UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
31 December 1956 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 31 December 1956 was a Monday.
- Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
- “Just Walking in the Rain” by Johnnie Ray 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 31 December is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 31 December 1956 was New Moon.
On this day: 31 December
- 1951 Cold War: The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Western Europe.
- 1955 General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year.
- 1956 The Romanian Television network begins its first broadcast in Bucharest.
- 1961 RTÉ, Ireland's state broadcaster, launches its first national television service.
- 1963 The Central African Federation officially collapses, subsequently becoming Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
Famous people born on 31 December
- Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025)
- Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer (born 2002)
- Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1941)
- Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (1720–1788)
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
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Famous Faces Born in the 1950s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Angus Young31 March 1955GuitaristView their day →Nick Cave22 September 1957Musician & singerView their day →Pauline Hanson27 May 1954PoliticianView their day →Geoffrey Rush6 July 1951ActorView their day →Deborra-Lee Furness30 November 1955ActressView their day →Chrissy Amphlett25 October 1959SingerView their day →Judy Davis23 April 1955ActressView their day →Malcolm Young6 January 1953GuitaristView their day →Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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