At A Glance

1 January 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
1 January 1956 was a Sunday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 1 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 1 January 1956 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 1 January 1956 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 1 January

  • 1956 Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.
  • 1957 George Town, Penang, is made a city by a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
  • 1957 Lèse majesté in Thailand is strengthened to include "insult" and changed to a crime against national security, after the Thai criminal code of 1956 went into effect.: 6, 18
  • 1958 The European Economic Community is established.
  • 1959 Cuban Revolution: Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces.

Famous people born on 1 January

  • Noah Kahan, American singer-songwriter (born 1997)
  • J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1895–1972)
  • Angourie Rice, Australian actress (born 2001)
  • Lamine Camara, Senegalese footballer (born 2004)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 1956 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1956 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 17 February – The Midlands becomes the first region outside of London to receive ITV when ATV Midlands begins broadcasting; ABC, the weekend station, launches the following day.
  • 3 May – Granada Television begins broadcasting with a base in Manchester, extending ITV's coverage to Northern England and later Yorkshire.
  • 8 May – First performance of John Osborne's play Look Back in Anger by the newly formed English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre. Alan Bates has his first major role as Cliff.
More events of 1956 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in 1956

Prime Minister

Anthony Eden

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

9p

Loaf of Bread

6p

Average House

£2,140

Weekly Wage

£11.05

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.

Richard E. Grant5 May 1957ActorView their day →Gary Oldman21 March 1958Actor & filmmakerView their day →Anthony Head20 February 1954ActorView their day →Phil Collins30 January 1951Drummer & singerView their day →Bonnie Tyler8 June 1951SingerView their day →Liam Neeson7 June 1952ActorView their day →Emma Thompson15 April 1959Actress & screenwriterView their day →Rowan Atkinson6 January 1955Actor & comedianView their day →

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

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