At A Glance

3 December 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
3 December 1956 was a Monday.
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 3 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 3 December 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 3 December 1956 was Waxing Crescent.

On this day: 3 December

  • 1944 Greek Civil War: Fighting breaks out in Athens between the ELAS and government forces supported by the British Army.
  • 1954 Väinö Linna's war novel The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon sotilas) is published.
  • 1959 The current flag of Singapore is adopted, six months after Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire.
  • 1960 The musical Camelot debuts at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. It will become associated with the Kennedy administration.
  • 1967 At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, a transplant team headed by Christiaan Barnard carries out the first heart transplant on a human (53-year-old Louis Washkansky).

Famous people born on 3 December

  • Jenna Dewan, American actress and dancer (born 1980)
  • Amanda Seyfried, American actress (born 1985)
  • Ozzy Osbourne, English singer-songwriter (1948–2025)
  • Brendan Fraser, American actor and producer (born 1968)

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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