1956

Years :	1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Years:	1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century

1956 by topic:

Arts

Architecture - Art - Film - Literature - Music - Television

Science and technology

Archaeology - Aviation - Meteorology - Rail transport - Radio - Science

By country

Australia - Canada - India - Ireland - Mexico - South Africa

Other topics

Awards - Sport - Law - State leaders - Religious leaders Video gaming

Birth and death categories

Births - Deaths

1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Contents 1 Events 1.1 January 1.2 February 1.3 March 1.4 April 1.5 May 1.6 June 1.7 July 1.8 August 1.9 September 1.10 October 1.11 November 1.12 December 2 Unknown date 3 Births 3.1 January 3.2 February 3.3 March 3.4 April 3.5 May 3.6 June 3.7 July 3.8 August 3.9 September 3.10 October 3.11 November 3.12 December 3.13 Unknown dates 4 Deaths 4.1 January 4.2 February 4.3 March 4.4 April 4.5 May 4.6 June 4.7 July 4.8 August 4.9 September 4.10 October 4.11 November 4.12 December 4.13 Unknown dates 5 Nobel prizes 6 External links

Events

January

• January 1 - End of Anglo-Egyptian Condominium in Sudan.
• January 16 - President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine.
• January 26 - 1956 Winter Olympic Games open in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
• January 26 - The United Kingdom bans heroin.
• January 25-January 26 - Finnish troops reoccupy Porkkala after Soviet troops vacate its military base. Civilians can return February 4.

February

• February 22 - Elvis Presley enters the United States music charts for the first time, with "Heartbreak Hotel."
• February 23 - Nikita Khrushchev attacks the veneration of Joseph Stalin as a "cult of personality."

March

• March 1 - the International Air Transport Association finalizes a draft of the Radiotelephony spelling alphabet for the International Civil Aviation Organization.
• March 2 - Morocco declares its independence from France.
• March 9 - British deport Archbishop Makarios from Cyprusto Seychelles.
• March 13 - Elvis Presley releases his first Gold Album titled Elvis Presley.
• March 15 - The Broadway musical My Fair Lady opens in New York City.
• March 19 - At age 48, Dutch boxer Bep van Klaveren contests his last match in Rotterdam.
• March 20 - Tunisia gains independence from France.
• March 23 - Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic.

April

• April 7 - Spain relinquishes its protectorate in Morocco.
• April 9 - Habib Bourgiba is elected prime minister of Tunisia.^{Confirmation needed}
• April 14 - Videotape is first demonstrated at the 1956 NARTB (now NAB) convention in Chicago, Illinois by Ampex. It was the demonstation of the first practical and commercially successful videotape format known as 2" Quadruplex.
• April 17 - Queen Elizabeth II inaugurated Chew Valley Lake.
• April 19 - British diver Lionel Crabb dives into the Portsmouth harbor to investigate visiting Soviet cruiser and vanishes.
• April 19 - Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco.^{Confirmation needed}

May

• early May - The Methodist Church in America decides at its General Conference to grant women full ordained clergy status.
• May 8 - Austria and Israel form diplomatic relations.
• May 8 - Constitutional union between Indonesia and Netherlands is dissolved.
• May 9 - First ascent of Manaslu, eighth highest mountain in the world.
• May 18 - First ascent of Lhotse (main), fourth highest mountain.
• May 21 - Nuclear testing: In the Pacific Ocean, Bikini Atoll is nearly obliterated by the first airborne explosion of a hydrogen bomb.
• May 23 - French minister Pierre Mendes-France resigns due to government's policy on Algeria.

June

• June 1 - Vyacheslav Molotov resigns as a foreign minister of Soviet Union; he later becomes ambassador in Mongolia.
• June 6 - In Singapore, chief minister David Marshall resigns after breakdown of talks about internal self government in London.
• June 8 - General Electric/Telechron introduces model 7H241 "The Snooz Alarm", first snooze alarm clock ever.
• June 10 - 1956 Summer Olympics: Equestrian events open in Stockholm, Sweden.
• June 14 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the phrase "under God" should be added to the Pledge of Allegiance
• June 18 - Last foreign troops leave Egypt.
• June 23 - Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes the second president of Egypt.
• June 28 - MP Sydney Silverman's bill for abolition of death penalty passes the British House of Commons.
• June 28 - Labour riots at Poznan, Poland, are crushed with heavy loss of life. Soviet troops fire at crowd that protests high prices - 53 dead.
• June 29 - Actress Marilyn Monroe marries the playwright Arthur Miller.
• June 30 - A TWA Lockheed Constellation and United Airlines Douglas DC-7 collide in mid-air over the Grand Canyon in Arizona and crash. All 128 people aboard the two aircraft are killed in the disaster. The accident prompts tighter air traffic control to be implemented in the United States.

July

• July 4 - The inventor of the Ant Farm came up with the idea while at an ant-infested picnic.
• July 8 - First ascent of Gasherbrum II.
• July 10 - British House of Lords defeats the abolition of death penalty.
• July 24 - At New York City's Copacabana Club, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis perform their last comedy show together which started on July 25, 1946.
• July 25 - 45 miles south of Nantucket Island, the Italian ocean liner SS Andrea Doria sinks after colliding with the Swedish ship SS Stockholm in heavy fog, killing 51.
• July 26 - Egyptian leader Gamal Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal sparking international condemnation.
• July 30 - A Joint Resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing "In God We Trust" as the U.S. national motto.
• July 31 - Jim Laker sets extraordinary record at Old Trafford in the fourth Test of taking nineteen wickets in a first class match (the previous best was seventeen).

August

• Exhibition This is Tomorrow at Whitechapel Art Gallery
• August 8 - Fire and explosion kills 263 miners at Marcinelle, Belgium.
• August 17 - West Germany bans communist party

September

• September 25 - Submarine telephone cable across the Atlantic opened

October

• October 10 - Finland joins UNESCO
• October 14 - Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Indian Untouchable leader, converts to Buddhism along with 385,000 followers. See Neo-Buddhism.
• October 15 - RAF retires its last Lancaster bomber
• October 15 - Fidel Castro and Che Guevara depart from Tuxpan, Mexico enroute to Santiago de Cuba aboard ship Granma with 82 men. After the ship passes a storm, it lands on Belici, Cuba, December 2
• October 23 - Hungarian revolution against the pro-Soviet government. Soviet Union intervenes. Hungary attempts to leave the Warsaw Pact.
• October 26 - Warsaw Pact troops invade Hungary.
• October 29 - Suez Crisis begins: Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula and push Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal.
• October 29 - Tangier Protocol signed: The international city Tangier is reintegrated into Morocco.
• October 31 - Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.

November

• November 4 - 1956 Hungarian Revolution: Soviet troops invade Hungary to crush a revolt that started on October 23. Thousands are killed, more are wounded and nearly a quarter million leave the country.
• November 6 - U.S. presidential election, 1956: Republican incumbent Dwight D. Eisenhower is reelected by defeating Democrat challenger Adlai E. Stevenson in a rematch of their contest four years earlier.
• November 6 - Enoch A. Holtwick defeated as presidential candidate of Prohibition Mass Party.
• November 7 - Suez Crisis: The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution calling for the United Kingdom, France and Israel to withdraw their troops from Arab lands immediately.
• November 14 - Fighting ends in Hungary.
• November 16 - Israel is denounced by UN
• November 20 - In Yugoslavia, former prime minister Milovan Djilas is arrested after he criticized Josip Broz Tito
• November 22 - Beginning of the Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.
• November 23 - Suez Crisis causes petrol rationing in Britain.

December

• December 2 - Fidel Castro and his followers land on Cuba in the boat Granma.
• December 2 - A pipe bomb explodes at a movie theater in Brooklyn (work of George Metesky), injuring six people.
• December 5 - Rose Heilbron becomes Britain's first female judge
• December 12 - Japan becomes member of the United Nations.
• December 23 - British and French troops leave Suez Canal region
• December 26 - The Mai Kai restaurant opens in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Unknown date

• Eindhoven University of Technology founded in Eindhoven, The Netherlands
• First hard disk (5MB) invented by IBM.
• Minamata disease discovered

Births

January

• January 1 - Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur (d. 2000)
• January 3 - Mel Gibson, Australian actor and director
• January 4 - Bernard Sumner, British guitarist (Joy Division and New Order)
• January 5 - Chen Kenichi, Japanese chef
• January 7 - David Caruso, American actor
• January 10 - Shawn Colvin, American singer
• January 14 - Ben Heppner, Canadian tenor
• January 16 - Martin Jol, Dutch football manager
• January 17 - Paul Young, English musician
• January 17 - Steve Harvey, American actor
• January 20 - Bill Maher, American actor, comedian, and political analyst
• January 21 - Geena Davis, American actress
• January 27 - Mimi Rogers, American actress
• January 31 - Johnny Rotten, British singer (Sex Pistols)

February

• February 3 - Nathan Lane, American actor
• February 11 - Didier Lockwood, French jazz violinist
• February 13 - Peter Hook, British bassist (Joy Division and New Order)
• February 14 - Tom Burlinson, Australian actor
• February 14 - Ron Shore, American film and television composer and producer
• February 15 - Desmond Haynes, West Indian cricketer
• February 18 - Thomas Gradin, Swedish hockey player
• February 19 - Roderick MacKinnon, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• February 24 - Paula Zahn, American television journalist
• February 26 - Keisuke Kuwata, Japanese musician
• February 28 - Jimmy Nicholl, Canadian-born footballer
• February 29 - Bob Speller, Canadian politician
• February 29 - Aileen Carol Wuornos, American serial killer (d. 2002)

March

• March 11 - Rob Paulsen, American voice actor
• March 21 - Ingrid Kristiansen, Norwegian runner

April

• April 3 - Ray Combs, American game show host and comedian
• April 4 - Kerry Chikarovski, Australian politician
• April 4 - David E. Kelley, American writer and television producer
• April 6 - Dilip Vengsarkar, Indian cricketer
• April 12 - Andy Garcia, American actor
• April 13 - Peter 'Possum' Bourne, Australian race car driver (d. 2003)
• April 13 - Alison Wheeler, British activist
• April 14 - Barbara Bonney, American soprano
• April 16 - David M. Brown, astronaut (d. 2003)
• April 16 - Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier
• April 19 - Sue Barker, British tennis player and television presenter
• April 23 - Judy Davis, Australian actress
• April 26 - Koo Stark, British actress
• April 28 - Jimmy Barnes, Australian musician
• April 30 - Jorge Chaminé, Portuguese baritone
• April 30 - Lars von Trier, Danish film director

May

• May 4 - David Guterson, American writer
• May 4 - Ulrike Meyfarth, German high jumper
• May 7 - Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
• May 11 - Andrew Hidalgo, American entrepreneur
• May 13 - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Indian guru
• May 13 - Steve Blackwood, American actor and musician
• May 15 - Dan Patrick, American sportscaster
• May 16 - Olga Korbut, Russian gymnast
• May 17 - Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
• May 17 - Bob Saget, American actor
• May 19 - James Gosling, Canadian software engineer
• May 20 - Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Norwegian author
• May 23 - Buck Showalter, baseball player and manager
• May 23 - Ursula Plassnik, Austrian politician
• May 24 - Michael Jackson, Irish Anglican bishop

June

• June 6 - Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player
• June 9 - Patricia Cornwell, American novelist
• June 11 - Joe Montana, American football player
• June 23 - Glenn Danzig, American musician (Danzig)
• June 23 - Randy Jackson, American musician
• June 25 - Boris Trajkovski, President of the Republic of Macedonia (d. 2004)
• June 27 - Heiner Dopp, German field hockey player
• June 30 - Ronald Winans, American musician (d. 2005)

July

• July 2 - Jerry Hall, American model and actress
• July 9 - Tom Hanks, American actor
• July 11 - Sela Ward, American actress
• July 15 - Ian Curtis, British musician (Joy Division) (d. 1980)
• July 15 - Barry Melrose, Canadian hockey player, coach, and commentator
• July 15 - Marky Ramone American drummer (The Ramones)
• July 16 - Tony Kushner, American playwright
• July 31 - Michael Biehn, American actor

August

• August 5 - Maureen McCormick, American actress
• August 14 - Rusty Wallace, American race car driver
• August 20 - Joan Allen, American actress
• August 21 - Kim Cattrall, Canadian actress
• August 22 - Paul Molitor, baseball player
• August 23 - Andreas Floer, German mathematician (d. 1991)
• August 24 - John Culberson, American politician
• August 31 - Masashi Tashiro, Japanese television performer

September

• September 11 - Phil Bissett, American politican
• September 12 - Ricky Rudd, American race car driver
• September 14 - Costas Caramanlis, Greek politician
• September 14 - Ray Wilkins, English footballer and coach
• September 20 - Gary Cole, American actor
• September 22 - Masayuki Suzuki, Japanese singer (Rats & Star)
• September 26 - Linda Hamilton, American actress
• September 30 - Fran Drescher, American actress

October

• October 10 - Amanda Burton, Irish actress
• October 11 - Nicanor Duarte Frutos, President of Paraguay
• October 17 - Mae Jemison, astronaut
• October 18 - Martina Navratilova, Czech-born tennis player
• October 19 - Carlo Urbani, Italian physician (d. 2003)
• October 28 - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian president

November

• November 18 - Noel Brotherston, Irish footballer (d.1995)
• November 18 - Warren Moon, American football player
• November 21 - Ed Kaz, American journalist
• November 23 - Shane Gould, Australian swimmer
• November 23 - Steve Harvey, American actor and comedian
• November 26 - Dale Jarrett, American race car driver
• November 27 - William Fichtner, American actor
• November 28 - Lucy Gutteridge, British actress
• November 28 - Andreas Augustin, Austrian author
• November 29 - Leo Laporte, Canadian author and television host

December

• December 5 - Krystian Zimerman, Polish pianist
• December 5 - Brian Backer, American actor
• December 6 - Peter Buck, American guitarist (R.E.M.)
• December 6 - Randy Rhoads, Rock guitar Legend from Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne. [d1982]
• December 7 - Larry Bird, American basketball player
• December 7 - Mark Rolston, American actor
• December 8 - Warren Cuccurullo, American musician (Missing Persons and Duran Duran)
• December 12 - Johan Van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
• December 17 - Mike Mills, American guitarist (R.E.M.)
• December 18 - Ron White, American comedian
• December 23 - Michele Alboreto, Italian race car driver
• December 23 - Dave Murray, British guitarist
• December 26 - David Sedaris, American essayist
• December 28 - Nigel Kennedy, English violinist

Unknown dates

• Ronan Bennett, Irish writer
• Shelagh Rogers, Canadian Radio host

Deaths

January

• January 3 - Alexander Grechaninov, Russian composer (b. 1864)
• January 5 - Mistinguett, French singer (b. 1875)
• January 13 - Lyonel Charles Feininger, German painter (b. 1871)
• January 18 - Konstantin Päts, Estonian president (b. 1874)
• January 24 - Sir Alexander Korda, Hungarian-born film director (b. 1893)
• January 27 - Erich Kleiber, German conductor (b. 1890)
• January 29 - H. L. Mencken, American writer (b. 1880)
• January 31 - A. A. Milne, English author (b. 1882)

February

• February 8 - Connie Mack, baseball executive and manager (b. 1862)
• February 18 - Gustave Charpentier, French composer (b. 1860)

March

• March 17 - Irène Joliot-Curie, French physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1897)
• March 20 - Fanny Durack, Australian swimmer (b. 1889)
• March 25 - Robert Newton, English film actor (b. 1905)
• March 30 - Edmund Clerihew Bentley, English inventor (b. 1875)
• March 31 - Ralph DePalma, Italian-born race car driver (b. 1884)

April

• April 19 - Ernst Robert Curtius, Alsatian philologist (b. 1886)
• April 30 - Alben Barkley, Vice-President of the United States (b. 1877)

May

• May 12 - Louis Calhern, American actor (b. 1895)
• May 17 - Austin Osman Spare, English magician (b. 1886)
• May 18 - Maurice Tate, English cricketer (b. 1895)
• May 20 - Max Beerbohm, English theater critic (b. 1872)
• May 26 - Al Simmons, baseball player (b. 1902)
• May 31 - Diedrich Hermann Westermann, German linguist (b. 1875)

June

• June 17 - Paul Rostock, German official, surgeon, and university professor (b. 1892)
• June 23 - Reinhold Glière, Russian composer (b. 1875)
• June 26 - Clifford Brown, American jazz trumpeter, in auto accident (b. 1930)

July

• July 7 - Gottfried Benn, German poet (b. 1886)
• July 8 - Giovanni Papini, Italian essayist, poet, novelist (b. 1881)

August

• August 2 - Albert Woolson, last surviving Union veteran of the American Civil War (b. 1847)
• August 11 - Jackson Pollock, American painter (b. 1912)
• August 14 - Bertolt Brecht, German playwright (b. 1898)
• August 16 - Bela Lugosi, Hungarian-born film actor (b. 1882)
• August 23 - Peaches Browning, American actress (b. 1910)
• August 25 - Alfred Kinsey, American sex researcher (b. 1894)

September

• September 21 - Anastasio Somoza García, President of Nicaragua (b. 1896)
• September 22 - Frederick Soddy, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1877)
• September 27 - Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American athlete and golfer (b. 1911)

October

• October 12 - Don Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer (b. 1872)
• October 19 - Isham Jones, American musician (b. 1894)
• October 26 - Walter Gieseking, French conductor (b. 1895)

November

• November 24 - Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (b. 1920)

December

• December 6 - Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Indian untouchable leader (b. 1891)
• December 7 - Huntley Gordon, Canadian actor (b. 1887)
• December 16 - Nina Hamnett, Welsh artist (b 1890)

Unknown dates

• James Alexander Allan, Australian poet (b. 1889)
• James Cousins, Irish writer (b. 1873)

Nobel prizes

• Physics - William Bradford Shockley, John Bardeen, Walter Houser Brattain
• Chemistry - Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood, Nikolay Nikolaevich Semenov
• Physiology or Medicine - André Frédéric Cournand, Werner Forssmann, Dickinson W. Richards
• Literature - Juan Ramón Jiménez
• Peace - not awarded

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