At A Glance

1 January 1996 at a glance

Day of the week
1 January 1996 was a Monday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.
Top Film of 1996
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1996 was Independence Day.
Bestselling Novel of 1996
“The Runaway Jury” by John Grisham was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1996.
Top-Rated TV Show
“ER” (NBC) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1996–97 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 1 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 1 January 1996 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 1 January 1996 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 1 January

  • 1995 The World Trade Organization comes into being.
  • 1995 The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.
  • 1995 Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU.
  • 1998 Following a currency reform, Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.
  • 1998 Argentinian physicist Juan Maldacena publishes a landmark paper initiating the study of AdS/CFT correspondence, which links string theory and quantum gravity.

Famous people born on January 1

  • Noah Kahan, American singer-songwriter (born 1997)
  • J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1895–1972)
  • Angourie Rice, Australian actress (born 2001)
  • Lamine Camara, Senegalese footballer (born 2004)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1996 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1996 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • April 6 – Major League Soccer begins its inaugural season with a match between the San Jose Clash and D.C. United in San Jose, California.
  • April 29 – The Broadway hit musical Rent opens at the Nederlander Theatre.
  • June 21 – Walt Disney Pictures' 34th feature film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, considered to be one of the studio's darkest animated films, is released to positive reviews and commercial success.

Life in the US in 1996

President

Bill Clinton

Gas (per gallon)

$1.22

Loaf of Bread

$0.97

Average House

$140,000

Weekly Wage

$490

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 →