WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO FEBRUARY 1996
Find out what all happened January to February 1996

President Jacques Chirac announces a "definitive end" to French nuclear weapons testing. (29. January 1996)

Billy Bailey becomes the last person to be hanged in the USA. (25. January 1996)

The massive Internet collaboration "24 Hours in Cyberspace" takes place. (8. February 1996)

Space Shuttle program: STS-72 launches from the Kennedy Space Center marking the start of the 74th Space Shuttle mission and the 10th flight of Endeavour. (11. January 1996)

At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people. (15. February 1996)

Major snowstorm paralyzes Midwestern United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and ties all-time record low temperature at -26 °F (-32.2 °C) (4. February 1996)

The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress. (1. February 1996)

La Fenice, Venice's opera house, is destroyed by fire. (29. January 1996)

Polish Prime Minister Józef Oleksy resigns amid charges that he spied for Moscow. (24. January 1996)

Curaçao gains limited self-government, though it remains within free association with the Netherlands. (1. January 1996)

The last occurrence of February 24 as a leap day in the European Union and for the Roman Catholic Church. (24. February 1996)

NASA's Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros. (17. February 1996)

Willamette Valley Flood of 1996: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, causes over US$500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest. (6. February 1996)

The IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time. (10. February 1996)

An Antonov An-32 cargo aircraft crashes into a crowded market in Kinshasa, Zaire, killing up to 237 on the ground; the aircraft's crew of 6 survive the crash. (8. January 1996)

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match. (17. February 1996)

Comet Hyakutake is discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake. (31. January 1996)

The Czech Republic applies for membership of the European Union. (17. January 1996)

The U.S. Congress passes the Communications Decency Act. (8. February 1996)

An explosives-filled truck rams into the gates of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka killing at least 86 and injuring 1,400. (31. January 1996)