Timeline December 1996

Events in December 1996 14

• 1908 – 1996 Lew Ayres (1908-1996) American actor, star of All Quiet on the Western Front and Dr. Kildare, and a conscientious objector who served as a medic.
• 1924 – 1996 Marcello Mastroianni (1924-1996) Died 19 December 1996, aged 72 Marcello Mastroianni was an Italian actor celebrated for his roles in Federico Fellini films including "La Dolce Vita" and "8½." He received three Academy Award nominations and was one of the most internationally recognized European film stars of his era. He died in Paris of pancreatic cancer.
• 1934 – 1996 Carl Sagan (1934-1996) Died 20 December 1996, aged 62 Carl Sagan was an American astronomer and science communicator best known for the television series "Cosmos" and his efforts to popularize planetary science and the search for extraterrestrial life. He advised NASA on numerous missions and authored bestselling books including "Contact" and "The Demon-Haunted World." He died of pneumonia following a long battle with myelodysplasia.
• 1985 – 1996 Personal Tragedies Endured devastating personal losses: his 14-year-old daughter Iska died of a seizure in 1985, and his second wife Ana Maria was killed in the TWA Flight 800 crash in 1996.
• 1990 – 1996 Music and Poetry Fusion Released albums including Us an Dem and Back to Roots, blending dub poetry with reggae, hip hop and spoken word. Performed poetry on stages from the Royal Albert Hall to community centres.
• 1996 1996: Damon Hill Williams Hill, son of two-time champion Graham Hill, won the title with Williams, becoming the first son of a World Champion to win the championship himself.
• 1996 Hollywood Walk of Fame Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honouring her contribution to the film industry.
• 1996 Muppet Treasure Island Played Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island, revelling in the role opposite Kermit the Frog and delivering one of the most entertaining performances of his career.
• 1996 Propa Propaganda Published Propa Propaganda, one of his best-known collections, cementing his reputation as a political poet.
• 1996 Diogo Jota born in Porto Diogo Jose Teixeira da Silva was born on 4 December 1996 in Massarelos, Porto, Portugal. He grew up in Gondomar, a small town near Porto, alongside his younger brother Andre, who also became a professional footballer. He joined the Pacos de Ferreira youth academy as a teenager.
• 1996 "Irrational exuberance" — the most famous phrase in central banking At a dinner hosted by the American Enterprise Institute on 5 December 1996, Greenspan delivers a speech containing the question: 'But how do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions?' The phrase 'irrational exuberance' enters the language immediately: stock markets around the world fall the following morning as traders interpret it as a warning about overvaluation. The Dow is at 6,437 on the day of the speech; it more than doubles over the next three years. Greenspan does not raise rates significantly to cool the market.
• 1996 – present Jonas Vingegaard The Quiet Climber The primary rival to Pogačar in the 2020s. Winner: 2x Tour de France.
• 1996 Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis Begins in Lima Tupac Amaru rebels seize hundreds of hostages at a diplomatic reception Members of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement stormed a reception at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru, taking hundreds of hostages including diplomats and government officials. Most hostages were released over the following weeks, but dozens remained captive for months. The siege ended in April 1997 when Peruvian commandos stormed the residence.
• 1996 Lew Ayres dies in Los Angeles Lew Ayres dies aged 88.