1956 Canadian Novels on:
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* April 2 – The first episodes of '' As the World Turns'' and '' The Edge of Night'' are broadcast on the CBS Television Network in the United States.
* April 7 – Spain relinquishes its protectorate in Morocco.
* April 9 –
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends inSudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
.
* January 8
Events Pre-1600
* 307 – Emperor Huai of Jin, Jin Huaidi becomes emperor of China in succession to his father, Emperor Hui of Jin, Jin Huidi, despite a challenge from his uncle, Sima Ying.
* 871 – Æthelred I, King of Wessex, Æthel ...
– Operation Auca
Operation Auca was an attempt by five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States to bring Christianity to the Waodani or Huaorani people of the rain forest of Ecuador. The Huaorani, also known pejoratively as Aucas (a modificatio ...
: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are killed for trespassing by the Huaorani people of Ecuador, shortly after making contact with them.
* January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
* 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...
– Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...
vows to reconquer Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
.
* January 25
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate.
* 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty ...
– 26 – Finnish troops reoccupy Porkkala, after Soviet troops vacate its military base. Civilians can return February 4
Events Pre–1600
* 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...
.
* January 26 – The 1956 Winter Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games ( it, VII Giochi Olimpici invernali) and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( lld, Anpezo 1956 or ), was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from ...
open in Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo (; lld, Anpezo, ; historical de-AT, Hayden) is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite river, in an alp ...
, Italy.
February
*February 11
Events Pre-1600
*660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...
– British spies Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean resurface in the Soviet Union, after being missing for 5 years.
* February 14
Events Pre-1600
* 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
* 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis ...
– 25 – The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was held during the period 14–25 February 1956. It is known especially for First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev's "Secret Speech", which denounced the personality cult and dictatorship ...
is held in Moscow.
* February 16 – The 1956 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion.
The 1956 competitions for men, ladies, pair skating, a ...
open in Garmisch, West Germany.
* February 22 – Elvis Presley enters the United States music charts for the first time, with " Heartbreak Hotel".
* February 23
Events Pre-1600
* 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
* 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a ...
– Norma Jean Mortenson legally changes her name to Marilyn Monroe.
* February 24
Events Pre-1600
* 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica.
* 1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence.
* 13 ...
– Doris Day
Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...
records her most famous song, " Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)"; it is from Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's '' The Man Who Knew Too Much'', in which Day co-stars with James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
.
* February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
...
– Nikita Khrushchev attacks the veneration of Joseph Stalin, in a speech " On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences", at a secret session concluding the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This is not officially made public in the Soviet Union at this time but becomes known in the West in June.
March
* March 1 – TheInternational Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...
finalizes a draft of the radiotelephony spelling alphabet, for the International Civil Aviation Organization.
* March 2 – Morocco declares its independence from France.
* March 9
** The British deport Archbishop Makarios from Cyprus to the Seychelles.
** The Soviet Armed Forces suppress mass demonstrations in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, reacting to Nikita Khrushchev's de-Stalinization
De-Stalinization (russian: десталинизация, translit=destalinizatsiya) comprised a series of political reforms in the Soviet Union after the death of long-time leader Joseph Stalin in 1953, and the thaw brought about by ascension ...
policy.
* March 10 – The Fairey Delta 2 breaks the World Air Speed Record, raising it to or Mach 1.73, an increase of some over the previous record, and thus becoming the first aircraft to exceed in level flight.
* March 11 – After having opened in London the previous year, Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...
's film, ''Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
'', adapted from Shakespeare's play, has its U.S. premiere in theatres and on NBC-TV on the same day. On television it is not shown in prime time, but as an afternoon matinée, in a slightly cut version, one of the first such experiments. Olivier is later nominated for an Oscar for his performance.
* March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
– 96 U.S. Congressmen sign the Southern Manifesto
The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manife ...
, a protest against the 1954 Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
ruling ('' Brown v. Board of Education'') that desegregated public education.
* March 13 – Elvis Presley releases his first gold album titled '' Elvis Presley'' in the United States.
* March 15 – The Broadway musical '' My Fair Lady'' opens in New York City.
* March 19 – At age 48, Dutch boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
Bep van Klaveren contests his last match in Rotterdam.
* March 20 – Tunisia gains independence from France.
* March 21
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the ''Vivarium'', by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas an ...
– The 28th Academy Awards
The 28th Academy Awards were held on March 21, 1956 to honor the films of 1955, at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
At just 90 minutes, '' Marty'' became the shortest film to win Best Picture, as well as the second to have ...
Ceremony is held in Los Angeles. '' Marty'' is awarded Best Picture.
* March 23 – Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic
The term Islamic republic has been used in different ways. Some Muslim religious leaders have used it as the name for a theoretical form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been u ...
, and a national holiday National holiday may refer to:
* National day, a day when a nation celebrates a very important event in its history, such as its establishment
*Public holiday, a holiday established by law, usually a day off for at least a portion of the workforce, ...
is observed in the country, including the state of East Pakistan.
April
* April 2 – The first episodes of '' As the World Turns'' and '' The Edge of Night'' are broadcast on the CBS Television Network in the United States.
* April 7 – Spain relinquishes its protectorate in Morocco.
* April 9 – Habib Bourguiba
Habib Bourguiba (; ar, الحبيب بورقيبة, al-Ḥabīb Būrqībah; 3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian lawyer, nationalist leader and statesman who led the country from 1956 to 1957 as the prime minister of the Kingdom of T ...
is elected President of the National Constituent Assembly of the Kingdom of Tunisia; on April 15 he becomes Prime Minister.
* April 14 – Videotape is first demonstrated at the 1956 NARTB (modern-day NAB) convention in Chicago by Ampex. It is the demonstration of the first practical and commercially successful videotape format known as 2" Quadruplex
2-inch quadruplex videotape (also called 2″ quad video tape or quadraplex) was the first practical and commercially successful analog recording video tape format. It was developed and released for the broadcast television industry in 1956 by ...
.
* April 17 – Queen Elizabeth II inaugurates the 4.9 km2 Chew Valley Lake
Chew Valley Lake () is a reservoir in Chew Stoke, Chew Valley, Somerset, England. It is the fifth-largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom, with an area of . The lake, created in the early 1950s, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956. ...
in Somerset, England, as a reservoir for the Bristol area.
* April 18 – Maria Desylla-Kapodistria is elected mayor of Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
, becoming the first female mayor in Greece.
* April 19
** British diver Lionel (Buster) Crabb (working for MI6) dives into Portsmouth Harbour, to investigate a visiting Soviet cruiser, and vanishes.
** American actress Grace Kelly marries Rainier III, Prince of Monaco.
* April 21
Events Pre-1600
*753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date).
* 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered ...
– Former U.S. First Daughter Margaret Truman marries Clifton Daniel.
* April 27
Events Pre-1600
* 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''.
* 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of ...
– Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
boxing champion Rocky Marciano retires, without losing a professional boxing match.
May
* May 1 – Minamata disease is discovered in Japan. * May 2 ** The United Methodist Church in America decides, at its General Conference, to grant women full ordained clergy status. It also calls for an end to racial segregation in the denomination. ** Violet Gibson, who attempted to assassinate Mussolini in 1926, dies in a mental hospital in England, after a lifetime of imprisonment. *May 8
Events Pre-1600
* 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.
* 413 – Emperor Honorius signs a ...
** Austria and Israel establish diplomatic relations
Relation or relations may refer to:
General uses
*International relations, the study of interconnection of politics, economics, and law on a global level
*Interpersonal relationship, association or acquaintance between two or more people
*Public ...
.
** The constitutional union between Indonesia and the Netherlands is dissolved.
** John Osborne
John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...
's '' Look Back in Anger'' opens at the Royal Court Theatre, London, changing the scope of theatrical and other forms of drama in the UK: the theatre's press release describes the dramatist as among the angry young men of the time.
* May 9 – Manaslu, eighth highest mountain in the world (in the Nepalese Himalayas) is first ascended, by a Japanese team.
* May 18 – Lhotse main summit, the fourth highest mountain (on the Nepalese–Tibetan border) is first ascended, by Fritz Luchsinger and Ernst Reiss.
* May 22 – The NBC Peacock logo debuts on television in the United States.
* May 23 – French minister Pierre Mendès France resigns, due to his government's policy on Algeria.
* May 24
Events Pre-1600
* 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
* 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
* 1276 – Magnus La ...
– The first Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
is broadcast from Lugano, Switzerland. The winning song is the host country's ''Refrain'' by Lys Assia (music by Géo Voumard, lyrics by Émile Gardaz).
* May 25 – India announces the institution of diplomatic relations
Relation or relations may refer to:
General uses
*International relations, the study of interconnection of politics, economics, and law on a global level
*Interpersonal relationship, association or acquaintance between two or more people
*Public ...
with Francoist Spain.
June
* June 1 – Vyacheslav Molotov resigns as foreign minister of the Soviet Union; he later becomesambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to Mongolia.
* June 3 – British Railways
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
rename 'Third Class' passenger facilities 'Second Class'.
* June 4 – Montgomery bus boycott: The related civil suit is heard in federal district court; the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold the ruling in November.
* June 5
Events Pre-1600
*1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights.
*1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles II of Naples, Charles ...
** The text of Nikita Khrushchev's February attack on Stalin's reputation, " On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences", is first published in the West, in '' The New York Times''.
** Elvis Presley performs " Hound Dog" on '' The Milton Berle Show'', scandalizing the American television audience with his suggestive hip movements.
* June 6
Events Pre-1600
* 913 – Constantine VII, the eight-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointed b ...
– In Singapore, chief minister David Marshall resigns, after the breakdown of talks about internal self-government in London.
* June 8 – General Electric/Telechron introduces model 7H241 "The Snooz Alarm", the first snooze alarm clock
An alarm clock (or sometimes just an alarm) is a clock that is designed to alert an individual or group of individuals at a specified time. The primary function of these clocks is to awaken people from their night's sleep or short naps; they ar ...
ever.
* June 10 – 1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...
: Equestrian events open in Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
(all other events are held in November in Melbourne, Australia).
* June 13
** The International Criminal Police Organization adopts Interpol as its official name.
** Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
beats Stade Reims 4–3 at Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
, Paris and wins the 1955–56 European Cup
The 1955–56 European Cup was the first season of the European Cup, UEFA's premier club football tournament. The tournament was won by Real Madrid, who defeated Stade de Reims 4–3 in the final at Parc des Princes, Paris, on 13 June 1956.
The ...
(football).
* June 14 – The Flag of the United States Army is formally dedicated.
* June 15 – Eindhoven University of Technology is founded in Eindhoven
Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,June 18 – The last British troops leave Egypt.
*
* January 1
** Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur (d.
*
* March 1
** Tim Daly, American actor and producer
** Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of Lithuania
* March 2 – Eduardo Rodríguez, President of Bolivia
* March 3 – Frank Giroud, French comics writer (d.
* April 3
** Ray Combs, American game show host and comedian (d.
* May 1
** Alexander Ivanov, Russian-born American chess grandmaster
** Danilo De Girolamo, Italian voice actor (d.
* June 1
** Chintaman Vanaga, Indian politician (d.
* July 1
** Alan Ruck, American actor
** Gregg L. Semenza, American cellular biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* July 2
** Jerry Hall, American model and actress
** Cynthia Kadohata, Japanese-American children's writer
* July 3
**Dorota Pomykała, Polish actress
**Min Aung Hlaing, Burmese Army General
* July 4 – :pt:Bárbara Bruno, Bárbara Bruno, Brazilian actress, director and producer
* July 5
** Sapawi Ahmad, Malaysian politician
** Horacio Cartes, President of Paraguay
** Louis Herthum, American actor and producer
** Sheila Walsh (author/singer), Sheila Walsh, Scottish Christian artist and talk-show hostess
* July 7
** Janet Cruz, American politician
** Mullah Krekar, Iraqi Kurdish scholar and militant
** Ryuho Okawa, Japanese religious leader
** Giam Swiegers, South African-Australian business executive
*
* August 2 – Robert Khuzami, Deputy Attorney for the Southern District of New York
* August 4
** Gerry Cooney, American boxer
** Randall Wright, Canadian economist
* August 5
** Bolland & Bolland, Ferdi Bolland, Dutch musician, songwriter and music producer (Bolland & Bolland)
** Maureen McCormick, American actress
*
* September 1 – Bernie Wagenblast, American editor and broadcaster
* September 2
** Nandamuri Harikrishna, Indian actor and politician (d.
* October 1
** Tara Buckman, American actress
** Andrus Ansip, Estonian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Estonia
** Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
* October 2 – Charlie Adler, American voice actor and director
* October 3 – Ralph Morgenstern, German actor
* October 4 – Christoph Waltz, German-Austrian actor
* October 8
** Danny Jacob, American composer, songwriter and guitarist
** Stephanie Zimbalist, American actress
* October 10 – Amanda Burton, Irish actress
* October 11 – Nicanor Duarte, 47th President of Paraguay
* October 12 – Trần Đại Quang, President of Vietnam (d.
* November 4 – Igor Talkov, Russian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1991)
* November 5 – Rob Fisher (British musician), Rob Fisher, British keyboardist and songwriter (Climie Fisher) (d. 1999)
* November 7
** Mikhail Alperin, Soviet-Norwegian jazz pianist (d.
* December 1
** Sultan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Emirati politician and royal (d.
*
*
* March 9 – Arthur Leopold Busch, English-born American submarine pioneer (b. 1866)
*
* April 6 – Pío Valenzuela, Filipino physician and one of the leaders of the Katipunan (b. 1869)
*
* June 2
** Richard S. Edwards, American admiral (b. 1885)
** Jean Hersholt, Danish actor (b. 1886)
* June 4 – Katherine MacDonald, American silent film actress (b. 1891)
*
* August 2 – Albert Woolson, last surviving Union veteran of the American Civil War (b. 1847)
*
* September 6
** Lee Jung-seob, Korean oil painter (b. 1872)
** Felix Borowski, British-American composer and teacher (b. 1872)
* September 7 – C. B. Fry, English sportsman and writer (b. 1872)
* September 11
** Billy Bishop, Canadian World War I flying ace (b. 1894)
** Lucien Febvre, French historian (b. 1878)
* September 20 – Flora Eldershaw, Australian novelist, critic, and historian (b. 1897)
* September 22 – Frederick Soddy, English chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1877)
* September 27
** Milburn G. Apt, American test pilot (b. 1924)
** Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American golfer (b. 1911)
* September 28 – William E. Boeing, American engineer and airplane manufacturer (b. 1881)
* September 29 – Anastasio Somoza García, President of Nicaragua (assassinated) (b. 1896)
* October 1 – Albert Von Tilzer, American songwriter (b. 1878)
* October 2 – George Bancroft (actor), George Bancroft, American actor (b. 1882)
* October 9 – Marie Doro, American stage & silent film actress (b. 1882)
* October 12 – Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer (b. 1872)
* October 14 – Jules Richard (mathematician), Jules Richard, French mathematician (b. 1862)
* October 16
** Jules Rimet, French football administrator, 3rd president of FIFA (b. 1873)
** Jack Southworth, English footballer (b. 1866)
* October 17 – Anne Crawford, British actress (b. 1920)
* October 19 – Isham Jones, American musician (b. 1894)
* October 22 – Hannah Mitchell, English socialist and suffragette (b. 1872)
* October 25 – Risto Ryti, 23rd Prime Minister of Finland and 5th President of Finland (b. 1889)
* October 26 – Walter Gieseking, French conductor (b. 1895)
* October 27 – Charles S. Johnson, American sociologist (b. 1893)
* October 30 – Pío Baroja, Spanish novelist (b. 1872)
* November 1
** Pietro Badoglio, Italian field marshal and 28th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1871)
** Tommy Johnson (musician), Tommy Johnson, American musician (b. 1896)
* November 2 – Leo Baeck, German rabbi, scholar and theologian (b. 1873)
* November 3 – Jean Metzinger, French painter, theorist and critic (b. 1883)
* November 5 – Art Tatum, American jazz pianist (b. 1909)
* November 6 – Paul Kelly (actor), Paul Kelly, American stage and film actor (b. 1899)
* November 10
** Harry F. Sinclair, American entrepreneur (b. 1876)
** Victor Young, American composer (b. 1900)
* November 12 – Juan Negrín, 67th Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1892)
* November 13 – Werner Haas, German motorcycle racer (b. 1927)
* November 19 – Francis L. Sullivan, English actor (b. 1903)
* November 22 – Theodore Kosloff, Russian-born ballet dancer, choreographer and actor (b. 1882)
* November 24
** Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (b. 1920)
** Lionel Whitby, Sir Lionel Whitby, British haematologist and academic administrator (b. 1895)
* November 26 – Tommy Dorsey, American trombonist and bandleader (b. 1905)
* November 27 – Hugo Ballin, American artist, film production designer, and director (b. 1879)
* December 2 – Dell Henderson, Canadian actor (b. 1877)
* December 3 – Alexander Rodchenko, Russian artist (b. 1891)
* December 6 – B. R. Ambedkar, Indian jurist and politician (b. 1891)
* December 7
** Henry Fillmore, American composer and bandleader (b. 1881)
** Huntley Gordon, Canadian actor (b. 1887)
* December 9 – Charles Joughin, English-born baker on RMS ''Titanic'' (b. 1878)
* December 10 – David Shimoni, Israeli poet and writer (b. 1891)
* December 12 – Ewald André Dupont, German film director (b. 1891)
* December 14 – Juho Kusti Paasikivi, twice Prime Minister of Finland and 7th President of Finland (b. 1870)
* December 16
** René Couzinet, French aeronautics engineer and aircraft manufacturer (suicide) (b. 1904)
** Nina Hamnett, Welsh artist (b. 1890)
* December 17
** Eddie Acuff, American actor (b. 1903)
** Whitford Kane, Irish-born American actor (b. 1881)
* December 21 – Lewis Terman, American psychologist (b. 1877)
* December 23 – Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Spanish architect (b. 1867)
* December 25 – William Addison Dwiggins, American book designer, type designer, illustrator, author, marionette artist (b. 1880)
* December 26 – Holmes Herbert, English actor (b. 1882)
* December 30 – Ruth Draper, American actress (b. 1884)
full text online
comprehensive reference book covering 1956 in diplomacy, international affairs and politics for major nations and regions
{{Authority control 1956, Leap years in the Gregorian calendar
June 21
Events Pre-1600
* 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date).
* 1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mo ...
– Playwright Arthur Miller appears before the House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...
in Washington, D.C.
* June 23
Events Pre-1600
* 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
* 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
* 1280 – The Spanish Re ...
– Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...
becomes the 2nd president of Egypt, a post he holds until his death in 1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
.
* June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
** Poznań 1956 protests: Labour riots in Poznań, Poland, are crushed with heavy loss of life. Soviet troops fire at a crowd protesting high prices, killing 53 people.
** The film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's '' The King and I'', starring Deborah Kerr
Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
During her international film career, Kerr won a G ...
and Yul Brynner, is released only a few months after the film version of R&H's ''Carousel''. It becomes the most financially successful film version of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical up to this time, and the only one to win an acting Oscar (Yul Brynner wins Best Actor for his performance as the King of Siam). It is also one of two Rodgers and Hammerstein films to be nominated for Best Picture (which it does not win).
* June 29
** Actress Marilyn Monroe marries playwright Arthur Miller, in White Plains, New York.
** President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, creating the Interstate Highway System in the United States.
* June 30 – 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision
The Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred in the Western United States, western United States on Saturday, June 30, 1956, when a United Airlines Douglas DC-7 struck a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation over Grand Canyon ...
: A TWA Lockheed Constellation and United Airlines Douglas DC-7 collide in mid-air over the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
in Arizona, killing all 128 people aboard both aircraft, in the deadliest civil aviation disaster to date; the accident leads to sweeping changes in the regulation of cross-country flight and air traffic control over the United States.
July
* July 2 – A laboratory experiment involving scrap thorium at Sylvania Electric Products in Bayside, New York, results in anexplosion
An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...
.
* July 4 – An American Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft makes its first flight over the Soviet Union.
* July 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1099 – Some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city as its Muslim defenders watch.
* 1283 – Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese ...
– The mountain Gasherbrum II, on the border of Pakistan and China, is first ascended, by an Austrian expedition.
* July 9
Events Pre-1600
*118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome.
* 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...
– The 7.7 Amorgos earthquake shakes the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The shaking and the subsequent tsunami leave 53 people dead.
* July 10 – The British House of Lords defeats the abolition of the death penalty.
* July 13 – John McCarthy (Dartmouth), Marvin Minsky (MIT), Claude Shannon (Bell Labs) and Nathaniel Rochester (IBM) assemble the first coordinated research meeting on the topic of artificial intelligence, at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States.
* July 16 – With the closing of its "Big Tent" show in Pittsburgh, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announces all subsequent circuses will be "arena shows", due to changing economics.
* July 24 – At New York City's Copacabana nightclub, Dean Martin
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
and Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
perform their last comedy show together (their act started on July 25, 1946).
* July 25 – The Italian ocean liner sinks after colliding with the Swedish ship SS ''Stockholm'' in heavy fog south of Nantucket
Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...
island, killing 51.
* July 26 – Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...
nationalizes the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
, sparking international condemnation.
* July 30 – A joint resolution
In the United States Congress, a joint resolution is a legislative measure that requires passage by the Senate and the House of Representatives and is presented to the President for their approval or disapproval. Generally, there is no legal differ ...
of Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing "In God we trust
"In God We Trust" (also rendered as "In God we trust") is the United States national motto, official motto of the United States and of the U.S. state of Florida. It was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956, replacing ("Out of many, one"), whic ...
" as the U.S. national motto.
* July 31
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide.
* 781 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji (Tr ...
** Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
: Jim Laker sets an extraordinary record at Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
in the fourth Test between England and Australia, taking 19 wickets in a first class match (the previous best was 17).
** Luzhniki Stadium, well known sports venue of Russia and the Soviet Union, officially opens in Moscow.
August
*August 6
Events Pre-1600
*1284 – The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean.
* 1538 – Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada ...
– After going bankrupt in 1955, the American broadcaster DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being ...
airs its final broadcast, an episode of its sports series '' Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena''.
* August 7 – Seven ammunition trucks loaded with 1,053 boxes of dynamite explode in Cali, Colombia. Death estimates range from 1,300 to 10,000, in a city that at this time has 120,000 inhabitants.
* August 8 – 262 miners (chiefly Italian nationals) die in a fire at the Bois du Cazier coal mine, in Marcinelle, Belgium.
* August 9 – Art exhibition '' This Is Tomorrow'' opens at Whitechapel Art Gallery in London.
* August 12 – Around 5,000 members of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church
The Romanian Greek Catholic Church or Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic ( la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Romaniae; ro, Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică), sometimes called, in reference to its Byzantine Rite, the ...
hold a mass outside Cluj-Napoca Piarists' Church to demonstrate that their church, proscribed by the government in 1948, has not ceased to exist as the regime claims.
* August 17 – West Germany bans the Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
.
September
* September 9 – Elvis Presley appears on '' The Ed Sullivan Show'' in the United States for the first time. * September 13 ** The hard disk drive is invented by an IBM team, led byReynold B. Johnson
Reynold B. Johnson (July 16, 1906September 15, 1998) was an American inventor and computer pioneer. A long-time employee of IBM, Johnson is said to be the "father" of the hard disk drive. Other inventions include automatic test scoring equipment ...
.
** The dike around the Dutch polder East Flevoland
Flevoland () is the twelfth and youngest province of the Netherlands, established in 1986, when the southern and eastern Flevopolders, together with the Noordoostpolder, were merged into one provincial entity. It is in the centre of the countr ...
is closed.
* September 16 – Television broadcasting in Australia commences.
* September 21 – Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza García is assassinated.
* September 25 – The submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
transatlantic telephone cable opens.
* September 27 – The Bell X-2 becomes the first crewed aircraft to reach Mach
Mach may refer to Mach number, the speed of sound in local conditions. It may also refer to:
Computing
* Mach (kernel), an operating systems kernel technology
* ATI Mach, a 2D GPU chip by ATI
* GNU Mach, the microkernel upon which GNU Hurd is bas ...
3.
October
* October 5 – Cecil B. DeMille'sepic film
Epic films are a style of filmmaking with large-scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The usage of the term has shifted over time, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply synonymous with big-budget filmmaking. Like epics in ...
'' The Ten Commandments'', starring Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist.
As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...
as Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
, is released in the United States. It will be in the top ten of the worldwide list of highest-grossing films
Films generate income from several revenue streams, including theatrical exhibition, home video, television broadcast rights, and merchandising. However, theatrical box-office earnings are the primary metric for trade publications in assess ...
of all time, adjusted for inflation.
* October 8 – Baseball pitcher Don Larsen
Don James Larsen (August 7, 1929 – January 1, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher. During a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he pitched from 1953 to 1967 for seven different teams: the St. Louis Browns / Baltimore O ...
of the New York Yankees throws the only perfect game in World Series history, in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series
The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees of the American League and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League in October 1956. The series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series. ...
against the Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
. Yogi Berra catches the game. Dale Mitchell is the final out. The New York Yankees win the series in seven games. Larsen is named series MVP.
* October 10
** Finland joins UNESCO.
** The prototype Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, the final Lockheed Constellation model, makes its first flight.
* October 14 – In India:
** Indira Kala Sangeet University, Khairagarh, is inaugurated by Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
.
** Dalit Buddhist movement: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Dalit leader, converts to Buddhism, along with 385,000 followers.
* October 15
Events Pre-1600
*1066 – Following the death of Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, Edgar the Ætheling is proclaimed King of England by the Witan; he is never crowned, and concedes power to William the Conqueror two months later.
* 1211 ...
– The British Royal Air Force retires its last Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...
bomber.
* October 17
** The world's first industrial-scale commercial nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a electric generator, generato ...
is opened at Calder Hall in England.
** The Game of the Century (chess): 13-year-old Bobby Fischer beats grandmaster Donald Byrne, in the Rosenwald Memorial Tournament in New York City.
* October 22 – Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
: The United Kingdom, France, and Israel secretly meet in Sèvres and make plans to invade Egypt.
* October 23 – The Hungarian Revolution breaks out against the pro-Soviet government, originating as a student demonstration in Budapest. Hungary attempts to leave the Warsaw Pact.
* October 26 – Soviet Red Army troops invade Hungary.
* October 29
** Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
: Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula and pushes Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
.
** Tangier Protocol: The international city Tangier is reintegrated into Morocco.
** The '' Huntley-Brinkley Report'' debuts on NBC-TV in the United States.
* October 31
** Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
.
** A United States Navy team becomes the third group to reach the South Pole (arriving by air), and commences construction of the first permanent Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station
The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is the United States scientific research station at the South Pole of the Earth. It is the southernmost point under the jurisdiction (not sovereignty) of the United States. The station is located on the ...
.
November
* November 1 ** TheStates Reorganisation Act
The States Reorganisation act, 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's States and territories of India, states and territories, organising them along linguistic lines.
Although additional changes to India's state boundaries have b ...
of India reforms the boundaries and names of Indian states. Three new states, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, are formed.
** City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco publishes '' Howl and Other Poems'' by Allen Ginsberg, a key work of the Beat Generation
The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...
.
** The film '' Oklahoma!'' (1955), previously released to select cities in Todd-AO, now receives a U.S. national release in CinemaScope
CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...
, since not all theatres are yet equipped for Todd-AO. To accomplish this, the film has actually been shot twice, rather than printing one version in two different film processes, as is later done.
* November 3
** Khan Yunis massacre
The Khan Yunis massacre took place on 3 November 1956 in the Palestinian town of Khan Yunis and the nearby refugee camp of the same name in the Gaza Strip during the Suez Crisis.
According to Benny Morris, during an Israel Defense Forces operat ...
(Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
): Israeli soldiers shoot dead hundreds of Palestinian refugees and local inhabitants in Khan Yunis Camp.
** MGM's film ''The Wizard of Oz
''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to:
*'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz''
** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...
'' is the first major Hollywood film running more than 90 minutes to be televised uncut in one evening, in the United States.
* November 4 – Hungarian Revolution of 1956: More Soviet troops invade Hungary, to crush the revolt that started on October 23. Thousands are killed, more are wounded, and nearly a quarter million leave the country.
* November 6 – 1956 United States presidential election
The 1956 United States presidential election was the 43rd quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1956. President Dwight D. Eisenhower successfully ran for reelection against Adlai Stevenson II, the former Illinois ...
: Republican incumbent Dwight D. Eisenhower defeats Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
challenger Adlai Stevenson, in a rematch of their contest 4 years earlier.
* November 7 – Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
: The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution calling for the United Kingdom, France and Israel to withdraw their troops from Arab lands immediately.
* November 11 – Hungarian Revolution of 1956: Last insurgents succumb to the invading Soviet army.
* November 12 – Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia join the United Nations.
* November 13 – '' Browder v. Gayle'': The United States Supreme Court declares illegal the state and municipal laws requiring segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama, thus ending the Montgomery bus boycott.
* November 14 – An eight-mile long stretch of highway is opened west of Topeka, Kansas, creating the first portion of the Interstate Highway System in the United States and the first highway to be completed with funds from the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.
* November 15 – Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University (commonly referred to as METU; in Turkish language, Turkish, ''Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi'', ODTÜ) is a public university, public Institute of technology, technical university located in Ankara, Turkey. The ...
is founded in Ankara, Turkey.
* November 18 – At a reception for Western ambassadors at the Polish embassy in Moscow, Nikita Khrushchev utters his famous phrase " We will bury you".
* November 20 – In Yugoslavia, former prime minister Milovan Đilas
Milovan Djilas (; , ; 12 June 1911 – 30 April 1995) was a Yugoslav communist politician, theorist and author. He was a key figure in the Partisan movement during World War II, as well as in the post-war government. A self-identified democrat ...
is arrested after he criticizes Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
.
* November 22 – The 1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...
begin in Melbourne, Australia.
* November 23 – The Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
causes petrol rationing in Britain.
* November 25 – Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
and Che Guevara depart from Tuxpan, Veracruz
Tuxpan (or Túxpam, fully Túxpam de Rodríguez Cano) is both a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The population of the city was 78,523 and of the municipality was 134,394 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census o ...
, Mexico, en route to Santiago de Cuba aboard the yacht '' Granma'', with 82 men.
* November 28 – Roger Vadim's drama film '' And God Created Woman'', released in France as ''Et Dieu ... créa la femme'', propels Brigitte Bardot into the public spotlight as a " sex kitten".
* November 30 – African-American Floyd Patterson wins the world heavyweight boxing championship that is vacant after the retirement of Rocky Marciano.
December
* December 2 **Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
and his followers land in Cuba, from the yacht '' Granma''.
** A pipe bomb planted by George Metesky explodes at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, injuring 6 people.
* December 3 – The 1956 Bush Terminal explosion occurs in Brooklyn.
* December 4 – The Million Dollar Quartet ( Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...
, and Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
) get together at Sun Studio, for the first and last time in history.
* December 9 – Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810, a Canadair North Star
The Canadair North Star is a 1940s Canadian development, for Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA), of the Douglas DC-4. Instead of radial piston engines used by the Douglas design, Canadair used Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engines to achieve a higher cruisin ...
, crashes into Slesse Mountain near Chilliwack, British Columbia. All 62 people aboard, including five Canadian Football League players, are killed.
* December 12 – Japan becomes a member of the United Nations.
* December 18 – '' To Tell the Truth'' debuts on CBS-TV in the United States.
* December 19 – British doctor John Bodkin Adams
John Bodkin Adams (21 January 18994 July 1983) was an Irish-born British general practitioner, convicted fraudster, and suspected serial killer. Between 1946 and 1956, 163 of his patients died while in comas, which was deemed to be worthy of i ...
is arrested for the murder of 2 patients in Eastbourne, England; he will be acquitted.
* December 23 – British and French troops leave the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
region.
* December 31 – Bob Barker
Robert William Barker (born December 12, 1923) is an American retired television game show host. He is known for hosting CBS's ''The Price Is Right'' from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American televis ...
makes his television debut, as host of the game show '' Truth or Consequences'' in the United States.
Date unknown
* Asian flupandemic
A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
originates in China.
* The Alpine Club of Canada, Toronto section, is founded.
Births
January
* January 1
** Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur (d. 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
)
** Kōji Yakusho, Japanese actor
** Christine Lagarde, French lawyer and politician, IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
Managing Director and ECB president
** Dzulkefly Ahmad
Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly bin Ahmad ( Jawi: ذوالكفل بن أحمد; born 1 January 1956) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister of Health in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohama ...
, Malaysian politician
** Andrew Lesnie, Australian cinematographer (d. 2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
)
** Andy Gill, English musician (d. 2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
)
* January 3
Events Pre-1600
*AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor.
* 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...
** Mel Gibson, American actor and director
** Tomiko Suzuki
was a Japanese voice actress who was born in Aichi Prefecture and was affiliated with Aoni Production at the time of her death. Suzuki's last film was '' Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker'' (where she voiced the protagonist Pokémon: Jirachi), rel ...
, Japanese voice actress (d. 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
)
* January 4
Events Pre-1600
*46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
* 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
1601–1900
*1649 – Engli ...
– Bernard Sumner, British musician
* January 5
** Ana Pessoa Pinto, East Timorese politician and jurist
** Celso Blues Boy, Brazilian singer and guitarist (d. 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
)
** Chen Kenichi
, whose name is often romanized Chin Kenichi in Japanese sources, is a chef best known for his role as the Iron Chef Chinese on the television series '' Iron Chef'' (料理の鉄人). Nicknamed The Szechuan Sage, he wears a yellow outfit and ri ...
, Japan-born Chinese chef
** Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German politician
* January 7
Events Pre-1600
*49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting.
* 1325 – Alfonso IV ...
** David Caruso, American actor
** Uwe Ochsenknecht, German actor
** Johnny Owen, Welsh boxer (d. 1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
)
** Miladin Šobić
Miladin Šobić ( cg, Миладин Шобић, script=Cyrl, born 7 January 1956) is a Montenegrin poet, singer and songwriter.
He was an active performer during the late 1970s and early 1980s in SFR Yugoslavia where his prominence had a regio ...
, Montenegrin singer
* January 9
Events Pre-1600
* 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.
*1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...
** Kimberly Beck, American actress
** Imelda Staunton
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre produ ...
, English actress
* January 12 – Nikolai Noskov, Soviet and Russian rock singer and songwriter
* January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...
– Janet Hubert, African-American actress
* January 14
Events Pre-1600
*1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence.
*1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary.
1601–1900
*1639 – The "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Fundamenta ...
– Ronan Bennett, Northern Irish writer
* January 15
Events Pre-1600
* 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
* 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...
– Vitaly Kaloyev, Russian convicted murderer, architect deputy minister of construction of North Ossetia-Alania
* January 16
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
* 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spear ...
– Martin Jol
Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol (born 16 January 1956) is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. He played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps wit ...
, Dutch football manager
* January 17 – Paul Young, English musician
* January 18
** Tom Bailey, English musician
** Sharon Mitchell, American sexologist
** Jim Mothersbaugh, American rock drummer
* January 19 – Adriana Acosta Adriana Inés Acosta (Lomas de Zamora, 19 January 1956 – disappeared on 27 May 1978 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine militant and field hockey player who was kidnapped by the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. On 1972 s ...
, Argentine militant and field hockey player (d. 1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
)
* January 20
Events Pre-1600
* 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
* 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
* 1156 &ndas ...
– Bill Maher
William Maher (; born January 20, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' (2003–present) and the similar la ...
, American actor, comedian and political analyst
* January 21
** Robby Benson, American actor, voice actor, director, singer and educator
** Geena Davis, American actress
* January 24 – Lounès Matoub, Algerian Berber Kabyle singer (d. 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
)
* January 25
Events Pre-1600
* 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman emperor by the Senate.
* 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to the overthrow of the dynasty ...
– Bronwyn Pike
Bronwyn Jane Pike (born 25 January 1956) is a former Australian politician. She was Minister for Education in Victoria in the Brumby Government, and was the Member of Parliament for Melbourne from 1999 to 2012.
Early life
Prior to enterin ...
, Australian politician
* January 26 – Pat Musick, American voice actress
* January 27
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent.
* 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...
** Susanne Blakeslee, American actress
** Mimi Rogers, American actress
* January 28 – Peter Schilling
Peter Schilling (born Pierre Michael Schilling; 28 January 1956) is a German synthpop musician whose songs often feature science-fiction themes like aliens, astronauts and catastrophes. He is best-known for his 1983 hit single "Major Tom (Comi ...
, German singer
* January 29
** Jan Jakub Kolski, Polish film director
** Irlene Mandrell
Ellen Irlene Mandrell (born January 29, 1956) is an American musician. She is the younger sister of country singers Barbara and Louise Mandrell.
Irlene Mandrell first rose to prominence as a model for CoverGirl, and later gained national attent ...
, American musician, actress
* January 30
Events Pre-1600
*1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen.
*1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom.
1601–1900
*1607 – An estimated ...
– Keiichi Tsuchiya, Japanese race car driver
* January 31
** John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...
, British punk musician and TV personality
** Trevor Manuel, South African politician
February
* February 1
Events Pre-1600
* 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
* 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...
– Mike Kitchen
Michael Elwin Kitchen (born February 1, 1956) is a Canadian former defenceman and coach. He most recently was an assistant coach for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. As of February 2016, Kitch has coached in over 2400 NHL g ...
, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
* February 2
Events Pre-1600
* 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law".
* 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King ...
** Philip Franks, English actor and director
** Alireza Soleimani
Alireza Soleimani Karbalaei ( fa, علیرضا سلیمانی کربلایی, 2 February 1956 – 21 May 2014) was an Iranian heavyweight freestyle wrestler. He was the first, and to date the only, Iranian to win the world superheavyweight ti ...
, Iranian heavyweight freestyle wrestler (d. 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
)
* February 3
Events Pre-1600
* 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states.
*1451 – Sultan Mehmed II inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire.
*1488 – ...
** Nathan Lane, American actor
** Lee Ranaldo, American musician
* February 6
Events Pre-1600
* 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.
1601–1900
* 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...
– Jon Walmsley, British actor
* February 7
** John Posey, American actor and writer
** Heather Jones, Australian writer
** Mark St. John, American guitarist (d. 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
)
* February 10 – Enele Sopoaga, 12th Prime Minister of Tuvalu
* February 11
Events Pre-1600
*660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...
** Didier Lockwood, French jazz violinist (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Catherine Hickland, American actress
* February 13
Events Pre-1600
* 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
*1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
*1462 – The ...
** Peter Hook
Peter Hook (born Woodhead; 13 February 1956) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Joy Division and New Order. Hook often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...
, British bass player
** Yiannis Kouros, Greek-Australian ultra marathoner
** Jay Nixon, 55th Governor of Missouri
** Paul Stojanovich, American television producer
* February 14
Events Pre-1600
* 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
* 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis ...
– Tom Burlinson, Australian actor
* February 15
Events Pre-1600
* 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus
* 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
* 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberi ...
– Desmond Haynes, West Indian cricketer
* February 18
** Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer, songwriter and musician (d. 1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
)
** Thomas Gradin, Swedish hockey player
* February 19
Events Pre-1600
* 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
* 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan ...
** Kathleen Beller, American actress
** Roderick MacKinnon, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
** Dave Wakeling
David Wakeling (born 19 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat (known in North America as the English Beat) and General Public.
Career
Wakeling began his professional career ...
, English musician
* February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
– François Bréda
François Bréda ( hu, Bréda Ferenc; 20 February 1956 – 16 May 2018) was a Romanian essayist, poet, literary critic, literary historian, translator and theatrologist.
Biography
On his mother's side he is grandson of writer, settlement his ...
, Romanian essayist, poet, literary critic, literary historian, translator and theatrologist (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
* February 23
Events Pre-1600
* 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
* 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a ...
** Reinhold Beckmann, German television presenter
** Paul O'Neill, American composer, record producer (d. 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
)
* February 24
Events Pre-1600
* 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica.
* 1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of Scottish Independence.
* 13 ...
** Judith Butler
Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory. In 1993, Butler ...
, American philosopher
** Paula Zahn, American television journalist
* February 25
Events Pre-1600
* 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor.
* 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II.
...
** Davie Cooper, Scottish footballer (d. 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
)
** Michel Friedman
Julien Michel Friedman (; born 25 February 1956 in Paris) is a German author, former CDU politician and talk show host. From 2000 to 2003 Friedman was vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and president of the European Jewish ...
, German lawyer, politician and talk show host
* February 26
Events Pre-1600
*747 BC – According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events.
* 364 – Valentinian I is p ...
** Michel Houellebecq, French author
** Keisuke Kuwata, Japanese musician
* February 27
Events Pre-1600
* 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
* 425 – The University of Constantinople ...
** Angela Aames, American actress (d. 1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
)
** Tim Brando, American sports broadcaster
* February 28
Events Pre-1600
*202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty.
* 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes.
*1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on ...
** Liem Swie King, Indonesian badminton player
** Thomas Remengesau Jr., 7th and 9th President of Palau
* February 29
** Mike Compton, American mandolinist
** Bob Speller
Robert Speller, (February 29, 1956 – December 16, 2021) was a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Speller was elected to the House of Commons of Canada four times from 1988 to 2000. He was defeated in 2004 by a 20,93 ...
, Canadian politician
** Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer (d. 2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
)
March
* March 1
** Tim Daly, American actor and producer
** Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of Lithuania
* March 2 – Eduardo Rodríguez, President of Bolivia
* March 3 – Frank Giroud, French comics writer (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
* March 5
Events Pre-1600
* 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death.
* 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern ...
** Teena Marie, American singer (d. 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
)
** Marco Paolini
Marco Paolini (born March 5, 1956) is an Italian stage actor, theatre director, dramaturge and author.
Personal background
Paolini is the son of a railroad engineer and a housewife from Belluno, Italy. In the 1970s, he moved to Treviso a ...
, Italian stage actor, dramaturge and author
* March 7
Events Pre-1600
* 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius.
* 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cob ...
** Andrea Levy, English novelist (d. 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
)
** Bryan Cranston, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter
* March 8 – John Kapelos, Canadian actor
* March 9
** Kadyrzhan Batyrov
Kadyrzhan Batyrov ( uz, Qodirjon Botirov, Қодиржон Ботиров; russian: Кадыржан Батыров; 9 March 1956 – 4 December 2018) was a Kyrgyz businessman and politician of Uzbek origin.
Biography
He was also head of the ...
, Kyrgyz businessman and politician (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Shashi Tharoor, Indian politician
* March 11 – Rob Paulsen
Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and three Anni ...
, American voice actor and singer
* March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
** Lídice da Mata, Brazilian politician
** Pim Verbeek, Dutch football manager and former player (d. 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
)
* March 13 – Dana Delany, American actress
* March 16
** Boaz Arad, Israeli visual artist (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Vladimír Godár, Slovak composer
* March 18 – Ingemar Stenmark, Swedish alpine skier
* March 19 – Yegor Gaidar, Russian economist and politician (d. 2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
)
* March 20
** Minken Fosheim, Norwegian actress and author (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Catherine Ashton
Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, (born 20 March 1956), is a British Labour politician who served as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and First Vice President of the Europea ...
, British politician
** Sabiamad Abdul Ahad
Datuk Haji Sabiamad Abdul Ahad (20 March 1956 – 10 April 2021) was a Malaysian sport shooter.
Sabiamad was born in Muar, Johor and was the Standard Pistol and Free Pistol shooting champion and also national record holder.
He ruled the ...
, Malaysian sport shooter (d. 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
)
** Naoto Takenaka, Japanese actor, comedian, singer and director
* March 21
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the ''Vivarium'', by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas an ...
** José Manuel Barroso
José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and university teacher, currently serving as non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International. He previously served as the 11th president of the European Commi ...
, Prime Minister of Portugal
** Ingrid Kristiansen, Norwegian runner
** Win Lyovarin, Thai author
* March 22
** Tyrone Brunson, American singer (d. 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
)
** Ilana Kloss, South-African born tennis player, tennis coach, and commissioner of World Team Tennis
** Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, consort of Grand Duke Henri
* March 24 – Steve Ballmer
Steven Anthony Ballmer (; March 24, 1956) is an American business magnate and investor who served as the chief executive officer of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014. He is the current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Associ ...
, American businessman, CEO of Microsoft (2000–2014), owner of the Los Angeles Clippers
* March 25
Events Pre-1600
* 421 – Italian city Venice is founded with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo di Rialto on the islet of Rialto.
* 708 – Pope Constantine becomes the 88th pope. He would be the last pope to vi ...
– Matthew Garber, English child actor (d. 1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
)
* March 28
** Susan Ershler
Susan Ershler is an American mountain climber, author, and motivational speaker. On May 16, 2002, Ershler and her husband Phil (the first American to ascend the north face of Everest), reached the summit of Everest, completing the ascent of the h ...
, American mountaineer
** Evelin Jahl, German athlete
* March 29 – Evie Evie may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Evie (given name)
* Evie (singer), American contemporary Christian music singer Evelyn Tornquist (born 1957)
* Evie (wrestler), ring name of New Zealand female professional wrestler Cheree Crowl ...
, American Christian musician
* March 30 – Shahla Sherkat, Iranian feminist journalist
April
* April 3
** Ray Combs, American game show host and comedian (d. 1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
)
** Miguel Bosé
Luis Miguel González Bosé (born 3 April 1956), usually known as Miguel Bosé, is a Spanish pop new wave singer and actor.
Early life
Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of Italian actress Lucia Bosè (19 ...
, Panamanian-born musician and actor
** Boris Miljković, Serbian TV & theatre director and video artist
* April 4
Events Pre-1600
* 503 BC – Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrates a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines.
* 190 – Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
* 611 – ...
** Kerry Chikarovski, Australian politician
** David E. Kelley, American writer and television producer
* April 5
Events Pre-1600
* 823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I.
* 919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, sets out from Raqqada at the head of his a ...
** Diamond Dallas Page, American professional wrestler
** El Risitas, Spanish comedian and actor (d. 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
)
* April 6
** Sebastian Spreng
Sebastian Spreng (born April 6, 1956) is an Argentine-born American visual artist and music journalist. He is a self-taught artist. He lives in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida.
Biography
Sebastian Spreng was born on April 6, 1956 in Esperanza, S ...
, American-Argentinean visual artist
** Dilip Vengsarkar, Indian cricketer
* April 7 – Christopher Darden, African-American attorney, author, actor and lecturer
* April 9 – Edmund Chong Ket Wah, Malaysian politician (d. 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
)
* April 12
** Andy García, Cuban-American actor
** Herbert Grönemeyer
Herbert Arthur Wiglev Clamor Grönemeyer (born 12 April 1956) is a German singer, musician, producer, composer and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Grönemeyer starred as war correspondent Lieutenant Werner in Wolfgang Pete ...
, German musician and actor
** Yasuo Tanaka, Japanese politician, novelist
* April 13
Events Pre-1600
*1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
1601–1900
*1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...
– Possum Bourne, New Zealand rally car driver (d. 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
)
* April 14 – Barbara Bonney, American soprano
* April 16
** David M. Brown, American astronaut (d. 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
)
** Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier
* April 18
** John James, American actor
** Melody Thomas Scott, American actress
** Karim Abdul Razak, Ghanaian footballer
** Eric Roberts, American actor
* April 19 – Sue Barker
Sue or SUE may refer to:
Music
* Sue Records, an American record label
* ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus
* "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie
Places
* Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres Straits island ...
, British tennis player and television presenter
* April 21
Events Pre-1600
*753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date).
* 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered ...
– Phillip Longman, American demographer
* April 22 – Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Finnish conductor
* April 23
Events Pre-1600
* 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene.
* 599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in southe ...
– Greg Colson, American artist
* April 26 – Koo Stark, British actress
* April 27
Events Pre-1600
* 247 – Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome with a celebration of the ''ludi saeculares''.
* 395 – Emperor Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto. She becomes one of ...
– Bryan Harvey
Bryan Stanley Harvey (born June 2, 1963) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to for the California Angels of the American League and the Florida Marlins of the National Lea ...
, American musician (d. 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
* April 28
** Jimmy Barnes, Scottish-Australian singer and songwriter
** Hanka Paldum, Bosnian singer
* April 30 – Lars von Trier, Danish film director and screenwriter
May
* May 1
** Alexander Ivanov, Russian-born American chess grandmaster
** Danilo De Girolamo, Italian voice actor (d. 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
)
* May 4
** David Guterson
David Guterson ( ; born May 4, 1956) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, journalist, and essayist. He is best known as the author of the bestselling Japanese American internment novel ''Snow Falling on Cedars''.
Early life
Guter ...
, American writer
** Ulrike Meyfarth, German high jumper
* May 5 – Lisa Eilbacher, American actress
* May 6
** Vladimir Lisin, Russian business oligarch
A business oligarch is generally a business magnate who controls sufficient resources to influence national politics. A business leader can be considered an oligarch if the following conditions are satisfied:
# uses monopolistic tactics to domina ...
** Cindy Lovell, American educator and writer
* May 7
** S. Scott Bullock, American actor and voice actor
** Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2002–2010)
** Jean Lapierre, Canadian politician and television host (d. 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
)
* May 9
** Cesare Alpini, Italian art historian
** Frank Andersson, Swedish wrestler (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Wendy Crewson, Canadian actress
* May 10
Events Pre-1600
* 28 BC – A sunspot is observed by Han dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, one of the earliest dated sunspot observations in China.
*1291 – Scottish nobles recognize the authority of Edw ...
** Vladislav Listyev, Russian journalist (d. 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
)
** Paige O'Hara, American actress, voice actress, singer and painter
** Bikenibeu Paeniu
Bikenibeu Paeniu, PC (born 10 May 1956) is a politician from Tuvalu. He represented the constituency of Nukulaelae in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He has served twice as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, and now serving as Tuvalu ambassador to Taiwan s ...
, 2-Time Prime Minister of Tuvalu
* May 12
** Jānis Bojārs, Latvian shot putter (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Asad Rauf, Pakistani cricket player and umpire (d. 2022)
* May 13
** Kenneth Eriksson, Swedish rally driver
** Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Indian guru
** Mirek Topolánek, 7th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
** Kirk Thornton, American voice actor
* May 15 – Dan Patrick (sportscaster), Dan Patrick, American sports commentator
* May 17
** Cheenu Mohan, Indian actor (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer, motivational speaker and actor
* May 19 – Steven Ford, American actor
* May 20
** Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Norwegian author
** Dean Butler (actor), Dean Butler, American actor and producer
* May 23
** Ursula Plassnik, Austrian politician
** Buck Showalter, American baseball player and manager
* May 24
Events Pre-1600
* 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
* 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
* 1276 – Magnus La ...
** Michael Jackson (bishop), Michael Jackson, Irish Anglican bishop
** Sean Kelly (cyclist), Sean Kelly, Irish road cyclist
* May 26 – Lisa Niemi, American actress and dancer
* May 27 – Giuseppe Tornatore, Italian film director
* May 28
** Jerry Douglas, American dobro player
** John O'Donoghue (politician), John O'Donoghue, Irish Fianna Fáil politician
** Sayuri Yamauchi, Japanese voice actress (d. 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
)
** John Wells (filmmaker), John Wells, American television producer and writer
* May 29 – La Toya Jackson, American singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and television personality
* May 30 – David Sassoli, 16th President of the European Parliament (d. 2022)
* May 31 – Yoshiko Sakakibara, Japanese voice actress
June
* June 1
** Chintaman Vanaga, Indian politician (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Peter Tomka, Judge, International Court of Justice
** Amanda Miguel, Argentinian singer
* June 2 – Mani Ratnam, Indian film director, screenwriter and producer
* June 3 – George Burley, Scottish football manager
* June 4 – Keith David, African-American actor and voice actor
* June 5
Events Pre-1600
*1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights.
*1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles II of Naples, Charles ...
– Kenny G, American saxophonist
* June 6
Events Pre-1600
* 913 – Constantine VII, the eight-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointed b ...
** Yuri Shundrov, Russian-Ukrainian ice hockey goaltender (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Christopher Adamson (actor), Christopher Adamson, British actor
** Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player
* June 7
** Paul Sherwen, English racing cyclist and broadcaster (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Antonio M. Reid, American record executive
* June 8
** Péter Besenyei, Hungarian pilot
** Udo Bullmann, German politician
** Jonathan Potter, British psychologist
**John Petrizzelli Font, John Petrizzelli, Venezuelan film director
* June 9 – Patricia Cornwell, American novelist
* June 10 – Borwin, Duke of Mecklenburg, German head of the House of Mecklenburg
* June 11
** Ashwini Kumar Chopra, Indian journalist, cricketer and politician (d. 2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
)
** Joe Montana, American football player
** Arthur Porter (physician), Arthur Porter, Canadian physician (d. 2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
)
* June 13 – Yurik Vardanyan, Soviet weightlifter (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
* June 14 – King Diamond, Danish heavy metal musician
* June 15 – Robin Curtis, American actress
* June 17 – Kelly Curtis, American actor
* June 20 – Cho Chikun, Korean Go player
* June 21
Events Pre-1600
* 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date).
* 1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mo ...
– Thomas James O'Leary, American actor
* June 22
** Abdulbaset Sieda, Kurdish-Syrian academic and politician
** François Hadji-Lazaro, French actor and musician
** Tim Russ, American actor, film director, screenwriter and musician
* June 23
Events Pre-1600
* 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
* 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
* 1280 – The Spanish Re ...
** Randy Jackson, African-American musician and talent judge
** Mai Yamani, Saudi Arabian independent scholar, author and anthropologist
* June 24 – Turid Leirvoll, Norwegian-Danish politician
* June 25
** Madeleine Petrovic, Austrian politician
** Isabel de Navarre, German figure skating coach
** Boris Trajkovski, President of the Republic of Macedonia (d. 2004)
** Anthony Bourdain, American chef, writer and television personality (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Chloe Webb, American actress and singer
** Bob West, American voice actor and graphic designer
* June 26
** Catherine Samba-Panza, President of the Central African Republic
** Chris Isaak, American musician
** Davide Ferrario, Italian film director, screenwriter and author
* June 27
** Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, Royal Saudi Air Force pilot
** Heiner Dopp, German field hockey player
* June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
– Noel Mugavin, Australian rules football player
* June 29
** Nick Fry, British motorsport
** Honorato Hernández, Spanish long-distance runner
** Richard Summerbell, Canadian mycologist, author and songwriter
* June 30
** Sun Chanthol, Cambodian politician
** Jessi Lintl, Austrian politician
** David Alan Grier, African-American actor, comedian (''In Living Color'')
** Piero Aiello, Italian politician
July
* July 1
** Alan Ruck, American actor
** Gregg L. Semenza, American cellular biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* July 2
** Jerry Hall, American model and actress
** Cynthia Kadohata, Japanese-American children's writer
* July 3
**Dorota Pomykała, Polish actress
**Min Aung Hlaing, Burmese Army General
* July 4 – :pt:Bárbara Bruno, Bárbara Bruno, Brazilian actress, director and producer
* July 5
** Sapawi Ahmad, Malaysian politician
** Horacio Cartes, President of Paraguay
** Louis Herthum, American actor and producer
** Sheila Walsh (author/singer), Sheila Walsh, Scottish Christian artist and talk-show hostess
* July 7
** Janet Cruz, American politician
** Mullah Krekar, Iraqi Kurdish scholar and militant
** Ryuho Okawa, Japanese religious leader
** Giam Swiegers, South African-Australian business executive
* July 9
Events Pre-1600
*118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome.
* 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...
– Tom Hanks, American actor and director
* July 10 – K. Rajagopal (footballer), K. Rajagopal, Malaysian football manager and national player
* July 11
** Amitav Ghosh, Indian-American fiction writer
** Sela Ward, American actress
* July 12 – Mel Harris, American actress
* July 13
** Günther Jauch, German television host
** Koffi Olomide, Congolese soukous singer, dancer, producer and composer
** Michael Spinks, African-American boxer
* July 14
** Dragan Despot, Croatian actor
** Vladimir Kulich, Czechoslovakian actor
* July 15
** Ian Curtis, English rock musician (Joy Division) (d. 1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
)
** Barry Melrose, Canadian hockey player, coach and commentator
** Steve Mortimer, Australian rugby league player
** Toshihiko Seko, Japanese long-distance runner
* July 16
** Jerry Doyle, American talk show host and actor (d. 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
)
** Tony Kushner, American playwright
** Pratibha Singh, Indian politician
* July 17 – Robert Romanus, American actor and musician
* July 18 – Sheila Aldridge, American singer
* July 19
** Peter Barton (actor), Peter Barton, American actor
** Yoshiaki Yatsu, Japanese professional wrestler
* July 20 – Thomas N'Kono, Cameroonian footballer
* July 24
** Charlie Crist, American politician, 44th Governor of Florida
** Pat Finn (game show host), Pat Finn, American game show host and producer
** Carmen Nebel, German television presenter
* July 25 – Frances Arnold, American biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
* July 26
** Andy Goldsworthy, British sculptor and photographer
** Dorothy Hamill, American figure skater, Olympic gold medalist
* July 30
** Delta Burke, American actress
** Anita Hill, African-American lawyer and academic
* July 31
Events Pre-1600
*30 BC – Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide.
* 781 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji (Tr ...
** Michael Biehn, American actor
** Deval Patrick, American politician, first African-American Governor of Massachusetts
** Laura Zapata, Mexican television actress
August
* August 2 – Robert Khuzami, Deputy Attorney for the Southern District of New York
* August 4
** Gerry Cooney, American boxer
** Randall Wright, Canadian economist
* August 5
** Bolland & Bolland, Ferdi Bolland, Dutch musician, songwriter and music producer (Bolland & Bolland)
** Maureen McCormick, American actress
* August 6
Events Pre-1600
*1284 – The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean.
* 1538 – Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada ...
– Stepfanie Kramer, American actress
* August 7
** Ernie Johnson, Jr., American sportscaster
** Christiana Figueres, Costa Rican diplomat and environmentalist
* August 8 – Chris Foreman, English rock guitarist
* August 10
** Fred Ottman, American professional wrestler
** Charlie Peacock, American Christian producer, singer-songwriter
* August 12 – Bruce Greenwood, Canadian actor
* August 14
** Jackée Harry, American actress and television personality
** Rusty Wallace, American NASCAR race car driver
* August 17 – Dave Jones (footballer, born 1956), Dave Jones, English football manager
* August 18 – John Debney, American film composer
* August 19 – Adam Arkin, American actor
* August 20
** Joan Allen, American actress
** Jan Henry T. Olsen, Norwegian politician (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
* August 21
** Kim Cattrall, English-born Canadian actress
** David Clarke (sheriff), David Clarke, African-American law enforcement official
* August 22
** Leah Cherniak, Canadian playwright and theatre director
**Sid Michaels Kavulich, American politician and sportscaster (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Paul Molitor, American baseball player
* August 23
** Andreas Floer, German mathematician (d. 1991)
** Cris Morena, Argentine actress and television producer
* August 24
** John Culberson, American politician
** Kevin Dunn, American actor
* August 25 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish rally car driver (d. 1986)
* August 26 – Mark Mangino, American football coach
* August 28
**Luis Guzmán, Puerto Rican actor
**Pamela Eells O'Connell, American television producer and writer
* August 29
** GG Allin, American punk singer (d. 1993)
** Mark Morris (choreographer), Mark Morris, American choreographer
* August 31
** Masashi Tashiro, Japanese television performer
** Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
September
* September 1 – Bernie Wagenblast, American editor and broadcaster
* September 2
** Nandamuri Harikrishna, Indian actor and politician (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Angelo Fusco, Provisional Irish Republican Army member
* September 3 – Pat McGeown, Provisional Irish Republican Army member (d. 1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
)
* September 6 – Bill Ritter, American politician, 41st Governor of Colorado
* September 7 – Michael Feinstein, American singer and pianist
* September 8 – Maurice Cheeks, American basketball player and coach
* September 11 – Phillip D. Bissett, American politician
* September 12
** Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong actor (d. 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
)
** Ricky Rudd, American race car driver
** Walter Woon, law professor, Nominated Member of Parliament and Attorney-General of Singapore
* September 13 – Ilie Balaci, Romanian football player (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
* September 14
** Kostas Karamanlis, Greek politician
** Ray Wilkins, English footballer and coach (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
* September 15 – George Howard (jazz), George Howard, American jazz saxophone musician (d. 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
)
* September 16
** Sergei Beloglazov, Russian free-style wrestler
** David Copperfield (illusionist), David Copperfield, American illusionist
** Ross Greenberg, American journalist and antivirus pioneer (d. 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
)
** Kazuharu Sonoda, Japanese professional wrestler (d. 1987)
* September 17
** Brian Andreas, American writer, sculptor, painter and publisher
** Almazbek Atambayev, 3-Time Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan and 4th President of Kyrgyzstan
**Susie Silvey, English actress, dancer and model
* September 18 – Tim McInnerny, English actor
* September 20
** Gary Cole, American television, film and voice actor
** Debbi Morgan, African-American actress
* September 21 – Jack Givens, American basketball player
* September 23
** Mait Riisman, Estonian water polo player (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Peter David, comic book writer and novelist
** Paolo Rossi, Italian soccer player (d. 2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
)
* September 24 – Greg Panos, American futurist, writer, inventor
* September 25 – Jamie Hyneman, American television co-host
* September 26 – Linda Hamilton, American actress
* September 29 – Sebastian Coe, Baron Coe, British athlete; co-ordinator of the 2012 Summer Olympics, London 2012 Olympic Games
* September 30 – Gordon Elliott (journalist), Gordon Elliott, British-Australian television personality and talk show host
October
* October 1
** Tara Buckman, American actress
** Andrus Ansip, Estonian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Estonia
** Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
* October 2 – Charlie Adler, American voice actor and director
* October 3 – Ralph Morgenstern, German actor
* October 4 – Christoph Waltz, German-Austrian actor
* October 8
** Danny Jacob, American composer, songwriter and guitarist
** Stephanie Zimbalist, American actress
* October 10 – Amanda Burton, Irish actress
* October 11 – Nicanor Duarte, 47th President of Paraguay
* October 12 – Trần Đại Quang, President of Vietnam (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
* October 16 – Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah, Bangladeshi poet (d. 1991)
* October 17
** Mae Jemison, African-American astronaut
** Stephen Palumbi, American academic and author
** Ken Morrow, American ice hockey player
* October 18
** Craig Bartlett, American animator, writer, storyboard artist, director and voice actor
** Martina Navratilova, Czech-American multiple Grand Slam title winning tennis player
* October 19
** Sunny Deol, Indian actor, director, producer and politician
** Carlo Urbani, Italian physician (d. 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
)
* October 20
** Shafie Apdal, Malaysian politician
** Danny Boyle, English film director
* October 21 – Carrie Fisher, American actress and novelist (d. 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
)
* October 22 – Marvin Bush, American businessman
* October 23
** Darrell Pace, American archer
** Dwight Yoakam, American country singer, musician and actor
* October 26 – Rita Wilson, American actress and producer
* October 28 – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, 6th President of Iran
* October 29 – Wilfredo Gómez, Puerto Rican boxer
November
* November 4 – Igor Talkov, Russian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1991)
* November 5 – Rob Fisher (British musician), Rob Fisher, British keyboardist and songwriter (Climie Fisher) (d. 1999)
* November 7
** Mikhail Alperin, Soviet-Norwegian jazz pianist (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Judy Tenuta, American comedian and musician (d. 2022)
* November 8
** Richard Curtis, English film director, producer and screenwriter
** Kurt Sorensen, New Zealand rugby league player
* November 10
** Sinbad (comedian), Sinbad, African-American stand-up, comedian and actor
** Mohsen Badawi, Egyptian entrepreneur, political activist and writer
** Peter Rangmar, Swedish actor, comedian and baritone (d. 1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
)
* November 11 – Talat Aziz, ghazal singer
* November 13 – Charlie Baker, American politician, 72nd Governor of Massachusetts
* November 14
** Avi Cohen, Israeli football player (d. 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
)
** Greg Pence, American businessman and politician
** Peter R. de Vries, crime reporter (d. 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
)
* November 16 – Terry Labonte, American Race Car Driver
* November 17
** Angelika Machinek, German glider pilot (d. 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
** Kelly Ward, American actor
* November 18
** Noel Brotherston, Irish footballer (d. 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
)
** Warren Moon, American football player
* November 20
** Jan Maxwell, American actress (d. 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
)
** Bo Derek, American actress and model
** Olli Dittrich, German actor, comedian, television personality and musician
* November 21 – Terri Welles, American actress and adult model
* November 22 – Richard Kind, American actor
* November 23
** Cal Dodd, Irish-Canadian voice actor and singer
** Shane Gould, Australian Olympic triple gold medallist swimmer (1972)
** Nikolay Sidorov, Soviet athlete
* November 24 – Jouni Kaipainen, Finnish composer
* November 26 – Dale Jarrett, American Race Car Driver
* November 27
** Nazrin Shah of Perak, 35th Sultan of Perak
** William Fichtner, American actor
* November 28
** Kristine Arnold, American singer (Sweethearts of the Rodeo)
** Lucy Gutteridge, English actress
* November 29
** Eric Laakso, American football player
** Leo Laporte, American author and television host
** Bill Baker (ice hockey, born 1956), Bill Baker, American ice hockey player
December
* December 1
** Sultan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Emirati politician and royal (d. 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
)
** Markos Kounalakis, American journalist, author and scholar, Second Gentleman of California
* December 4 – Bernard King, American basketball player and commentator
* December 5
** Klaus Allofs, German football player
** Krystian Zimerman, Polish pianist
* December 6
** Peter Buck, American guitarist
** Randy Rhoads, American guitarist (d. 1982)
* December 7
** Chuy Bravo, Mexican-American actor and entertainer (d. 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
)
** Larry Bird, American basketball player
** Iveta Radičová, Prime Minister of Slovakia
* December 9
** Antony Alda, American actor (d. 2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
)
** Jean-Pierre Thiollet, French writer
** Baruch Goldstein, American-Israeli physician and mass murderer (d. 1994)
* December 10 – Rod Blagojevich, American politician and convicted felon, Governor of Illinois (2003–2009)
* December 11 – Lani Brockman, American playwright
* December 12
** Ana Alicia, Mexican actress
** Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
* December 13 – Majida El Roumi, Lebanese singer
* December 14 – Béla Réthy, German sports journalist
* December 16 – Duncan Faure, South African musician
* December 18 – Ron White, American comedian
* December 19
** Masami Akita, Japanese noise music, noise musician (also known as Merzbow)
** Jimmy Cauty, British musician (The KLF, The Timelords)
* December 21 – Anna Erlandsson, Swedish filmmaker and animator
* December 23
** Michele Alboreto, Italian race car driver (d. 2001)
** Dave Murray (musician), Dave Murray, British musician (Iron Maiden)
* December 24
** Anil Kapoor, Indian actor
** Shim Hwa-jin, South Korean academic
* December 26
** Kashif (musician), Michael Jones (aka Kashif), musician, singer-songwriter (B.T. Express) (d. 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
)
** David Sedaris, American essayist
* December 28
** Nigel Kennedy, English violinist
** Jimmy Nicholl, Canadian-born footballer
** Phil Verchota, American ice hockey player
* December 29 – Fred MacAulay, Scottish comedian
* December 30
** Patricia Kalember, American actress
** Sheryl Lee Ralph, African American-actress
* December 31
** Shelagh Rogers, Canadian radio host
** Hussein Ahmed Salah, Djiboutian marathon runner
Date unknown
* Dong Hao, Chinese host, voice actor and painter * Gilma Jiménez, Colombian politician (d.2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
)
* Nancy Lynn, American aerobatic pilot (d. 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
)
* Ephraim Mirvis, South African-born Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of Great Britain and the Commonwealth
* Mirtha Rivero, Venezuelan journalist and writer.
* Susan Solomon, American atmospheric chemist
* Chris Wilson (Australian musician), Chris Wilson, Australian musician (d. 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
)
Deaths
January
* January 3
Events Pre-1600
*AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor.
* 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...
** Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian composer (b. 1864)
** Joseph Wirth, Chancellor of Germany (German Reich), Chancellor of Germany (b. 1879)
* January 5 – Mistinguett, French singer and actress (b. 1875)
* January 9
Events Pre-1600
* 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.
*1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...
– Marion Leonard, American actress (b. 1881)
* January 10
**Zonia Baber, American geographer and geologist (b. 1862)
**Karl Ludwig Schmidt, German theologian (b. 1891)
* January 12
** Norman Kerry, American actor (b. 1894)
** Sam Langford, Canadian boxer (b. 1883)
* January 13
Events Pre-1600
* 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.
* 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...
– Lyonel Feininger, German painter (b. 1871)
* January 14
Events Pre-1600
*1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence.
*1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary.
1601–1900
*1639 – The "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Fundamenta ...
– Sheila Kaye-Smith, English writer (b. 1887)
* January 18 – Konstantin Päts, 1st President of Estonia (b. 1874)
* January 23 – Sir Alexander Korda, Hungarian-born film director (b. 1893)
* January 27
Events Pre-1600
* 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent.
* 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to becom ...
– Erich Kleiber, German conductor (b. 1890)
* January 29 – H. L. Mencken, American writer (b. 1880)
* January 31 – A. A. Milne, English author (''Winnie The Pooh'') (b. 1882)
February
* February 2
Events Pre-1600
* 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law".
* 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King ...
** Bob Burns (comedian), Bob Burns, American comedian (b. 1890)
** Charley Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)
* February 3
Events Pre-1600
* 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states.
*1451 – Sultan Mehmed II inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire.
*1488 – ...
– Robert Yerkes, American psychologist and ethologist (b. 1876)
* February 8 – Connie Mack, American baseball executive and manager (Philadelphia Athletics) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1862)
* February 10 – Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard, British marshal of the Royal Air Force (b. 1873)
* February 13
Events Pre-1600
* 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the ''Diploma Ottonianum'', recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
*1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
*1462 – The ...
– Jan Łukasiewicz, Polish logician and philosopher (b. 1878)
* February 14
Events Pre-1600
* 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
* 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis ...
– Walter Cowan, Sir Walter Cowan, British admiral (b. 1871)
* February 18 – Gustave Charpentier, French composer (b. 1860)
* February 20
Events Pre-1600
*1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
*1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...
** Heinrich Barkhausen, German physicist (b. 1881)
** James Cousins, Irish writer (b. 1873)
* February 26
Events Pre-1600
*747 BC – According to Ptolemy, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events.
* 364 – Valentinian I is p ...
– Elsie Janis, American singer and actress (b. 1889)
* February 28
Events Pre-1600
*202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty.
* 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes.
*1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on ...
– Frigyes Riesz, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1880)
* February 29 – Elpidio Quirino, 6th President of the Philippines (b. 1890)
March
* March 9 – Arthur Leopold Busch, English-born American submarine pioneer (b. 1866)
* March 12
Events Pre-1600
* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
* 1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Cat ...
– Bolesław Bierut, Polish Communist politician and statesman, former Prime Minister of Poland, Prime Minister and President of Poland, President of Poland (b. 1892)
* March 14 – David Browning, American Olympic diver (b. 1931)
* March 17
** Fred Allen, American comedian (b. 1894)
** Irène Joliot-Curie, French physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1897)
* March 18
** Louis Bromfield, American writer (b. 1896)
** Paul Masson-Oursel, French orientalist and philosopher (b. 1882)
* March 20
** Fanny Durack, Australian swimmer (b. 1889)
** Wilhelm Miklas, 3rd President of Austria (b. 1872)
* March 21
Events Pre-1600
* 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the ''Vivarium'', by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas an ...
– Edwin Thanhouser, American actor, businessman, and film producer, founder of the Thanhouser Company (b. 1865)
* March 22
** Eduardo Lonardi, Argentine military officer, (de facto) 30th President of Argentina (b. 1896)
** George Sarton, Belgian-American chemist and historian (b. 1884)
* March 25
Events Pre-1600
* 421 – Italian city Venice is founded with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo di Rialto on the islet of Rialto.
* 708 – Pope Constantine becomes the 88th pope. He would be the last pope to vi ...
** Lou Moore, American racing driver and team owner (b. 1904)
** Robert Newton, English film actor (b. 1905)
* March 28 – Thomas de Hartmann, Russian composer (b. 1885)
* March 30 – Edmund Clerihew Bentley, English writer (b. 1875)
* March 31 – Ralph DePalma, Italian-born American race car driver (b. 1884)
April
* April 6 – Pío Valenzuela, Filipino physician and one of the leaders of the Katipunan (b. 1869)
* April 13
Events Pre-1600
*1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
* 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
1601–1900
*1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...
– Emil Nolde, German-Danish painter (b. 1867)
* April 15 – Kathleen Howard, Canadian-born American actress and opera singer (b. 1884)
* April 19 – Ernst Robert Curtius, Alsatian philologist (b. 1886)
* April 21
Events Pre-1600
*753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date).
* 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered ...
** Samuel Gottesman, American pulp-paper merchant (b. 1885)
** Charles MacArthur, American playwright and screenwriter (b. 1895)
* April 24 – Henry Stephenson, British character actor (b. 1871)
* April 26 – Edward Arnold (actor), Edward Arnold, American actor (b. 1890)
* June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
– Friedrich Schmidt-Ott, German lawyer, scientific organizer, and science policymaker (b. 1860)
* April 29
** Harold Bride, English-born junior radio officer on RMS ''Titanic'' (b. 1890)
** Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, German field marshal (b. 1876)
* April 30 – Alben W. Barkley, List of Vice Presidents of the United States, 35th Vice President of the United States (b. 1877)
May
* May 3 ** Rodney Collin, British writer (b. 1909) ** Peter Watson (arts benefactor), Peter Watson, English art collector and benefactor (b. 1908) * May 6 – Fergus Anderson, British motorcycle racer (b. 1909) * May 12 – Louis Calhern, American actor (b. 1895) * May 15 – Austin Osman Spare, English artist and occultist (b. 1886) * May 18 – Maurice Tate, English cricketer (b. 1895) * May 20 ** Max Beerbohm, English essayist, parodist and caricaturist (b. 1872) ** Zoltán Halmay, Hungarian Olympic swimmer (b. 1881) * May 23 – Gustav Suits, Estonian poet (b. 1883) *May 24
Events Pre-1600
* 919 – The nobles of Franconia and Saxony elect Henry the Fowler at the Imperial Diet in Fritzlar as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.
* 1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
* 1276 – Magnus La ...
**Guy Kibbee, American actor (b. 1882)
**Martha Annie Whiteley, English chemist and mathematician (b. 1866)
* May 26 – Al Simmons, American baseball player (Philadelphia Athletics) and a member of the MLB Hall of Fame (b. 1902)
* May 29 – Frank Beaurepaire, Australian Olympic swimmer (b. 1891)
* May 31 – Diedrich Hermann Westermann, German linguist (b. 1875)
June
* June 2
** Richard S. Edwards, American admiral (b. 1885)
** Jean Hersholt, Danish actor (b. 1886)
* June 4 – Katherine MacDonald, American silent film actress (b. 1891)
* June 6
Events Pre-1600
* 913 – Constantine VII, the eight-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointed b ...
** Hiram Bingham III, American explorer, discoverer of Machu Picchu (b. 1875)
** Margaret Wycherly, English stage and film actress (b. 1881)
* June 7 – Julien Benda, French philosopher and novelist (b. 1867)
* June 9 – Chandrashekhar Agashe, Indian industrialist (b. 1888)
* June 11
** Frank Brangwyn, Anglo-Welsh artist (b. 1867)
** Ralph Morgan, American actor (b. 1883)
* June 17
** Paul Rostock, German official, surgeon, and university professor (b. 1892)
** Artur Văitoianu, Romanian general and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1864)
* June 19 – Thomas J. Watson, American computer pioneer (b. 1874)
* June 22 – Walter de la Mare, English poet, short story writer, and novelist (b. 1873)
* June 23
Events Pre-1600
* 229 – Sun Quan proclaims himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
* 1266 – War of Saint Sabas: In the Battle of Trapani, the Venetians defeat a larger Genoese fleet, capturing all its ships.
* 1280 – The Spanish Re ...
– Reinhold Glière, Russian composer (b. 1875)
* June 25
**Ernest King, American Navy Fleet Admiral and Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II (b. 1878)
** Michio Miyagi, Japanese musician (b. 1894)
* June 26 – Clifford Brown, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1930)
* June 28
Events Pre-1600
* 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch.
* 1360 – Muhammed VI becomes the tenth Nasrid king of Granada after killing his brother-in-law Ismail II.
* 1461 – ...
– Claud Schuster, 1st Baron Schuster, British civil servant (b. 1869)
July
* July 1 – Tawfik Abu Al-Huda, 4-Time Prime Minister of Jordan (b. 1894) * July 7 – Gottfried Benn, German poet (b. 1886) *July 8
Events Pre-1600
* 1099 – Some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city as its Muslim defenders watch.
* 1283 – Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese ...
– Giovanni Papini, Italian essayist, poet, novelist (b. 1881)
* July 10 – Joe Giard, American baseball player (b. 1898)
* July 11 – John T. Raulston, American Scopes Monkey Trial judge (b. 1868)
* July 12 – Sprague Cleghorn, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1890)
* July 20 – James Alexander Calder, Canadian politician (b. 1868)
* July 24 – Géza Zemplén, Hungarian chemist (b. 1883)
* July 29 – Ludwig Klages, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1872)
August
* August 2 – Albert Woolson, last surviving Union veteran of the American Civil War (b. 1847)
* August 6
Events Pre-1600
*1284 – The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean.
* 1538 – Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada ...
– Ioan Popovici (divisional general), Ioan Popovici, Romanian general (b. 1857)
* August 9 – Archie Cameron, Australian politician (b. 1895)
* August 11
** Jackson Pollock, American painter (b. 1912)
** Mincho Neychev, former Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly (head of state) of Bulgaria (b. 1887)
* August 14
** Bertolt Brecht, German playwright (b. 1898)
** Konstantin von Neurath, Nazi German diplomat and foreign minister (b. 1873)
* August 16
** Bela Lugosi, Hungarian-born American film actor (''Dracula'') (b. 1882)
** Lynde D. McCormick, American admiral (b. 1895)
* August 19 – Bernard Griffin, English Cardinal, Catholic Archbishop of Westminster (b. 1899)
* August 23 – Peaches Browning, American actress (b. 1910)
* August 24 – Kenji Mizoguchi, Japanese film director (b. 1898)
* August 25 – Alfred Kinsey, American sex researcher (b. 1894)
September
* September 6
** Lee Jung-seob, Korean oil painter (b. 1872)
** Felix Borowski, British-American composer and teacher (b. 1872)
* September 7 – C. B. Fry, English sportsman and writer (b. 1872)
* September 11
** Billy Bishop, Canadian World War I flying ace (b. 1894)
** Lucien Febvre, French historian (b. 1878)
* September 20 – Flora Eldershaw, Australian novelist, critic, and historian (b. 1897)
* September 22 – Frederick Soddy, English chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1877)
* September 27
** Milburn G. Apt, American test pilot (b. 1924)
** Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American golfer (b. 1911)
* September 28 – William E. Boeing, American engineer and airplane manufacturer (b. 1881)
* September 29 – Anastasio Somoza García, President of Nicaragua (assassinated) (b. 1896)
October
* October 1 – Albert Von Tilzer, American songwriter (b. 1878)
* October 2 – George Bancroft (actor), George Bancroft, American actor (b. 1882)
* October 9 – Marie Doro, American stage & silent film actress (b. 1882)
* October 12 – Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer (b. 1872)
* October 14 – Jules Richard (mathematician), Jules Richard, French mathematician (b. 1862)
* October 16
** Jules Rimet, French football administrator, 3rd president of FIFA (b. 1873)
** Jack Southworth, English footballer (b. 1866)
* October 17 – Anne Crawford, British actress (b. 1920)
* October 19 – Isham Jones, American musician (b. 1894)
* October 22 – Hannah Mitchell, English socialist and suffragette (b. 1872)
* October 25 – Risto Ryti, 23rd Prime Minister of Finland and 5th President of Finland (b. 1889)
* October 26 – Walter Gieseking, French conductor (b. 1895)
* October 27 – Charles S. Johnson, American sociologist (b. 1893)
* October 30 – Pío Baroja, Spanish novelist (b. 1872)
November
* November 1
** Pietro Badoglio, Italian field marshal and 28th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1871)
** Tommy Johnson (musician), Tommy Johnson, American musician (b. 1896)
* November 2 – Leo Baeck, German rabbi, scholar and theologian (b. 1873)
* November 3 – Jean Metzinger, French painter, theorist and critic (b. 1883)
* November 5 – Art Tatum, American jazz pianist (b. 1909)
* November 6 – Paul Kelly (actor), Paul Kelly, American stage and film actor (b. 1899)
* November 10
** Harry F. Sinclair, American entrepreneur (b. 1876)
** Victor Young, American composer (b. 1900)
* November 12 – Juan Negrín, 67th Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1892)
* November 13 – Werner Haas, German motorcycle racer (b. 1927)
* November 19 – Francis L. Sullivan, English actor (b. 1903)
* November 22 – Theodore Kosloff, Russian-born ballet dancer, choreographer and actor (b. 1882)
* November 24
** Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (b. 1920)
** Lionel Whitby, Sir Lionel Whitby, British haematologist and academic administrator (b. 1895)
* November 26 – Tommy Dorsey, American trombonist and bandleader (b. 1905)
* November 27 – Hugo Ballin, American artist, film production designer, and director (b. 1879)
December
* December 2 – Dell Henderson, Canadian actor (b. 1877)
* December 3 – Alexander Rodchenko, Russian artist (b. 1891)
* December 6 – B. R. Ambedkar, Indian jurist and politician (b. 1891)
* December 7
** Henry Fillmore, American composer and bandleader (b. 1881)
** Huntley Gordon, Canadian actor (b. 1887)
* December 9 – Charles Joughin, English-born baker on RMS ''Titanic'' (b. 1878)
* December 10 – David Shimoni, Israeli poet and writer (b. 1891)
* December 12 – Ewald André Dupont, German film director (b. 1891)
* December 14 – Juho Kusti Paasikivi, twice Prime Minister of Finland and 7th President of Finland (b. 1870)
* December 16
** René Couzinet, French aeronautics engineer and aircraft manufacturer (suicide) (b. 1904)
** Nina Hamnett, Welsh artist (b. 1890)
* December 17
** Eddie Acuff, American actor (b. 1903)
** Whitford Kane, Irish-born American actor (b. 1881)
* December 21 – Lewis Terman, American psychologist (b. 1877)
* December 23 – Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Spanish architect (b. 1867)
* December 25 – William Addison Dwiggins, American book designer, type designer, illustrator, author, marionette artist (b. 1880)
* December 26 – Holmes Herbert, English actor (b. 1882)
* December 30 – Ruth Draper, American actress (b. 1884)
Date unknown
* Dumitru Coroamă, Romanian soldier and fascist activist (b. 1885) *Victoria Hayward (journalist), Victoria Hayward, Bermudan-born travel writer and journalist (b. 1876) * Lotte Herrlich, female photographer of German naturism (b. 1883)Nobel Prizes
* Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – William Shockley, John Bardeen, Walter Houser Brattain * Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood, Nikolay Semyonov * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – André Frédéric Cournand, Werner Forssmann, Dickinson W. Richards * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Juan Ramón Jiménez * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – Not AwardedReferences
Bibliography
*Further reading
* London Institute of World Affairs, ''The Year Book of World Affairs 1957'' (London 1957full text online
comprehensive reference book covering 1956 in diplomacy, international affairs and politics for major nations and regions
External links
{{Authority control 1956, Leap years in the Gregorian calendar