At A Glance

17 December 1996 at a glance

Day of the week
17 December 1996 was a Tuesday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Un-Break My Heart” by Toni Braxton.
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 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 December 17

  • 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 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.
More events of 1996 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

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Famous Faces Born in the 1990s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Zendaya1 September 1996Actress & singerView their day →Sydney Sweeney12 September 1997ActressView their day →Charlie Kirk14 October 1993Political activistView their day →Shailene Woodley15 November 1991ActressView their day →Miley Cyrus23 November 1992Singer & actressView their day →Enes Kanter Freedom20 May 1992Basketball playerView their day →Kate Upton10 June 1992Model & actressView their day →Phoebe Bridgers17 August 1994MusicianView their day →

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

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