August 1996

Michael Johnson ran 19.32 seconds in the 200 meters at the Atlanta Olympics, shattering his own world record and completing a historic 200m-400m double. Johnson's distinctive upright sprinting style and gold shoes became iconic images of the Games held in his home state of Georgia.

Tiger Woods won the US Amateur Championship in 1994, 1995, and 1996 — an unprecedented three consecutive titles that had never been accomplished before and has not been matched since. Combined with his three consecutive US Junior Amateur titles (1991–1993), Woods became the most decorated amateur golfer in history before turning professional in August 1996.

Produced by Timbaland and Missy Elliott, One in a Million sold over 8 million copies worldwide and introduced a futuristic, minimalist production style that defined late-1990s and early-2000s R&B.

ATLiens expanded OutKast's sonic palette into cosmic, introspective territory, debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, and demonstrated that Southern hip-hop could compete artistically with the coasts.