UK, 
US, 
Australia & 
IrelandAt A Glance
5 August 1956 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 5 August 1956 was a Sunday.
- UK Number One
- The UK Number One single was “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” by Doris Day.
- Top Film of 1956
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 5 August is Leo.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 5 August 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for August is Peridot.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 5 August 1956 was Waning Crescent.
On this day: 5 August
- 1957 American Bandstand, a show dedicated to the teenage "baby-boomers" by playing the songs and showing popular dances of the time, debuts on the ABC television network.
- 1960 Burkina Faso, then known as Upper Volta, becomes independent from France.
- 1962 Apartheid: Nelson Mandela is jailed. He would not be released until 1990.
- 1963 Cold War: The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
- 1965 The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 begins as Pakistani soldiers cross the Line of Control dressed as locals.
Famous people born on 5 August
- James Gunn, American filmmaker (born 1966)
- Wendell Berry, American novelist, short story writer, poet, and essayist (1934–2026)
- Angry Anderson, Australian singer and actor (1947–2026)
- Neil Armstrong, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut, first man to walk on the Moon (1930–2012)
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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