1996 was a significant year in various fields, some of the highlights are:

• In politics, Bill Clinton was re-elected as the President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate Bob Dole.
• The Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, Georgia, with the US dominating the medal count.
• The IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeated the reigning World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in a highly publicized match.
• Dolly the sheep became the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell.
• The Taliban took control of Afghanistan, establishing a strict Islamic regime.
• The first DVDs were introduced to the market, offering higher quality video and audio than traditional CDs.
• In music, the Spice Girls became one of the biggest pop groups in the world, with hits like "Wannabe" and "Say You'll Be There".
• In movies, the release of "Independence Day" and "Twister" broke box office records.
• The Taliban took control of Afghanistan.
• The Dunblane massacre occurred in Scotland.