At A Glance
18 December 1996 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 18 December 1996 was a Wednesday.
- UK Number One
- The UK Number One single was “Knockin' on Heaven's Door / Throw These Guns Away” by Dunblane.
- Top Film of 1996
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1996 was Independence Day.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 18 December is Sagittarius.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 18 December 1996 fell in the Year of the Rat.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 18 December 1996 was Waxing Gibbous.
On this day: 18 December
- 1999 NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT.
- 2002 California gubernatorial recall: Then Governor of California Gray Davis announces that the state would face a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier.
- 2005 The Chadian Civil War begins when rebel groups, allegedly backed by neighbouring Sudan, launch an attack in Adré.
- 2006 United Arab Emirates holds its first-ever elections.
- 2015 Kellingley Colliery, the last deep coal mine in Great Britain, closes.
Famous people born on 18 December
- Brad Pitt, American actor and producer (born 1963)
- Steven Spielberg, American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded DreamWorks (born 1946)
- Jayden Daniels, American football player (born 2000)
- Billie Eilish, American singer (born 2001)
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.
Events of 1996 in the United Kingdom
A selection from Wikipedia's '1996 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.
- 13 January – National Union of Mineworkers' leader Arthur Scargill announces that he is defecting from the Labour Party to set up his own Socialist Labour Party.
- 4 February – The first two passenger train operating companies begin operation of their service franchises as part of the privatisation of British Rail: South West Trains (part of the Stagecoach Group) and Great Western Trains (management buyout).
- 17 March – Legoland Windsor opens its doors for the public. It becomes the second Legoland in Europe.
Life in 1996
Prime Minister
John Major
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Pint of Beer
£1.50
Loaf of Bread
65p
Average House
£60,750
Weekly Wage
£365.00
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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)
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