At A Glance

12 April 1957 at a glance

Day of the week
12 April 1957 was a Friday.
Top Film of 1957
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1957 was The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Star sign
The star sign for 12 April is Aries.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 12 April 1957 fell in the Year of the Rooster.
Birthstone
The birthstone for April is Diamond.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 12 April 1957 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 12 April

  • 1937 Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.
  • 1945 World War II: The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reaches Tangermünde—only 80 kilometres from Berlin.
  • 1955 The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
  • 1961 Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first crewed orbital flight, Vostok 1.
  • 1970 Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board.

Famous people born on 12 April

  • Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress (born 1994)
  • Claire Danes, American actress (born 1979)
  • Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer (1971–2024)
  • Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian (born 1946)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1957 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1957 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 12 January – Over a hundred republicans were arrested under the Special Powers Act in Northern Ireland.
  • 4 February – St. Mary's Church of Ireland Cathedral at Elphin, County Roscommon, was severely damaged in a violent storm, leading to its abandonment.
  • 5 March – 1957 Irish general election: The Fianna Fáil party under Éamon de Valera returned to power, winning 78 seats. Members of the 16th Dáil assembled on 20 March.

Life in Ireland in 1957

Taoiseach

Éamon de Valera

Petrol (per litre)

2s 2d/gal

Loaf of Bread

7d

Average House

£1,900

Weekly Wage

£4 15s

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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