At A Glance

8 May 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
8 May 1956 was a Tuesday.
Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective)
“Memories Are Made of This” by Dean Martin 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 8 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 May 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 May 1956 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 8 May

  • 1945 World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Berlin-Karlshorst comes into effect. This is commemorated as Victory in Europe Day.
  • 1946 Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
  • 1950 The Tollund Man is discovered in a peat bog near Silkeborg, Denmark.
  • 1957 South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem begins a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor.
  • 1967 The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.

Famous people born on 8 May

  • David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host (born 1926)
  • Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (1884–1972)
  • Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (1895–1979)
  • Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (born 1975)

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.
More events of 1956 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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.

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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