1 : 1956
2 : Events
3 : Year in topic
4 : Births
5 : Deaths
6 : Awards/Prizes
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s - 1950s - 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Years: 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 - 1956 - 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961
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Events
- 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
- February 22 - Elvis Presley enters the 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 2 - Morocco declares its independence from France
- March 15 - The Broadway musical My Fair Lady opens in New York City.
- March 20 - Tunisia gains independence from France
- March 23 - Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic.
- April 7 - Spain relinquishes its protectorate in Morocco.
- 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.
- July 8 - First ascent of Gasherbrum II
- 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 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 United States Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing "In God We Trust" as the U.S. national motto.
- October 14 - Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Indian Untouchable leader, converts to Buddhism along with 385,000 followers. See Neo-Buddhism.
- October 23 - Hungarian revolution against the communist government. Soviet Union intervenes. Hungary attempts to leave the Warsaw Pact.
- 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 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 7 - Suez Crisis: The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution calling for the United Kingdom, France and Israel to withdraw their troops from Egypt immediately.
- December 12 : Japan becomes member of the UN
Year in topic
Births
- January 3 - Mel Gibson, actor and director
- January 7 - David Caruso, actor
- January 10 - Shawn Colvin, singer
- January 17 - Paul Young, English musician
- January 20 - Bill Maher, actor, comedian, political analyst
- January 21 - Geena Davis, actress
- January 27 - Mimi Rogers, actress
- January 31 - Johnny Rotten, musician (The "Sex Pistols")
- February 3 - Nathan Lane, actor
- February 11 - Kathleen Beller, actress.
- February 24 - Paula Zahn, television journalist
- February 29 - Randy Jackson, American musician, American Idol judge
- February 29 - Bob Speller, Canadian politician
- February 29 - Aileen Carol Wuornos, serial killer
- March 2 - Mark Evans, bassist of AC/DC
- March 13 - Dana Delany, actress
- March 17 - Patrick McDonnell, creator of syndicated cartoon strip "Mutts"
- March 22 - Lena Olin, actress
- March 29 - Kurt Thomas, gymnast
- April 3 - Ray Combs, game show host, comedian (d. 1996)
- April 4 - David E. Kelley, writer, television producer
- April 16 - Lise-Marie Morerod, slalom skier
- April 26 - Koo Stark, actress
- May 4 - Ulrike Meyfarth, German high jumper
- May 7 - Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- May 15 - Dan Patrick, sportscaster
- May 17 - Sugar Ray Leonard, boxer
- May 17 - Bob Saget, actor
- May 19 - James Gosling, the "father" of Java programming language
- May 21 - Judge Reinhold, actor
- May 23 - Buck Showalter, baseball player, manager
- June 6 - Björn Borg, tennis great
- June 9 - Patricia Daniels (later Patricia Cornwell), American crime novelist.
- June 11 - Joe Montana, Pro Football Hall of Famer
- June 23 - Glenn Danzig, rock and roll performer of Danzig
- July 9 - Tom Hanks, actor
- July 15 - Barry Melrose, hockey player, coach, commentator
- July 16 - Tony Kushner, playwright
- August 5 - Maureen McCormick, actress (The Brady Bunch)
- August 14 - Rusty Wallace, NASCAR driver
- August 22 - Paul Molitor, Baseball Hall of Famer
- September 14 - Costas Caramanlis, Greek politician
- September 26 - Linda Hamilton, actress
- October 11 - Nicanor Duarte Frutos, President of Paraguay
- October 18 - Martina Navratilova, tennis great
- November 18 - Warren Moon, Canadian football and American football star
- November 23 - Steve Harvey, actor, comedian
- December 5 - Krystian Zimerman, pianist
- December 7 - Larry Bird, Basketball Hall of Famer
Deaths
- January 5 - Mistinguett, French cabaret singer
- January 31 - A. A. Milne, author of Winnie the Pooh
- February 8 - Connie Mack, baseball executive, coach
- March 17 - Irène Joliot-Curie, scientist
- May 12 - Louis Calhern, silent film actor
- May 17 - Austin Osman Spare, magician
- May 20 - Max Beerbohm, theater critic
- May 26 - Al Simmons, Baseball Hall of Famer (b. 1902)
- May 31 - Diedrich Hermann Westermann, German linguist
- August 23 - Peaches Browning, American actress
- September 27 - Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American athlete and golfer
- October 19 - Isham Jones, jazz musician (b. 1894)
- November 24 - Guido Cantelli, conductor
- December 6 - Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Indian Untouchable leader
- December 7 - Huntley Gordon, pioneer Hollywood actor
- December 16 - Nina Hamnett, artist
Awards/Prizes
Winner of Eurovision Song Contest 1956: Lys Assia with Refrain
Nobel Prizes:
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