At A Glance

20 November 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
20 November 1956 was a Tuesday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Just Walking in the Rain” by Johnnie Ray.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 November is Scorpio.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 November 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for November is Topaz.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 November 1956 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 20 November

  • 1945 Nuremberg trials: Trials against 24 Nazi war criminals start at the Palace of Justice at Nuremberg.
  • 1947 The Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen) marries Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, who becomes the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London.
  • 1959 The Declaration of the Rights of the Child is adopted by the United Nations.
  • 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis ends: In response to the Soviet Union agreeing to remove its missiles from Cuba, U.S. President John F. Kennedy ends the quarantine of the Caribbean nation.
  • 1969 Occupation of Alcatraz: Native American activists seize control of Alcatraz Island until being ousted by the U.S. Government on June 11, 1971.

Famous people born on 20 November

  • Joe Biden, American politician, 46th President of the United States (born 1942)
  • Robert F. Kennedy, US Navy officer, lawyer, and politician, 64th United States Attorney General (1925–1968)
  • Joe Walsh, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (born 1947)
  • Ming-Na Wen, Chinese-American actress (born 1963)

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.

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

Browse by Year

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)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →