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