Politics:
- Boris Yeltsin re-elected President of Russia.
- Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, ending 18 years of Conservative rule.
- The United States and North Korea reach an agreement to freeze North Korea's nuclear program.
- The Taliban takes control of Kabul, Afghanistan.
- The Great Lakes Region (Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo) suffers intense violence and genocide leaving millions of people dead.
Economy:
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches a record high of above 6,400.
- The European Union introduces the euro as its common currency.
- Japan experiences its worst economic recession since World War II.
Natural Disasters:
- Hurricane Fran hits North Carolina, causing an estimated $3 billion in damage.
- A magnitude 7.9 earthquake hits New Guinea, causing a tsunami that kills over 2,000 people.
Sports:
- The Atlanta Braves win the World Series, defeating the New York Yankees.
- Michael Johnson wins the Olympic 200-meter race in a world record time of 19.32 seconds.
- The Atlanta Olympics are held in Atlanta, Georgia.
- The UEFA Euro 1996 is held in England, and Germany wins the tournament.
Technology:
- The first clone of an adult mammal, Dolly the sheep, is born in Scotland.
- The Internet search engine Google is founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
- The PlayStation console is released by Sony.
Entertainment:
- The movie "Independence Day" becomes the highest-grossing film of all time.
- The TV show "Friends" premieres on NBC.
- "Titanic" directed by James Cameron becomes the highest-grossing film of all time, beating out the previous record holder, "Jurassic Park."
- The Spice Girls release their debut album, "Spice," which becomes the best-selling album by a girl group.