6. The first version of the debuts, introducing the concept of write-once, run anywhere.

7. On May 18, 1996, under the Arch in St. Louis, the creation of the first (now called the Ansari X Prize) competition was announced.  The $10 million-plus prize competition focuses on such innovations as private space flight. 

8. Nintendo 64 game system is released, with Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 the first two games released outside Japan. 

9. Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell, is born in Scotland. Less impressive: She , about half that of many sheep.  

10. The Freedom of Information Act was signed into law in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson. Thirty years later, President Bill Clinton signed off on the , bringing the FOIA into the electronic age.