196 = 22 x 72.
196 is the smallest square that contains a multidigit prime number as a substring.
196 = 142 is a perfect square.
196 is the difference of two square numbers: 196 = 502 - 482.
The consecutive squares 132 = 169 and 142 = 196 use the same digits; 312 = 961 also uses the same digits.
196 has a unique representation as a sum of three squares: 196 = 42 + 62 + 122.
196 is a pentagonal pyramidal number and a heptagonal pyramidal number.
It is conjectured that 196 is the lowest Lychrel number. It is the lowest number not known to produce a palindrome by repeated reversal and addition. The algorithm has been tested to more than 246 million digits without finding a palindrome, but no one has ever proved that it will never produce one.
Source: Number Gossip