At A Glance

12 October 1996 at a glance

Day of the week
12 October 1996 was a Saturday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” by Los del Río.
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 12 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 12 October 1996 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 12 October 1996 was New Moon.

On this day: 12 October

  • 1994 The Magellan spacecraft burns up in the atmosphere of Venus.
  • 1996 New Zealand holds its first general election under the new mixed-member proportional representation system, which led to Jim Bolger's National Party forming a coalition government with Winston Peters's New Zealand First.
  • 1999 Pervez Musharraf takes power in Pakistan from Nawaz Sharif through a bloodless coup.
  • 1999 The former Autonomous Soviet Republic of Abkhazia declares its independence from Georgia.
  • 2005 The second Chinese human spaceflight, Shenzhou 6, is launched, carrying two cosmonauts in orbit for five days.

Famous people born on October 12

  • Hugh Jackman, Australian actor, singer, and producer (born 1968)
  • Edward VI, king of England (1537–1553)
  • Doris Miller, American cook and soldier (1919–1943)
  • Josh Hutcherson, American actor and producer (born 1992)

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 →