UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
2 January 1996 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 2 January 1996 was a Tuesday.
- ARIA No. 1
- The ARIA No. 1 was “Gangsta's Paradise” by Coolio featuring L.V..
- Top Film of 1996
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1996 was Independence Day.
- Best-Selling Vehicle of 1996
- Australia's top-selling new vehicle in 1996 was the Holden Commodore.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 2 January is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 2 January 1996 fell in the Year of the Pig.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for January is Garnet.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 2 January 1996 was Waxing Gibbous.
On this day: 2 January
- 1959 Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, is launched by the Soviet Union.
- 1963 Vietnam War: The Viet Cong wins its first major victory, at the Battle of Ap Bac.
- 1967 Ronald Reagan, past movie actor and future President of the United States, is sworn in as Governor of California.
- 1991 Sharon Pratt Dixon becomes the first African American woman mayor of a major city and first woman Mayor of the District of Columbia.
- 2004 Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.
Famous people born on 2 January
- Jim Bakker, American televangelist (1940–2026)
- Kemi Badenoch, English politician (born 1980)
- Dax Shepard, American actor (born 1975)
- Kate Bosworth, American actress (born 1983)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Events of 1996 in Australia
A selection from Wikipedia's '1996 in Australia'. Not a complete list.
- 3 February – Liberal Frank Tanti wins the 1996 Mundingburra state by-election causing Labor to lose its Parliamentary majority in Queensland.
- 24 February – A state election is held in Tasmania. The Liberal Party government of Ray Groom is re-elected; however, Groom's promise to only govern in a majority saw him resign.
- 2 March – A federal election is held. The Liberal/National coalition defeats the Labor government of Paul Keating with a landslide two-party preferred vote of 53.9% and a 45-seat majority, one of the biggest wins since World War II.
Life in Australia in 1996
Prime Minister
Paul Keating
Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II
Petrol (per litre)
$0.70
Loaf of Bread
$1.85
Average House
$146,000
Weekly Wage
$710.00
Or
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Famous Faces Born in the 1990s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Jacob Elordi26 June 1997ActorView their day →Samara Weaving23 February 1992Actress & modelView their day →Margot Robbie2 July 1990ActressView their day →Liam Hemsworth13 January 1990ActorView their day →Elizabeth Debicki24 August 1990ActressView their day →Troye Sivan5 June 1995Singer-songwriter & actorView their day →Ben Simmons20 July 1996Basketball playerView their day →Leila George20 March 1992ActressView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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