At A Glance

2 October 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
2 October 1956 was a Tuesday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Lay Down Your Arms” by Anne Shelton.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 2 October is Libra.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 2 October 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for October is Opal.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 2 October 1956 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 2 October

  • 1944 World War II: German troops end the Warsaw Uprising.
  • 1958 Guinea declares its independence from France.
  • 1967 Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court.
  • 1968 Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz orders soldiers to suppress a demonstration of unarmed students, ten days before the start of the 1968 Summer Olympics.
  • 1971 South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu is re-elected in a one-man election.

Famous people born on 2 October

  • Mahatma Gandhi, Indian freedom fighter, activist and philosopher (1869–1948)
  • Sting, English singer-songwriter and actor (born 1951)
  • Freddie Jackson, American soul singer (1956–2026)
  • Richard III of England (1452–1485)

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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