At A Glance

17 December 1996 at a glance

Day of the week
17 December 1996 was a Tuesday.
Irish Chart Song in 1996
The Irish chart song for 1996 was “Firestarter” by Prodigy.
Top Film of 1996
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1996 was Independence Day.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 December 1996 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 December 1996 was First Quarter.

On this day: 17 December

  • 1989 Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years.
  • 2002 Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.
  • 2003 SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first powered and first supersonic flight.
  • 2005 Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicates the throne as King of Bhutan.
  • 2010 Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring.

Famous people born on 17 December

  • Sarah Paulson, American actress (born 1974)
  • Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-American actress (born 1975)
  • Bill Pullman, American actor (born 1953)
  • Pope Francis, Argentinian Pope of the Catholic Church (1936–2025)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1996 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1996 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 5 February – The Football Association of Ireland appointed Mick McCarthy as manager of the Irish football team.
  • 11 March – The Hepatitis Tribunal opened in Dublin.
  • 17 June – The Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland was signed into law, repealing the absolute constitutional prohibition of divorce.

Life in Ireland in 1996

Taoiseach

John Bruton

Petrol (per litre)

£1.72/gal

Loaf of Bread

£0.77

Average House

£53,000

Weekly Wage

£115

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.

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

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