1996 Currie Cup, Competition rules and information
Teams received two points for a win and one point for a draw. The top four teams in each section qualified for the title play-offs. In the quarter finals, the teams that finished first in each section had home advantage against the teams that finished fourth in the other section, while the teams that finished second in each section had home advantage against the teams that finished third in the other section. The winners of these quarter finals advanced to the semi-finals and semi-final winners advanced to the final, in both rounds at the home venue of the higher-placed team.


1996 Currie Cup, Teams, Changes from 1995
Following the 1995 Rugby World Cup, rugby union was declared in a professional sport in South Africa. This caused a major restructuring in the rugby unions, which saw the total number of unions reduced from 22 to 14. All of these teams played in the 1996 Currie Cup, which was increased from 6 teams to 14.


1996 Currie Cup, Log
The final log of the round-robin stage of the 1996 Currie Cup:


1996 Currie Cup, Matches
The following matches were played in the 1996 Currie Cup:


1996 Cypriot legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in Cyprus on 26 May 1996. The result was a victory for the Democratic Rally, which won 20 of the 56 seats. Voter turnout was 92.9%.


1996 Czech Lion Awards
1996 Czech Lion Awards ceremony was held on 1 March 1997.


1996 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1996 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 1996 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 18 August 1996 at the Masaryk Circuit located in Brno, Czech Republic. It was also the first victory for a young Valentino Rossi in the 125cc class.


1996 Czech Senate election
Senate elections were held in the Czech Republic for the first time on 15 and 16 November 1996, with a second round on 22 and 23 November. the first after independence. The result was a victory for the Civic Democratic Party, which won 32 of the 81 seats. Voter turnout was 34.9% in the first round and 30.6% in the second.


1996 Czech Senate election
This was the only time Senate elections were held in all 81 single-member constituencies at the same time. Senators elected in 1996 were divided into three classes depending on number of their constituencies to determine which Senate seats would be up for election in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Senators in the Czech Republic are elected for six-year terms, with one-third being renewed every two years.


1996 Czech Senate election
The elections were held using the two-round system, with an absolute majority required to be elected.


1996 Czech legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic on 31 May and 1 June 1996, the first after independence. The result was a victory for the Civic Democratic Party, which won 68 of the 200 seats. Voter turnout was 76.3%.


1996 Czech legislative election, Campaign
The campaign was primarily a conflict between the right-wing ODS and left-wing ČSSD. The ODS used slogans "Freedom and Prosperity" and "We proved that we can." ČSSD used slogan "Humanity against selfishness." ČSSD used an autobus called "Zemák" during its campaign. Party's leader Miloš Zeman campaigned with it at multiple places over the Czech Republic. ODS on the other hand used endorsements of public celebrities such as Lucie Bílá. Both parties used meetings with voters as their campaign instrument.


1996 D.C. United season
The 1996 D.C. United season was the clubs' second year of existence, as well as their debutant season in Major League Soccer. United would become the first club to win the MLS Cup this year.


1996 D.C. United season, Background
Prior to Major League Soccer's inaugural season, it had been six years since the Washington Metropolitan Area had a professional soccer club play within the region. The last team, was the late 1980s/early 1990s version of the Washington Diplomats. The Diplomats, played in the American Soccer League, which at the time was, by de facto, the top division of soccer in the United States although it was not sanctioned by U.S. Soccer or FIFA as a top tier soccer league. With the installation of the D.C. United franchise, it was the first time since the 1981 that a top division pro soccer club played in the region.


1996 D.C. United season, Background
The foundation of the team came on June 15, 1994, when Major League Soccer selected Washington, D.C. out of twenty-two applicants to host one of the first seven teams, with three more added before the league's launch.


1996 D.C. United season, Club name
Once an MLS franchise was awarded to Washington, the new club management sought a name for the club. Attempting to allude to the American sporting culture, original suppositions included the area's name followed by a mascot for the club. Some ideas included the "Spies", "Americans" and "Eagles". Eventually, the idea of simply naming the team "D.C. United" was decided upon as the club name. The moniker "United" alluded to European club names such as Leeds and Manchester United, as well as reflecting on being based in capital of the United States.


1996 D.C. United season, MLS Playoffs
The final month of D.C. United's inaugural season saw the club compete in the first ever MLS Cup Playoffs, eventually being crowned the MLS Cup champions. Ten days later, United would earn the double by winning the 1996 U.S. Open Cup, the United States' domestic knockout cup competition. Such a feat would not be accomplished again until the Chicago Fire did so in 1998. To date, only four other MLS sides have ever achieved any sort of "double", being regular season, playoffs, or cup competition.


1996 D.C. United season, MLS Playoffs
Playoff play continued into October with game three of the conference semifinal series, with kickoff on October 2. United, tied with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars were level 1–1 in the series. Played in front of a crowd of 20,423, United would emerge victorious in the match and in the series winning the match and series by a 2–1 scoreline. In game three, Steve Rammel opened the scoring in the 67th minute, giving United a crucial 1–0 victory. Inside 20 minutes later, the MetroStars leveled things up off an 86th-minute strike from NY/NJ's Antony de Ávila.


1996 D.C. United season, MLS Playoffs
The match, looking destined for sudden death extra time was abruptly halted when a penalty was called against NY/NJ in the box. The call resulted with United's Raúl Díaz Arce notching the eventual match winner in the 89th minute of play. The win booked United into the 1996 MLS Eastern Conference Finals.


1996 D.C. United season, MLS Playoffs
D.C. United took on the Supporters' Shield winners, Tampa Bay Mutiny on October 10 to open up the Eastern Conference Finals. The first match of the three-game series was held at RFK Stadium, where United posted a 4–1 victory. The score was United's largest margin of victory throughout the playoffs. The match saw Díaz Arce notch a hat trick, making him the first player in MLS Cup Playoffs history to score a hat trick in a playoff match.


1996 D.C. United season, MLS Playoffs
Díaz Arce scored in the 38th minute to give United the go-ahead lead, only for Tampa Bay's Roy Lassiter to equalize in the 42nd minute. United's Steve Rammel score what would eventually be the match-winning goal in the 52nd minute to give United a 2–1 lead over the Mutiny. Díaz Arce would score insurance goals for United in a three-minute span, scoring in the 58th and 60th minutes of play.


1996 D.C. United season, MLS Playoffs
Held two days later, game two of the conference finals took place at Houlihan's Stadium near Tampa, Florida. With a crowd of 9,339 on hand, Tampa Bay took a 1–0 lead against D.C. inside 15 minutes, thanks to a strike from Steve Ralston. Ralston's goal proved to be the difference between the two sides for the remainder of the first half. However, four minutes into the second half of play, United's Richie Williams netted the equalizer. Díaz Arce would, once again, provide last minute heroics scoring in the 82nd minute to give United the 2–1 lead, and to book themselves in the inaugural MLS Cup championship.


1996 DFB-Pokal Final
The 1996 DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the 1995–96 DFB-Pokal, the 53rd season of Germany's premier knockout football cup competition. It was played on 25 May 1996 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. 1. FC Kaiserslautern won the match 1–0 against Karlsruher SC to claim their second cup title.


1996 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final
The DFB-Pokal was a 64 teams in a single-elimination knockout cup competition. There were a total of five rounds leading up to the final. Teams were drawn against each other, and the winner after 90 minutes would advance. If still tied, 30 minutes of extra time was played. If the score was still level, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner.


1996 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).


1996 DFB-Supercup
The 1996 DFB-Supercup, known as the Panasonic DFB-Supercup for sponsorship purposes, was the tenth DFB-Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. It was the last DFB-Supercup, with the competition replaced by a DFB-Ligapokal which ran from 1997 to 2007. The supercup returned in 2010, now run by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL).


1996 DFB-Supercup
The match was played at the Carl-Benz-Stadion, Mannheim, and contested by league champions Borussia Dortmund and cup winners 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Dortmund won their second consecutive title, their third in total.


1996 DFS Classic
The 1996 DFS Classic was a women's tennis tournament played on grass courts at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham in the United Kingdom that was part of Tier III of the 1996 WTA Tour. It was the 15th edition of the tournament and was held from 10 June until 16 June 1996. Tenth-seeded Meredith McGrath won the singles title.


1996 DFS Classic, Finals, Doubles
Elizabeth Smylie /  Linda Wild defeated  Lori McNeil /  Nathalie Tauziat 6–3, 3–6, 6–1


1996 DFS Classic – Doubles
Manon Bollegraf and Rennae Stubbs were the defending champions but only Stubbs competed that year with Lisa Raymond.


1996 DFS Classic – Doubles
Raymond and Stubbs lost in the semifinals to Lori McNeil and Nathalie Tauziat.


1996 DFS Classic – Doubles
Elizabeth Smylie and Linda Wild won in the final 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 against McNeil and Tauziat.


1996 DFS Classic – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated. The top four seeded teams received byes into the second round.


1996 DFS Classic – Singles
Zina Garrison-Jackson was the defending champion, but did not participate this year.


1996 DFS Classic – Singles
Meredith McGrath won the title, defeating Nathalie Tauziat in the final 2–6, 6–4, 6–4.


1996 DFS Classic – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top eight seeds received a bye to the second round.


1996 DPR Korea Football League
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Footwiks (talk | contribs) at 09:14, 17 November 2019. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


1996 DPR Korea Football League
Statistics of DPR Korea Football League in the 1996 season.


1996 DPR Korea Football League, Overview
Kigwancha Sports Club won the championship. Kigwanch'a and Rimyongsu Sports Club finished the season tied with 41 points in 22 matches played, but Kigwanch'a finished first on goal differential, having scored one goal more than Rimyŏngsu. April 25 finished third, with 40 points.


1996 Dallas Burn season
The 1996 Dallas Burn season was the inaugural season of the Major League Soccer team. It was the first time since 1981 that the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex had a professional soccer team. The team made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1996 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 37th season in the National Football League and was the third year under head coach Barry Switzer. Following their victory in Super Bowl XXX, the Cowboys endured a rough year failing to improve their 12-4 record from 1995 but still reached the playoffs with a 10-6 record. Star receiver Michael Irvin was suspended by the league for the first five games and before the playoffs was accused along with lineman Erik Williams of sexual assault. Controversy also took place when writer Skip Bayless published a scathing account of the Cowboys' 1995 season. Longtime trainer Mike Woicik also left the team after the season following a sideline dispute with coach Barry Switzer although Woicik returned in 2011.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season
This season would be the last season the Cowboys won a playoff game until 2009, and since their Super Bowl win the previous season, the Cowboys have never made it past the divisional round as of 2021.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season
This would be Troy Aikman’s final season with a playoff win.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Regular season
Against the Chicago Bears in week one, running back Emmitt Smith would leave the game late with an injury that left him temporarily paralyzed. Though not career-threatening, Smith's injury would hamper his effectiveness for the duration of the season. Adding to their difficulties, star wide receiver Michael Irvin would be suspended for the first five games due his highly publicized off-season incidents. Star cornerback Deion Sanders would be the first player in the modern era of the NFL to start several games on both offense and defense. Charles Haley, a major defensive force for the Cowboys during the prior four seasons, missed most of the 1996 season with injury. Tight End Jay Novacek, a key offensive threat in recent seasons, missed the entire season due to an injury.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Regular season
After losing three of their first four games, the team would return to form, winning three straight before defeating former head coach Jimmy Johnson, then head coach of the Miami Dolphins on the way to their fifth consecutive NFC East title. Although Dallas still moved the ball well on offense, they had serious late-season trouble scoring touchdowns (ultimately finishing just 25th in the league in points scored). They won games with Green Bay (21-6) and New England (12-6) (the season's eventual Super Bowl participants) without scoring a touchdown (seven field goals against Green Bay and four against New England); Dallas' defense finished third in the league in fewest points allowed.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Regular season
The season would also see the return of former Cowboy Herschel Walker who added versatility as both a running back and kick off returner. Walker had ten carries for 83 yards and a touchdown and 27 kick returns for 779 yards.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Regular season
The game of the year came on November 10 at San Francisco. The Cowboys stood at 5–4 with the Niners at 7–2; the Niners had won three straight meetings with the Cowboys since Barry Switzer was hired as head coach. Sacks by Broderick Thomas and Jim Schwantz knocked Niners quarterback Steve Young out of the game and Elvis Grbac, who'd shredded the Cowboys defense the previous year, came on, and after the Niners blew a 10–0 lead they took a 17–10 lead with 11:30 left in the fourth quarter.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Regular season
The Cowboys drove to the Niners redzone but Aikman was picked off in the endzone by Marquez Pope with 6:30 to go. Grbac, however, was intercepted at his six-yard line on the ensuing play by Fred Strickland, and three plays later Aikman connected with Eric Bjornson for the tying touchdown. In the overtime a big Emmitt Smith run set up Chris Boniol's winning field goal. With the win combined with a Redskins loss to Arizona, the Cowboys surged to win the NFC East.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Regular season
After defeating the Minnesota Vikings 40-15 in the first round of the playoffs at Texas Stadium (which was, until 2009, their last playoff win), the Cowboys would travel to Charlotte, North Carolina and lose to the second year Carolina Panthers, who'd won the NFC West at 12–4 in their second ever season. Star receiver Michael Irvin was injured in the opening moments of the Carolina playoff game. Deion Sanders was also injured and had to leave as well.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Regular season
Notable additions to the team included linebacker Randall Godfrey and safety George Teague.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Regular season
The Cowboys' win over the 49ers ended a curious decade-long losing streak in Week 10 games (this included an 0–3 record in week 10 games during World Championship seasons). Also, with the win against the Miami Dolphins at Joe Robbie Stadium, this was the first time the Cowboys franchise won a football game in South Florida. During this period of futility, the Cowboys lost three Super Bowls in the Orange Bowl by a total of 11 points and lost twice to the Miami Dolphins in 1978 (23 to 16, also in a week 10 game) and in 1984 (28 to 21).


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week One at Chicago Bears
Dallas’ season as defending champions got off to a terrible start between the five-game suspension of Michael Irvin and a poor performance by Troy Aikman with two interceptions and just 21 passes completed. Emmitt Smith had seventy yards rushing but suffered temporary paralysis. The Cowboys surrendered four turnovers (Aikman had a fumble in the fourth quarter as did Deion Sanders) in the 22-6 loss.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week Two vs. NY Giants
At home the Cowboys rebounded by intercepting Giants quarterback Dave Brown three times and limiting him to just 55 yards. Emmitt Smith and Sherman Williams combined for 31 carries and 120 yards while Aikman threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns in the 27-0 shutout.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week Three vs. Indianapolis Colts
What fell an Aaron Bailey touchdown drop short of being the Super Bowl XXX matchup happened at Texas Stadium and the ensuing game was a tight affair (though held without a catch Bailey had 148 kick return yards). After the Cowboys raced to a 21-3 lead the Colts lived up to Jim Harbaugh’s “Captain Comeback” nickname as Harbaugh stormed the Colts to lead 22-21 in the third. After an exchange of field goals (25-24 Colts) in the fourth Aikman completed two passes to the Colts 39. Chris Boniol booted the ball for the 57-yard field goal but it bounced off the crossbar; asked in post game about his range he said it was “fifty-six and a half.”


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week Four at Buffalo Bills
Following an ugly loss at Pittsburgh the week before the Bills had to start young Todd Collins in injured Jim Kelly’s stead hosting the team that had denied them in two Superbowls. The Bills defense took over; Troy Aikman was intercepted three times and he suffered an ankle injury on his final throw as he was sandwiched by Bruce Smith. The result was a 10-7 Bills win in a game with just 416 total net yards of offense.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week Five at Philadelphia Eagles
Returning to the site of the controversial twin attempt to convert a late 4th down the year before, the Cowboys fell behind 10-0 then raced to lead 20-10 and ultimately won 23-19 in a game with seven turnovers, five of them by the Eagles. Rodney Peete of the Eagles was lost for the season during the game.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week Seven vs. Arizona Cardinals
Michael Irvin returned from suspension and the Cowboys won 17-3. Irvin caught five passes on ten targets for 51 yards. Despite the return of Irvin teammate Darren Woodson lamented, “We’re not close to being a championship team. If we think getting Michael back fixes everything, we’re kidding ourselves.”


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week Eight vs. Atlanta Falcons
Few expected the 0-6 Falcons embroiled in controversy between coach June Jones and benched quarterback Jeff George to put up serious resistance to the Cowboys but after Dallas led 17-6 the Falcons behind Jamal Anderson and Bobby Hebert stormed to lead 28-25 with 7:09 to go. After an exchange of punts the Cowboys in the final 2:46 needed just one minute and a 60-yard Troy Aikman touchdown to Kelvin Martin to ultimately win 32-28.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week Nine at Miami Dolphins
This was the most anticipated regular season game of the season in the meeting of the Cowboys and their former coach. But Jimmy Johnson, questioned incessantly all week about his former team, could only watch as his Dolphins collapsed from a 10-6 lead in the second to a 29-10 loss. While Troy Aikman (363 yards and three touchdowns) downplayed the meeting, Charles Haley, only in his fourth game of the season, spoke freely about hating Johnson over a “no practice, no play” rule during his time in Dallas; Haley was held without a tackle.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week 10 vs Philadelphia Eagles
The Cowboys’ playoff hopes took a hit in a 31-21 home loss to the now-7-2 Eagles. Troy Aikman was intercepted twice while Ty Detmer threw one touchdown and ran in another.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week 11 at San Francisco 49ers
For four seasons this had been the rivalry of football and it was once again a league-wide measuring stick. After Steve Young was sacked out of the game the Cowboys fell behind 17-10. Aikman was intercepted by Marquez Pope at San Francisco’s 9-yard line  in the final seven minutes, but on the next play Elvis Grbac was intercepted by Fred Strickland. Given new life Aikman found Eric Bjornson and the game went to overtime tied 17-17. A long Emmitt Smith run in overtime resulted in the winning Cowboys field goal. The win was Barry Switzer’s only win over the Niners and Dallas was now just one game out in the NFC East.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week 12 vs. Green Bay Packers
Seven Chris Boniol field goals were more than enough to beat the Packers 21-6, but the game was marred by a sideline argument between Switzer and head trainer Mike Woicik.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week 13 at New York Giants
A 20-6 loss to the now-5-7 Giants in which the Cowboys yet again failed the score a touchdown left Dallas still on course for the NFC East but eliminated from a playoff bye.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week 14 vs. Washington Redskins
Emmitt Smith rammed in three touchdowns, the first for Dallas since the San Francisco game, in a 21-10 win over a Redskins team in free fall after starting 7-1. Troy Aikman had his worst showing of the season with just 63 yards and a pick.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week 15 at Arizona Cardinals
Aikman had a touchdown to Irvin while George Teague and Darren Woodson picked off Boomer Esiason in a 10-6 Dallas win.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week 16 vs. New England Patriots
Once again the Cowboys failed to score a touchdown but held the surging Patriots to just two field goals; rookie kicker Adam Vinatieri also ran down Herschel Walker on a long kick return as the Cowboys clinched the NFC East in a 12-6 win.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Schedule, Game Summaries, Week 17 at Washington Redskins
Having clinched the division and out of contention for a playoff bye the Cowboys rested Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith among others while the Redskins, out of the playoffs at 8-7, played their final game at RFK Stadium and won going away 37-10. Wade Wilson and Jason Garrett combined for just 11 completions for Dallas.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Playoffs, Wildcard vs. Minnesota Vikings (December 28, 1996)
The Cowboys put the game away in the first half in exploding to a 30-0 lead and ultimately winning 40-15. The Cowboys forced six Vikings turnovers and put up 438 yards of offense.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Playoffs, Divisional Round at Carolina Panthers (January 5, 1997)
The dynasty of the decade in essence ended in a 26-17 defeat to the second-year Panthers in their first ever playoff game. The week started ominously with sexual violence allegations against Michael Irvin and Erik Williams (later disproven). Irvin’s weekend ended on the game’s second play as he was brought down by Lamar Lathon and broke his collarbone. Deion Sanders was later injured on a tackle by Tyrone Poole as the Panthers clawed to a 23-17 lead in the fourth. Troy Aikman’s final two possessions ended in interceptions as the game combined for just 471 yards of offense.


1996 Dallas Cowboys season, Publications
The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170- 3Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2


1996 Danamon Open
The 1996 Danamon Open was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Gelora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta in Indonesia and was part of Tier III of the 1996 WTA Tour. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and ran from 9 April through 14 April 1996. Fifth-seeded Linda Wild won the singles title.


1996 Danamon Open, Finals, Doubles
Rika Hiraki /  Naoko Kijimuta defeated  Laurence Courtois /  Nancy Feber 7–6(7–2), 7–5


1996 Danamon Open – Doubles
Claudia Porwik and Irina Spîrlea were the defending champions but did not compete that year.


1996 Danamon Open – Doubles
Rika Hiraki and Naoko Kijimuta won in the final 7–6, 7–5 against Laurence Courtois and Nancy Feber.


1996 Danamon Open – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1996 Danamon Open – Singles
Sabine Hack was the defending champion but did not compete that year.


1996 Danamon Open – Singles
Linda Wild won the final on a walkover against Yayuk Basuki.


1996 Danamon Open – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1996 Dartmouth Big Green football team
The 1996 Dartmouth Big Green football team represented Dartmouth College in the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season.


1996 Dausa blast
A bomb blast occurred on a bus near Samleti village in Dausa, Rajasthan on 22 May 1996. The blast, which took place a day after the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast, killed 14 people and injured 37 others. The chargesheet filed about the incident stated that the individuals responsible were associated with the Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front, and that some of the accused had been involved in the Sawai Man Singh Stadium blast. The district and sessions court in Bandikui sentenced Abdul Hamid, one of the accused, to death, and sentenced six others to life imprisonment, while acquitting the remaining individual charged with the incident for lack of evidence against him.


1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors
The 1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel in Switzerland and was part of the World Series of the 1996 ATP Tour. The tournament ran from 23 September through 29 September 1996. First-seeded Pete Sampras won the singles title.


1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors, Finals, Doubles
Yevgeny Kafelnikov /  Daniel Vacek defeated  David Adams /  Menno Oosting 6–3, 6–4


1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors – Doubles
Cyril Suk and Daniel Vacek were the defending champions but they competed with different partners that year, Suk with Petr Korda and Vacek with Yevgeny Kafelnikov.


1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors – Doubles
Korda and Suk lost in the quarterfinals to Jonas Björkman and Jakob Hlasek.


1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors – Doubles
Kafelnikov and Vacek won in the final 6–3, 6–4 against David Adams and Menno Oosting.


1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors – Singles
Jim Courier was the defending champion but did not compete that year.


1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors – Singles
Pete Sampras won in the final 7–5, 6–0, 6–2 against Hendrik Dreekmann.


1996 Davidoff Swiss Indoors – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1996 Davis Cup
The 1996 Davis Cup (also known as the 1996 Davis Cup by NEC for sponsorship purposes) was the 85th edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 124 teams entered the competition, 16 in the World Group, 26 in the Americas Zone, 29 in the Asia/Oceania Zone, and 53 in the Europe/Africa Zone. Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Panama made their first appearances in the tournament.


1996 Davis Cup
France defeated Sweden in the final, held at the Malmö Isstadion in Malmö, Sweden, on 29 November–1 December, to win their 8th title overall.


1996 Davis Cup, World Group Qualifying Round
The eight losing teams in the World Group first round ties and eight winners of the Zonal Group I final round ties competed in the World Group Qualifying Round for spots in the 1997 World Group.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone
The Americas Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone
In the Americas Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone, Group I
Winners in Group I advanced to the World Group Qualifying Round, along with losing teams from the World Group first round. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group I, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Americas Zone Group II in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone, Group II
Winners in Group II advanced to the Americas Zone Group I. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group II, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Americas Zone Group III in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone, Group III
Winners in Group III advanced to the Americas Zone Group II in 1997. In a move to a four-tier system, the bottom three teams were re-assigned to the new Group IV in 1997; all other teams remained in Group III.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone Group I
The Americas Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone Group I
In the Americas Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier. Winners in Group I advanced to the World Group Qualifying Round, along with losing teams from the World Group first round. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group I, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Americas Zone Group II in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone Group II
The Americas Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone Group II
In the Americas Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams compete against each other to advance to the upper tier. Winners in Group II advanced to the Americas Zone Group I. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group II, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Americas Zone Group III in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone Group III
The Americas Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Americas Zone Group III
In the Americas Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier. Winners in Group III advanced to the Americas Zone Group II in 1997. In a move to a four-tier system, the bottom three teams were re-assigned to the new Group IV in 1997; all other teams remained in Group III.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone
The Asia/Oceania Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone
In the Asia/Oceania Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone, Group I
Winners in Group I advanced to the World Group Qualifying Round, along with losing teams from the World Group first round. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group I, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone, Group II
Winners in Group II advanced to the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group II, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Asia/Oceania Zone Group III in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone, Group III
Winners in Group III advanced to the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II in 1997. In a move to a four-tier system, the bottom five teams were reassigned to the new Group IV in 1997; all other teams remained in Group III.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I
The Asia/Oceania Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I
In the Asia/Oceania Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier. Winners in Group I advanced to the World Group Qualifying Round, along with losing teams from the World Group first round. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group I, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II
The Asia/Oceania Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II
In the Asia/Oceania Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams compete against each other to advance to the upper tier. Winners in Group II advanced to the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group II, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Asia/Oceania Zone Group III in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group III
The Asia/Oceania Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group III
In the Asia/Oceania Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier. Winners in Group III advanced to the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II in 1997. In a move to a four-tier system, the bottom five teams were re-assigned to the new Group IV in 1997; all other teams remained in Group III.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone
The Europe/Africa Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone
In the Europe/Africa Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group I
Winners in Group I advanced to the World Group Qualifying Round, along with losing teams from the World Group first round. Teams who lost in the first round competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group I, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group II
Winners in Group II advanced to the Europe/Africa Zone Group I. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group II, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Europe/Africa Zone Group III in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone, Group III
Winners in Group III advanced to the Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 1997. In a move to a four-tier system from 1997, the bottom teams were re-assigned to the new Group IV. All other teams remained in Group III.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I
The Europe/Africa Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I
In the Europe/Africa Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier. Winners in Group I advanced to the World Group Qualifying Round, along with losing teams from the World Group first round. Teams who lost in the first round competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group I, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II
The Europe/Africa Zone was one of the three zones of the regional Davis Cup competition in 1996.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II
In the Europe/Africa Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams competed against each other to advance to the upper tier. Winners in Group II advanced to the Europe/Africa Zone Group I. Teams who lost their respective ties competed in the relegation play-offs, with winning teams remaining in Group II, whereas teams who lost their play-offs were relegated to the Europe/Africa Zone Group III in 1997.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III – Zone A
Zone A of the 1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Group III was one of two zones in the Europe/Africa Group III of the 1996 Davis Cup. 14 teams competed across two pools in a round robin competition, with the top team in each pool advancing to Group II in 1997. In a move to a four-tier system, the bottom three teams in each pool were reassigned to the new Group IV in 1997; all other teams remained in Group III.


1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group III – Zone B
Zone B of the 1996 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Group III was one of two zones in the Europe/Africa Group III of the 1996 Davis Cup. 14 teams competed across two pools in a round robin competition, with the top team in each pool advancing to Group II in 1997. In a move to a four-tier system, the bottom three teams in each pool were reassigned to the new Group IV in 1997; all other teams remained in Group III.


1996 Davis Cup World Group
The World Group was the highest level of Davis Cup competition in 1996. The first-round losers went into the Davis Cup World Group Qualifying Round, and the winners progressed to the quarterfinals and were guaranteed a World Group spot for 1997.


1996 Davis Cup World Group
The United States were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals.


1996 Davis Cup World Group
France won the title, defeating Sweden in the final, 3–2. The final was held at the Malmö Isstadion in Malmö, Sweden, from 29 November to 1 December. It was the French team's 8th Davis Cup title overall.


1996 Davis Cup World Group Qualifying Round
The 1996 Davis Cup World Group Qualifying Round was held from 20 to 22 September. They were the main play-offs of the 1996 Davis Cup. The winners of the playoffs advanced to the 1997 Davis Cup World Group, and the losers were relegated to their respective Zonal Regions I.


1996 Davis Cup World Group Qualifying Round, Teams
Bold indicates team had qualified for the 1997 Davis Cup World Group.


1996 Davis Cup World Group Qualifying Round, Results summary
The eight losing teams in the World Group first round ties and eight winners of the Zonal Group I final round ties competed in the World Group Qualifying Round for spots in the 1997 World Group.


1996 Daytona 500
The 1996 Daytona 500, the 38th running of the event, was run on February 18, 1996, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, as the first race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup season. Dale Jarrett won this race for the second time after winning it in 1993 and for the first (and only) time in all of Daytona 500 history, Dale Earnhardt won the pole position, allowing many to believe that he would finally win the race. Ernie Irvan returned to race full-time alongside Earnhardt (both drivers won their respective Gatorade Twin 125-mile qualifying races).


1996 Daytona 500, Background
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, that is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track also features two other layouts that utilize portions of the primary high speed tri-oval, such as a 3.56-mile (5.73 km) sports car course and a 2.95-mile (4.75 km) motorcycle course. The track's 180-acre (73 ha) infield includes the 29-acre (12 ha) Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.


1996 Daytona 500, Background
The track was built by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. to host racing that was being held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course and opened with the first Daytona 500 in 1959. The Daytona 500 is regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar. It is also the series' first race of the year; this phenomenon is virtually unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start.


1996 Daytona 500, Race summary, Opening laps
The lead changed four times between Ernie Irvan, Ken Schrader, Sterling Marlin, and Dale Earnhardt in the first five laps. Reigning Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon was eliminated on lap 8 after getting a light tap from Jeremy Mayfield. Busch Series Goody's 300 winner Steve Grissom, along with Rick Mast, Joe Nemechek (both Busch Series champions) and Rusty Wallace, were involved in a chain reaction incident after Gordon hit the wall. Mast's and Wallace's cars both were relatively undamaged, but Grissom and Nemechek lost several laps after repairs. On lap 29, Earnhardt's ignition failed, triggering a wreck for Ernie Irvan. Wally Dallenbach, Jr., who could not see Earnhardt, tagged Irvan and sent him into the wall.


1996 Daytona 500, Race summary, Opening laps
Due to a new rules package, the lead changed hands early and often. On lap 50, no one but Dale Earnhardt or Terry Labonte (the new leader), had spent more than 4 consecutive laps in the lead. Lap 54 saw 1990 race winner Derrike Cope hit the turn 4 wall, which ended his day.


1996 Daytona 500, Race summary, Mid-race developments
On lap 77, 1994 and 1995 winner Sterling Marlin took the lead away from Terry Labonte and led three laps before having engine problems. Not much later, Labonte began to drop back with overheating issues after leading the most laps at 44. He managed a decent finish, but Marlin almost instantly retired from the lead. IndyCar veteran John Andretti, whose uncle Mario won the 1967 race, became the new leader. He and Earnhardt, along with Bill Elliott, Dale Jarrett (the eventual race winner), Ken Schrader and Michael Waltrip, were all prime contenders at halfway.


1996 Daytona 500, Race summary, Mid-race developments
On lap 131, after 72 laps of green flag racing, Andretti had a hard crash in turn 2. Waltrip clipped him as he tried to go past his spinning car, only to damage the right-front fender. The damage seemed to improve the car's aerodynamic qualities. Shortly after the restart, Mike Wallace suddenly snapped loose and collected Loy Allen, Jr., Brett Bodine and Bobby Labonte, whose car was relatively undamaged. Only Wallace; Allen, Jr.; and Bodine were all done for the day.


1996 Daytona 500, Race summary, Run to the finish
Geoff Bodine and Lake Speed crashed at lap 159, collecting Bobby Hamilton, Chad Little, Robert Pressley, Jeff Purvis and Morgan Shepherd. This prompted the final pit stops. Dale Jarrett and his crew chief Todd Parrott decided on a four-tire change, while the RCR duo Earnhardt and Petree opted for two. Bud Moore, whose car and driver Wally Dallenbach, Jr. were not yet sponsored for the season, were going to gamble that their full tank of fuel from the previous caution would be enough to finish. Even so, Dallenbach kept the #15 in the lead pack in the waning laps.


1996 Daytona 500, Race summary, Run to the finish
Earnhardt quickly dispatched new leader and last year's Rookie of the Year Ricky Craven. He lost the lead briefly to Schrader but at lap 177, Jarrett passed him with four fresh tires. Earnhardt could keep up with Jarrett, but he could not repass him. This would allow Jarrett to win his second Daytona 500 win, followed by Earnhardt, Schrader, Mark Martin and Jeff Burton.


1996 Dehiwala train bombing
The Dehiwala train bombing was a terrorist attack carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the rush hour of July 24, 1996.


1996 Dehiwala train bombing, Incident
The Dehiwala train bombing resulted in 64 civilian deaths and wounding 400 others. The attack was carried out by LTTE operatives placing suitcase bombs in four carriages on a commuter train. The simultaneous explosion of these bombs resulted in a large number of casualties. The technique of simultaneously exploding multiple bombs in several carriages was used for the first time in this attack.


1996 Dehiwala train bombing, Reaction
In a July 25, 1996, statement the U.S. State Department and EU condemned the bombing of the Dehiwela railway station in Colombo and called on the LTTE to renounce the use of terrorism, also in July, the Indian government extended its ban on LTTE as an unlawful association under section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.


1996 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team
The 1996 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware in the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference.


1996 Delaware gubernatorial election
The 1996 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1996, to elect the Governor of the state of Delaware. Incumbent governor Thomas Carper, the Democratic nominee, was re-elected to his second and final term in a landslide over Republican nominee and Delaware State Treasurer Janet Rzewnicki. Both were unopposed in their respective primaries. Tom Carper became the first Democratic governor in state history to win 2 consecutive terms.


1996 Democratic National Convention
The 1996 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1996. President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore were nominated for reelection. This was the first national convention of either party to be held in Chicago since the disastrous riots of the 1968 Democratic convention, and as of 2020, the most recent presidential convention held in the city by either major party.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Site selection
Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, and San Antonio were originally considered as possible host cities. Los Angeles withdrew its bid after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Kansas City would also withdraw.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Site selection
On August 4, 1994, it was announced that Chicago had beaten out the other finalist, San Antonio, for the right to host the convention. This would mark the first time that Chicago hosted a major presidential year political convention since the violent 1968 Democratic National Convention, and the first time a political convention was held in the United Center, which had been built earlier that decade.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Site selection
During the bidding for the convention, Chicago was seen as a frontrunner. One dynamic in Chicago's favor was that chairman of the Democratic National Committee David Wilhelm had strong connections to the city. Also seen as helpful to Chicago's odds was the goodwill that Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley had earned with President Clinton by helping to lobby Chicago-area congressmen to support the North American Free Trade Agreement. Additionally, heading into 1996, Illinois was projected to be a key "battleground state".


1996 Democratic National Convention, Site selection
This was the 25th major party convention to be held in Chicago. Chicago has held more major party conventions than any other city. As of 2020, this is the last major party convention to be held in Chicago.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Notable speakers
The convention's keynote speaker was Governor Evan Bayh of Indiana. The nomination speech was given by Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut. Other notable speakers included former New York governor Mario Cuomo, First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, actor Christopher Reeve, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, and other Senators Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, and John Kerry and Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Notable speakers
With Clinton's wife, Hillary, speaking at the Democratic convention, and his opponent Bob Dole's wife Elizabeth Dole having spoken at the Republican convention, 1996 became the year in which it became established practice that both major party candidates spouses speak at their party's convention.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Clinton's renomination speech
Clinton's speech on August 29 included his vision for the next decade, included tax cuts for the middle-class, 20 million more jobs, a strong defense with cuts in the military, but a strong presence of peacemaking troops, new military weapons and tanks, welfare reform goals for states and communities, and a peaceful transition for the Middle East.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon LaRouche had run for president through multiple parties over multiple election cycles. In 1996, he ran for the nomination of the Democratic party, despite the Chair of the Democratic National Party ruling that Lyndon LaRouche "is not to be considered a qualified candidate for nomination of the Democratic Party for President" before the primaries began. In subsequent primaries LaRouche received enough votes in Louisiana and Virginia to get one delegate from each state. When the state parties refused to award the delegates, LaRouche sued in federal court, claiming a violation of the Voting Rights Act. After losing in the district court, the case was appealed to the First District Court of Appeals, which sustained the lower court.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Voting
Clinton was nominated unanimously for a second term and Vice President Al Gore by voice vote.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Voting
Clinton and Gore went on to defeat Bob Dole and Jack Kemp in the November general election in an Electoral College landslide with a substantial popular vote margin.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Notable events
In the middle of the convention, many of the delegates danced to the song "Macarena". Al Gore famously danced to the song while standing still.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Notable events
The original Broadway cast of Rent performed "Seasons of Love" at the end of the Convention.


1996 Democratic National Convention, Notable events
Taste of Chicago, a group of restaurants who have an annual street festival, catered the press area.


1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries
From January 29 to June 4, 1996, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1996 United States presidential election. Incumbent President Bill Clinton was again selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1996 Democratic National Convention held from August 26 to August 29, 1996, in Chicago, Illinois.


1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Primary race overview
With the advantage of incumbency, Bill Clinton's path to renomination by the Democratic Party was uneventful. At the 1996 Democratic National Convention, Clinton - along with incumbent Vice President Al Gore - was renominated following a primary race in which he faced only token opposition. Perennial candidate Lyndon LaRouche qualified for one delegate from Virginia and one delegate from Louisiana, but the state parties refused to award him delegates and the First District Court of Appeals upheld their decision. Former Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey contemplated a challenge to Clinton, but health problems forced Casey to abandon a bid.


1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Primary race overview
That left Jimmy Griffin, the former mayor of Buffalo, New York, as the highest-ranking challenger still in the race. After finishing in eighth place, behind even the perennial candidates, in the New Hampshire primaries, Griffin dropped out of the race. Clinton easily won primaries nationwide, with margins consistently higher than 80%.


1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Primary race overview
Roland Riemers scored a victory in North Dakota, a state where Clinton did not file to appear on the ballot.


1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Primary race overview
Backed by a loyal following, LaRouche managed to get on the ballot in most states and amassed over half a million votes nationwide in the primary. His highest percentage was 13.4% in West Virginia and received over a hundred thousand votes in California.


1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Primary race overview
Another notable campaign besides LaRouche's to challenge President Clinton was Chicago housewife Elvena Lloyd-Duffie, who was reported to have outraised him at one point and got as high as 11% of the vote in Oklahoma. and 7% in Louisiana.


1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Results
With a number of non-notable people running against Clinton and LaRouche in several states, The nationwide totals went as follows:


1996 Denmark Open darts
1996 Denmark Open is a darts tournament, which took place in Denmark in 1996.


1996 Denver Broncos season
The 1996 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League, the 37th overall and their 2nd under head coach Mike Shanahan. The Broncos improved on their 8–8 record from 1995 and finished the season with a 13–3 record. They also cliched the AFC West for the first time since 1991, and earning the top seed in the AFC Playoffs.


1996 Denver Broncos season
In the playoffs, the Broncos were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round, 30–27. Prior to their defeat, they were the top-seeded team in the NFL and were heavily favored to go to and win the Super Bowl by many analysts, breaking the AFC losing streak from the 1980s. The loss rendered the 1996 Broncos team as a historic failure, as it was a major Super Bowl or bust year. This was also the final year the Broncos wore their "Orange Crush" uniforms.


1996 Denver Broncos season, Offseason, NFL Draft
The team was also set to pick University of Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer. Berringer was killed in a plane crash two days before the draft.


1996 Denver Broncos season, Awards and records
UPI AFL-AFC Offensive MVP – Terrell Davis (1996 was the last year this award was given out)


1996 Denver Broncos season, Awards and records
Terrell Davis sets Franchise rushing record For Carries (345) in a season and touchdown's rushing (13) in a season


1996 Denver Broncos season, Awards and records, Milestones
Terrell Davis reaches 1,000yds faster than any Denver Bronco running back in Franchise history


1996 Derby City Council election
The 1996 Derby City Council election took place on 2 May 1996 to elect members of Derby City Council in England. Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1996. This was on the same day as other local elections. This election was held ahead of Derby City Council becoming a unitary authority on 1 April 1997. As a result, the entire council was up for election and the elected councillors acted as a shadow authority until that date. The Labour Party retained control of the council.


1996 Detroit Lions season
The 1996 Detroit Lions season was their 67th in the National Football League (NFL). The team declined severely from their previous season's output of 10–6. Following a 4-2 start, the Lions would proceed to lose nine of their final ten games to finish 5-11, missing the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.


1996 Detroit Lions season
Following the season, longtime head coach Wayne Fontes was fired and Bobby Ross was hired to be the team's head coach the following season.


1996 Detroit Lions season, Regular season, Schedule
1996 was the first time since 1984 that the Lions played the San Diego Chargers, and the first time they had met the Philadelphia Eagles in the regular season since 1986. The reason for this is that before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team’s division were much more influenced by table position during the previous season.


1996 Detroit Tigers season
The 1996 Detroit Tigers had a record of 53–109 for what was, at the time, the most losses (109) and worst winning percentage (.327) in team history -- both of which since been surpassed twice by the 2003 and 2019 teams.


1996 Detroit Tigers season
With a number of capable batters (Cecil Fielder, Tony Clark, Bobby Higginson, Alan Trammell, Rubén Sierra, and Damion Easley), the team scored a respectable 783 runs. However, the 1996 Tigers lacked pitching, allowing their opponents to score 1,103 runs and posting a team ERA of 6.38. No team in American League history and only one in major league history (the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies) has given up more runs. No pitcher on the team had more than 7 wins.


1996 Detroit Tigers season
Of the 109 games the Tigers lost, 58 were by four or more runs, a record for the number of games lost by such a margin. The Tigers made more unwanted history when they were swept 12–0 by the Cleveland Indians in the regular season series, losing all twelve games played while being outscored, 79–28. The 1996 Tigers did not have a winning record against any AL opponent.


1996 Detroit Tigers season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1996 Detroit Tigers season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1996 DieHard 500
The 1996 DieHard 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that was held on July 28, 1996. Contested over 129 of the scheduled 188 laps at the 2.6 mile Talladega Superspeedway, it was the 18th race of the 1996 Winston Cup Season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race. The race however was primarily known for Dale Earnhardt Sr. crashing into the wall hard on Lap 118, after Ernie Irvan clipped Sterling Marlin into Earnhardt sending both cars into the wall resulting in a major pileup.


1996 DieHard 500
Earnhardt ended up flipping on his side before being hit in the roof. Miraculously, Earnhardt walked away despite having a broken sternum and was able to start the Brickyard 400 the following week. CBS was to have aired the race live, but due to a weather delay, the race was shown on tape delay (see below).


1996 DieHard 500
As a result, people found out about Earnhardt's crash from other sources. This race to date was the last Cup race on tape delay.


1996 DieHard 500, Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.


1996 Direct Line International Championships
The 1996 Direct Line International Championships was a women's tennis tournament played on grass courts at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne in the United Kingdom that was part of Tier II of the 1996 WTA Tour. It was the 22nd edition of the tournament and was held from 18 June until 22 June 1996. First-seeded Monica Seles won the singles title.


1996 Direct Line International Championships, Finals, Doubles
Jana Novotná /  Arantxa Sánchez Vicario defeated  Rosalyn Nideffer /  Pam Shriver 4–6, 7–5, 6–4


1996 Direct Line International Championships – Doubles
Jana Novotná and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario were the defending champions and won in the final 4–6, 7–5, 6–4 against Rosalyn Nideffer and Pam Shriver.


1996 Direct Line International Championships – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1996 Direct Line International Championships – Singles
Nathalie Tauziat was the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Monica Seles.


1996 Direct Line International Championships – Singles
Seles won in the final 6–0, 6–2 against Mary Joe Fernández.


1996 Direct Line International Championships – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top four seeds received a bye to the second round.


1996 Direct Line International Championships – Singles Qualifying
This article displays the qualifying draw of the 1996 Direct Line International Championships.


1996 Dniprodzerzhynsk tram accident
On 2 July 1996, an overcrowded tram derailed during the evening rush hour in Dniprodzerzhynsk (now Kamianske), Ukraine, and crashed into a concrete wall. An investigation by the local railway department discovered that the brakes on the tram car failed as it was going down a hill. The derailment and subsequent crash killed a total of 34 people, and left over 100 others injured. The incident was the deadliest tram accident in the Ukraine, and one of the deadliest tram disasters anywhere in the world, surpassing the 1954 Zagreb tram accident which killed 19 people.


1996 Dniprodzerzhynsk tram accident, Accident
The accident occurred on a tram line on Hetman Doroshenko Street, later dismantled in 2003. A KTM-5M3 tram, inventory number 1044, departed on line 2a during the late afternoon on 2 July 1996. At around 18:00 local time (15:00 UTC), the tram – which was carrying at least 150 passengers – began to rapidly accelerate down a steep hill on Hetman Doroshenko Street (then Chapaev Street) towards Anoshkina Avenue (Leningrad Prospect) reaching 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph). As the tram was traveling down the hill, its brakes failed, causing the tram car to derail and turn upside down.


1996 Dniprodzerzhynsk tram accident, Accident
The tram proceeded to smash through a concrete median barrier, causing the metal case of the cabin to detach and shear off the roof of the car, before stopping just short of a secondary school. Out of the estimated 150 passengers on board, 29 were killed immediately and another 5 died subsequently in the hospital. Over 100 other people were left injured.


1996 Dniprodzerzhynsk tram accident, Aftermath
In response to the disaster, the Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma declared a day of national mourning on 3 July, and sent a message of condolence, which was addressed to the acting head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration. He also set up an investigation committee, which later determined that overcrowding and brake failure was the cause of the disaster. A celebration had initially been planned for 3 July, in recognition of the adoption of the Ukrainian Constitution. However, following the accident all festivities scheduled for the day were canceled, and somber music was aired on state television and radio stations. Following a governmental inquiry into the cause of the accident, the mayor, Serhiy Shershnev, and his deputy, Ihor Laktionov, resigned.


1996 Docklands bombing
The London Docklands bombing (also known as the South Quay bombing or erroneously referred to as the Canary Wharf bombing) occurred on 9 February 1996, when the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated a powerful truck bomb in South Quay (which is outside Canary Wharf). The blast killed two people and devastated a wide area, causing an estimated £150 million worth of damage. The IRA had sent warnings 90 minutes beforehand, but the area was not fully evacuated. As well as the two people who were killed, more than 100 were injured, some permanently.


1996 Docklands bombing
The attack marked an end to the IRA's seventeen-month ceasefire, and came just over an hour after its declaration to Irish broadcaster RTÉ. The IRA agreed to the ceasefire in August 1994 on the understanding that Sinn Féin would be allowed to take part in peace negotiations, but resumed its campaign with the Docklands bombing when the British government demanded a full IRA disarmament as a precondition for talks. After the bombing, the British government dropped its demand. A few months later, the IRA detonated another, more powerful truck bomb in Manchester.


1996 Docklands bombing
IRA member James McArdle was convicted of the bombing in 1998. He had been a member of an IRA sniper team in South Armagh. He was released two years later, under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.


1996 Docklands bombing, Background
The Provisional IRA's campaign began in 1969 and in 1973 spread to England, where it included many bomb attacks. As well as attacking military and political targets, it also bombed infrastructure and commercial targets. The goal was to damage the economy and cause severe disruption, which would put pressure on the British government to negotiate a withdrawal from Northern Ireland. In the early 1990s, the IRA began another major bombing campaign in England.


1996 Docklands bombing, Background
In February 1991 it launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street, official residence and office of the British Prime Minister, as John Major, then Prime Minister, was holding a Cabinet meeting. The mortars narrowly missed the building and there were no casualties. In April 1992, the IRA detonated a powerful truck bomb in the Baltic Exchange bombing in the City of London, the UK's main financial district. The blast killed three people and caused £800 million worth of damage; more than the total damage caused by all IRA bombings before it.


1996 Docklands bombing, Background
In November 1992, the IRA planted a large van bomb at Canary Wharf, London's second financial district. However, security guards immediately alerted the police and the bomb was defused. In April 1993, the IRA detonated another powerful truck bomb in the City of London. It killed one person and caused £500 million worth of damage.


1996 Docklands bombing, Background
In December 1993 the British and Irish governments issued the Downing Street Declaration. It allowed Sinn Féin, the political party associated with the IRA, to participate in all-party peace negotiations on condition that the IRA called a ceasefire. The IRA called a ceasefire on 31 August 1994. Over the next seventeen months there were a number of meetings between representatives of the British government and Sinn Féin. There were also talks—among representatives of the British and Irish governments and the Northern Ireland parties—about how all-party peace negotiations could take place.


1996 Docklands bombing, Background
By 1996, John Major's government had lost its majority in the British parliament and was depending on Ulster unionist votes to stay in power. Irish nationalists accused it of pro-unionist bias as a result. The British government began insisting that the IRA must fully disarm before Sinn Féin would be allowed to take part in full-fledged peace talks. It argued that the IRA could use violence, or the threat of violence, to influence negotiations. The IRA rejected this demand, seeing it as a demand for total surrender.


1996 Docklands bombing, Background
Sinn Féin said that the IRA would not disarm before talks, but that it would discuss disarmament as part of an overall solution. On 23 January 1996, the international commission for disarmament in Northern Ireland recommended that Britain drop its demand, suggesting that disarmament begin during talks rather than before. The British government refused to drop its demand. Responding to the commission, Major said in parliament that, for there to be talks, either the IRA would have to disarm or there would have to be an election in Northern Ireland.


1996 Docklands bombing, Background
Irish republicans and nationalists wanted talks to begin swiftly, but noted that it would take months to organize and hold an election. Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams argued that the British government and unionists were erecting "one obstacle after another to frustrate every attempt to sit down around the negotiating table". Adams warned American diplomats that the British government's actions were "threatening the ceasefire".


1996 Docklands bombing, Planning
The bombing had been planned weeks beforehand. During the ceasefire the IRA had continued to make explosives, stockpile weapons and gather intelligence. The IRA's South Armagh Brigade was tasked with planning and carrying out the attack. The 3,000-pound (1,400 kg) bomb consisted of plastic sacks filled with a mix of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and sugar. These sacks were packed around 'booster tubes' stuffed with 10 lb of Semtex high explosives, to boost the power of the blast. Attached to the booster tubes were lengths of makeshift detonating cord filled with PETN and RDX, the constituent elements of Semtex. The bomb was hidden in the back of a blue Iveco Ford Cargo flatbed truck. It was modified to look like a flatbed tow truck and a compartment for the bomb was built into the back.


1996 Docklands bombing, Planning
On 7 February, two days before the attack, the truck bomb was transported from Northern Ireland to Scotland on a Stena Line Larne–Stranraer ferry. It was then driven more than 300 miles south to Barking in east London. There, a timer and power unit (TPU) in the cab was linked to the bomb compartment in the back. It was also fitted with a mercury switch anti-handling device, which would set off the bomb if it was tampered with. The bomb would be primed by the driver pressing a switch inside the cab, connected to a two-hour fuse. Three weeks before the attack, IRA members had carried out a 'dummy run' to familiarize themselves with the route and to test security.


1996 Docklands bombing, The bombing
At about 5 p.m. on Friday 9 February, the truck bomb was parked in the Docklands. The Docklands was a "high-prestige" target for the IRA. It was made up of many high-rise buildings housing the offices of major banks, corporations, newspapers and television stations. It included the Canary Wharf Tower, then the tallest building in Europe. The truck was parked about 80 yards (70 m) from South Quay station on the Docklands Light Railway, near the point where the tracks cross Marsh Wall.


1996 Docklands bombing, The bombing
At about 5:30 p.m., an IRA spokesman issued a statement to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, announcing that the IRA, "with great reluctance", would be ending its ceasefire at 6 p.m. However, RTÉ were sceptical and did not report the announcement on the 6 p.m. news; it would do so only minutes before the bomb detonated. Shortly after 5:30 p.m., the IRA began sending a string of at least six telephoned warnings about the bomb. They were accompanied by a secret IRA codeword, known only to the IRA and security forces, so that police would know the warning was genuine. In one of the calls, to the offices of the Irish News, the caller said "there's a massive bomb beside South Quay station, Marsh Wall, Isle of Dogs, London. Evacuate immediately".


1996 Docklands bombing, The bombing
Police officers arrived at the scene and, at about 6 p.m., they began evacuating the area around South Quay station. The officers (of whom there were at least twenty) were told to cordon off the area, clear it of vehicles and pedestrians, and to keep staff inside the office blocks. However, there was confusion over where the bomb was. Some buildings near the bomb were evacuated, but staff were then ordered back inside by police. Some people believed the warning to be a hoax. At 6:48 p.m. the officers found the blue truck at South Quay Plaza, parked between two buildings. An officer ran to a nearby newsagents shop and told the two workers inside to leave immediately. However, the men stayed to close the shop first.


1996 Docklands bombing, The bombing
The bomb detonated at 7:01 p.m., devastating the surrounding office blocks and showering the area with broken glass. The blast was heard and felt across London, and shook the Canary Wharf Tower. Part of the South Quay Plaza was destroyed and the explosion left a crater 32 ft (10 m) wide and 10 ft (3 m) deep. John Grieve, head of the Metropolitan Police's anti-terrorist unit, described "a scene of utter devastation ... like a scene from the apocalypse". The two men in the newsagents—shop owner Inam Bashir (29), and employee John Jeffries (31)—were killed outright.


1996 Docklands bombing, The bombing
They were blown through two walls and their bodies buried by rubble. More than 100 people were hurt, mainly by broken glass, 39 of whom needed hospital treatment. Most of the injured were staff in nearby office blocks. Members of a British Moroccan family were sitting in their car near the newsagents; the car was wrecked by the blast and the father received severe head injuries. He spent two weeks in a coma and suffered permanent brain damage, which left him disabled. A woman was blinded in one eye by shards of glass and needed 300 stitches on her face and arms. A second explosion caused by a gas leak hampered rescue efforts.


1996 Docklands bombing, The bombing
The blast caused an estimated £150 million worth of damage and cost insurers £170 million. Three nearby buildings (the Midland Bank building, South Quay Plaza I and II) were destroyed; the former had to be demolished and the latter two had to be rebuilt. The station itself was extensively damaged, but both it and the bridge near the bomb were reopened within weeks (through services resumed on 15 April and the station reopened on 22 April), the latter needing only cosmetic repairs despite its proximity to the blast.


1996 Docklands bombing, Aftermath
The attack was condemned by the British, Irish and American governments, and by the main political parties. Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said he was saddened, but blamed the British government for the breakdown of the ceasefire, claiming "an unprecedented opportunity for peace has foundered on the refusal of the British government and Unionist leaders to enter into dialogue and substantive negotiations".


1996 Docklands bombing, Aftermath
The IRA described the deaths and injuries as "regrettable", but said that they could have been avoided if police had responded promptly to "clear and specific warnings". Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Condon, said: "It would be unfair to describe this as a failure of security. It was a failure of humanity."


1996 Docklands bombing, Aftermath
The attack marked the end of the IRA ceasefire during the Northern Ireland peace process at the time. On the evening of the attack, the IRA announced that it was ending its ceasefire "with great reluctance". The announcement continued:


1996 Docklands bombing, Aftermath
As we stated on August 31, 1994, the basis for the cessation was to enhance the democratic peace process and to underline our definitive commitment to its success. [ …] Instead of embracing the peace process, the British government acted in bad faith, with Mr Major and the Unionist leaders squandering this unprecedented opportunity to resolve the conflict. Time and again, over the last 18 months, selfish party political and sectional interests in the London parliament have been placed before the rights of the people of Ireland. [ … ] The blame for the failure thus far of the Irish peace process lies squarely with John Major and his government.


1996 Docklands bombing, Aftermath
On 28 February, John Major, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and John Bruton, Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, announced that all-party talks would be resumed in June. Major dropped the demand for the IRA to disarm before Sinn Féin would be allowed into talks. This led to criticism from the press, which accused him of being "bombed to the table". United States congressman Bruce Morrison, who was involved in the peace process, recalled: "The great irony for me is that Canary Wharf got the Republicans to the table. The actions of the British said 'yes you can bomb your way to the conference table'". In his book on the IRA, Andy Oppenheimer wrote that "The Docklands bomb – although the British government denied it – did contribute towards bringing the parties back to the negotiating table".


1996 Docklands bombing, Aftermath
Police investigators were able to re-trace the route the truck bomb had taken, thanks to eyewitness reports and CCTV footage. They obtained three thumb prints; from a site in east London where the bomb was primed, from a truck stop in Carlisle, and from the Stranraer ferry port. However, the thumb prints did not match any in police records.


1996 Docklands bombing, Aftermath
In April 1997, the Special Air Service (SAS) captured an IRA sniper team in South Armagh. One of the IRA members was James McArdle, whose thumb prints matched those the investigators had obtained. McArdle was found to have driven the Docklands truck bomb from Northern Ireland to London. At Woolwich Crown Court in June 1998 he was convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions, and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The jury was deliberating on the additional charges of murder when the judge dismissed the charges because The Sun newspaper published an article about the trial.


1996 Docklands bombing, Aftermath
The prosecution decided to not retry the murder charges. While serving that sentence he was also convicted of being a member of the sniper team and sentenced to 50 years on those charges. McArdle was released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement in June 2000 with a royal prerogative of mercy from Queen Elizabeth II.


1996 Dominican Republic presidential election
Presidential elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 1996, with a second round on 30 June. Whilst José Francisco Peña Gómez won the most votes in the first round, he was defeated by Leonel Fernández in the second round, after the Social Christian Reformist Party, whose candidate had lost in the first round, declared their support for Fernández. Voter turnout was 78.6% in the first round and 76.8% in the second.


1996 Donegal North-East by-election
A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann Donegal North-East constituency in Ireland on 2 April 1996. It followed the death of Independent Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) and former Minister Neil Blaney on 8 November 1995.


1996 Donegal North-East by-election
The election was won by Donegal County Councillor Cecilia Keaveney of Fianna Fáil.


1996 Donegal North-East by-election
Among the candidates were Donegal County Councillor, brother of Neil Blaney, and future TD Harry Blaney, Senator and Donegal County Councillor Seán Maloney and Vice President of Sinn Féin and future Member of Parliament for West Tyrone Pat Doherty


1996 Donegal North-East by-election
On the same day, a by-election took place in Dublin West.


1996 Doutta Galla Province state by-election
A by-election was held for the Doutta Galla Province in the Victorian Legislative Council  on 30 March 1996. The by-election was caused by the vacancy following the resignation of David White, who unsuccessfully contested the lower house seat of Tullamarine.


1996 Dubai Tennis Championships
The 1996 Dubai Tennis Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and was part of the World Series of the 1996 ATP Tour. The tournament ran from 12 February through 18 February 1996. Fourth-seeded Goran Ivanišević won the singles title.


1996 Dubai Tennis Championships, Finals, Doubles
Byron Black /  Grant Connell defeated  Karel Nováček /  Jiří Novák 6–0, 6–1


1996 Dubai Tennis Championships – Doubles
Grant Connell and Patrick Galbraith were the defending champions but only Connell competed that year with Byron Black.


1996 Dubai Tennis Championships – Doubles
Black and Connell won in the final 6–0, 6–1 against Karel Nováček and Jiří Novák.


1996 Dubai Tennis Championships – Singles
Wayne Ferreira was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Goran Ivanišević.


1996 Dubai Tennis Championships – Singles
Ivanišević won in the final 6–4, 6–3 against Albert Costa.


1996 Dubai Tennis Championships – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1996 Dubai World Cup
The 1996 Dubai World Cup was a horse race held at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse on Wednesday 27 March 1996. It was the inaugural running of the Dubai World Cup.


1996 Dubai World Cup
The winner was Allen Paulson's Cigar, a six-year-old bay horse trained in the United States by Bill Mott and ridden by Jerry Bailey.


1996 Dubai World Cup
Cigar had been the dominant racehorse in the United States in 1995, winning  eight Grade I races including the Breeders' Cup Classic and being voted American Horse of the Year. Before being shipped to Dubai he had added another Grade I success when winning the Donn Handicap in February. The 1996 Dubai World Cup also attracted competitors from the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan as well as four locally trained runners.


1996 Dubai World Cup
Cigar took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish and held off the challenge of Burt Bacharach's Soul of the Matter to win by half a length. L'Carriere, who had finished second to Cigar in the Breeders' Cup Classic, completed a 1-2-3 for American trained horses as he got the better of a struggle with the British colt Pentire for third place.


1996 Dublin West by-election
A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann Dublin West constituency in Ireland on 2 April 1996. It followed the death of Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) and former Tánaiste Brian Lenihan Snr on 1 November 1995.


1996 Dublin West by-election
The election was won by Brian Lenihan Jnr of Fianna Fáil, the son of Brian Lenihan Snr.


1996 Dublin West by-election
Among the candidates were Fingal County Councillor and future TD and MEP Joe Higgins, Fingal County Councillor and future Senator Tom Morrissey, Dublin City Councillor and former TD Tomás Mac Giolla, Fingal County Councillor and future Senator Sheila Terry, future TD Paul Gogarty, Dublin City Councillor Vincent Jackson and Fingal County Councillor Sean Lyons


1996 Dublin West by-election
On the same day, a by-election took place in Donegal North-East.


1996 Duke Blue Devils football team
The 1996 Duke Blue Devils football team represented the Duke University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team participated as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They played their homes games at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The team was led by head coach Fred Goldsmith.


1996 Dunhill Cup
The 1996 Dunhill Cup was the 12th Dunhill Cup. It was a team tournament featuring 16 countries, each represented by three players. The Cup was played 10–13 October at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. The sponsor was the Alfred Dunhill company. The American team of Phil Mickelson, Mark O'Meara, and Steve Stricker beat the team from New Zealand of Frank Nobilo, Greg Turner, and Grant Waite in the final. It was the third win for the United States.


1996 Dunhill Cup, Format
The Cup was a match play event played over four days. The teams were divided into four four-team groups. The top eight teams were seeded with the remaining teams randomly placed in the groups. After three rounds of round-robin play, the top team in each group advanced to a single elimination playoff.


1996 Dunhill Cup, Format
In each team match, the three players were paired with their opponents and played 18 holes at medal match play. Matches tied at the end of 18 holes were extended to a sudden-death playoff. The tie-breaker for ties within a group was based on match record, then head-to-head.


1996 Dura Lube 200
The 1996 Dura Lube 200 was the second round of the 1996 Indy Racing League. The race was held on March 24, 1996, at the 1.000 mi (1.609 km) Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Pre-Race
After the first event at Walt Disney World Speedway, a two-month gap followed until the next race at Phoenix International Raceway, which was a trend for 1996 as the rest of the races were spread out in a similar fashion. In the meantime, some IRL competitors kept on racing: on February 4, Scott Sharp scored the overall win at the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Riley & Scott Mk III, while Johnny O'Connell and John Paul Jr. finished on the podium of the GTS-1 and GTS-2 class, respectively.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Pre-Race
Michele Alboreto also competed in the race,  and would finish 2nd overall in the 12 Hours of Sebring a month later. Also, Tony Stewart started his part-time NASCAR Busch Series deal at the Daytona opener, finishing 21st in his first-ever NASCAR race, while Scott Sharp and Stan Wattles got on with their parallel Trans-Am and Atlantic programmes.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Pre-Race
In preparation for the event, the IRL held a 3-day 'Test in the West' on February 26–28, with 20 drivers taking part at some point. Richie Hearn led the charts and set an unofficial track record at 185.854 mph. Arie Luyendyk, Tony Stewart and Roberto Guerrero also got to beat Bryan Herta's preexisting track record, which had been already beaten by Buddy Lazier in a private test.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Pre-Race
Five of the drivers that competed at Orlando (Mike Groff, Lyn St. James, Eddie Cheever, Stan Wattles and Scott Brayton) did not participate, but five other drivers joined the field to complete their driver's test: Jim Guthrie, confirmed by Blueprint Racing as their second driver before the test begun, Fermín Vélez and Michel Jourdain, Jr. with Scandia/Simon Racing, Racin Gardner with Tempero/Giuffre Racing and Rick DeLorto, who looked for a second chance. Guthrie,  Vélez and Jourdain, Jr. passed their tests, while Gardner, hampered by an engine failure, and DeLorto, who topped at 119 mph in 27 laps, were not approved.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Pre-Race
On early February, Project Indy, headed by Andreas Leberle, choose to split from his partnership with Jonathan Byrd and Rick Treadway, as Leberle desired to take part in selected events in the IndyCar World Series, while Treadway and Byrd preferred to concentrate on the IRL. Starting with the Phoenix test, the team was known as Byrd-Treadway Racing, switching to Firestone tires because of "performance issues", and keeping Arie Luyendyk. Project Indy stayed in the IRL, but their only IndyCar World Series outing would be at the Grand Prix of Long Beach with Dennis Vitolo. Team Menard also switched to Firestone tires from the "Test at the West" onwards.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Pre-Race
On February 29 and March 1, USAC held a rookie orientation test, with six drivers coming mainly from midget car racing. Billy Boat, Billy Roe and Brian Gerster completed his proficiency test in PDM Racing's car, while Dan Drinan and Gary Peterson tested a car supplied by Blueprint Racing, on which Kevin Olson had an unsuccessful try. On March 8, the Phoenix entry list was released, with the additions of Michel Jourdain, Jr., Jim Guthrie and Dan Drinan with the teams they had tested for.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Pre-Race
The newly renamed Team Scandia appointed Fermín Vélez, their IMSA GT champion, to sub for Eliseo Salazar, who had not recovered in time from the injuries sustained at Walt Disney World. Bill Tempero, Rick DeLorto and Butch Brickell, who remained entered despite his injuries, would be absent. A few days earlier, Beck Motorsports and Zunne Group ended their partnership and Beck had to sit out the Phoenix race, as Zunne had the ownership of the cars. They allowed Robbie Buhl to compete in the No. 45 car for Zunne Group, who had McCormack Motorsports run their racing activities. One week later, a revised entry list featured Silver Crown competitor Paul Durant, driving for a new team, ABF Motorsports.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Pre-Race
During this hiatus, the IRL started shaping itself for the immediate future. On February 14, Nissan announced their commitment to supply Infiniti-badged engines from 1997, joining Oldsmobile. Despite this, negotiations with CART were restarted, and on February 23, IMS president Tony George sent a memo to IRL teams, specifying that the discussions included "expanding the starting field at Indianapolis" to 42 cars to allow CART teams to qualify, while maintaining the commitment to the top 25 IRL teams.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Pre-Race
Amid reports that the U. S. 500 had been cancelled, IndyCar president Andrew Craig confirmed that the proposed terms had been dismissed by the IndyCar Board of Directors, arguing they were "not prepared to drop out plans to the U. S. 500", while proposing discussions for "a long-term solution for 1997 and beyond". On February 27, Tony George said there had been "no offer of any sort" from any part.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Practice and qualifying
Two further drivers were added to the field on race weekend: Johnny Unser, who had failed to qualify for the event two years earlier, was entered by Project Indy, and Racin Gardner came back on Tempero/Giuffre Racing's second car. Alongside Paul Durant, a special orientation session was arranged on Thursday to allow them to pass their driver test: while Durant passed his on Friday morning practice, Unser and Gardner, whose car stalled on Turn 1, did not complete all phases.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Practice and qualifying
The session was led by Tony Stewart, the only driver to go over 180 mph with a 180.144 mph lap, followed by former winners Arie Luyendyk and Roberto Guerrero, two of the 12 entered drivers with previous Indy car experience at the track, and the only ones who had started the 1995 race alongside Eddie Cheever, who had finished 2nd in 1992. Buddy Lazier, John Paul Jr., Mike Groff and Scott Sharp had taken part in the 1994 edition, while Scott Brayton, Lyn St. James, Robbie Buhl and David Kudrave lined up in the 1993 grid.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Practice and qualifying
Friday afternoon practice, affected by heavy winds, was marred by three hard crashes. Nine minutes into the session, Eddie Cheever crashed between Turns 3 and 4, sustaining a concussion and pain in his shoulder. Half an hour later, Stan Wattles had another accident in Turn 2, in which he suffered a parietal lobe hematoma and an optic nerve injury.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Practice and qualifying
Less than 20 minutes later, Buddy Lazier lost control of his car in Turn 2 after suffering a rear wing failure and crashed backwards into the wall, collecting Lyn St. James, who bounced off the track and hit the retaining fence with the back end of the car. St. James was unhurt, but Lazier had to be airlifted to St. Joseph's Hospital, being diagnosed with multiple hairline fractures in his back and two fractures in his pelvis. The crash caused a gouge on the asphalt, bringing an early end to the session. The three injured drivers were ruled out of the event on medical grounds.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Practice and qualifying
On Saturday, USAC allowed the Buick and the Menard-branded engines to increase their boost pressure from 55 to 60 inches, something they had approved on some cars at Walt Disney World, to make the field more competitive, although they would have to turn it down at some stages during the race. Arie Luyendyk, the most experienced driver at Phoenix alongside Scott Brayton with 11 starts, upped his speed to lead the morning practice with a 182.454 mph lap, in front of Richie Hearn and Tony Stewart.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Practice and qualifying
Johnny Unser completed his refresher test, but Racin Gardner was unable to complete his driver's test after suffering an early oil leak that could not be fixed in time, being discarded from the event. Also, Dan Drinan suffered mechanical issues for the second day in a row, this time with a new engine, and was not able to qualify for the race.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Practice and qualifying
In the qualifying session, Luyendyk went on to grab the second pole position of his career with a track record lap of 183.599 mph. Hearn got within a tenth off Luyendyk's time, placing on the front row again, while Roberto Guerrero beat Tony Stewart for the third spot by just 0.001 s. Championship leader Buzz Calkins settled for eighth, nearing 176 mph and surrounded by Foyt's drivers, including a career-best seventh place for Mike Groff. Again, there were sizeable performance differentials, as sixth-placed Scott Sharp had a margin of nearly half a second over Groff.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Practice and qualifying
At the back, Michele Alboreto had to pull-in at the end of his first lap with fuel system problems, and was the slowest qualifier. Among the four newcomers, Michel Jourdain Jr. was the only one to qualify over 170 mph, in 14th place, beating Vélez, Durant and Guthrie. At 19 years, 5 months and 19 days, Jourdain would become the third-youngest driver ever to contest an Indy car race at the time, behind compatriot Josele Garza and Troy Ruttman.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Practice and qualifying
Lyn St. James could not qualify due to her primary chassis being destroyed, but was able to get out on track on the afternoon practice with her back-up car, and was allowed to start the race at the back of the field despite lapping at just 150 mph. In this session, Billy Roe, who was at Phoenix trying to beat the closed-course record for an electric-powered Indy car, was appointed by Tempero/Giuffre to drive what had been Gardner's car, hoping they would be allowed to make the race. Roe got it up to 153 mph, but his engine let go after just 10 laps, and the team, out of powerplants and time, parked the car for good.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Race
Lacking 5 entries from the beginning of practice, a field of 22 cars took the green flag in front of 32,000 spectators. Arie Luyendyk held onto the lead, while Richie Hearn was surpassed by both Roberto Guerrero and Tony Stewart. The race was first neutralized on Lap 3, when the championship leader Buzz Calkins, running in 11th place, spun at Turn 2. After the restart, Luyendyk was unable to open a gap, his car reportedly being loose, which allowed the top 4 to run closely for a few laps. By Lap 27, Tony Stewart and Richie Hearn had overtaken Luyendyk and Guerrero, who would also pass the Dutch shortly after, despite an issue with the brake cooling.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Race
On Lap 33, Michel Jourdain, Jr., taking the inside lane of Turn 3 in heavy traffic, lost control of the car and crashed, bringing out the second yellow. In the aftermath, first-timer Fermín Vélez failed to judge the braking distance and rammed into Guerrero, who had slowed down to avoid the wreck. Guerrero had to enter the pits to repair the damage and was not a factor for the remainder of the race, retiring after 89 laps. During the caution, Stewart completed his first stop, but the air jack hose malfunctioned, and the race leader was overtaken by Luyendyk, fourth placed Scott Brayton and sixth placed Robbie Buhl, who had also pitted.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Race
Richie Hearn elected not to pit, as well as Scott Sharp, Johnny O'Connell, Mike Groff and Davey Hamilton, and tried to lead the field to a restart on Lap 43, but he spun on Turn 3, delaying the green flag for six laps, with O'Connell pitting in between. That left the top 3 positions dominated by Foyt drivers, although Hamilton would lose four positions after the race was resumed. Stewart started climbing back, overtaking Hamilton, Brayton and Buhl in less than 15 laps, and catching Luyendyk.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Race
On Lap 73, Brayton, running seventh, crashed heavily on Turn 4, and required the use of an stretcher to get into an ambulance, but he suffered no major injuries. Pit stops under caution followed for the Foyt trio and Stewart, who stalled his car and fell to sixth place, as the last driver on the lead lap. He recovered one position when Hamilton entered the pits for a second time, with electronic issues that led to his retirement from the race.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Race
Luyendyk and Buhl, by not pitting, claimed the top 2 spots for the Lap 81 restart, on which Groff had already gained the position on Sharp by pitting a lap earlier than him. Eleven laps later, Stewart passed both Sharp and Groff, who also lost position to his teammate, before going one lap down a few minutes later. Buhl managed to stay within two seconds of Luyendyk and, when handling issues reappeared for the Dutchman, took the lead on Lap 103.


1996 Dura Lube 200, Report, Race
Stewart would also catch and pass Luyendyk on Lap 106, but he immediately slowed down on the dogleg with a punctured right front tyre. He emerged from the pits in seventh place, one lap down. Buhl, who had opened a 6 second-gap, made his second pit stop on Lap 118, being on the edge of needing a late splash, and Luyendyk, who lost second place to Sharp on Lap 120, followed suit 7 laps later.