UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
31 December 1956 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 31 December 1956 was a Monday.
- UK Number One
- The UK Number One single was “Singing the Blues” by Guy Mitchell.
- Top Film of 1956
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 31 December is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 31 December 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 31 December 1956 was New Moon.
On this day: 31 December
- 1951 Cold War: The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Western Europe.
- 1955 General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year.
- 1956 The Romanian Television network begins its first broadcast in Bucharest.
- 1961 RTÉ, Ireland's state broadcaster, launches its first national television service.
- 1963 The Central African Federation officially collapses, subsequently becoming Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
Famous people born on 31 December
- Val Kilmer, American actor (1959–2025)
- Sophia Laforteza, Filipino-American singer (born 2002)
- Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1941)
- Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (1720–1788)
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.
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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