Portal:Current events/February 1996

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February 1996 was the second month of that leap year. The month, which began on a Thursday, ended on a Thursday after 29 days.

Portal:Current events

Current events of February 4, 1996 (1996-02-04) (Sunday) The 6.6 Mw  earthquake near Lijiang in South-west China kills up to 322 people, injures 17,000, and leaves 300,000 homeless. Current events of February 6, 1996 (1996-02-06) (Tuesday) Birgenair Flight 301, on an unauthorised charter flight from the Caribbean to Germany, crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Dominican Republic, killing all 189 passengers and crew. Current events of February 7, 1996 (1996-02-07) (Wednesday) René Préval succeeds Jean-Bertrand Aristide as President of Haiti, in the first peaceful handover of power since the nation achieved independence 192 years earlier in 1804. Current events of February 8, 1996 (1996-02-08) (Thursday) The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was signed into law by U.S. President Bill Clinton, deregulating access to the telecommunications and broadcasting market, including the dissemination of media by internet. The bill was the first to be signed in cyberspace. Current events of February 9, 1996 (1996-02-09) (Friday) The element copernicium is created by fusing a 208Pb nucleus with a 70Zn nucleus, forming 278Cn. Given the placeholder name "ununbium", the element is not named until 2010. An IRA ceasefire ends with the Docklands bombing in London's Canary Wharf District, killing two people and causing over £85,000,000 worth of damage. Current events of February 10, 1996 (1996-02-10) (Saturday) Chess computer "Deep Blue" defeats world chess champion Garry Kasparov for the first time. Bosnian Serbs break off contact with the Bosnian government and with representatives of Ifor, the NATO localised force, in reaction to the arrest of several Bosnian Serb war criminals. Current events of February 14, 1996 (1996-02-14) (Wednesday) Violent clashes erupt between Filipino soldiers and Vietnamese boat people, as the Filipino government attempts to forcibly repatriate hundreds of Vietnamese asylum seekers. Japanese professional shogi player Yoshiharu Habu became the first man to hold all seven titles (Meijin, Ryu-oh, Oi, Oza, Kisei, Osho, Kioh) simultaneously. Current events of February 15, 1996 (1996-02-15) (Thursday) In south-west Wales, the oil tanker Sea Empress runs aground, spilling 73,000 tonnes (72,000 long tons; 80,000 short tons) of crude oil, killing many birds. The American Embassy in Athens, Greece, comes under mortar fire. Begum Khaleda Zia is re-elected as Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The country's second democratic election is marred by low voter turnout, due to several boycotts and pre-election violence, which has resulted in at least thirteen deaths. The UK government publishes the Scott Report. Current events of February 16, 1996 (1996-02-16) (Friday) 1996 Maryland train collision: A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people. Current events of February 17, 1996 (1996-02-17) (Saturday) In Philadelphia, Garry Kasparov beats "Deep Blue" in a second chess match. The 8.2 Mw  Biak earthquake shakes the Papua province of eastern Indonesia with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A large tsunami followed, leaving 166 people dead or missing and 423 injured. Current events of February 18, 1996 (1996-02-18) (Sunday) An IRA briefcase bomb on board a bus kills the bomber and injures nine people in the West End of London. Current events of February 19, 1996 (1996-02-19) (Monday) A wooden ferry capsizes as it enters the port of Cadiz in the Philippines, killing 54 people. Current events of February 21, 1996 (1996-02-21) (Wednesday) King Fahd of Saudi Arabia announces his medical recovery in the national press and assumes power again from his brother, Crown Prince Abdullah. Current events of February 24, 1996 (1996-02-24) (Saturday) Cuban fighter jets shoot down two American aircraft belonging to the Cuban exile group, Brothers to the Rescue. Cuban officials assert that they invaded Cuban airspace. Current events of February 25, 1996 (1996-02-25) (Sunday) Two suicide bombs in Israel kill 25 and injure 80; Hamas claims responsibility. Current events of February 27, 1996 (1996-02-27) (Tuesday) Pokémon Red and Blue are released in Japan by Nintendo as Pocket Monsters: Red and Green, the first role-playing video game in the Pokémon series, developed by Game Freak. Current events of February 28, 1996 (1996-02-28) (Wednesday) Canadian singer Alanis Morissette wins the top honor, Album of the Year award, at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards. At just twenty-one years of age, she is the youngest person to ever win this award, a record she will hold until 2010; when Taylor Swift wins. Current events of February 29, 1996 (1996-02-29) (Thursday) In Lumberton, North Carolina, Daniel Green is convicted of the murder of James Jordan, the father of famous basketball player; Michael Jordan. Faucett Flight 251, en route from Lima to Rodriguez Ballon airport, crashes into a mountain near Arequipa; all 123 people on board are killed. At least 81 people drown when a boat capsizes 120 kilometres east of Kampala, Uganda. The Bosnian government declares the end of the Siege of Sarajevo.

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