Past year · United States
A reelection year shaped by Atlanta's Olympics, new media rules and a growing digital culture
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| 52 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 53 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Free printable 1996 calendars: the Year PDF fits all twelve months on one US Letter page, and the Monthly PDF gives each month its own page with holidays written in the day boxes. Both are landscape and print well on A4 with "fit to page".
1996 had 10 federal holidays. The list below also includes 31 widely observed religious, cultural and civic dates, the start of each season and the daylight saving time changes. Federal holidays are shaded red on the calendar.
Every federal holiday in 1996 fell on a weekday, so no substitute "observed" days were needed.
| Date | Holiday or observance | Type |
|---|---|---|
| January | ||
| 1 Mon | New Year's Day | Federal holiday |
| 15 Mon | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Federal holiday |
| 22 Mon | Ramadan begins Date follows the Umm al-Qura calculation. Many US communities rely on moon sighting, so the day observed can differ by one day. | Religious |
| February | ||
| 2 Fri | Groundhog Day | Observance |
| 14 Wed | Valentine's Day | Observance |
| 19 Mon | Presidents' Day The official federal name is Washington's Birthday. | Federal holiday |
| 19 Mon | Lunar New Year | Cultural |
| 20 Tue | Eid al-Fitr Date follows the Umm al-Qura calculation. Many US communities rely on moon sighting, so the day observed can differ by one day. | Religious |
| 20 Tue | Mardi Gras | Cultural |
| 21 Wed | Ash Wednesday | Religious |
| March | ||
| 17 Sun | St. Patrick's Day | Observance |
| 20 Wed | March Equinox (Spring begins) At 3:03 a.m. ET. | Season |
| April | ||
| 1 Mon | April Fools' Day | Observance |
| 4 Thu | Passover (first day) Begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 3, 1996. | Religious |
| 5 Fri | Good Friday | Religious |
| 7 Sun | Easter Sunday | Religious |
| 7 Sun | Daylight Saving Time begins Clocks move forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time (except Arizona and Hawaii). | Clock change |
| 22 Mon | Earth Day | Observance |
| 28 Sun | Eid al-Adha Date follows the Umm al-Qura calculation. Many US communities rely on moon sighting, so the day observed can differ by one day. | Religious |
| May | ||
| 5 Sun | Cinco de Mayo | Cultural |
| 12 Sun | Mother's Day | Observance |
| 27 Mon | Memorial Day | Federal holiday |
| June | ||
| 14 Fri | Flag Day | Observance |
| 16 Sun | Father's Day | Observance |
| 19 Wed | Juneteenth Recognized by many states at the time. It became a federal holiday in 2021. | Observance |
| 20 Thu | June Solstice (Summer begins) At 10:23 p.m. ET. | Season |
| July | ||
| 4 Thu | Independence Day | Federal holiday |
| September | ||
| 2 Mon | Labor Day | Federal holiday |
| 8 Sun | National Grandparents Day | Observance |
| 14 Sat | Rosh Hashanah Begins at sundown on Friday, September 13, 1996. | Religious |
| 22 Sun | September Equinox (Fall begins) At 2:00 p.m. ET. | Season |
| 23 Mon | Yom Kippur Begins at sundown on Sunday, September 22, 1996. | Religious |
| October | ||
| 14 Mon | Columbus Day Many states and cities observe Indigenous Peoples' Day on this date. | Federal holiday |
| 27 Sun | Daylight Saving Time ends Clocks move back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time. | Clock change |
| 31 Thu | Halloween | Observance |
| November | ||
| 5 Tue | Election Day (Presidential) | Observance |
| 11 Mon | Veterans Day | Federal holiday |
| 28 Thu | Thanksgiving Day | Federal holiday |
| 29 Fri | Black Friday | Observance |
| December | ||
| 6 Fri | Hanukkah (first day) Begins at sundown on Thursday, December 5, 1996. | Religious |
| 21 Sat | December Solstice (Winter begins) At 9:06 a.m. ET. | Season |
| 24 Tue | Christmas Eve | Observance |
| 25 Wed | Christmas Day | Federal holiday |
| 26 Thu | Kwanzaa begins | Cultural |
| 31 Tue | New Year's Eve | Observance |
History
Americans entered 1996 with a presidential campaign ahead and a changing sense of how news, entertainment and politics reached the public. President Bill Clinton defeated former senator Bob Dole in November and became the first Democratic president reelected to a second term since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Earlier in the year, Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act, the first broad rewrite of federal communications law since 1934. Its rules encouraged consolidation across telephone, radio and television markets while a disputed provision, Section 230, began shaping how online services handled material posted by users.
The Centennial Olympic Games made Atlanta the center of world sports in July and August. More than 10,000 athletes from 197 nations competed, and US audiences celebrated performances that included the women's gymnastics team title. The celebration was interrupted when a bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park on July 27, killing one person at the scene and injuring more than 100. Five days earlier, Dolly the sheep had been born in Scotland; her existence remained private until scientists announced the first mammal cloned from an adult cell in 1997.
The year also carried loss and public anxiety. TWA Flight 800 broke apart after leaving New York for Paris on July 17, killing all 230 people aboard and prompting a four-year federal investigation. In Montana, the arrest of Theodore Kaczynski ended the long search for the Unabomber. Consumer technology kept moving forward: Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 in North America, DVDs went on sale in Japan, and NASA launched Mars Pathfinder in December. In movies, Independence Day led the domestic box office, while Macarena became the Billboard year-end No. 1 song and a shared feature of parties, weddings and televised events.
The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–17 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Cornerback Larry Brown intercepted two passes and became the first defensive back named Super Bowl MVP, while Dallas secured its third championship in four seasons.
President Bill Clinton signed the first major overhaul of US communications law since 1934. The act changed competition rules for telephone, broadcasting and cable companies, and its Section 230 later became central to debates over online platforms and user-posted content.
Read the full storyFederal investigators arrested Theodore Kaczynski at his isolated cabin near Lincoln, Montana, after his brother helped identify similarities between Kaczynski's writings and the Unabomber manifesto. The search ended a bombing campaign that had killed three people and injured nearly two dozen others.
Read the full storyValuJet Flight 592 crashed in the Everglades shortly after takeoff from Miami, killing all 110 people aboard. Federal investigators found that improperly prepared chemical oxygen generators started a cargo-compartment fire, leading to major scrutiny of hazardous-material handling and low-cost airline oversight.
Dolly was born at the Roslin Institute after researchers transferred the nucleus of an adult sheep's mammary cell into an egg cell. Scientists kept the work confidential until its 1997 publication, when Dolly became the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell.
TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic after departing New York for Paris, killing all 230 people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board later concluded that ignition of a flammable fuel-air mixture in the center wing tank caused the disaster.
Read the full storyMuhammad Ali lit the cauldron as Atlanta opened the Games of the XXVI Olympiad. The event brought athletes from 197 nations to Georgia and marked the modern Olympics' centennial, with the United States finishing first in both total medals and gold medals.
Read the full storyA pipe bomb exploded during a concert in Centennial Olympic Park, killing Alice Hawthorne and injuring more than 100 people. Security guard Richard Jewell helped clear spectators after discovering the bag, although he was wrongly treated as a suspect before investigators identified Eric Rudolph years later.
President Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The law replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, giving states block grants and imposing work requirements and time limits on cash assistance.
Nintendo released its 64-bit home console in North America with Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 among the launch games. Its analog control stick and four controller ports influenced later console design, while cartridges delivered fast loading but less storage than compact discs.
President Bill Clinton defeated Republican nominee Bob Dole and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot. Clinton won 379 electoral votes and about 49 percent of the popular vote, while Republicans retained control of both chambers of Congress.
Read the full storyA Delta II rocket launched Mars Pathfinder from Cape Canaveral. The low-cost mission carried the Sojourner rover and reached Mars on July 4, 1997, testing an airbag landing system and beginning a new era of sustained robotic exploration of the planet.
Gold dots on the calendar above mark these dates. Articles are researched from primary and authoritative sources listed on each page.
At a glance
Quick facts about 1996 — from key dates and calendar statistics to major events and achievements.
Important dates in 1996
Fire Rat
Notable winners and milestones in 1996
How many of each weekday 1996 had.
How many of each weekday 1996 had. A common year has 52 of every weekday plus one extra—the weekday it starts on; a leap year gets two extras.
Sky calendar
All times are US Eastern Time, calculated with standard astronomical algorithms (Meeus). Dates can differ by a day in other time zones.
Wednesday, March 20, 1996
3:03 a.m. ET
Thursday, June 20, 1996
10:23 p.m. ET
Sunday, September 22, 1996
2:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, December 21, 1996
9:06 a.m. ET
Sunday, April 7, 1996. Clocks move forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time (except Arizona and Hawaii).
Clock changeSunday, October 27, 1996. Clocks move back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time.
| Month | New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20 7:50 a.m. | 27 6:14 a.m. | 5 3:51 p.m. | 13 3:45 p.m. |
| February | 18 6:30 p.m. | 26 12:52 a.m. | 4 10:57 a.m. | 12 3:37 a.m. |
| March | 19 5:44 a.m. | 26 8:30 p.m. | 5 4:22 a.m. | 12 12:15 p.m. |
| April | 17 6:48 p.m. | 25 4:39 p.m. | 3 7:06 p.m. | 10 7:35 p.m. |
| May | 17 7:46 a.m. | 25 10:12 a.m. | 3 7:48 a.m. | 10 1:03 a.m. |
| June | 15 9:35 p.m. | 24 1:23 a.m. | 1 4:46 p.m. 30 11:58 p.m.Blue Moon | 8 7:05 a.m. |
| July | 15 12:14 p.m. | 23 1:49 p.m. | 30 6:35 a.m. | 7 2:54 p.m. |
| August | 14 3:33 a.m. | 21 11:36 p.m. | 28 1:52 p.m. | 6 1:24 a.m. |
| September | 12 7:07 p.m. | 20 7:22 a.m. | 26 10:50 p.m. | 4 3:06 p.m. |
| October | 12 10:14 a.m. | 19 2:09 p.m. | 26 10:11 a.m. | 4 8:04 a.m. |
| November | 10 11:16 p.m. | 17 8:08 p.m. | 24 11:09 p.m. | 3 2:50 a.m. |
| December | 10 11:56 a.m. | 17 4:30 a.m. | 24 3:41 p.m. | 3 12:05 a.m. |
Reuse your calendar
Every year that starts on a Monday and is a leap year has exactly the same dates and weekdays as 1996. That means a printed 1996 calendar works again in 2024, 2052, 2080.Holidays tied to the moon, such as Easter, will still move.
Why calendars repeatFAQ
1996 started on a Monday (January 1, 1996) and ended on a Tuesday (December 31, 1996). It had 366 days, 52 ISO weeks and 252 working days once federal holidays are excluded.
Yes. 1996 was a leap year with 366 days, so February had 29 days. A year is a leap year when it is divisible by 4, except century years, which must also be divisible by 400. See leap years explained.
1940, 1968, 2024, 2052, 2080 share the exact same calendar as 1996: they start on a Monday and are leap years. A 1996 calendar can be reused in 2024, 2052, 2080. Use the same calendar year finder for any other year.
Thanksgiving Day 1996 was on Thursday, November 28, 1996. Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November, so it can fall between November 22 and November 28. Read more about Thanksgiving.
Easter Sunday 1996 was on Sunday, April 7, 1996, with Good Friday on Friday, April 5, 1996. Western Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25. See how the date of Easter is calculated.
1996 is the Year of the Fire Rat, which began with Lunar New Year on Monday, February 19, 1996. Anyone born between January 1 and February 18, 1996 belongs to the previous zodiac year, the Wood Pig.
Bill Clinton (Democratic) was the 42nd president throughout 1996, with Al Gore as vice president.
There were 10 federal holidays in 1996. When a holiday lands on a Saturday, federal employees get the Friday before off; a Sunday holiday moves to Monday. See how federal holidays work.