O.J. Simpson was found liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in a civil trial. He was ordered to pay $33,500,000 in compensation.
Timothy McVeigh was convicted in the Oklahoma City bombing.
39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult were found dead in their California headquarters. Detectives uncovered a video tape by leader Marshall Applewhite, who said the cult planned to travel to new bodies in a space ship accompanying the Comet Hale-Bopp.
In a 33-hour spacewalk, astronauts recalibrated the Hubble Telescope. The space shuttle Atlantis docked with Russia's Mir space station twice in four months to drop off and pick up astronaut Michael Foale. The Mars Sojourner became the first vehicle to navigate the surface of another planet.
California and Nevada flooded under heavy winter rains and melting snowpacks. 53,000 were evacuated and visitors were trapped inside Yosemite National Park. 50,000 residents were forced to abandon Grand Forks, North Dakota due to flooding. The Ohio River went over its banks at Louisville, Kentucky. Winter blizzards crippled portions of the midwest. A hard freeze in Florida destroyed $298,000,000 worth of crops. Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms tore through portions of Arkansas, killing 20.
Vice President Al Gore admitted to soliciting political contributions from his White House office. A senate panel investigating 1996 campaign contributions issued 52 subpoenas to Democratic donors and members of the Clinton administration shortly after Clinton and Gore were sworn in for their second terms. A couple months later, Republicans were found to have taken illegal contributions from a Hong Kong company and announced the money would be returned.
Newt Gingrich became the first Speaker of the House in U.S. history to be censured and fined for ethical misconduct. Former Senate leader Bob Dole offered to loan Gingrich the money to pay his fine.
President Clinton re-dedicated the renovated Library of Congress on its 100th anniversary.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Paula Jones could persue her sexual harrassment case against President Clinton while he was in office. Well-off Republicans rallied to finance her lawyer fees, clothing, coiffures, living expenses and cosmetic surgery.
156 were injured when an Amtrak train derailed on a Kingman, Arizona bridge. Later in the year, President Clinton signed a $2,300,000,000 package intended to give the financially-strapped railway the ability to manage itself.
Best Stores closed all 180 outlets in 24 states. The 117-year-old Woolworth chain closed its last 405 stores.
Army drill sergeant Delmar Simpson was sentenced to 25 years for raping six subordinates.
Beth Ann Hogan became the first female to attend the Virginia Military Institute.
Over 1,300 African-American employees shared a $115,000,000 race discrimination settlement from Texaco.
President Clinton rejected an international ban on land mines that had been endorsed by 89 other countries.
America and the world mourned as Princess Diana and her fiancé died in a firey car crash in Paris while being persued by photographers. George Clooney held a press conference to denounce the tactics of the tabloid press. Four days later, the world was thrown into more grief with the passing of Mother Teresa, who died of a heart attack at 87.
Book distributor Baker & Taylor was accused of overcharging libraries and schools by hundreds of millions of dollars.
200,000 children were innoculated for hepatitis A after the disease was traced to frozen strawberries in the school lunch program.
A U.S. court overturned the life sentence for British nanny Louise Woodward in the shaking death of baby Matthew Eappan.
American Volkswagen dealers were swamped with advance orders when the redesigned Beetle model was re-introduced.
The day after a 554-point drop, the Stock Market posted its biggest-ever one-day gain to date, with 1,100,000,000 shares traded.
Comic book and trading card collector stores began springing up after a 1939 Batman comic book commanded $68,500 at an auction.
Suspected serial killer Andrew Cunanan was found dead from a self-inflicted wound after the murder of fashion designer Gianni Varsache.
Living septuplets were born to Bobbie & Kenny McCaughey of Iowa.
Nearly a half-million Christian men rallied at a Promise Keepers event in Washington.
3 were killed and 5 injured when a 14-year-old fired shots into a prayer group at a West Paducah, Kentucky high school.
Bill Cosby's son, Ennis, was shot to death in a roadside robbery on a Los Angeles-area freeway. A woman claiming to be the senior Cosby's love child, Autumn Jackson, was tried for attempting to extort hush money.
The Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35 to 10 at Super Bowl XXI.
On the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson becoming the first black major league baseball player, his number, 42, was retired.
Mike Tyson was disqualified after biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear during the heavyweight title match.
After public denial, sportscaster Marv Albert pleaded guilty to biting a lover. NBC-TV fired him within an hour of his plea. Albert avoided jail time by publicly apologizing to the woman.
Tiger Woods became the first non-white golfer to win the Masters. He was also the youngest winner and the best-scorer in the tournament's history.
The Southern Baptist Convention voted to boycott all Disney products and media, including ABC-TV, which broadcast the "coming out" episode of the sitcom Ellen.
Entertainment icons James Stewart, Burgess Meredith, Red Skelton and Robert Mitchum died. Intense Saturday Night Live comedian Chris Farley was found dead in his Chicago apartment of an overdose of drugs and alcohol.
The English Patient won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Frances McDormand won the Best Actress Oscar for Fargo. Geoffrey Rush was named Best Actor for his role in Shine. Long lines formed at theaters throughout the U.S. upon the opening of Titanic.
John Denver died when his experimental plane crashed off the coast of Monterey, California.
Rapper Notorious B.I.G. was murdered in a drive-by shooting.
The self-proclaimed King of Pop, Michael Jackson, named his first-born son Prince.
Hit songs included As Long As You Love Me by the Backstreet Boys.
