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1996 in the United Kingdom

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1996 in the United Kingdom
Other years
1994 | 1995 | 1996 (1996) | 1997 | 1998
Countries of the United Kingdom
England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales
Popular culture
Legoland Windsor in Windsor, Berkshire opened on 17 March

Events from the year 1996 in the United Kingdom.

This year is noted for the Dunblane Massacre, the divorces of the Duke and Duchess of York (Andrew and Sarah) and of the Prince and Princess of Wales (Charles and Diana) and the birth of Dolly the sheep.

Incumbents

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Events

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January

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February

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March

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April

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May

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June

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  • 8 June – The European Football Championships begin in England, with the host nation drawing 1–1 with Switzerland in the opening game.
  • 13 June – The parliament of Guernsey, Channel Islands, votes to legalise abortion 86 years after it was outlawed.
  • 15 June – A bombing takes place in Manchester.
    • England and Scotland meet for the first time in a major football tournament when they play their group match at Euro '96. England win the match 2–0.[12]
  • 16 June – Launch of The Planet on Sunday, a new Sunday tabloid focusing on environmental issues. Publication of the newspaper ceases after one edition because the owner is unhappy with its content.[13][14]
  • 19 June – The government selects the Greenwich Peninsula site on the banks of the River Thames as the location for the Millennium Dome exhibition which is set to open for the year 2000.
  • 21 June – The latest MORI poll shows the Conservatives on 31%, their best showing for three years, but they are still 21 points behind Labour with just under a year to go before the next general election is due to be held.[1]
  • 26 June – England's hopes of being European champions of football for the first time are ended with a penalty shootout defeat to Germany after a 1–1 draw in the semi-final.
  • 30 June – Germany wins the European Championship final with a 2–1 victory over the Czech Republic at Wembley.

July

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August

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  • 9 August – Sir Frank Whittle, inventor of the turbojet engine, dies of cancer at his home in Columbia, Maryland, United States, aged 89.
  • 14 August – Unemployment has fallen to 2,126,200 – its lowest level since the summer of 1991.
  • 28 August – The Prince and Princess of Wales (Charles and Diana) complete their divorce proceedings after fifteen years of marriage. Their separation was first announced nearly four years ago.[11] The former Princess of Wales loses her style of Royal Highness and assumes the style Diana, Princess of Wales.
  • 29 August – Ketamine was legalised in the United Kingdom for the first time.

September

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October

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November

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December

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  • 7 December – Sir John Gorst, 68-year-old Conservative MP for Hendon North in London, resigns the party whip, leaving the Conservative Party without a majority in the House of Commons.
  • 10 December
  • 11 December – Comedian Willie Rushton dies aged 59 in hospital in Kensington, London, of a heart attack, ten years after jokingly predicting it.
  • 18 December – Unemployment has fallen below 2,000,000 for the first time in almost six years, four years since it peaked at nearly 3,000,000 during the recession. Despite the strong economic recovery and falling unemployment, the Conservatives are still trailing behind Labour in the opinion polls, a stark contrast to their performance at the last election, where they retained power despite Britain being in recession.

Undated

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  • Remaining provincial branches of the Bank of England, at Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol, are closed.[23]
  • More than 4% of the UK population (some 2,500,000 people) now have internet access.
  • New car sales in the United Kingdom are above 2,000,000 for this year, a level last seen in 1990.
  • Panathlon Foundation is formed by Ashley Iceton.[24]

Publications

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Births

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January

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February

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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Ella Purnell

October

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Ella Balinska

November

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December

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Full date unknown

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Deaths

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January

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February

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Pat Smythe

March

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Jack Churchill
Jacquetta Hawkes with John Priestley

April

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Greer Garson
Donald Adams

May

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Beryl Burton
Jon Pertwee

June

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July

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Jessica Mitford

August

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Frank Whittle

September

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Geoffrey Wilkinson

October

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Beryl Reid

November

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Sorley MacLean

December

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Willie Rushton

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Poll tracker: Interactive guide to the opinion polls". BBC News. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  2. ^ "Passenger train operating companes: who bought what". Railway Magazine: 20. April 1997.
  3. ^ "1996: First GM food goes on sale in UK". BBC News. 5 February 1996. Archived from the original on 2 February 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  4. ^ "1996: Arms-to-Iraq report published". BBC News. 15 February 1996. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  5. ^ "1996: Bomb blast destroys London bus". BBC News. 18 February 1996. Archived from the original on 21 January 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  6. ^ Wolmar, Christian (22 February 1996). "Wrong kind of snow in tunnel...". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  7. ^ "Prince Charles - timeline". The Guardian. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  8. ^ "The government acknowledged the possible link between BSE in cows and CJD in humans". Policy Navigator. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Politics 97". BBC. 1997. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  10. ^ "British Election Panel Study, 1992–97". CREST. Archived from the original on 16 February 2001. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d Penguin Pocket on This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
  12. ^ UEFA.com. "Scotland-England | UEFA EURO 1996". UEFA.com. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  13. ^ Fowler, Rebecca (20 June 1996). "Why The Planet fell to earth". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  14. ^ Izatt, Janet (17 May 1996). "Planet on Sunday due to go into orbit in June". PR Week. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  15. ^ Andrew, Christopher (2010) [2009]. The Defence of the Realm. London: Penguin. pp. 795–6. ISBN 978-0-141-02330-4.
  16. ^ "Lord Taylor of Warwick". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  17. ^ "Durham Cricket History". Durham Cricket.
  18. ^ "1996: Handguns to be banned in the UK". BBC News. 16 October 1996. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  19. ^ "Obituary: Barry Porter". The Independent. London. 4 November 1996. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  20. ^ "Ipsos MORI | Trend | Voting Intention in Great Britain: 1976-present". Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  21. ^ "The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1996". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  22. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1996". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  23. ^ "Bank of England Branch Banks". Bank of England. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  24. ^ "The Panathlon Foundation limited". Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  25. ^ McKinney, David (10 January 1996). "Obituary: Norrie McCathie". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  26. ^ Shaw, Phil (7 November 1996). "Football: Tommy Lawton dies at age of 77". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  27. ^ Bagnall, Polly; Beck, Sally (2015). Ferguson's Gang: The Remarkable Story of the National Trust Gangsters. London: Pavilion Books. ISBN 9781909881716.
  28. ^ Wright, John (7 February 2022). "British Music Yearbook". Vintage Dance Band Music and Jazz on 78rpm Records and Talkies. Retrieved 7 February 2022.