I already did a post for 2000 a few months ago, so I figured, now that 1996 is officially 20 years ago, why not take a little look back at what might just be my personal favorite year of the '90s. Lets start things off with...

The Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiBYM6g8Tck http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIQn8pab8Vc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfg6-4mBs6Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Clxtg2pFTQM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D5PtyrewSs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9IXAJg4Vm0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wBTdfAkqGU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmpRLQZkTb8

1996 was a truly fascinating year for music. Of course, the Macarena craze dominated the year culturally, but there were several other interesting subplots. Soundgarden released their final album before their break-up, while Alice in Chains performed their final show before Layne Staley began his sad recluse period, making 1996 the symbolic end of the "Grunge era". 1st wave Post-Grunge meanwhile was very popular at this point, and produced a number of groups with short lived peaks like Tonic and Dishwalla. The killing of Tupac Shakur that September signified the beginning of the end of Gangsta Rap's golden age, and Britpop reached it's peak internationally when Oasis drew 250,000 fans for an August show at Knebworth. Music was clearly in transition in '96, as it began to move away from the core '90s and towards Y2K era trends.

The Kid's TV

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http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j6PdWG_KbsA/maxresdefault.jpg

You could make an argument that 1996 was the best year for kid's television premieres of the entire decade. You've got the original Cartoon Cartoon, Dexter's Lab, which marked the dawn of Cartoon Network's "Powerhouse Era", as well as the (in my opinion) greatest Nicktoon, Hey Arnold!, which marked the absolute peak of Nickelodeon's golden age. Kablam was one of Nick's most unique shows, and Kenan and Kel has proved one of it's most endearing. 1996 also saw the premiers of solid, yet sadly short lived, programs like The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and long running favorites like Arthur. '96 was also the year that Dragon Ball Z first arrived in the United States.

The Kid's Fads

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Pogs, which dominated 1995, began their rapid decline in 1996. Still, they remained popular enough during the first half of the year, or the second half of the 1995-96 school year. Tickle Me Elmo came out of nowhere during the 1996 Holiday Season to become one the most coveted toys in history, while Tamagotchi's made their debut. Pokemon Red & Blue also debut in Japan in '96, but wouldn't have their impact in the States until 1998. In many ways, 1996 was a transitional year for big kid's fads, as Power Rangers began to decline in popularity over the course of the year, leaving a hole that was, in part, filled by another FOX Kid's offering called Big Bad Beetleborgs.

The Video Games

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1996 saw the launch of the Nintendo 64, and the release of Super Mario 64, a true landmark title in gaming history who's influence is still felt today. It was also a banner year for new franchises, as Resident Evil, Tomb Raider and Crash Bandicoot all got their starts in '96. But it wasn't all about 3D gaming though. The 2D era had it's last gasp in 1996, but went out with a bang with classics like Vectorman 2, Super Mario RPG, and Donkey Kong Country 3. Also, excellent sequels like Twisted Metal 2 and Tekken 2 helped solidify the PlayStation's position as the dominant console of the emerging 5th generation.

It's one of my favorite years of the 90's pop culturally! Oh, and don't forget this! The 100th anniversary of the Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, GA, my hometown! This is what was so special about the year I was born, and I have pictures of myself over there as well.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4e/1996_Summer_Olympics_logo.svg/581px-1996_Summer_Olympics_logo.svg.png

It all starts getting more and more early 00's from here on out.

1996 was the year I started getting involved in the Punk scene and when I started High School. I remember my first week...

Story time! There was this Sophomore girl, right? She was pretty and really popular and I kinda liked her so I had this plan to win her over. Before 2nd period I'd go by her locker to make sure she was getting her books for the next class and I always made sure brought my skateboard and wore a NoFX/Green Day/Offspring shirt so I'd look extra cool. When I'd see her, I'd take out my walkman and put in my Offspring tape (Smash is the heaviest one out of Dookie and Punk and Drublic so I thought it made me look tougher), turn the volume all the way up and walked by real awkward to see if she noticed me. I was really obvious with it, too. Unintentionally, I may add. She didn't notice me at all and I never talked to her. I did this for 2 weeks and then got discouraged. 1996 was a fun year.

There was definitely a lot to say about the year 1996.  It saw both the peak of mid-90s culture, as well as the roots of the Y2K era.  Back when I was a kid, I always saw 1996 as the beginning of what I considered my generation of popular culture.  Between Cartoon Cartoons, the Nintendo 64, PlayStation 1, Klasky Csupo-era Nicktoons, and a general explosion of educational tools like Jump Start Second Grade, 1996 was basically the beginning of what I would consider "current" popular culture (though 1995 was sort of the dawn it that).  1996 was probably the first full year that I can mostly remember in my personal life, but it sure felt a lot of what I grew up with when I was little came out that year in particular.

In the United States, alternative music was at its height throughout 1996.  The year was the last time grunge was still a relevant musical force, but it was also the peak of several other emerging sub-genra, including first wave post-grunge (Bush, Foo Fighters, Alanis Morissette), ska (No Doubt, Goldfinger, Sublime), britpop (Oasis, in particular), and even alternative hip hop (Fugees, OutKast, The Roots).  The year was also the definitive period for the short-lived neo-soul movement, represented by D'Angelo (whose "Lady" was a top 10 hit), Maxwell, Erykah Badu, and En Vogue's massive single, "Don't Let Go."  Gangsta rap was still in its peak, thanks to the success of 2Pac's All Eyez on Me, as well as the continued relevance of Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise album, but it also took several beatings as the year progressed, causing it to limp throughout 1997.  Teen pop had not yet reached the United States, although George Michael's "Fastlove" was sort of a harbinger of the Y2K-style dance-pop that was to come.  Music in general felt very mature and scroungy throughout 1996, and was probably the last full year with an industry primarily targeted towards Generation X.

Music took an even more fascinating shift in Great Britain in 1996.  Around the end of summer, almost overnight, multiple styles faded out, while new ones overtook them.  Despite its continued prominence throughout the first half of the year, classic eurodance began to sharply lose its fanbase around the end of summer.  The same applies with pop-reggae, which completely lost momentum after Pato Banton's "Groovin'."  Around the same time these styles dropped out of the mainstream, however, Y2K-style teen pop began to explode in popularity; the 1995-1996 school year had vague glimpses of this with Eternal's "Power of a Woman" and Louise's "In Walked Love," but it was with the debut of the Spice Girls, plus the takeoff of other artists/groups like 911, Peter Andre, the Backstreet Boys, and Damage that late 90s bubblegum pop became a full-fledged industry in that country.  Meanwhile, the traditional house and eurodance styles of the early/mid-90s began to give way to garage house and trance, both of which existed earlier in the decade but which peaked in the late 90s.  Even with britpop still at its height (post-britpop like The Verve and OK Computer-era Radiohead was still a year away), the difference between the first and second halves of 1996 in Great Britain is quite remarkable.  Even though the American music industry was transitioning at the same time, the switch was still pretty gradual not nearly as abrupt as it was on the other side of the Atlantic.

As far as film goes, 1996 is a decent, if somewhat unremarkable year for the art form.  It directly followed two of the strongest years in cinema history, but aside from a few films like Fargo and Jerry Maguire, it didn't have a whole lot to offer.

It goes without saying that 1996 was one of the most transitional years in gaming history, due to being the time 2D and 3D gaming were roughly equal in popularity.  Though the Super Nintendo was clearly the dominant system during the early and middle months of the year, fifth generation systems finally started to become worth the purchase during the last third of the year, thanks to Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider, Wave Race 64, and Super Mario 64.  Donkey Kong Country 3, released that November, was the last fourth generation on a home consoles to make a significant impact on the industry.

Definitely the last year that was 100% dominated by Generation X's tastes (1983-1996 were pure Gen-X years for popular culture), at least in North and South America. Music still felt connected to 1989. '90s tv was at it's peak. This gave us the best video games of the decade. The last full year of the '90s that the early '90s were still relevant (especially the music). Most of the movies weren't that great.

Meanwhile in Europe and Oceania, Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys were ruining music on the radio and were getting ready to crapify American music which would happen the following year. This was the last really excellent year for music, and it really went out on a such a high note.

I hate that stupid Millennials/"90s kids" always ruin everything and try to claim the '90s as their own when really it wasn't theirs. The 1990's were Generation X's decade!  >:(

Definitely the last year that was 100% dominated by Generation X's tastes (1983-1996 were pure Gen-X years for popular culture), at least in North and South America. Music still felt connected to 1989. '90s tv was at it's peak. This gave us the best video games of the decade. The last full year of the '90s that the early '90s were still relevant (especially the music). Most of the movies weren't that great.

Meanwhile in Europe and Oceania, Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys were ruining music on the radio and were getting ready to crapify American music which would happen the following year. This was the last really excellent year for music, and it really went out on a such a high note.

I hate that stupid Millennials/"90s kids" always ruin everything and try to claim the '90s as their own when really it wasn't theirs. The 1990's were Generation X's decade!  >:(


You can say the same about Generation X claiming the '70s because of kid things like Sesame Street/Saturday Morning Cartoons like Scooby/Jackson 5/Bronze Age comics/Osmonds lunchboxes/Pong, but in reality that was a pure Boomer decade since they weren't old enough to go into a disco, even in 1979. Yes, the '90s had a much more definitive kids' culture compared to the '70s since there was no Nickelodeon/Disney Channel/Cartoon Network/afternoon cartoons/few video games.

Still, I can't believe '96 is now entering "vintage" territory, since that was the year where the Internet's presence became so big to the point that there wasn't any looking back. Still, it was before DVD, the first primetime HD broadcast, widescreen TVs, digital cameras, MP3 players, and perhaps the last time that a cellphone (when it was still called "Cellular phone") was still a novelty so it was still a core '90s year. It was also the last year before TV ratings in the US and network bugs onscreen (except for VH1 which started theirs in 1990).

Scream, Independence Day, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Fargo, Star Trek: First Contact, the live action 101 Dalmatians, Space Jam, The English Patient, Jerry Maguire, The Nutty Professor, and Twister is still a pretty good list for the top films of the year and I actually thought it was one of the better years for films.

1996 was a great year, especially for music.  Thanks for adding Tonic to this as they're one of my top bands. I remember all the excitement over the Spice Girls. I also remember the rivalry between them and another big group of the time, Oasis. While it didn't get going this particular year. Its hard to pick a favorite song of this year but "Barely Breathing" by Duncan Sheik and "Casual Affair" by Tonic tie. The death of Tupac. The exact moment the shoiting happend I was watching a replay of the VMAs. It just so happend to be when Pac and Snoop came on stage to present an award. A message came on the bottom of the screen, breaking news... Its creepy but really everything was creepy surrounding his death.

The year brought us some big films. Independence Day was a blockbuster hit. Twister was a big one.  Fun fact, I watched this at the drive in. Fans of the film or if you've veiwed it enough times you know of the scene where the tornado rips through the huge drive in screen while they're watching The Shining. It was ironic for me. Other hits included The Rock, Con-Air and Face/Off all starring Nic Cage. The latter two I also watched at the drive in together. Other releases included The Craft, The Frighteners, Ransom, Jerry Maguire, From Dusk Till Dawn, Bio-Dome, One Fine Day, Space Jam, The Long Kiss Goodnight and so many others.  But my favorite film of all time was released that year, Scream. It was at the very end of the year, December.

I remember when these rad albums came out in 1996:

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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/AFI_-_Very_Proud_of_Ya_cover.jpg

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You guys are talking about how 1996 had bland movies but the greatest movie of all time was released this year. Nothing in the world can top this masterpiece:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TkABbEOqL._SY355_.jpg

Yo, respekt 4 1996 (see, I can still be hip).

(Side note: I think 1997 is the last true Gen X year since it is the last year of Grunge, Flannel and, especially, Beavis and Butthead)

I hate that stupid Millennials/"90s kids" always ruin everything and try to claim the '90s as their own when really it wasn't theirs. The 1990's were Generation X's decade!  >:(


I think it's fair for 1981 to 1983 born millennials like myself to claim the 90's. I was an adolescent for more than half the decade.

I think it's fair for 1981 to 1983 born millennials like myself to claim the 90's. I was an adolescent for more than half the decade.


I'm talking about the people who were in elementary and middle school in the '90s (1984-1992 babies). I also wouldn't consider 1981 a millennial, but close enough.

I turned 10 in 96 and wow. I just remember alot of this stuff y'all mentioned. Blast from the Past. Totally.

Definitely a very "potent" year for pop culture. Wish I could contribute something new to this thread but seems everyone else already has it all covered! Twister and Scream are two of my favorite movies of all time.

I'll just list my favorite things to come from that year (regardless of whether or not I was actually into them at the time).

Scream
Twister
The Craft
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hey Arnold
Kenan and Kel
KaBlam!
Nintendo 64
Super Mario 64
Mario Kart 64

All of these are turning 20 years old :o

I went to Disney World for the first time that summer and started kindergarten in the fall.

shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, Jamie Foxx Show and The Steve Harvey Show started in 1996.

I first heard about the internet in this year.

I remember when these rad albums came out in 1996:

http://s0.limitedrun.com/images/12880/12880_original.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/AFI_-_Very_Proud_of_Ya_cover.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513XPPM127L.jpg

You guys are talking about how 1996 had bland movies but the greatest movie of all time was released this year. Nothing in the world can top this masterpiece:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TkABbEOqL._SY355_.jpg

Yo, respekt 4 1996 (see, I can still be hip).

(Side note: I think 1997 is the last true Gen X year since it is the last year of Grunge, Flannel and, especially, Beavis and Butthead)

Awesome movie! Rollercoaster of love!

I'm talking about the people who were in elementary and middle school in the '90s (1984-1992 babies). I also wouldn't consider 1981 a millennial, but close enough.

I was born in 84 and I'm 90's kid. I look at it like this. The era or decade a person grew up in mostly, birth until age 18, is that which they were a kid of. I was 4 when the 90's started, so I spent barely any of my childhood then. I was 2 months away from being 15 when the 2000's started, so most of my childhood was already over. I spend the majority of it in the 1990-1999 time period. That's where I have the most memories. I don't feel right calling myself a 2000's kid, I'm a 90's kid. Now the decade a person was born in, that which they are a baby of. So I'm an 80's baby.

I'm talking about the people who were in elementary and middle school in the '90s (1984-1992 babies). I also wouldn't consider 1981 a millennial, but close enough.


Yeah, that I can agree with. 1984-1986 is debatable, though. I say 1981 born kids are millennials because of my high school experience. When I started, it was us born in 1981 and 1982 who first ditched the classic 90's flannel grunge look. We also listened to Pop Punk bands like Green Day and The Offspring more than the older kids did as they still listened to a lot of grunge. 1980 is iffy but kids born 1979 and before were still wearing flannel and listening to Pearl Jam and Nirvana well into late 1997.

I first heard about the internet in this year.


same here.

Yeah, that I can agree with. 1984-1986 is debatable, though. I say 1981 born kids are millennials because of my high school experience. When I started, it was us born in 1981 and 1982 who first ditched the classic 90's flannel grunge look. We also listened to Pop Punk bands like Green Day and The Offspring more than the older kids did as they still listened to a lot of grunge. 1980 is iffy but kids born 1979 and before were still wearing flannel and listening to Pearl Jam and Nirvana well into late 1997.


I agree. Personally, I'd could possibly give middle schoolers (especially 7th & 8th graders) a pass as claiming the mainstream pop culture as part of their time along with high school and college students. Me being born in 1996, the 2010's is obviously my decade without a question, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were many people my age who have been into the mainstream pop culture since the late 2000's at the earliest. It all depends on the influence you got when you were raised.

I agree. Personally, I'd could possibly give middle schoolers (especially 7th & 8th graders) a pass as claiming the mainstream pop culture as part of their time along with high school and college students. Me being born in 1996, the 2010's is obviously my decade without a question, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were many people my age who have been into the mainstream pop culture since the late 2000's at the earliest. It all depends on the influence you got when you were raised.


I think, if you're starting adolescence during that time, you can claim the culture. This would be around age 11 or 12. My example is that I was 11 in 1993 into 1994 when I discovered Beavis and Butthead and then Green Day and The Offspring. I absorbed all that culture and it definitely feels like a part of my time.

1996 is my favorite year from the 90s out of the years that I can remember and it was also a phenomenal year in pop culture. I turned 5 in the summer of that year and what I remember best from that year was being obsessed with the newly premiered Dexter's Laboratory on Cartoon Network at the time and also first entering the music scene with hip hop trio The Fugees "Ready or Not" being my favorite song on the radio at the time along with Toni Braxton's "Un break my heart".

I was born in 1982.  I loved watching Dexter's Lab.

I was born in 84 and I'm 90's kid. I look at it like this. The era or decade a person grew up in mostly, birth until age 18, is that which they were a kid of. I was 4 when the 90's started, so I spent barely any of my childhood then. I was 2 months away from being 15 when the 2000's started, so most of my childhood was already over. I spend the majority of it in the 1990-1999 time period. That's where I have the most memories. I don't feel right calling myself a 2000's kid, I'm a 90's kid. Now the decade a person was born in, that which they are a baby of. So I'm an 80's baby.


That's what I'm talking about. '80s baby; '90s kid; '00s teen and young adult.

These people act as if they were the ones that defined all the biggest trends of '90s. As if all the music, biggest shows, movies, clothing styles, and books were made with them in mind. While they defined the kid culture, I'm talking about the mainstream stuff because almost all Millennials weren't old enough have a relevant voice in all of it (w/ the exception of '82 and '83 babies in the late '90s). You know you're seeing someone claiming something that isn't really "theirs" when you look up a video of Linger by The Cranberries and you see comments of people saying that they're '90s kids and that was their generation's music.

It's like me looking up a video of Crazy In Love and saying "this is my people's music!" when I was only 7 when it came out.  ::)  That music clearly wasn't my generation, it was before my time. So it's kind of wannabe-ish when someone tries to claim something that wasn't originally made for them.

I was born in 1982.  I loved watching Dexter's Lab.
Yeah, that show was pretty cool.

Yeah, that show was pretty cool.


My late-Boomer dad really likes Dexter's Laboratory, even though he learned about it through me.

Yeah, that I can agree with. 1984-1986 is debatable, though. I say 1981 born kids are millennials because of my high school experience. When I started, it was us born in 1981 and 1982 who first ditched the classic 90's flannel grunge look. We also listened to Pop Punk bands like Green Day and The Offspring more than the older kids did as they still listened to a lot of grunge. 1980 is iffy but kids born 1979 and before were still wearing flannel and listening to Pearl Jam and Nirvana well into late 1997.

I'd say the class of 2000(1981/1982) was the first set of millennials.

Jump Start Second Grade


!!!

I was trying to remember this game in that 2003 thread! I searched "90s pc game with kangaroo literacy" but no luck. Turns out it's a dog on the cover and not a kangaroo. I remember learning how to read from that game. Thank you for helping me remember!

I don't know if I have memories from 1996 in particular; I was in preschool/first year of kindergarten in 1995-1997 (in Canada, kindergarten is two years) and I did not know the calendar year, so those years just blend in with each other for me. But all the stuff listed in the OP I can remember, good stuff!

I also remember The Mask cartoon series. It was hillarious!

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Sssssmokin'!

And also!! This movie introduced me to the rest of Aladdin movies, and I became obsessed with the TV show. It looks like the TV series aired in 1994, way too early for me to remember it, so I must have watched the reruns.

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I'd say the class of 2000(1981/1982) was the first set of millennials.


I didn't feel a difference between the class of 1999 and class of 2000. The only difference is that I graduated in the year 2000 and that's supposed to be a big deal or something but, culturally, we're pretty much the exact same.

I didn't feel a difference between the class of 1999 and class of 2000. The only difference is that I graduated in the year 2000 and that's supposed to be a big deal or something but, culturally, we're pretty much the exact same.


I thought it was because you guys considered yourself special and different from the class before? Graduating in 2000 seem(ed/s) like a huge privilege, and I heard you guys got a bit of an ego boost from that.

I thought it was because you guys considered yourself special and different from the class before? Graduating in 2000 seem(ed/s) like a huge privilege, and I heard you guys got a bit of an ego boost from that.


It was mostly the parents and school staff who did that, as I recall. The preppy honor students, jocks and student council kids made a big deal out of it, too, but I don't remember most of us thinking too much of it. I had a lot of friends born in 1981 (some who did graduate with me in 2000) and 1980 (mostly outside of High School but still counts) and we didn't feel any different to each other. Same with people born in 1983 and 1984. We grew up the same way and we had relatively similar tastes. It's the 1979 guys I felt different from because they had much more of a Gen X Grunge connection.

It was mostly the parents and school staff who did that, as I recall. The preppy honor students, jocks and student council kids made a big deal out of it, too, but I don't remember most of us thinking too much of it. I had a lot of friends born in 1981 (some who did graduate with me in 2000) and 1980 (mostly outside of High School but still counts) and we didn't feel any different to each other. Same with people born in 1983 and 1984. We grew up the same way and we had relatively similar tastes. It's the 1979 guys I felt different from because they had much more of a Gen X Grunge connection.


I'm surprised you weren't into grunge! I keep thinking, as a '93 born, if I were born 10 years earlier in 1983, instead of having pop-punk for childhood music, it would have been grunge. And instead of having emo/darker pop-punk/Scandinavian metal as teen music, I would have had pop-punk or alternative rock like Nirvana. I guess those parallel timelines don't play out IRL  :\'(

I'm surprised you weren't into grunge! I keep thinking, as a '93 born, if I were born 10 years earlier in 1983, instead of having pop-punk for childhood music, it would have been grunge. And instead of having emo/darker pop-punk/Scandinavian metal as teen music, I would have had pop-punk or alternative rock like Nirvana. I guess those parallel timelines don't play out IRL  :\'(


Man, I hate to disappoint you but... I really didn't like grunge. :-\\ I loved Nirvana but Pearl Jam and Soundgarden? 8-P My childhood music was a mix of stuff I heard in movies and the radio. A bit of Punk (though, I didn't really know what Punk was until way later), the Beastie Boys/Run DMC and some Alternative like REM. My 1977 born brother, on the other hand, loved Grunge. He was huge into all those bands. He had the look down. Flannel, a scruffy face and never showering.

It's like me looking up a video of Crazy In Love and saying "this is my people's music!" when I was only 7 when it came out.  ::)  That music clearly wasn't my generation, it was before my time. So it's kind of wannabe-ish when someone tries to claim something that wasn't originally made for them.


LOL, but true. If there's any mainstream or popular music I remember from 1999-2006, it's because of my parents or aunts/uncles playing it around us a lot. I claim the music from 2007-present as apart of my time personally.

Season 2 of Dexter's Laboratory had the best episodes IMO.

LOL, but true. If there's any mainstream or popular music I remember from 1999-2006, it's because of my parents or aunts/uncles playing it around us a lot. I claim the music from 2007-present as apart of my time personally.

I still remember 2006 videos being played on MTV and VH1 like it was yesterday. And I liked a lot of them. You don't consider 2006 music to be your time?! ???  Cause I can totally see 10 year olds listening to today's music.

I still remember 2006 videos being played on MTV and VH1 like it was yesterday. And I liked a lot of them. You don't consider 2006 music to be your time?! ???  Cause I can totally see 10 year olds listening to today's music.


I remember the 2007 music and videos though, like yesterday. When I was 10 I was still doing mostly kid stuff at the time.

Definitely a very "potent" year for pop culture. Wish I could contribute something new to this thread but seems everyone else already has it all covered! Twister and Scream are two of my favorite movies of all time.

I'll just list my favorite things to come from that year (regardless of whether or not I was actually into them at the time).

Scream
Twister
The Craft
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hey Arnold
Kenan and Kel
KaBlam!
Nintendo 64
Super Mario 64
Mario Kart 64

All of these are turning 20 years old :o

I went to Disney World for the first time that summer and started kindergarten in the fall.


I wish I could add more to. My memories of the 90s are becoming more limited. I wish I looked back on them sooner. I'm starting to wish I was actually born 10 years before 1990.

Thanks for all the great posts everyone. Now it's time for Part 2:

The Sports

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1996 was the Year of the Dynasty in sports. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX to win their third NFL title in four years, cementing their status as the "Team of the '90s" in football. In baseball the New York Yankees revived their winning tradition by defeating my Atlanta Braves in Game 6 of the '96 World Series, which is still one of the saddest moments of my childhood. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan reached the apex of his career as the Chicago Bulls completely dominated the NBA, finishing with an all-time best 72-10 record before cruising to their first title of Jordan's second threepeat. 1996 was also the year that Major League Soccer launched in the United States, Tiger Woods made his professional golfing debut, and the Florida Gators won their first college football national championship.

The Internet

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/apple-1996.jpg
http://blogoscoped.com/files/yahoo-1996.png

Of course, the internet was not anything new by 1996, but, from what I've noticed, it seems to be the year that most people first became aware of it. I didn't first go on the net myself until 1998, but I distinctly remember first hearing other kids talking about it during 1996. I think perhaps a large part of this was due to the fact that '96 was when most companies began to include their web address on their commercials. I certainly remember seeing commercials around this time pushing for kids to visit Nick.com and wondering, "what the heck is that?" Still, despite the fact that many Americans were hearing of the internet in 1996, very few were actually using it. Stats show that only about 36 million people worldwide were using the internet by December 1996.

The Events

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Terrorism shook America in 1996, after the Atlanta Olympic games were bombed by domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph. TWA Flight 800 also exploded a few weeks earlier, leading to fears that it had been sabotaged. Dolly the sheep was cloned in July 1996, though the world would not discover it until the next year. Bill Clinton won a second term over Republican Bob Dole in a relatively boring landslide election. In fact, just about the only thing memorable about the '96 election is that, for the first time in history, both candidates had websites dedicated exclusively to their campaigns. Other memorable events of 1996 include the capture of "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, a debilitating East Coast blizzard that caused billions of dollars in damage, and the murder of JonBenét Ramsey.

I heard about the internet first in 1995 when this kid on my block got it. I got it myself in late 1996. Man, what a trip it was. The golden age of my internet experience was 1995-2003 when going online was like an adventure.

I heard about the internet first in 1995 when this kid on my block got it. I got it myself in late 1996. Man, what a trip it was. The golden age of my internet experience was 1995-2003 when going online was like an adventure.


Yeah, around 1995-96 was when most people first heard of the internet. I was just in elementary school at the time myself, but all us kids were aware of the internet's existence by the end of '96, even if we didn't really know exactly what it was.

Like I said, I think it's pretty obvious that a big reason most people (even those without computers) all seem to say that they first heard of the internet somewhere around '95 or '96, is because that's when major companies like Pepsi and Burger King began to put their .com addresses on their commercials. I'm pretty sure, as I alluded to, that seeing an ad for Nick.com sometime in 1996 was my first exposure to the web, and I would imagine that was probably case for quite a few kids growing up back then.

When I was a kid in the 90s I was into the Orlando Magic and Miami dolphins. I now can't stand football and don't pay attention to basketball. I would also go to local baseball games but never paid attention to professional. Now I'm into winter sports only, mainly figure skating.

Yeah, around 1995-96 was when most people first heard of the internet. I was just in elementary school at the time myself, but all us kids were aware of the internet's existence by the end of '96, even if we didn't really know exactly what it was.

Like I said, I think it's pretty obvious that a big reason most people (even those without computers) all seem to say that they first heard of the internet somewhere around '95 or '96, is because that's when major companies like Pepsi and Burger King began to put their .com addresses on their commercials. I'm pretty sure, as I alluded to, that seeing an ad for Nick.com sometime in 1996 was my first exposure to the web, and I would imagine that was probably case for quite a few kids growing up back then.


1996 is definitely the year I started seeing a lot of "Visit us at xxxxx.com today!" on TV.

I was born in this year.

Thanks for all the great posts everyone. Now it's time for Part 2:

The Sports

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Oh the Steelers/Cowboys rivalry in Super Bowls! They hated each other with a passion!


http://warriorsworld.bayareaballllc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/96-Bulls.jpg


Yep, that was the start of his second 3-peat from 1996-1998, that was one of the best regular season records in NBA history.


1996 was the Year of the Dynasty in sports. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX to win their third NFL title in four years, cementing their status as the "Team of the '90s" in football. In baseball the New York Yankees revived their winning tradition by defeating my Atlanta Braves in Game 6 of the '96 World Series, which is still one of the saddest moments of my childhood. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan reached the apex of his career as the Chicago Bulls completely dominated the NBA, finishing with an all-time best 72-10 record before cruising to their first title of Jordan's second threepeat. 1996 was also the year that Major League Soccer launched in the United States, Tiger Woods made his professional golfing debut, and the Florida Gators won their first college football national championship.


8-P Hate them Florida Gators, man they weren't even relevant in football until the old ball coach A.K.A. Steve Spurrier took over and changed their program forever. Since then Florida has always given my Georgia Bulldogs trouble the last 25+ years. I really wished I witnessed the 90's Atlanta Braves but I was too young to remember, but Chipper Jones was a great player though!


The Internet

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/apple-1996.jpg
http://blogoscoped.com/files/yahoo-1996.png

Of course, the internet was not anything new by 1996, but, from what I've noticed, it seems to be the year that most people first became aware of it. I didn't first go on the net myself until 1998, but I distinctly remember first hearing other kids talking about it during 1996. I think perhaps a large part of this was due to the fact that '96 was when most companies began to include their web address on their commercials. I certainly remember seeing commercials around this time pushing for kids to visit Nick.com and wondering, "what the heck is that?" Still, despite the fact that many Americans were hearing of the internet in 1996, very few were actually using it. Stats show that only about 36 million people worldwide were using the internet by December 1996.


I'm not going to mention the controversy of generations on this one ::)


Terrorism shook America in 1996, after the Atlanta Olympic games were bombed by domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph.


I have several pictures of me at the Atlanta Olympics with my parents, aunts/uncles, and cousins when I was a baby. Thankfully, I wasn't there when that tragic event happened. You know what I just realized. The 90's decade was the golden age of Atlanta sports. Just think about it. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets won their national championship in 1990. It was the golden age of the Atlanta Braves, who ended up winning their World Series in 1995. A once in a lifetime moment happened when the 100th anniversary of the Summer Olympics was not only hosted in the United States, but it was held in Atlanta, GA specifically. The Atlanta Falcons had a surprising 1998 season with a 14-2 record, went on the road to the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC Championship game, won in OT, and went to their only Super Bowl their entire history, and I've heard the story many times, had the players not gotten in trouble the night before the game, what could have been.

I have several pictures of me at the Atlanta Olympics with my parents, aunts/uncles, and cousins when I was a baby. Thankfully, I wasn't there when that tragic event happened.


The '96 Olympics were certainly a big deal for me, too. For one, they were really the first games I ever watched, as I was too young in 1992 to really care about that sort of thing, but, obviously, the fact that they were in Atlanta was a huge part of it as well. We didn't go to the games ourselves, but my family and I did get to see part of the Olympic torch relay when it passed through Perry, GA, which is close to where I lived at the time. Sadly, the '96 Olympics were also my first exposure to terrorism. For some reason, I don't really have any concrete memories of the Oklahoma City Bombing, so the Centennial Park attack was really the first situation like that I'd gone through.

Actually, the Summer of '96 was a fairly traumatic one for me overall. In August of '96, less than a month after the Centennial Park bombing, a couple was murdered in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Americus, GA that we used to go to all the time back then. In fact, I'd been at that Wal-Mart with my parents just about two days before, so it easily could've been us killed instead. Needless to say, those two things happening so close together definitely had me on edge for a while.


You know what I just realized. The 90's decade was the golden age of Atlanta sports. Just think about it. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets won their national championship in 1990. It was the golden age of the Atlanta Braves, who ended up winning their World Series in 1995. A once in a lifetime moment happened when the 100th anniversary of the Summer Olympics was not only hosted in the United States, but it was held in Atlanta, GA specifically. The Atlanta Falcons had a surprising 1998 season with a 14-2 record, went on the road to the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC Championship game, won in OT, and went to their only Super Bowl their entire history, and I've heard the story many times, had the players not gotten in trouble the night before the game, what could have been.


You're right about that. Not only were the Braves dominant in the '90s, but the Hawks were still a fairly good team in the early and mid parts of the decade when Dominique was still there.

The '98 Falcons, though. Man, what a fun team that was. Me and my dad watched every game that season in shock at how good the Falcons were, as they were barely predicted to be much more than a mediocre 8-8 at best. Jamal Anderson was an absolute beast, and Chris Chandler had the best year of his career. That shocking win over the 15-1 Vikings is still probably my all-time favorite sports moment. I still remember being huddled around the TV with my dad and brother, watching Morten Anderson's OT kick go in. Good times indeed. As far as the Super Bowl goes, we knew deep down inside that there was no way they were gonna beat Elway and Broncos, but, yeah, that idiot Eugene Robinson getting arrested for solicitation the night before the game certainly didn't help. ::)

http://blogoscoped.com/files/yahoo-1996.png

I remember when that the original logo.

Yeah, around 1995-96 was when most people first heard of the internet. I was just in elementary school at the time myself, but all us kids were aware of the internet's existence by the end of '96, even if we didn't really know exactly what it was.

I remember hearing about the internet around that time and got my first email provider.

I remember hearing about the internet around that time and got my first email provider.
Whose quote is it?

Whose quote is it?


Sorry I almost forgot.

The two moments that started the second wrestling boom!
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1996. Long hair was out, and this look (along with the 'Curtained Hairstyle') was in:
http://www.mens-hairstylists.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1996-Mens-Hairstyle-Suave-Hairdo.jpg

As I remember it, 1996 was a transitional year (from this kid's perspective). Music was somewhere between grunge, post-grunge, gangsta rap and R&B. The Macarena dominated the entire year. The first wave of kid's television began to die off, replaced by shows like Hey Arnold and Arthur. Power Rangers was still popular, but not as popular as it had been in 1994-1995 and there was no real big kid thing to fill the void - it wouldn't be filled until Pokemon a few years later. I look at 1995 as being the core of the 1990s culture, and 1996 marking the beginnings of what would evolve into the early 2000s culture. I was 5 in 1995, but I remember enjoying 2D and early 3D video/computer games equally; It didn't seem like 2D was "out" in 1996.

In retrospect, 1996 marked the height of a right wing drift in politics. Bill Clinton started off the year by announcing that 'the era of Big Government' was over. It saw the end of Sega as a major console developer, or at least the beginning of the end. I wouldn't get a Playstation until the end of 1998, but I know they were beginning to be huge in '96, while Super Nintendo's popularity held out. The Donkey Kong franchise's popularity began to cool off, having been huge in 1994 and 1995; Sonic the Hedgehog was totally derailed with the release of Sonic 3D Blast.

Quake came out and continued the rise and dominance of the First Person Shooter. Diablo brought the computer RPG to mainstream popularity and truly launched Blizzard as a major player in gaming. The Realm Online by Sierra was released and became one of the first real MMORPGs. Duke Nukem 3D and Tomb Raider were huge and helped to establish 3D as more than just a fad. Crash Bandicoot came out and began to usher in the next generation of platforming.

The FMV craze of 1994-1995 sort of fizzled out in 1996.

The two moments that started the second wrestling boom!
pQhlaWxMbTg                                                                                                                      jTOElx4nT6w


I definitely remember those moments.

http://www.mens-hairstylists.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1996-Mens-Hairstyle-Suave-Hairdo.jpg

Brian Austin Green!

Oh curtain hair though, I loved it on Devon Sawa, Leo DiCaprio and Nick Carter 😍

It was also the last year before TV ratings in the US and network bugs onscreen (except for VH1 which started theirs in 1990).
Actually, the three networks started using bugs in '93. Though, Fox's bug became omnipresent in fall '96.

Here were some of my favorite songs from 1996

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