At A Glance

20 April 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
20 April 1956 was a Friday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “The Poor People of Paris” by Winifred Atwell.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 April is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 April 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for April is Diamond.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 April 1956 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 20 April

  • 1945 World War II: U.S. troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.
  • 1945 World War II: Führerbunker: On his 56th birthday Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth.
  • 1946 The League of Nations officially dissolves, giving most of its power to the United Nations.
  • 1949 Amethyst incident: The People's Liberation Army attacks HMS Amethyst (F116) travelling to the British embassy in Nanjing during the Chinese Civil War.
  • 1961 Cold War: Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba.

Famous people born on 20 April

  • Alexander Zverev, German tennis player (born 1997)
  • Jessica Lange, American actress (born 1949)
  • Andy Serkis, English actor and director (born 1964)
  • Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France, Emperor of French Second Empire (1808–1873)

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

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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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