S. presidential election
Sport
- January 28 - Super Bowl XXX Dallas Cowboys (27) def. Pittsburgh Steelers (17)
- Physics - David M. Lee, - Douglas D. Osheroff, Robert C. Richardson
- Chemistry - Robert Curl, Sir Harold Kroto, Richard Smalley
- Medicine - Peter C Doherty, Rolf M Zinkernagel
- Literature - Wislawa Szymborska
- Peace - Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo and Jose Ramos-Horta
- Economics - James Mirrlees, William Vickrey