At A Glance

8 January 1996 at a glance

Day of the week
8 January 1996 was a Monday.
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 8 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 January 1996 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 January 1996 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 8 January

  • 1981 A local farmer reports a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time".
  • 1982 Breakup of the Bell System: In the United States, AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions.
  • 1994 Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on Soyuz TM-18 leaves for Mir. He would stay on the space station until March 22, 1995, for a record 437 days in space.
  • 2002 President of the United States George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act.
  • 2004 The RMS Queen Mary 2, then the largest ocean liner ever built, is christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

Famous people born on 8 January

  • Elvis Presley, American singer, guitarist, and actor (1935–1977)
  • David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (1947–2016)
  • Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author (1942–2018)
  • Damiano David, Italian singer-songwriter (born 1999)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

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

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1990s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →