Blast from the past: The 1996 throwback timeline

MANILA, Philippines - In 1996, the Internet was only starting out, and so were the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys. On the other hand, break-ups and shake-ups took place in the royal divorce and there was the tragedy at Ozone. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and it was a good time to be young. Young STAR celebrates its birth year with a throwback timeline; from Elephant pants to “The Macarena,” what went down in 1996?


January 26: Living La Vie Boheme

Rock musical Rent opens off-Broadway in New York in the wake of the sudden death of its composer and playwright, Jonathan Larson.

Feb 28: Happily never after

Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s divorce is made public. However, in an interview with BBC, she assures the world that she “won’t go quietly.”

March 18: Gone too soon

The Ozone Disco Club catches fire, tragically killing at least 160 people, most of whom were high school and college students celebrating the year of their graduation. It is still ranked as the sixth deadliest nightclub fire in history.

March 25: Cowboys versus aliens

After Woody and Buzz Lightyear ride — and fly — into theaters in 1995, the first CGI animated film Toy Story, is nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Original Musical or Comedy Score, Best Original Song, and Best Screenplay.

July 5: Counting sheep

Dolly, the first successfully cloned sheep, is born after 227 attempts. She later lived to six and a half years and had several lambs of her own.

July 27: Summer at the Olympics

Gymnast Kerri Strug performs the vault with an injured ankle, clinching the victory of the USA Women’s Gymnastics team while sprinter Michael Johnson breaks world Olympic records for the 400-meter run. Sadly, the festivities take a dark turn when a nail-laden pipe bomb explodes at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia
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Aug 1: Intolerable cruelty

Sarah Balabagan, a Filipina domestic worker in the UAE, returns to the Philippines after being put on trial for killing her employer whom she claimed had tried to rape her. The case becomes controversial worldwide when the Islamic courts initially convict her of murder and sentence her to death by firing squad.

Aug 7: Space jam

Scientists from NASA uncover possible fossils of bacterial organisms on a meteorite from Mars in what is considered the first evidence of extraterrestrial life.

September 2:  War and peace

President Fidel V. Ramos and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) sign the 1996 Peace Agreement, officially ending the 24-year secessionist war waged by the MNLF.

November 4: Zig-a-zig-ah

The Spice Girls release their debut album, “Spice,” with the hit single Wannabe topping charts in 22 countries.


December 8: Thrilla in Manila

The King of Pop moonwalks his way into the hearts of more than 50,000 screaming Filipinos at his two-day concert at the Asiaworld concert grounds during his “HIStory” World Tour, the pop icon’s third and last world concert tour as a solo performer.  â€¨

December 13: Show me the money

Leading man Tom Cruise starts the year strong as superspy Ethan Hunt in the action-packed Mission Impossible but ends on a much more romantic note as reformed sports agent Jerry Maguire in the romantic comedy that had us all at “hello.”