WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO MARCH 1996
Find out what all happened January to March 1996

The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. (19. January 1996)

Dunblane massacre: in Dunblane, Scotland, 16 primary school children and one teacher are shot dead by spree killer Thomas Watt Hamilton who then commits suicide. (13. March 1996)

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

A nightclub fire in Quezon City, Philippines killed 162 people. (18. March 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)

First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launch a raid against the helicopter airfield and later a civilian hospital in the city of Kizlyar in the neighboring Dagestan, which turns into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians. (9. January 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 massive Internet collaboration "24 Hours in Cyberspace" takes place. (8. February 1996)

Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President. (23. March 1996)

An 81-day-long standoff between the anti-government group Montana Freemen and law enforcement near Jordan, Montana, begins. (25. March 1996)

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

Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes, all 123 passengers and crew died. (29. February 1996)

The Motorola StarTAC, the first flip phone and one of the first mobile phones to gain widespread consumer adoption, goes on sale. (3. 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)

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 a military coup Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara deposes the first democratically elected president of Niger, Mahamane Ousmane. (27. January 1996)

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

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

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