At A Glance

8 May 1956 at a glance

Day of the week
8 May 1956 was a Tuesday.
Top Film of 1956
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1956 was The Ten Commandments.
Star sign
The star sign for 8 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 8 May 1956 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 8 May 1956 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 8 May

  • 1945 World War II: The German Instrument of Surrender signed at Berlin-Karlshorst comes into effect. This is commemorated as Victory in Europe Day.
  • 1946 Estonian schoolgirls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial which preceded the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.
  • 1950 The Tollund Man is discovered in a peat bog near Silkeborg, Denmark.
  • 1957 South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem begins a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor.
  • 1967 The Philippine province of Davao is split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.

Famous people born on 8 May

  • David Attenborough, English environmentalist and television host (born 1926)
  • Harry S. Truman, American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (1884–1972)
  • Fulton J. Sheen, American archbishop (1895–1979)
  • Enrique Iglesias, Spanish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (born 1975)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Events of 1956 in Ireland

A selection from Wikipedia's '1956 in Ireland'. Not a complete list.

  • 15 February – Senator Owen Sheehy-Skeffington introduced a motion calling for the prohibition of all corporal punishment for girls in Irish national schools.
  • 2 April – President Seán T. O'Kelly unveiled a bust of politician, revolutionary, and suffragist Constance Markievicz in St Stephen's Green, Dublin.
  • 1 May – the Minister for Education Richard Mulcahy introduced the debate on a separate government department for the Gaeltacht.

Life in Ireland in 1956

Taoiseach

John A. Costello

Petrol (per litre)

2s 1d/gal

Loaf of Bread

6½d

Average House

£1,800

Weekly Wage

£4 10s

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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