At A Glance

15 May 1996 at a glance

Day of the week
15 May 1996 was a Wednesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey.
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 15 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 15 May 1996 fell in the Year of the Rat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 15 May 1996 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 15 May

  • 1991 Édith Cresson becomes France's first female Prime Minister.
  • 1997 The United States government acknowledges the existence of the "Secret War" in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans.
  • 1997 The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-84 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
  • 2001 A CSX EMD SD40-2 8888 rolls out of a train yard in Walbridge, Ohio, with 47 freight cars, including some tank cars with flammable chemical, after its engineer fails to reboard it after setting a yard switch. It travels south driverless for 66 miles (106 km) until it is brought to a halt near Kenton. The incident became the inspiration for the 2010 film Unstoppable.
  • 2004 Arsenal F.C. go an entire league campaign unbeaten in the English Premier League, joining Preston North End F.C. with the right to claim the title "The Invincibles".

Famous people born on May 15

  • Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach (1940–2026)
  • Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress and singer (born 1981)
  • David Krumholtz, American actor (born 1978)
  • Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer (born 1997)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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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

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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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