At A Glance

20 January 1955 at a glance

Day of the week
20 January 1955 was a Thursday.
Top Film of 1955
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1955 was Lady and the Tramp.
Bestselling Novel of 1955
“Marjorie Morningstar” by Herman Wouk was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1955.
Top-Rated TV Show
“The $64,000 Question” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1955–56 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 January 1955 fell in the Year of the Horse.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 January 1955 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 20 January

  • 1942 World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish question".
  • 1945 World War II: The provisional government of Béla Miklós in Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies.
  • 1945 World War II: Germany begins the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months.
  • 1954 In the United States, the National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations.
  • 1972 Pakistan launches its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Famous people born on January 20

  • J. J. McCarthy, American football player (born 2003)
  • David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter (1946–2025)
  • Evan Peters, American actor (born 1987)
  • Sid Wilson, American musician (born 1977)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1955 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1955 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 12 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends the first U.S. advisors to South Vietnam.
  • June 16 – Lady and the Tramp premieres in Chicago. It is the first animated film distributed by Disney's own Buena Vista Film Distribution and the first filmed in CinemaScope widescreen.
  • July 17 – The Disneyland theme park opens in Anaheim, California, an event broadcast on the ABC television network.

Life in the US in 1955

President

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Gas (per gallon)

$0.29

Loaf of Bread

$0.18

Average House

$9,400

Weekly Wage

$70

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 →