At A Glance

22 May 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
22 May 1956 was a Tuesday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “No Other Love” by Ronnie Hilton.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 22 May is Gemini.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 22 May 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 22 May 1956 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 22 May

  • 1947 Cold War: The Truman Doctrine goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece.
  • 1948 Finnish President J. K. Paasikivi releases Yrjö Leino from his duties as interior minister after the Finnish parliament adopted a motion of censure of Leino with connection to his illegal handing over of nineteen people to the Soviet Union in 1945.
  • 1957 South Africa's government approves of racial separation in universities.
  • 1960 The Great Chilean earthquake, measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, hits southern Chile, becoming the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.
  • 1964 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson launches his Great Society program.

Famous people born on 22 May

  • Novak Djokovic, Serbian tennis player (born 1987)
  • Tommy John, American baseball player (1943–2026)
  • Katie Price, English television personality and glamour model (born 1978)
  • Morrissey, English singer-songwriter and performer (born 1959)

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 →