We present plasma data from IMP 8 and Voyager 2 demonstrating the character of the current (1996) solar minimum and compare the current solar minimum to past solar minima. Voyager 2 data from 50 AU and 16 ¿S heliolatitude show a gradual 130 km/s increase in solar wind velocity which reaches a plateau of 580 km/s for 75 days in late 1996. We suggest that this plateau, from which solar rotation signatures are absent, consists of solar wind which originated at the Sun at the time of solar minimum. We find that the current solar minimum closely resembles that of the 1976 solar minimum; both are characterized by relatively thick streamer belts. During the 1986--87 solar minimum the streamer belt was only half as thick (~8¿) as in 1976 and 1996. This suggests a possible 22-year cycle in solar wind characteristics and we predict that at the next solar minimum in about 2007 the streamer belt will again be very thin.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union