This year, we’re going back to the future.
Social media users have been left stunned after learning that 2024’s dates identically align with those from 1996, prompting an outpouring of 1990s nostalgia online.
Just as in 2024, 1996 began on a Monday and was a leap year featuring 366 days. Now, many are dusting off old boxes or scouring eBay in the hopes of finding a calendar from that year to use all over again.
“Just found out the dates for 2024 match up with 1996 so I can use this old Blockbuster Video calendar,” one person posted on X.
They accompanied the tweet with an image of the item from the now-defunct video rental store chain.
It included photos of a dozen movies released in 1995, which were set to hit Blockbuster’s shelves in 1996. “Braveheart,” “Clueless” and “Casper” were some of the featured flicks, as was “The Net” — a Sandra Bullock thriller about the dangers of a new phenomenon known as the World Wide Web.
Meanwhile, others shared screenshots of 1996 heartthrobs and pinups to hang on the wall again this year.
“Everyone who still has a 1996 @kylieminogue calendar, just a heads up, you can use it again in 2024,” one fan of the Australian pop princess penned. “The days line up with the dates and everything.”
Another tweet, which was viewed more than 2 million times, read: “Just FYI, if you have this 1996 Jonathan Taylor Thomas calendar, the dates match up with 2024, so you can use it again.”
Taylor Thomas, who was then aged 15 and starring in “Home Improvement,” was seen smiling in an accompanying photo of the calendar’s cover.
“Home Improvement” was one of 1996’s hottest shows — and the Jonathan Taylor Thomas calendar isn’t the only piece of ephemera to prove it.
On eBay, a calendar from that year featuring fellow “Home Improvement” star Pamela Anderson is currently going for $149.99.
But if you don’t want to part with that much cash, a third “Home Improvement” star is now reproducing her original 1996 calendar for 2024 consumers.
Debbe Dunning, who played sexy “Tool Time” girl Heidi on the smash-hit sitcom, took to TikTok to announce the crafty move. The pinup is even signing the calendars, which retail for $100 a pop.
Meanwhile, on X, another user shared a photo featuring the Muppets parodying “Seinfeld” in a 1996 calendar titled “Frogfeld.” That limited-edition item doesn’t appear to be up for sale on eBay.
Also worth noting: 1996 and 2024 don’t just share the same calendar. Some have noticed other striking similarities between the two years as both are election years and feature the Olympic Games.
However, these years aren’t the only two to feature the same days and dates.
According to TimeAndDate.com, there are five other leap years in the current 200-year time frame that feature that exact calendar. They are 1940, 1968, 2052, 2080 and 2120.
So, if you want to save cash on a calendar in 2052, hold on to the one you buy this year. By that time, today’s heartthrobs and pinups will be seen just as nostalgically as the cast of “Home Improvement.”