Events in the year 1956 in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

– Theodor Heuss *

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

–

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of the Christian Dem ...

Events

* May 1 - Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 * June 22 - July 3 -

6th Berlin International Film Festival The 6th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 June to 3 July 1956. The FIAPF granted the festival the "A status" during this year, which was previously only reserved for Cannes and Venice. The awards for the first time, w ...

* October 27 - Saar Treaty

Births

*5 January -

Frank-Walter Steinmeier Frank-Walter Steinmeier (; born 5 January 1956) is a German politician serving as President of Germany since 19 March 2017. He was previously Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2017, as well as Vice Chan ...

, politician *7 January ** Leonard Lansink, actor **

Uwe Ochsenknecht Uwe Adam Ochsenknecht (; born 7 January 1956) is a German actor and singer. Career Films Ochsenknecht has starred in include '' Das Boot'' (1981), ''Schtonk!'' (1992), and the TV miniseries '' Frank Herbert's Dune'' (2000). In the early 1990 ...

, actor *21 January -

Jürgen Kehrer Jürgen Kehrer (born 21 January 1956) is a German author. His success led to a substantial change in German crime fiction and brought a new industry to his chosen home town of Münster. Life Jürgen Kehrer was born in Essen in the Ruhr regio ...

, author *16 February -

Bodo Ramelow Bodo Ramelow (; born 16 February 1956) is a German politician who has served since 4 March 2020 as Minister-President of Thuringia, an office he previously held from 2014 to 5 February 2020. He is the first head of a German state government to ...

, politician *25 February -

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 Jewis ...

, lawyer, politician and talk show host *27 February - Rosemarie Gabriel, swimmer *28 March -

Evelin Jahl Evelin Jahl ( Schlaak and later Herberg, born 28 March 1956 in Annaberg-Buchholz, Saxony, East Germany) is a German former discus thrower, who won two Olympic gold medals representing East Germany. In 1976 she won the women's discus throwing e ...

, discus thrower *20 March -

Theo Breuer Theo Breuer (born 30 March 1956) is a German poet, essayist, editor, translator and publisher. Life and work Theo Breuer was born in Bürvenich, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany and educated at Cologne University where he studied German ...

, poet, essayist, editor, translator and publisher *12 April -

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 Pet ...

, singer *4 May -

Ulrike Meyfarth Ulrike Nasse-Meyfarth (; born 4 May 1956) is a German former high jumper. She won the Olympic title twice, in 1972 and 1984. She is the youngest Olympic champion ever in women's high jump, and at the time of her 1984 triumph, she also was the ...

, high jumper *18 May -

Lothar Thoms Lothar Thoms (18 May 1956 – 5 November 2017) was a track cyclist from East Germany, who represented his native country at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. There he won the gold medal in the men's 1 km time trial by marking a new ...

, German track cyclist (died

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 s ...

) *31 May - Fritz Hilpert, German musician *1 June – Petra Morsbach, German author *3 June - Thomas Flach, German sailor *6 June -

Hans-Peter Ferner Hans-Peter Ferner (born 6 June 1956 in Neuburg an der Donau, Bavaria) is a (West) German former middle-distance runner who won the gold medal over 800 m at the 1982 European Championships in Athletics in Athens where he unexpectedly defeated world- ...

, German athlete *8 June -

Udo Bullmann Udo Bullmann (born 8 June 1956) is a German politician who has been serving as a member of the European Parliament since 1999. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), part of the Party of European Socialists. Personal lif ...

, German politician *4 July - Bettina Böttinger, television presenter *13 July -

Günter Jauch Gunter or Günter may refer to: * Gunter rig, a type of rig used in sailing, especially in small boats * Gunter Annex, Alabama, a United States Air Force installation * Gunter, Texas, city in the United States People Surname * Chris Gunte ...

, television presenter and journalist *24 July **

Carmen Nebel Carmen Nebel (born 24 July 1956 in Grimma, then East Germany) is a German television presenter. Nebel majored in German studies, English studies and pedagogy at Humboldt University of Berlin. After completing her degree she began appearing on GDR ...

, television presenter ** Hubertus Meyer-Burckhardt, journalist * 1 August -

Axel Milberg Axel Theodor Klaus Milberg (born 1 August 1956) is a German actor. His most prominent role is that of '' Tatort'' investigator Klaus Borowski. Selected filmography * '' After Five in the Forest Primeval'' (1995) * ' (1996) * '' Father's Day'' ...

, actor * 12 August -

Brigitte Kraus Brigitte Kraus (born 12 August 1956 in Bensberg) is a retired West German middle-distance runner who specialized in the 1500 metres, 1500 and 3000 metres. She competed for the sports clubs LG Rhein-Berg and ASV Köln during her active career. Int ...

, athlete * 18 August -

Rainer Woelki Rainer Maria Woelki (; born 18 August 1956) is a German Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He has been Archbishop of Cologne since his installation on 20 September 2014 following his election by the Cathedral Chapter to succeed Joachim Meisner in ...

, bishop of Roman Catholic Church *24 August - Nina Ruge, journalist and television presenter *21 September - Joachim Herrmann, politician *24 September -

Ilona Slupianek Ilona Longo (née Schoknecht, divorced Briesenick and Slupianek; born 24 September 1956) is a German former shot putter who represented East Germany. As Ilona Slupianek, she won the 1980 Olympic title in Moscow and won European titles in 1978 and ...

, shot putter *26 September -

Jutta Allmendinger Jutta Allmendinger (born September 26, 1956, in Mannheim) is a German sociologist who has been serving as the president of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and a professor of educational sociology and labor market research at Humboldt Unive ...

, social scientist *30 September -

Désirée Nick Désirée Gerda Saskia Pamela Amneris Aida Nick (born 30 September 1956 in West-Berlin) is a German reality television personality, actress, dancer, and author. Biography Born in Berlin, Nick studied ballet at ''Berliner Tanzakademie''. She b ...

, actress and comedian *3 October - Ralph Morgenstern, actor *6 October -

Rüdiger Helm Rüdiger Helm (, ; born in Neubrandenburg on 6 October 1956) was an East German sprint canoeist who competed from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won six medals which included three golds (1976: K-1 1000 m, ...

, canoeist *20 November -

Olli Dittrich Oliver Michael Dittrich (born 20 November 1956) is a German television personality, comedian, actor, and musician. Life Dittrich completed a three year-education as a theatre painter in the Hamburg State Opera (1975–1978). At the same time, ...

, actor and comedian *23 November -

Karin Guthke Karin Guthke (born 23 November 1956) is a German diver. She won a bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in the 3 metre springboard event. She also participated in the 1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The Internat ...

, Olympic diver *28 November -

Michael Eissenhauer Michael Eissenhauer (born 28 November 1956 in Stuttgart) is a German art historian and was director-general of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Biography After gaining his Abitur (school-leaving certificate) in 1975, Michael Eissenhauer comple ...

, art historian *30 November -

Heinz Rudolf Kunze Heinz Rudolf Erich Arthur Kunze (born 30 November 1956, in Espelkamp-Mittwald, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German writer and rock singer. His greatest hit was ''Dein ist mein ganzes Herz'' (not to be confused with the homonymous song from the op ...

, singer *5 December -

Klaus Allofs Klaus Allofs (born 5 December 1956) is a German former professional football player, manager, and executive. A striker, Allofs was a prolific goalscorer for club and country. He amassed Bundesliga totals of 424 games and 177 goals over the co ...

, football player *9 December -

Henriette Reker Henriette Reker (born 9 December 1956) is a German lawyer and independent politician. She is known for her pro-immigration stance and for being the victim of an assassination attempt in 2015. A day after the attack, Reker was elected mayor of C ...

, politician

Deaths

1 January January 1 or 1 January is the first day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the yea ...

— Ludwig Dürr, German

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

designer (born

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Bat ...

) *

3 January 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 ...

—

Joseph Wirth Karl Joseph Wirth (6 September 1879 – 3 January 1956) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party who served for one year and six months as the chancellor of Germany from 1921 to 1922, as the finance minister from 1920 to 1921, a ...

, German politician,

Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...

(born

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

) *

13 January 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 s ...

—

Lyonel Feininger Lyonel Charles Feininger (July 17, 1871January 13, 1956) was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist. He was born and grew up in New York City, traveling to Germa ...

, German painter (born

1871 Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...

) *

7 February Events Pre-1600 * 457 – Leo I becomes the Eastern Roman emperor. * 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II. * 1301 &ndash ...

Karl Schelenz Karl Schelenz (or Carl Schelenz, born 6 February 1890 in Berlin; died 7 February 1956) was a German sport teacher. He is famous as the "father" of modern handball. Life Schelenz worked as a sport teacher in Berlin and in Flensburg. As an auth ...

, German sport teacher (born

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship '' ...

) *

20 February 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 Heinrich Georg Barkhausen (2 December 1881 – 20 February 1956), born in Bremen, was a German physicist. Growing up in a patrician Bremen family, he showed interest in natural sciences from an early age. He studied at the Technical Univers ...

, German physicist (born

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The ...

) *

26 February 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 pr ...

—

Rudolf Kanzler Rudolf Kanzler (born 26 February 1873 in Wasserburg am Inn – died 26 February 1956 in Munich) was a German surveyor and politician who was involved in the organisation of Freikorps units after World War I. A Roman Catholic, Kanzler was a membe ...

, surveyor and politician (born 1873) *

21 March 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 and P ...

- Hans Müller-Schlösser, German playwright (born 1884) *

13 April 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 du ...

— Emil Nolde, German painter (born 1867) *

16 April Events Pre-1600 * 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. * 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide. * 73 – Masad ...

—

Richard Kolkwitz Richard Kolkwitz (March 23, 1873 – April 16, 1956) was a German botanist who was a native of Berlin. He studied natural sciences at the University of Berlin under Adolf Engler (1844–1930) and Simon Schwendener (1829–1919), and from 1895 to ...

, German botanist (born 1873) *

29 April Events Pre-1600 *1091 – Battle of Levounion: The Pechenegs are defeated by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. *1386 – Battle of the Vikhra River: The Principality of Smolensk is defeated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and bec ...

Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Wilhelm Josef Franz Ritter von Leeb (5 September 1876 – 29 April 1956) was a German field marshal and war criminal in World War II. Leeb was a highly decorated officer in World War I and was awarded the Military Order of Max Joseph which gr ...

, German field marshal (born

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...

) * 10 May - F.W. Schröder-Schrom, German actor (born

) *

22 May Events Pre-1600 * 192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu. * 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. * 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt. *117 ...

Walther Kossel Walther Ludwig Julius Kossel (4 January 1888 – 22 May 1956) was a German physicist known for his theory of the chemical bond (ionic bond/octet rule), Sommerfeld–Kossel displacement law of atomic spectra, the Kossel-Stranski model for crysta ...

, German physicist (born

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

) *

29 May Events Pre-1600 * 363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city. * 1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under ...

—

Hermann Abendroth Hermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth (19 January 1883 – 29 May 1956) was a German conductor. Early life Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, the son of a bookseller. Several other members of the family were artists in diverse dis ...

, German conductor (born

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Janua ...

) *

8 June Events Pre-1600 * 218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus. * 452 – Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern provinces as ...

- Hans Meiser, German Protestant theologian, pastor and first 'Landesbischof' of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (born

) *

7 July Events Pre-1600 *1124 – The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks. *1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her execution. *1520 – Spanish ''conquistadores ...

—

Gottfried Benn Gottfried Benn (2 May 1886 – 7 July 1956) was a German poet, essayist, and physician. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. He was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1951. Biography and work Family and beginnings Go ...

, German poet and essayist (born

1886 Events January–March * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...

) * 14 August: **

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

, German writer (born

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

) **

Konstantin von Neurath Konstantin Hermann Karl Freiherr von Neurath (2 February 1873 – 14 August 1956) was a German diplomat and Nazi war criminal who served as Foreign Minister of Germany between 1932 and 1938. Born to a Swabian noble family, Neurath began his di ...

, German diplomat and Nazi party chancellor (born 1873) *

21 August Events Pre-1600 * 959 – Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège. * 1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song Wars. *1169 – Battle o ...

- Wilhelm Weskamm, German bishop of Roman Catholic Church (born

1891 Events January–March * January 1 ** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany. ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. ** Germany takes formal possession of its new Af ...

) *

12 September Events Pre-1600 *490 BC – Battle of Marathon: The conventionally accepted date for the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians and their Plataean allies defeat the first Persian invasion force of Greece. * 372 – Sixteen Kingdoms: Jin ...

Hans Carossa Hans Carossa (15 December 1878 in Bad Tölz, Kingdom of Bavaria – 12 September 1956 in Rittsteig near Passau) was a German novelist and poet, known mostly for his autobiographical novels, and his "innere Emigration" ( inner emigration) during ...

, German novelist (born

) *

13 October Events Pre-1600 * 54 – Roman emperor Claudius dies from poisoning under mysterious circumstances. He is succeeded by his adoptive son Nero, rather than by Britannicus, his son with Messalina. * 409 – Vandals and Alans cross the Pyr ...

- Robert Lehr, German politician (born

) *

2 November Events Pre-1600 * 619 – A qaghan of the Western Turkic Khaganate is assassinated in a Chinese palace by Eastern Turkic rivals after the approval of Tang emperor Gaozu. *1410 – The Peace of Bicêtre suspends hostilities in the ...

Leo Baeck Leo Baeck (23 May 1873 – 2 November 1956) was a 20th-century German rabbi, scholar, and theologian. He served as leader of Reform Judaism in his native country and internationally, and later represented all German Jews during the Nazi er ...

, German rabbi (born 1873) *

13 November Events Pre-1600 *1002 – English king Æthelred II orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St. Brice's Day massacre. * 1093 – Battle of Alnwick: in an English victory over the Scots, Malcolm III of Scotlan ...

Werner Haas Werner Haas (; 30 May 1927 – 13 November 1956) was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Germany. He became Germany's first motorcycle world champion when he won the 1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist ...

, German motorcycle racer (born

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

) *

15 November Events Pre-1600 * 655 – Battle of the Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. *1315 – Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy: The Schweizer Eidgenossenschaft ambushes the army of Leopold I in the Battle of Mor ...

– Emma Richter, German paleontologist (born

) *

25 December Events Pre-1600 * 36 – Forces of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, under the command of Wu Han, conquer the separatist Chengjia empire, reuniting China. * 274 – A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aurelia ...

— Robert Walser, German writer (born

)

References

{{Year in Europe, 1956 1950s in Germany Years of the 20th century in Germany

Incumbents

Events

Births

Deaths

See also

References