At A Glance

8 May 1996 at a glance

Day of the week
8 May 1996 was a Wednesday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Fastlove” by George Michael.
Top Film of 1996
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1996 was Independence Day.
Star sign
The star sign for 8 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 May 1996 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 May 1996 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 8 May

  • 1976 The rollercoaster The New Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
  • 1978 The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
  • 1980 The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
  • 1984 The Soviet Union announces a boycott upon the Summer Olympics at Los Angeles, later joined by 14 other countries.
  • 1984 The Thames Barrier is officially opened, preventing the floodplain of most of Greater London from being flooded except under extreme circumstances.

Famous people born on 8 May

  • David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host (born 1926)
  • Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (1884–1972)
  • Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (1895–1979)
  • Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (born 1975)

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.
More events of 1996 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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.

Tom Holland1 June 1996ActorView their day →Florence Pugh3 January 1996ActressView their day →Kaya Scodelario13 March 1992ActressView their day →Ed Sheeran17 February 1991Singer-songwriterView their day →Dua Lipa22 August 1995Singer-songwriterView their day →Callum Turner15 February 1990ActorView their day →Harry Kane28 July 1993FootballerView their day →Jack Lowden2 June 1990ActorView their day →

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

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