1996
1996 is the year Dolly the sheep was cloned.
- Even
- Composite
Where 1996 fits
Why 1996 is special
She was the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell, which had been widely considered impossible. She was named after Dolly Parton because the cell came from a mammary gland.
Same number, different meanings
How 1996 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
She was the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell, which had been widely considered impossible. She was named after Dolly Parton because the cell came from a mammary gland.
- Science
In 1996, Dolly the sheep was born, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell (Britain).
- Technology & computing
RFC 1996 defines DNS NOTIFY, by which a primary server tells its secondaries that a zone has changed rather than waiting for them to poll on the refresh interval.
1996 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (6)
- 1, 2, 4, 499, 998, 1996
- Prime factorisation
- 2^2 × 499
- Digit sum
- 25
- Digital root
- 7
Representations
- Decimal
- 1996
- Scientific notation
- 1.996 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M C M X C V I
MCMXCVI uses the subtractive pair XC: ten before a hundred — a hundred minus ten.
Binary
1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0
1 × 1,024 + 1 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 1 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 0 × 16 + 1 × 8 + 1 × 4 + 0 × 2 + 0 × 1 = 1,996
Octal
3 7 1 4
3 × 512 + 7 × 64 + 1 × 8 + 4 × 1 = 1,996
Hexadecimal
7 c c
7 × 256 + c × 16 + c × 1 = 1,996
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 512 + 256 + 128 + 64 + 8 + 4 = 1,996.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 9 coils of rope, 9 hobbles, 6 strokes
1 × 1,000 + 9 × 100 + 9 × 10 + 6 × 1 = 1,996. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
3 corner wedges + 3 vertical wedges (sixties place), 1 corner wedge + 6 vertical wedges (units place)
33 × 60 + 16 = 1996. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Systems that simply cannot reach this value are left out. Where a script needs a font most readers do not have, the reading is given instead of the glyphs — see number systems for each system in full.
Other mathematical patterns
- Deficient number
Related numbers & connections
1996 is a year in the 20th century, in the 1990s.
IVF in 1978 and Dolly in 1996 — two reproductive technologies that were condemned before they worked and became routine or foundational afterwards.
View 1978 →Science
In 1996, Dolly the sheep was born, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell (Britain).
DocumentedScienceGeography: BritainPeriod: 1996Dolly demonstrated that the nucleus of a fully differentiated adult cell could be reprogrammed to build a whole animal. That result, not the copying, is what changed developmental biology and led toward stem cell reprogramming.
DocumentedScienceGeography: ScotlandPeriod: 1996
Technology & computing
RFC 1996 defines DNS NOTIFY, by which a primary server tells its secondaries that a zone has changed rather than waiting for them to poll on the refresh interval.
DocumentedTechnology & computingGeography: International — IETFPeriod: 1996
Common questions
Is 1996 a prime number?
No, 1996 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1996?
The factors of 1996 are 1, 2, 4, 499, 998, 1996.
What is 1996 in Roman numerals?
1996 in Roman numerals is MCMXCVI. XC is subtractive: ten before a hundred — a hundred minus ten. Written additively it would be MDCCCCLXXXXVI, which Roman inscriptions used freely — the strict subtractive form is a later convention.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 3 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026