1996

Events from the year **1996 in the United States**.

* Senate Majority Leader: Bob Dole (R–KS) (until June 12), Trent Lott (R–MS) (starting June 12)
* Congress: 104th

Governors
* Governor of Alabama: Fob James (Republican)
* Governor of Alaska: Tony Knowles (Democratic)
* Governor of Arizona: Fife Symington III (Republican)
* Governor of Arkansas: Jim Guy Tucker (Democratic) (until July 15), Mike Huckabee (Republican) (starting July 15)
* Governor of California: Pete Wilson (Republican)
* Governor of Colorado: Roy Romer (Democratic)
* Governor of Connecticut: John G. Rowland (Republican)
* Governor of Delaware: Thomas R. Carper (Democratic)
* Governor of Florida: Lawton Chiles (Democratic)
* Governor of Georgia: Zell Miller (Democratic)
* Governor of Hawaii: Ben Cayetano (Democratic)
* Governor of Idaho: Phil Batt (Republican)
* Governor of Illinois: Jim Edgar (Republican)
* Governor of Indiana: Evan Bayh (Democratic)
* Governor of Iowa: Terry E. Branstad (Republican)
* Governor of Kansas: Bill Graves (Republican)
* Governor of Kentucky: Paul E. Patton (Democratic)
* Governor of Louisiana: Edwin W. Edwards (Democratic) (until January 8), Murphy J. Foster Jr. (Republican) (starting January 8)
* Governor of Maine: Angus King (Independent)
* Governor of Maryland: Parris N. Glendening (Democratic)
* Governor of Massachusetts: William F. Weld (Republican)
* Governor of Michigan: John Engler (Republican)
* Governor of Minnesota: Arne H. Carlson (Republican)
* Governor of Mississippi: Kirk Fordice (Republican)
* Governor of Missouri: Mel Carnahan (Democratic)
* Governor of Montana: Marc Racicot (Republican)
* Governor of Nebraska: Ben Nelson (Democratic)
* Governor of Nevada: Bob Miller (Democratic)
* Governor of New Hampshire: Steve Merrill (Republican)
* Governor of New Jersey: Christine Todd Whitman (Republican)
* Governor of New Mexico: Gary Johnson (Republican)
* Governor of New York: George Pataki (Republican)
* Governor of North Carolina: Jim Hunt (Democratic)
* Governor of North Dakota: Ed Schafer (Republican)
* Governor of Ohio: George Voinovich (Republican)
* Governor of Oklahoma: Frank Keating (Republican)
* Governor of Oregon: John Kitzhaber (Democratic)
* Governor of Pennsylvania: Tom Ridge (Republican)
* Governor of Rhode Island: Lincoln C. Almond (Republican)
* Governor of South Carolina: David Beasley (Republican)
* Governor of South Dakota: William J. Janklow (Republican)
* Governor of Tennessee: Don Sundquist (Republican)
* Governor of Texas: George W. Bush (Republican)
* Governor of Utah: Mike Leavitt (Republican)
* Governor of Vermont: Howard Dean (Democratic)
* Governor of Virginia: George Allen (Republican)
* Governor of Washington: Mike Lowry (Democratic)
* Governor of West Virginia: Gaston Caperton (Democratic)
* Governor of Wisconsin: Tommy Thompson (Republican)
* Governor of Wyoming: Jim Geringer (Republican)

Lieutenant Governors
* Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: Don Siegelman (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Fran Ulmer (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas:
	+ until July 16: Mike Huckabee (Republican)
	+ July 16-November: vacant
	+ starting November: Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of California: Gray Davis (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Gail Schoettler (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Jodi Rell (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Ruth Ann Minner (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Florida: Buddy MacKay (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Pierre Howard (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Mazie Hirono (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Butch Otter (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Bob Kustra (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Frank O'Bannon (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Joy Corning (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kansas:
	+ until June 11: Sheila Frahm (Republican)
	+ June 11-July 18: vacant
	+ starting July 18: Gary Sherrer (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Steve Henry (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: Melinda Schwegmann (Democratic) (until January 8), Kathleen Blanco (Democratic) (starting January 8)
* Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Paul Cellucci (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Connie Binsfeld (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: Joanne E. Benson (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Eddie Briggs (Republican) (until January 16), Ronnie Musgrove (Democratic) (starting January 16)
* Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: Roger B. Wilson (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Denny Rehberg (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: Kim M. Robak (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Lonnie Hammargren (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Walter Dwight Bradley (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of New York: Betsy McCaughey (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Dennis A. Wicker (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Rosemarie Myrdal (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: Nancy P. Hollister (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: Mary Fallin (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Mark S. Schweiker (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Robert Weygand (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: Bob Peeler (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: Carole Hillard (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: John S. Wilder (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Bob Bullock (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Utah: Olene S. Walker (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Barbara W. Snelling (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Don Beyer (Democratic)
* Lieutenant Governor of Washington: Joel Pritchard (Republican)
* Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Scott McCallum (Republican)

## Events

### January

* January 2 – Philadelphia police officer Lauretha Vaird is shot and later pronounced dead during a botched armed bank robbery by rapper Cool C. She becomes Philadelphia's first female police officer killed in the line of duty.
* January 7 – One of the worst blizzards in American history hits the eastern states, killing more than 150 people. Philadelphia receives a record 30 inches of snowfall, New York City's public schools close for the first time in 18 years, and the federal government in Washington, D.C. is closed for days.
* January 19 – The *North Cape* oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat *Scandia* ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The *North Cape* barge is pulled along with it and leaks 820,000 gallons of home heating oil.
* January 26
	+ Whitewater scandal: U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton testifies before a grand jury.
	+ Millionaire philanthropist John Eleuthère du Pont shoots dead his protégé, Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz, at Foxcatcher Farm.
* January 28 – Super Bowl XXX: The Dallas Cowboys defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–17 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

### February

* February 1 – Sundance Channel debuts.
* February 2 – Frontier Middle School shooting: A gunman kills his algebra teacher and two other students in Moses Lake, Washington.
* February 6 – 1996 Honolulu hostage crisis: A gunman takes hostages at his former place of employment in Honolulu, Hawaii.
* February 15 – The U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece comes under mortar fire.
* February 16 – 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.
* February 17 – In Philadelphia, Garry Kasparov beats "Deep Blue" in a second chess match.
* February 24 – 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.
* February 29 – In Lumberton, North Carolina, Daniel Green is convicted of the murder of James Jordan, the father of basketball star Michael Jordan.

### March

* March 4 – DISH Network, a Direct Broadcast Satellite service, begins as a service of EchoStar.
* March 8 – The People's Republic of China begins surface-to-surface missile testing and military exercises off Taiwanese coastal areas. The United States government condemns the act as provocation, and the Taiwanese government warns of retaliation.
* March 10 – In Mesquite, Nevada, motorcycle stunt rider Butch Laswell is killed in front of a crowd of spectators, after a motorcycle stunt goes horribly wrong.
* March 19 – In Los Angeles, Lyle and Erik Menendez are found guilty of first-degree murder for the shotgun killing of their parents.
* March 25
	+ An 81-day-long standoff begins between anti-government Freemen and federal officers in Jordan, Montana.
	+ The 68th Academy Awards, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, are held at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, with Mel Gibson's *Braveheart* winning five awards out of ten nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The telecast garners over 44.8 million viewers.
* March 30 – After being convicted of the murder of Colleen Slemmer in Tennessee, 20-year-old Christa Pike becomes the youngest woman to be sentenced to death in the United States during the post-*Furman* period.

### April

* April 3
	+ A Boeing 737 military jet crashes into a mountain north of Dubrovnik, Croatia. All 35 people on board die, including United States Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown (see 1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash).
	+ Suspected "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski is arrested at his Montana cabin.
* April 9 – President Bill Clinton signs the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, granting the U.S. president line-item veto power. Slightly over two years later, in the case of *Clinton v. City of New York*, 524 U.S. 417 (1998), the Supreme Court of the United States would eventually rule that the law is unconstitutional.
* April 11 – Jessica Dubroff, 7, is killed in a plane crash in Cheyenne, Wyoming while attempting to set a record as the youngest person to pilot an airplane across the United States.
* April 16 – The NBA's 1995–1996 Chicago Bulls, with Michael Jordan's lead, go on to set a new NBA record for the most wins in a season, achieving their 70th win.
* April 24 – President Bill Clinton signs the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 into law.
* April 29 – The Broadway hit *Rent* opens at the Nederlander Theatre.

### May

* May 8 – The Keck II telescope is dedicated in Hawaii.
* May 11 – After takeoff from Miami, Florida, a fire started by improperly handled oxygen canisters in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Flight 592, causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 on board.
* May 20 – Gay rights: *Romer v. Evans*: The Supreme Court of the United States rules against a law that prevents any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of homosexuals.
* May 30 – The Hoover Institution releases an optimistic report that global warming will probably reduce mortality in the United States and provide Americans with valuable benefits.

### June

* June 1 – Iraq disarmament crisis: As Iraq continues to refuse inspectors access to a number of sites, the U.S. fails in its attempt to build support for military action against Iraq in the UN Security Council.
* June 10 – The Colorado Avalanche wins their first Stanley Cup in their first season based out of Denver, Colorado, defeating the Florida Panthers 4 games to none. Avalanche captain Joe Sakic wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
* June 12 – In Philadelphia, a panel of federal judges blocks a law against indecency on the internet. The panel says that the 1996 Communications Decency Act would infringe upon the free speech rights of adults.
* June 13 – An 81-day standoff between the Montana Freemen and FBI agents ends with their surrender in Montana.
* June 16 – The Chicago Bulls win their fourth NBA Championship by defeating the Seattle SuperSonics in the best-of-7 series 4 games to 2.
* June 20 – The last fourth generation Chevrolet Corvette rolls off the assembly line at the GM Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
* June 21 – Walt Disney Pictures' 34th feature film, *The Hunchback of Notre Dame*, considered to be one of the studio's darkest animated films, is released to positive reviews and commercial success.
* June 25 – The Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia kills 19 U.S. servicemen and one Saudi local.

### July

* July 12 – Hurricane Bertha makes landfall in North Carolina as a Category 2 storm, causing $270 million in damage to the United States and its possessions and many indirect deaths.
* July 17 – Paris and Rome-bound TWA Flight 800 (Boeing 747) explodes off the coast of Long Island, New York, killing all 230 on board.
* July 19 – The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta begin.
* July 27 – The Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics kills 2 and injures 111.
* July 29 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act (1996) is struck down as too broad by a U.S. federal court.

### August

* August 1 – Michael Johnson wins the 200m finals of 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta in a world-record time of 19.32 seconds.
* August 2– The unemployment rate drops to 5.1%, the lowest since March 1989, which saw the lowest rate of the previous business cycle.
* August 6 – NASA announces that the Allan Hills 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, may contain evidence of primitive life-forms; further tests are inconclusive.
* August 15 – Bob Dole is nominated for President of the United States, and Jack Kemp for vice president, at the Republican National Convention in San Diego, California.
* August 16 – Binti Jua, a gorilla, saves a three-year-old boy who fell into the 20 foot (6.1 m) deep gorilla enclosure at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago.
* August 19 – The invasive species Asian long-horned beetle is found in New York.
* August 21 – President Bill Clinton signs the War Crimes Act of 1996 into law.
* August 23 – Osama bin Laden writes "The Declaration of Jihad on the Americans Occupying the Country of the Two Sacred Places," a call for the removal of American military forces from Saudi Arabia.
* August 24 – Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington found the Valve Corporation.
* August 26 – President Bill Clinton signs PRWORA welfare reform into law.
* August 29 – Tiger Woods makes his professional PGA Tour debut at the Greater Milwaukee Open, four days after winning his third consecutive U.S. Amateur Championship.
* August 29 – U.S. President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore are renominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
* August 31 – The Big 12 Conference is inaugurated with a football game between Kansas State University and Texas Tech University in Manhattan, Kansas.

### September

* September 3
	+ Iraq disarmament crisis: As Iraq continues to refuse inspectors access to a number of sites, the U.S. fails in its attempt to build support for military action against Iraq in the U.N. Security Council.
	+ The U.S. launches Operation Desert Strike against Iraq in reaction to the attack on Arbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
* September 5 – Hurricane Fran makes landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 115 mph, just weeks prior to the landfall of Hurricane Bertha near the same location. It caused $3.2 billion in damages and claimed a total of 27 lives.
* September 8 – *Blue's Clues* premieres on Nick Jr.
* September 13 – 25-year-old rapper Tupac Shakur dies after being critically wounded in a drive-by shooting six days earlier on September 7, following his attendance at the Mike Tyson, Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM Grand Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada.
* September 14 – The U.S. wins the inaugural 1996 World Cup of Hockey by defeating Canada.
* September 24 – U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at the United Nations.
* September 29 – Nintendo releases the Nintendo 64 in North America.

### October

* October 1 – Animal Planet and Discovery Civilization launched.
* October 2 – The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments are signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
* October 4 – Discovery Science debuts.
* October 7
	+ The Fox News Channel is launched on U.S. cable systems.
	+ The popular children's TV series, *Arthur*, debuts on PBS Kids.
	+ At least 66 people become sick and one baby dies as a result of drinking apple juice infected with *E. coli*.
* October 14 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 40.62 to close at 6,010.00, the Dow's first close above 6,000.
* October 26 – The New York Yankees defeat the Atlanta Braves to win their first World Series in 18 years.

### November

* November 5 – U.S. presidential election, 1996: Democratic incumbent Bill Clinton defeats Republican challenger Bob Dole to win his second term. This election had the lowest voter turnout since 1924.
* November 7 – NASA launches the *Mars Global Surveyor*.
* November 11 – Discovery Kids debuts.
* November 15
	+ State Street in Chicago is re-opened to pedestrian traffic after a revitalization project.
	+ *Space Jam*, directed by Joe Pytka, is released in theaters.
* November 16 – Mother Teresa receives honorary U.S. citizenship.
* November 19 – STS-80: Space Shuttle *Columbia* conducts the longest mission of the Space Shuttle program.
* November 21 – A propane explosion at the Humberto Vidal shoe store and office building in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 33.
* November 25
	+ An ice storm strikes the U.S., killing 26 directly and hundreds more from accidents. A powerful windstorm blasts Florida; winds gust to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h).
	+ The U.S. stock market, especially the Dow Jones Industrial Average, gains at an incredibly fast pace following the 1996 Presidential election. It gains 10 days in a row during the month.
* November 26 – The Sands Hotel in Las Vegas is imploded to make way for the Venetian Hotel.

### December

* December 2 – U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments.
* December 6 – The General Motors EV1, the first production electric car of the modern era, is launched and becomes available for lease.
* December 20 – Steve Jobs' company NeXT is bought by Apple Computer, the company co-founded by Jobs.
* December 25 – Death of JonBenét Ramsey: A six-year-old beauty queen is beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado; her body is found the following day.
* December 31
	+ The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway is merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the BNSF Railway, making it one of the largest railroad mergers in U.S. history.
	+ The Hacienda resort on the Las Vegas Strip is imploded to make way for the Mandalay Bay.
	+ Laurel Mountain in Oregon receives 204.04 inches (5,182.6 mm) of rainfall equivalent during the year, the most ever recorded for a calendar year in the contiguous United States.

## Memoriam

* January 1
	+ Gertrude Blanch, mathematician (aged 98; San Diego, CA, USA)
	+ Arleigh Burke, naval officer (aged 94; Bethesda, MD, USA)
* January 5 – Lincoln Kirstein, director and producer (aged 88; Manhattan, NY, USA)
* January 28 – Joseph Brodsky, poet, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987 and Poet Laureate of the U.S. from 1991 to 1992 (aged 55; New York City, NY, USA)
* February 2 – Gene Kelly, singer, actor, dancer, choreographer and director (aged 83; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
* February 3 – Audrey Meadows, television actress (aged 73; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
* February 6 – Guy Madison, television actor (aged 74; Palm Springs, CA, USA)
* February 7 – Phillip Davidson, general (aged 80; San Antonio, TX, USA)
* February 13 – Martin Balsam, character actor (aged 76; Rome, Italy)
* February 15
	+ Tommy Rettig, actor (aged 54; Marina del Rey, CA, USA)
	+ McLean Stevenson, actor (aged 68; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* February 16
	+ Roger Bowen, comedic screen actor and novelist (aged 63; Marathon, FL, USA)
	+ Pat Brown, politician, Governor of California (aged 90; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
	+ Brownie McGhee, African American Piedmont blues singer-guitarist (aged 80; Oakland, CA, USA)
* March 9 – George Burns, comedian (aged 100; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
* March 10
	+ Ross Hunter, film producer (aged 79; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Butch Laswell, motorcycle stunt rider (aged 37; Mesquite, NV, USA)
* March 11 – Vince Edwards, screen actor (aged 67; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* March 26
	+ Edmund Muskie, politician, 58th U.S. Secretary of State from 1980 to 1981 (aged 81; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ David Packard, electrical engineer (aged 83; Stanford, CA, USA)
* March 31 – Jeffrey Lee Pierce, cowpunk singer-songwriter-guitarist (aged 37; Salt Lake City, UT, USA)
* April 6 – Greer Garson, film actress (aged 91; Dallas, TX, USA)
* May 1 – David M. Kennedy, politician and businessman (aged 90; Salt Lake City, UT, USA)
* May 2 – Queen Mother Moore, African American civil rights leader (aged 98; Brooklyn, NY, USA)
* May 3 – Jack Weston, actor (aged 71; New York City, NY, USA)
* May 31 – Timothy Leary, social activist (aged 75; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* June 15 – Ella Fitzgerald, African American jazz singer (aged 79; Beverly Hills, CA, USA)
* June 16 – Mel Allen, sportscaster (aged 83; Greenwich, CT, USA)
* June 19
	+ Cordelia E. Cook, soldier and nurse (aged 77; Upper Arlington, OH, USA)
	+ Kay Rhodes, bridge player (aged 86; Sonoma, CA, USA)
	+ G. David Schine, soldier and businessman (aged 68; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* June 27 – Merze Tate, African American academic (aged 91; Washington, DC, USA)
* July 1 – Margaux Hemingway, fashion model, actress, granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway (aged 42; Santa Monica, CA, USA)
* July 6 – Kathy Ahern, golfer (aged 47; Fountain Hills, CA, USA)
* July 23 – Jean Muir, film actress (aged 85; Mesa, AZ, USA)
* July 28 – Roger Tory Peterson, naturalist and artist (aged 87; Old Lyme, CT, USA)
* July 30 – Claudette Colbert, film actress (aged 92; Speightstown, Barbados)
* September 12 - Ricardo López - the "Björk stalker", committed suicide by revolver after sending a Sulphuric acid-filled letter bomb to Björk (aged 21; Hollywood, FL, USA)
* September 13 – Tupac Shakur, rapper and murder victim (aged 25; Las Vegas, NV, USA)
* September 14
	+ Helen Cohan, dancer and actress (aged 86; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Juliet Prowse, dancer and actress (aged 59; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* September 15 – Ottis Toole, murderer (aged 49; Raiford, FL, USA)
* September 16 – Gene Nelson, dancer and actor (aged 76; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* September 17 – Spiro T. Agnew, 39th Vice President of the United States from 1969 to 1973 (aged 77; Berlin, MD, USA)
* September 22 – Dorothy Lamour, film actress (aged 81; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* October 5 – Seymour Cray, computer scientist (aged 71; Colorado Springs, CO, USA)
* October 6 – Ted Bessell, television actor (aged 61; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* October 8 – Mignon G. Eberhart, mystery author (aged 97; Greenwich, CT, USA)
* October 14 – Laura La Plante, actress (aged 91; Woodland Hills, CA, USA)
* October 18 – Jason Bernard, actor (aged 58; Burbank, CA, USA)
* October 28 – Morey Amsterdam, comic actor (aged 87; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 2 – Eva Cassidy, jazz/blues singer-guitarist (aged 33; Bowie, MD, USA)
* November 5 – Eddie Harris, jazz saxophonist (aged 62; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
* November 15 – Alger Hiss, diplomat and perjurer (aged 92; New York City, NY, USA)
* November 22 – Mark Lenard, television actor (aged 72; New York City, NY, USA)
* November 26 – Paul Rand, graphic designer (aged 82; Norwalk, CT, USA)
* November 28 – Don McNeill, tennis player (aged 78; Vero Beach, FL, USA)
* November 30 – Tiny Tim, falsetto singer and ukulele player (aged 64; Minneapolis, MN, USA)
* December 6 – Pete Rozelle, American football official (aged 70; Rancho Santa Fe, CA, USA)
* December 8 – Howard Rollins, African American actor (aged 46; New York City, NY, USA)
* December 18 – Irving Caesar, lyricist (aged 101; New York City, NY, USA)
* December 20 – Carl Sagan, cosmologist (aged 62; Seattle, WA, USA)
* December 28 – Lyman S. Ayres II, businessman (aged 88; Carmel, IN, USA)
* December 30
	+ Lew Ayres, screen actor (aged 88; Los Angeles, CA, USA)
	+ Jack Nance, screen actor (aged 53; South Pasadena, CA, USA)