Why was the rain “ironic”? Because Jagged Little Pill was the soundtrack of the summer, and a downpour on the 4th was exactly what she… Read More »1996 Archive: The Alanis Morissette Irony

Why was the picnic playlist so “Girl Power” heavy? Because “Wannabe” was released, and suddenly every BBQ had five girls arguing over who got to… Read More »1996 Classic: The Spice Girls Invasion

Why were we already planning for 1997? Because we assumed the aliens would come back every year, like a cosmic tradition. Part of the 37… Read More »1996 Classic: The “Independence Day” Sequel Hopes

Why did Dads keep leaving the BBQ? To check their desktop computers for a “Welcome” chime that took 10 minutes to load over a 28.8k… Read More »1996 Archive: The AOL “You’ve Got Mail” Era

Why was 1996 the wettest year? Because the new “Constant Pressure System” meant your little brother could snipe you from three yards away with the… Read More »1996 Classic: The Super Soaker CPS 2000

Why were the movie buffs acting superior? Because they just bought a DVD player for $600 and spent the whole July 4th explaining why “digital”… Read More »1996 Vintage: The DVD Revolution

Why was the college cousin acting dramatic? Because they just saw Rent and decided that “No Day But Today” applied mostly to eating the last… Read More »1996 Legacy: The “Rent” Broadway Craze

Why was the lamb chop conversation awkward? Because scientists just cloned a sheep, and everyone at the grill was wondering if the ribs they were… Read More »1996 Classic: The Sheep Named Dolly

Why did everyone check their watch? Because the G-Shock was the only thing rugged enough to survive a direct hit from a rogue Sparkler. Part… Read More »1996 Archive: The Casio G-Shock

Why did everyone have a “Peace” sign on their lawn? Not for the 60s vibes, but because we hoped the aliens from the movie would… Read More »1996 Legacy: The Alien “Peace” Sign