At A Glance

26 January 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
26 January 1956 was a Thursday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“The Yellow Rose of Texas” by Mitch Miller was No. 1 on David Kent's retrospective Australian chart. This chart was compiled later by David Kent from radio station charts.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 26 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 26 January 1956 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 26 January 1956 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 26 January

  • 1949 The Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory sees first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope (until BTA-6 is built in 1976).
  • 1950 The Constitution of India comes into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as the first President of India. Observed as Republic Day in India.
  • 1956 Soviet Union cedes Porkkala back to Finland.
  • 1959 The 41-acre (17 ha) Chain Island is listed for sale by the California State Lands Commission, with a minimum bid of $5,226.
  • 1962 Ranger 3 is launched to study the Moon. The space probe later misses the Moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).

Famous people born on 26 January

  • José Mourinho, Portuguese footballer and manager (born 1963)
  • Paul Newman, American actor, activist, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman's Own (1925–2008)
  • Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, actress, and talk show host (born 1958)
  • Ester Expósito, Spanish actress (born 2000)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1956 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1956 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 16 September – Australia's first TV station TCN-9 begins regular transmission in Sydney
  • 4 November – HSV-7 begins as Melbourne's first TV Station.
  • 5 November – The first TV station of the Australian Broadcasting Commission is launched; ABN-2 Sydney.

Life in Australia in 1956

Prime Minister

Robert Menzies

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

Petrol (per litre)

$0.04

Loaf of Bread

$0.11

Average House

$4,500

Weekly Wage

$11.50

Or

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Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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