At A Glance

23 January 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
23 January 1956 was a Monday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 23 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 23 January 1956 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 23 January 1956 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 23 January

  • 1950 The Knesset resolves that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
  • 1957 American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later renames it the "Frisbee".
  • 1960 The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) in the Pacific Ocean.
  • 1963 The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence officially begins when PAIGC guerrilla fighters attack the Portuguese Army stationed in Tite.
  • 1964 The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.

Famous people born on 23 January

  • Mariska Hargitay, American actress and producer (born 1964)
  • Tiffani Thiessen, American actress (born 1974)
  • Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian freedom fighter and politician (1897–1945)
  • Sully Sullenberger, American airline pilot and safety expert (born 1951)

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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