December 21st, 1996, was a Saturday. It was day 356 of 1996. The decade was the Nineties.
26 years, 3 months and 11 days have passed since December 21st, 1996.
The zodiac star sign for this date is Sagittarius.
People who were born on this exact date.
These songs were on top of the music charts in the United States and the United Kingdom on December 21st, 1996.
A list of songs that were dominating the music charts on this date.
The top "Box Office" movie on this date was the film "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America".
Let's take a walk down memory lane.
The date is December 21st, 1996, and it's a Saturday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Sagittarius. Currently, people are enjoying their weekend.
Christmas Day of 1996 is fast approaching and the excitement is building. Department stores are thronged with Christmas shoppers. In America, the song Un-break My Heart by Toni Braxton is on top of the singles charts. Over in the UK, Knockin' On Heaven's Door by Dunblane is the number one hit song.
Bill Clinton is currently the President of the United States, and the movie Beavis and Butt-Head Do America is at the top of the Box Office. In the United Kingdom, John Major is the current Prime Minister. A new form of communication called "text messaging" is continuing to grow in popularity. However, it can only be done if both the sender and the receiver are on the same cell network.
Meanwhile, a global system called "the Internet" is also starting to take off. Each day, more and more people are learning how to send emails and browse "websites" on the World Wide Web by connecting their IBM computers to noisy dial-up modems. In fashion, "grunge" clothing has declined in popularity and women are beginning to wear form-fitting outfits such as slip dresses and pencil skirts. Movies such as Clueless and The Craft have popularized the "sexy school girl" look. Meanwhile, CDs have become the dominant format for music. People are buying CD players and portable CD players such as the "Discman". As a result, the older cassette tape format is continuing to decline in sales.
It's 1996, so radio stations are being dominated by the likes of Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Céline Dion, Oasis, Mark Morrison, Spice Girls, Los Del Rio, 2Pac and Coolio. A new dance craze called the "Macarena" is all the rage at the moment. A new video game console called the "Nintendo 64" has just been released. It is currently competing against the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn.
If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as JonBenét Ramsey, The Notorious B.I.G, Gianni Versace and Princess Diana would all be still alive. On TV, people are watching popular shows such as "Party of Five", "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys", "JAG" and "7th Heaven". Meanwhile, gamers are playing titles such as "Killer Instinct", "Die Hard Trilogy", "Nights into Dreams" and "Wipeout 2097".
Children and teenagers are currently watching television shows such as "Tales from the Cryptkeeper", "Weird Science", "Sweet Valley High" and "Dexter's Laboratory". Popular toys at the moment include the likes of the SEGA Game Gear, Dear Diary, Bop It and the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
These are trending news stories and fads that were prevalent at this time. These are topics that would have been in the media on December 21st, 1996.
At the end of December, 1996, the slasher film "Scream" was released in movie theaters. The film grossed $173 million at the box office and helped to revitalize the horror genre.
The comic sci-fi movie "Mars Attacks!" was playing in movie theaters at this time.
On September 29th, 1996, the Nintendo 64 games console was released in North America. For many kids (and adults), this was the go-to gift for Christmas of 1996.
A dance called the "Macarena" became a craze in the second half of 1996.
On April 15th, 1996, the Nokia 9000 Communicator was released. It was one of the first smartphones on the market. The phone had 8MB of memory and it came equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard.
In 1996, the popularity of a handheld digital pet called the "Tamagotchi" spread across America and Europe.
Popular music artists in 1996 included Los del Río, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, 2Pac, LL Cool J, Soundgarden, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Alanis Morissette, Everything but the Girl, Joan Osborne, Mary J. Blige, SWV, Toni Braxton, Eric Clapton, Blackstreet, R. Kelly, Metallica and Van Halen.
In 1996, the best NBA players were Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, David Robinson, Penny Hardaway, Shawn Kemp, Grant Hill, Hakeem Olajuwon, Gary Payton, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Juwan Howard, Shaquille O'Neal, Mitch Richmond and Reggie Miller.
A scientist called David Ho was named as the Time Person of the Year in 1996 because of his pioneering contributions to HIV/AIDS research.
The X-Files actress Gillian Anderson (Agent Scully) was named as FHM's sexiest woman in 1996.
1996 saw the release of movies such as Independence Day, Twister, Mission: Impossible, The Rock, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 101 Dalmatians, Ransom, Eraser, The Nutty Professor, Jerry Maguire, Scream, The Cable Guy, Mars Attacks! and The Craft.
In 1996, the best soccer players were Matthias Sammer, Ronaldo, Alan Shearer, Alessandro Del Piero, Jürgen Klinsmann, Davor Šuker, Eric Cantona, Marcel Desailly, Youri Djorkaeff, Karel Poborský and Nwankwo Kanu.
"The English Patient" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1996.
The song "Change the World" by Eric Clapton went on to win a Grammy for 1996's Song of the Year.
The PlayStation (PS1) was released in September of 1995. It was one of the best-selling video game consoles of the 1990s.
From the mid-1990s onward, CDs became the dominant format for music. CD players and the "Discman" increased in popularity while sales of cassette tapes and vinyl records continued to peter out.
During the middle of the 1990s, female clothing began to become more form-fitting, as those badly-shaped "mom jeans" began to disappear. Grunge fashion started to decline and popular outfits began to include tartan minikilts, hot pants, slip dresses and knee highs.
During the mid-1990s, kids were reading Goosebumps, which was a series of children's horror books that were written by author R. L. Stine. The original series included books such as "Monster Blood", "Say Cheese and Die!" and "The Barking Ghost".
During this period, people were using VCRs to watch tapes of movies and TV shows. The device also gave people the ability to record programs and films onto a blank tape.
During the 1990s, pagers achieved mainstream popularity. These small devices allowed the owner to receive messages. More often than not, the message was a short memo or a phone number that they were supposed to call back.
By the 1990s, "modernism" was starting to heavily influence interior design trends. As a result, wallpaper started to decline in popularity. Instead of using decorative wallpaper, many people opted for minimalist, plain-colored walls.
During the 1990s, an elastic hair tie called the "scrunchie" was in fashion.
During this time, a hand-held game console called the "Game Boy" was all the rage. The console boasted games such as Super Mario Land, Tetris, Donkey Kong, Kirby's Dream Land and a number of Pokémon releases.
Basic facts and information about this date:
Check out our personality summary for people who were born on December 21st, 1996.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around December 21st, 1996.
Zodiac and birthstone information.
NEW! Check out our personality summary image for this birth date.
Television shows that people were watching in December, 1996.
Everybody Loves Raymond
TV show about a sports write called Raymond Barone.
7th Heaven
Family drama series.
3rd Rock from the Sun
Show about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth.
JAG
TV series about the military's Judge Advocate General division.
Xena: Warrior Princess
TV series about a warrior princess who travels around fighting bad guys.
Father Ted
Irish comedy TV series about a group of Catholic priests.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
TV series.
Star Trek: Voyager
Kathryn Janeway is the captain of a starship that is lost in space and must find its way back home.
Friends
Sitcom about a group of friends living in New York City.
Touched by an Angel
TV series about a group of angels.
ER
Hospital drama series.
Party of Five
TV show about five siblings whose parents died in a car accident.
Ellen
TV series.
Babylon 5
Soap drama that is set in space.
The Nanny
Fran Fine becomes a nanny in wealthy widower Maxwell Sheffield's home.
Walker, Texas Ranger
Starring Chuck Norris.
Frasier
Sitcom about a therapist / talk-show host called Dr. Frasier Crane.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Superman TV series starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.
The X-Files
Special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully team up to investigate the paranormal.
Beavis and Butt-Head
Adult animated comedy series.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Spin-off of "Star Trek: The Next Generation".
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
American Western drama.
Mad About You
Starring Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser.
Martin
Comedian Martin Lawrence plays the role of a radio talk show host.
Melrose Place
Soap drama.
Baywatch
Drama series about lifeguards. Starring David Hasselhoff.
Step by Step
American television sitcom.
1996 saw the introduction of cars such as the Citroën Saxo, the Cadillac Catera, the Audi A3, the Honda Logo, the Volvo S70 and the Pontiac Montana.
Cartoons and TV shows that children and teenagers were watching on this day in 1996.
KaBlam!
Hey Arnold!
Arthur
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Bruno the Kid
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm
Clueless
Richie Rich
Blue's Clues
Superman: The Animated Series
7th Heaven
Kenan & Kel
Moesha
Little Bear
Goosebumps
Wishbone
Brotherly Love
Hang Time
Pinky and the Brain
In the House
Johnny Bravo
Dexter's Laboratory
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Gargoyles
The Secret World of Alex Mack
Friends
Street Sharks
The Magic School Bus
Sweet Valley High
All That
Sister, Sister
Weird Science
The Nanny
Boy Meets World
Tales from the Cryptkeeper
Animaniacs
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Living Single
X-Men: The Animated Series
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Home Improvement
Doug
Rugrats
Beverly Hills, 90210
Art Attack
Round the Twist
The Simpsons
Dink, the Little Dinosaur
Roseanne
Married... with Children
Toys and games that were popular on this date in 1996.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game
Bop It
The Nintendo 64
Tickle Me Elmo
The Tamagotchi
The PlayStation (PS1)
The Sega Saturn
Styrofoam plane gliders
Sky Dancers
Fisher-Price Great Adventures Castle
Dear Diary
Jurassic Park: Young Tyrannosaurus Rex
Action Man
Mighty Max
Littlest Pet Shop
Nerf Blaster
Super Soaker (water gun)
The SEGA Game Gear
G.I. Joe (figures)
Yo-yo
Lego Pirates
Polly Pocket
Jenga
Sylvanian Families
Popular video games that people were playing in December of 1996.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Developed by Rare for the SNES.
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
Action-adventure game developed by Silicon Knights.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
RTS game.
Tomb Raider
Action adventure game starring Lara Croft.
Wipeout 2097
Futuristic racing game.
Super Mario 64
Platform game for the Nintendo 64.
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
Open world RPG developed by Bethesda Softworks.
Crash Bandicoot
Platform video game that was developed by Naughty Dog.
Nights into Dreams
Published by Sega for the Sega Saturn.
Die Hard Trilogy
Game based on the Die Hard movie series.
Fade to Black
Action-adventure game.
Quake
A first-person-shooter game.
Ridge Racer Revolution
Developed and published by Namco for the Sony PlayStation.
Resident Evil
Zombie horror survival game.
Duke Nukem 3D
First-person shooter game that was published by GT Interactive Software.
Virtua Fighter 2
Fighting video game developed by Sega.
Twisted Metal
Vehicular combat game.
Phantasmagoria
Point-and-click adventure horror game.
Destruction Derby
Combat racing video game for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Platform game that was released for the SNES.
Killer Instinct
Fighting video game developed by Rare.
If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1996.
This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories of their early childhood.
If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out December 21st, 2002, instead.
Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on December 21st.
Actress.
Born on December 21st, 1937
She turned 59 on this day in 1996.
Musician. Deceased
Born on December 21st, 1940
He was not alive on this date.
Actor.
Born on December 21st, 1948
He turned 48 on this day in 1996.
Actress.
Born on December 21st, 1955
She turned 41 on this day in 1996.
Actor.
Born on December 21st, 1957
He turned 39 on this day in 1996.
Actor.
Born on December 21st, 1966
He turned 30 on this day in 1996.
French president.
Born on December 21st, 1977
He turned 19 on this day in 1996.
Youtube personality. Deceased
Born on December 21st, 1980
He turned 16 on this day in 1996.
Actor.
Born on December 21st, 1983
He turned 13 on this day in 1996.
Historical weather information for December 21st, 1996.
Bill Clinton was the President of the United States on December 21st, 1996.
John Major was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
John Bruton was the Taoiseach of Ireland.
Conception estimates for this date.
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