On January 27, 1996, Serbian-born tennis player Monica Seles, the former No. 1 women’s player in the world, defeats Anke Huber of Germany to win the Australian Open. The win in Melbourne was Seles’ first Grand Slam title since she was stabbed by Gunther Parche, a self-professed fan of the […]
Continue ReadingYearly Archives: 1996
Ferry Sinks Off Indonesian Coast
On this day in 1996, an overloaded ferry sinks in an unexpected storm off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, killing 340 people. The 555-ton Gurita was typically used to ferry passengers between Indonesia’s islands. On January 21, it was scheduled to make the short trip from Jakarta to Sabang, which […]
Continue ReadingArafat Elected Leader Of Palestine
Yasser Arafat is elected president of the Palestinian National Council with 88.1 percent of the popular vote, becoming the first democratically elected leader of the Palestinian people in history. Arafat, the founder of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), originally employed guerilla warfare and terrorism against Israel in his struggle for […]
Continue ReadingCargo Plane Crashes Into Crowded Market
On this day in 1996, a cargo plane crashes in Kishasa, Zaire, (modern day Democratic Republic of the Congo) killing somewhere between 225 and 350 people and injuring another 500. Africa Air was a private freight company that operated on the margins of legality. They were well-known for sometimes ignoring […]
Continue ReadingBlizzard Of 1996 Begins
On this day in 1996, snow begins falling in Washington, D.C., and up the Eastern seaboard, beginning a blizzard that kills 154 people and causes over $1 billion in damages before it ends. The Blizzard of 1996 began in typical fashion, as cold air from Canada pushed down and collided […]
Continue ReadingGM Announces Its Electric Car
On this day in 1996, General Motors announces at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show it will build an electric car, dubbed the EV1, to be launched in the fall of that year. The EV1 wasn’t an entirely new concept, as electric vehicles had been around since the auto industry’s […]
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