At A Glance

4 January 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
4 January 1956 was a Wednesday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 4 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 4 January 1956 fell in the Year of the Goat.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 4 January 1956 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 4 January

  • 1948 Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming an independent republic.
  • 1951 Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time.
  • 1956 The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
  • 1958 Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit.
  • 1959 Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.

Famous people born on 4 January

  • Derrick Henry, American football player (born 1994)
  • Charles Melton, American actor (born 1991)
  • Victor Wembanyama, French basketball player (born 2004)
  • Dafne Keen, British-Spanish actress (born 2005)

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 →