January:
- Terry Venables announces he will resign as England manager after UEFA Euro 96
- France undertakes it’s last nuclear weapons test
February:
- An IRA ceasefire ends with the Docklands bombing in London’s Canary Wharf District, killing two and causing £85 million worth of damage
- First two train operating companies, South West Trains and Great Western Trains, begin operation following the privatisation of British Rail
- Genetically modified food products go on sale in the UK
- An IRA bomb explodes on a bus in Central London, killing one and injuring eight others
- Pokémon Red and Green (later released as Blue in other parts of the world) are released on Game Boy in Japan
March:
- Dunblane massacre: Thomas Hamilton walks into Dunblane Primary School, kills sixteen pupils and one teacher before committing suicide
- Braveheart wins Best Picture at the 68th Academy Awards
April:
- Port Arthur massacre: Martin Bryant kills 35 people at the Port Arthur tourist site in Tasmania
- Major League Soccer makes its debut in the US
May:
- Australian government introduces a nationwide ban on private possession of automatic and semi-automatic rifles in response to Port Arthur massacre
- The FA announces Glenn Hoddle will succeed as manager of the England national football team
- Manchester United win the Premier League and FA Cup double, the first team to do so twice
June:
- UEFA Euro 96 is held in England, Germany beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in the final with a golden goal during extra time, their first major title since unification
- An IRA bomb explodes in Manchester injuring over 200 people and devastates a large part of the city centre
- The Nintendo 64 is released
July:
- Dolly the sheep, the first successfully cloned mammal is born at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian
- The 1996 Summer Olympics begins in Atlanta, Georgia
- Alan Shearer becomes the worlds most expensive footballer after a £15 million transfer from Blackburn to Newcastle
August:
- The 1996 Summer Olympics end with the United States at the top of the medal table, winning 44 gold and 101 overall medals
- The Prince and Princess of Wales are formally divorced at the High Court of Justice
September:
- Tupac Shakur is shot four times by an unknown assailant in a Las Vegas drive-by, he dies in hospital six days later
October:
- The UK government announces plans to make possession of handguns illegal following the Dunblane massacre
November:
- Incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton defeats Republican nominee Bob Dole in the US Presidential election
- The first Tamagotchi is sold, in Japan
December:
- The first feature film DVDs are released by Warner Home Video in Japan; The Assassin, Blade Runner, Eraser and The Fugitive are the first major titles
Other:
- More than 4% of the UK population now have internet access
- Killing Me Softly by Fugees is the best-selling single of the year
- Independence Day is the highest grossing film of the year globally, with a worldwide gross of $817 million
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