Who was everyone's favourite Spice Girl?

Who killed Tupac?

OK, first question: So like, what did people eat in 1996? How did they dress? What language(s) did they speak? What religions did they follow? I'm so curious to know.. it's like a whole other century.

So now we're finally allowed to come on and slam?

There's so much levity in this thread I feel like it's gonna get deleted

Was Hillary's testimony to a grand jury a political witch hunt?

Was the Documentary Braveheart historically accurate?

What were the astropolitical implications of Michael Jordan defeating the Nerdlucks?

Calvin and Hobbes ended 20 years ago? Geez.

Wanna feel old, whoever is reading this? 1996, was the year that I was born... I can now ask questions in this subreddit about events that occurred during my existence.

TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE BILL CLINTON ELECTION WEBSITE!

Everybody get up it's time to slam now

We got a real jam goin' down

Welcome to the Space Jam

Let's say that I am a serf in north America in 1996. A guy named Bill Clinton has just been crowned ruler. How what I find out about it? And how would that impact my daily life?

At last! I can finally ask about the Great 1996 Invasion of New York by the Beatles.

Oh, man. I feel old now. I was 15 when the Olympics happened here and I remember when Centennial Park was shiny and new. So a question to that: what happened to victims of the bombing?

I heard about Jewell (travesty since it pretty much ruined his life) and know about Rudolph's capture, but no one really discusses what happened to the victims. We hear a lot more about the victims after attacks now, but before social media, there wasn't a lot of information available.

I'm learning from this thread that New Years represents an extra special, extra-circle-jerky holiday for /r/AskHistorians.

Enjoy you magnificent bastards.

What if something happened on January 1'st, 1997 in Asia, but it was still Dec 31, 1996 in NYC?

I imagine an AskHistorians-themed supervillain would ask questions on events that happened on the 31st of December 1996 just to see how far he can bend the rules.

That said, I can imagine a serious historian trying to keep a straight face as he wrote a detailed post (with citations) on the history of the Great Boybands War.

So what is the cultural significance of wanting a zigazig ha? Is it an ancient language way of suggesting copulation?

Aw hell, I was 28 in 1996.

One more year until we can discuss the socio-economic ramifications of the Magic School Bus cartoon leaving the airwaves.

Who bought a Nintendo 64 when it came out?

(sorry Europeans, you are not allowed to answer this)

Dammit. First thought was "ten years ago is history?"

Dammit.

Has enough time passed for someone to chronicle the rise and fall of Beanie Babies?

I wish Bill Watterston would revisit Calvin & Hobbes once more...

I don't really have a smart way to ask it, but I've always been curious about the bombing in the 1996 Olympics. I don't really get the "motives" (beyond terrorism) of that kind of thing. I'm guessing it's just more 'crazies,' but maybe there's more to it?

My hair and fashion style is from 1996, can I get flair?

What were the significant reasons for why Benjamin Netanyahu's political party Likud won the power in June 1996?

Ah yes, the year Matchbox Twenty released their debut album, which would go onto be certified platinum 12 times.

Can we ask about the Independence War of 96 against the Alien Invaders? ;-)

I can't believe that was 20 years ago... I feel so old. (I turned 10 that year). I remember flying to Florida that summer to visit my grandparents and, on the plane from CA to Georgia, I sat near a couple who were going to the Olympics. They were really nice. And on the way from Georgia to FL, I sat next to this elderly gentleman who knew a lot about geography and tried to educate me in the ways of which direction the airplane was going to turn when we finally landed. He was really cool.

You should change the year in the rules from 1995 to 1996. Happy New Year!

I was in centennial park when the bomb went off but I never really understood why they blamed the wrong guy for so long. Can someone please explain?

How far back in 1996 can I go and still be able to communicate with English speakers relatively easily? edit: I should have specified I mean around Allentown, Pennsylvania, and lets say I'm mostly talking to the local peasantry.

Was the 1996 film FARGO based on a true story, or were the Coen brothers just messing with the audience?

Haha, this is such a cool rule.

Sweet. One more year and I can finally ask if any of you know who my dad is.

1996 will of course always be remembered as the beginning of the fall of human civilization, with the machine victory at the First Battle of Philadelphia. But I suppose the entire human-machine wars will only really come into its own as a topic on this sub 20 years after the singularity.

Sierra Leone

Yeah you know, I was feeling a little young today, so thanks for reminding me that you can now ask a historian about what life was like when I was born

This got me thinking: in an interview about the new movie, JJ said he wanted to explore what the events of the original trilogy meant to a new generation who had never seen the Empire and knew of Luke Skywalker and his band only as myth and history. The story is set 30 years after Return. Does it seem like the facts were lost rather quickly to anyone else? Or do you think it's reasonable that a mere 30 years would be sufficient for people to wonder whether Han Solo was a person or not?

Notable albums from 1996.

There was Weezer's Pinkerton, Cake's Fashion Nugget, Beck's Odelay, Modest Mouse had This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About AND Interstate 8, Sublime's Self Titled album and even a Weird Al album.

Now that I think about it, that was a good year for music

I was a freshman in HS and signed up to take the History special block of classes when resulted in me becoming a historian!

Am I the only one who's mildly infuriated because of Happy New Years instead of Happy New Year?

I just realized my HoTMaiL address is now up for discussion! I also had a geocites page in a neighbourhood.

ID4 came out this year and I was 11 at the time and begged my parents to see it. My dad was all for it but we had to convince mom. She let me and it was my 2nd PG13 movie ever seen in theater, after Jurassic Park of course. It was a delight.

Also Kurt Angle won the Olympic Gold Metal

Who was objectively the better Michael: Johnson, Jackson, or Jordan?

Still remember it for EURO '96 and getting beaten on penalties by Germany...again. Bloody English football team. It's the first international competition I can remember watching and it set the tone for the rest of my life.

I'm amazed this year will mark 20 years since the Port Arthur Massacre, one of the world's deadliest mass shootings—35 fatalities—by a single person.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Arthur_massacre_(Australia)

I am from Tasmania and remember the day clearly.

My birth year being fair game in /r/askhistorians makes me feel a little sad lol.

I graduated high school in 96, so i guess this means im officially old!

What was the cultural impact of Americans making a Doctor Who movie and why is Paul McGann the best Doctor?

I can't wait for 1996! I heard George Lucas is making Episodes 1, 2 and 3! OMFG!!!!

my God this makes me feel old

My uncle Graham Strang was a first responder at the Dunblane massacre. I don't think he's been the same ever since.

"Calvin and Hobbes finished its publishing run"

:-(

Who was the third man at wcw's Bash at the Beach?

Holy crap...only one more year until Britney Spears signing a record deal is fair game.

I miss Calvin and Hobbes.

I was born in 1991.

Serious Question: How important was it to- Avoid the Noid?

Every time there's one of these threads I get more and more excited for 2021, and the crazy 9/11 threads that'll spawn out of this sub.

I can finally ask questions about the Motorola StarTac.

Ayyyy Macarena

My marriage is an antique.

I just got in elementary school in Indonesia back in 1996.

Fun times, two years before racial riots.

My birth year is now up for study in realm of historical academia... I feel like I'm getting old

Hey that means I'm now part of history!

WOOOOO 1996 OLYMPICS IN ATLANTA!!!

Every year is more I can discuss here. Working with recent history and lurking on this sub is a long-game. I guess this means all the prayerwalks and prayer marches of Jesus Day and March For Jesus are fair game now. This stuff directly contributed to later not-yet-discussable items like the 2007-8 prayer rallies in Texas during the McCain-Palin candidacy and the rise of Christian dominionism of ongoing or recent candidates like Cruz and Perry.

The year I served in the army is now history. I fell old now.

How did Boris Yeltsin get reelected, despite his unpopularity?

I wish this Iowa Public Radio deep track music program followed their rule of 25 years like you guys do for 20.

"Remember all requests must be 25 years or older". Plays nearly nothing newer than 1964.

Bradley Nowell died, sadly.

I was in the 4th grade.

Happy 1996 year! Clinton re-elected... still can't talk about "the dress". Some day my friends, some day.

I still wonder...

Did OJ do it?

Open question to all: What were you doing/what was your life like on the date of my birth? I was born on the 5th of April in '96.

Why the hell did 8 year old me think a bowl cut was a good idea

Everybody's having fun -- should I start another post if I have questions about the 20-year-perspective, professional historians' opinions on the siege of Sarajevo?

Man, 2021's gonna be a total shitshow.

So, you mentioning Sierra Leone got me thinking of a certain song, which brings me to ask, what political powers, if any, do blood diamonds hold in Africa?

I just want to know if 1989 was just a number, or another summer?

Let's say that I am a surfer in California in 1996. A guy named George Clinton has just released his album T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. How would I find out about it? And how would that impact my daily life?

Now I can find out about the historical conditions which led to the popularity of pogs!

The year I was married. Now its ancient history.

Didn't wikipedia lie to you in 2016 and not 1996 as asserted by Zhukov, G in his masterpiece Happy New Year Everyone! 1996 is now fair game! (2016)?

Can we discuss the historical impact of Everybody Loves Raymond?

So in 5 years, 9/11 is fair game?

I'm a blue collar worker from Texas attending the Super Bowl XXX. What kind of food would I eat at the game? Would I know the names of all the players on the Dallas team? What would my typical post-game celebration be like?

What's the general evidence pointing to to who killed Tupac?

Only five more years and we can ask if jet fuel can melt steel beams!

Wasn't 1996 the peak of Britpop? Like Blur vs. Oasis?

What was popular the year I was born? Things like movies, TV shows, music, "dance crazes," fashion, etc. Did people use the internet back then? What about phones and stuff? How different was technology 20 years ago compared to now? What about social issues 20 years ago compared to now? What were the most hot topic political issues, what were people debating back then?

This is horrible, but I genuinely thought that by

everything from 1996 is immediately within the purview of the (20-Year) rule.

you meant

'Too soon' doesn't apply anymore, so let's make fun of all of these things!

I have no idea how I came to that conclusion

Finally, I can ask all the burning questions I've been dying to get off my chest about 7th Heaven and the O'Reilly Factor.

cracks knuckles New Zealand in 1996!

• Shihad's Killjoy won album of the year (I feel so old)
• The Whole of the Moon and The Frighteners films were released
• Squirt (the TV show) began airing
• The Summer Olympics were in Atlanta; I remember my teacher bringing in a TV set so we could watch the games. Barbara Kendall was our flagbearer. We won 3 gold (Danyon Loader x2 in Swimming, Blyth Tait in Equestrian), 2 silver (Barbara Kendall in Sailing, Sally Clark in Equestrian), and 1 bronze (Vicki Latta, Andrew Nicholson, Blyth Tait and Vaughn Jefferis in Equestrian).

This was a pretty boring year for us, in retrospect.

I still have pogs, who wants to play?

Holy hell 1996 was the pivotal year in MY life, I'm gonna have so many questions...

Wooooooo KISS reunion!