At A Glance

13 August 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
13 August 1956 was a Monday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” by Doris Day.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 13 August is Leo.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 13 August 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for August is Peridot.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 13 August 1956 was First Quarter.

On this day: 13 August

  • 1944 World War II: German troops begin the pillage and razing of Anogeia in Crete that would continue until September 5.
  • 1954 Radio Pakistan broadcasts the "Qaumī Tarāna", the national anthem of Pakistan for the first time.
  • 1960 The Central African Republic declares independence from France.
  • 1961 Cold War: East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started. The day is known as Barbed Wire Sunday.
  • 1969 The Apollo 11 astronauts enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York City. That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon.

Famous people born on 13 August

  • Sebastian Stan, Romanian-American actor (born 1982)
  • Alfred Hitchcock, English-American director and producer (1899–1980)
  • Fidel Castro, Cuban lawyer and politician, ex-President of Cuba (1926–2016)
  • Sridevi, Indian actress (1963–2018)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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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.

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.

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

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