Look Back To 1996: What Happened That Year

Football came home, nearly, and the Spice Girls arrived and took the entire decade with them.

Here's 1996 in full - the music, the news, the screen, the sport and the ordinary details. Good for a birthday card, a party quiz round or a reminiscence session.

In the charts in 1996

• The Fugees' 'Killing Me Softly' was the best-selling single of the year.
• The Spice Girls released 'Wannabe' in July; it went to number one and stayed there for seven weeks.
• '2 Become 1' was their Christmas number one, the first of three in a row.
• 'Three Lions' by Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds was the Euro 96 song, and has returned to number one twice since.
• Oasis played two nights at Knebworth in August to 250,000 people, with over two million applying for tickets.

In the news in 1996

• The Dunblane primary school shooting in March led to the near-total ban on handguns in Britain.
• The Manchester bomb in June destroyed much of the city centre; nobody was killed, and it reshaped the city.
• Dolly the sheep was born in July at the Roslin Institute, though not announced until the following year.
• The BSE crisis led to a worldwide ban on British beef in March.
• The Prince and Princess of Wales divorced in August.
• The Channel Tunnel had a serious fire in November.

On screen in 1996

• Trainspotting was released in February and became the British film of the decade.
• Independence Day, Fargo and The English Patient were the other films of the year.
• Only Fools and Horses' 'Time on Our Hands' drew 24.3 million viewers on Christmas Day - the largest British sitcom audience ever.
• The Demon Headmaster began on CBBC and quietly frightened a generation.
• Nintendo 64 launched in Japan and America; the UK got it in March 1997.

In sport in 1996

• Euro 96 was held in England. England reached the semi-final and lost to Germany on penalties, with Gareth Southgate missing.
• Germany won the tournament at Wembley.
• Manchester United won the Premier League and FA Cup double again.
• Damon Hill won the Formula One world championship, twenty-four years after his father Graham.
• Steve Redgrave won his fourth Olympic gold at Atlanta.

Everyday life in 1996

• Tamagotchi launched in Japan and reached Britain the following year.
• Cool Britannia was on magazine covers everywhere.
• The first widely available home internet packages appeared, charged by the minute.
• Nokia phones were becoming genuinely affordable.
• Football shirts, Britpop parkas and bucket hats were the uniform of the summer.

If you were born in 1996

• Anyone born in 1996 arrived in the Euro 96 and Spice Girls year, which is about as 90s as a birth year gets.
• They were born the same year Dolly the sheep was, which is a genuinely good fact for a card.
• Anyone born in 1996 turns 30 in 2026, 40 in 2036, 50 in 2046, 60 in 2056 and 70 in 2066.
• For a milestone card, the strongest line is usually the number one from the week they were born rather than the year's biggest events - it's personal, and it takes two minutes to find.
• For a reminiscence session, read one section at a time and stop on whatever gets a reaction. The point is the conversation, not the facts.

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How to write it so it lands

• The number one from the week they were born beats the year's headlines on a card.
• Read one section at a time in a reminiscence session and stop where the conversation starts.
• Use it as a guess-the-year round by reading three facts and hiding the date.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1999
• Look back to 1998
• Look back to 1997
• Look back to 1995
• Look back to 1994
• Look back to 1993
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• 1990s party playlist
• 90s kids' TV shows
• 90s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Video shops and late fees
• Saturday morning TV
• Phones before mobiles
• The 2020s so far
• The 2010s: the whole decade
• The 2000s: the whole decade
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Milestone birthday cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What happened at Euro 96?

England hosted the tournament and reached the semi-final, losing to Germany on penalties after Gareth Southgate's miss. Germany went on to win the final at Wembley.

What was the Christmas number one in 1996?

'2 Become 1' by the Spice Girls - the first of three consecutive Christmas number ones for the group.

How old is someone born in 1996?

Subtract 1996 from the current year. They turn 40 in 2036, 50 in 2046, 60 in 2056 and 70 in 2066.

Do you sell anything to do with this year?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page itself is free to read and free to copy.