July 1955
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The following events occurred in July 1955:


July 1 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor. * 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...
, 1955 (Friday)

*
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
s air force, the Republic of Vietnam Air Force, is established. * East Germany appoints the initial management committee for its new national airline, which it names Deutsche Lufthansa (abbreviated DLH) after the defunct pre-1945 German airline Deutsche Luft Hansa, even though the West German airline
Luftag Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
had bought the rights to that name in August 1954 and named itself
Lufthansa Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
. *The UK's first
atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
er unit,
No. 138 Squadron RAF No. 138 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force that served in a variety of roles during its career, last disbanded in 1962. It was the first 'V-bomber' squadron of the RAF, flying the Vickers Valiant between 1955 and 1962. History ...
, is formed, flying
Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response ...
s from
RAF Gaydon Royal Air Force Gaydon or more simply RAF Gaydon is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Wellesbourne, Warwickshire and north west of Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. RAF Gaydon opened in 1942 and is known for its role during the ...
in Warwickshire. *The final of the 1955 Egypt Cup football tournament is won by Zamalek SC. *The Imperial Bank of India is renamed the
State Bank of India State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian multinational public sector bank and financial services statutory body headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. SBI is the 49th largest bank in the world by total assets and ranked 221st in the ''Fortune ...
. *Born: ** Nikolai Demidenko, classical pianist, in Anisimovo, Russian SSR **
Li Keqiang Li Keqiang (born 1 July 1955) is a Chinese politician who is the outgoing premier of China. An economist by profession, Li is head of China's executive branch as well as one of the leading figures behind China's Financial and Economic Affai ...
,
Premier of the People's Republic of China The premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the premier of China and sometimes also referred to as the prime minister, is the head of government of China and leader of the State Council. The premier is ...
, in Hefei **
Lisa Scottoline Lisa Scottoline (; born July 1, 1955) is an American author of legal thrillers. Life Born in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of Philadelphia, Scottoline attended Lower Merion High School and then went on to earn a B.A. in English magna cum la ...
, American writer of legal thrillers, in Philadelphia


July 2, 1955 (Saturday)

* Bergsdalen Church, in Vaksdal, Norway, designed by Leiv Tvilde, is consecrated. *Sen. Lyndon Baines Johnson, during a visit to his friend
George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...
in Middleburg, Virginia, has a heart attack and is rushed to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.


July 3, 1955 (Sunday)

*The
1955 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix 1955 MotoGP race reports, Belgian 1955 in Belgian motorsport, Motorcycle Grand Prix ...
takes place at the
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has held ...
. The 500cc category is won by
Giuseppe Colnago Giuseppe Colnago (15 December 1923 - 22 December 2000) was an Italian professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Born in Caponago, Colnago had his best year in 1955 when he won the 500cc Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix (Fr ...
.


July 4, 1955 (Monday)

* Mexico's legislative election is a victory for the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which wins 153 of the 162 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.


July 5, 1955 (Tuesday)

*The
5th Berlin International Film Festival The 5th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 24 June to 5 July 1955. This year's festival did not give any official jury prizes, instead awards were given by audience voting. This continued until the FIAPF granted Berlin "A-St ...
concludes, with the Golden Bear being awarded to ''
Die Ratten ' (''The Rats'') is a 1955 West German drama film directed by Robert Siodmak. It is an adaptation of the 1911 play '' The Rats'' by Gerhart Hauptmann, but transferred the story to the early 1950s, shortly after the Second World War. It tells the ...
'' by audience vote.


July 6, 1955 (Wednesday)

*Born:
Sherif Ismail Sherif Ismail ( ar, شريف إسماعيل  ; born 6 July 1955) is an Egyptian engineer who served as prime minister between 2015 and 2018. He was minister of petroleum and mineral resources from 2013 to 2015. Career Ismail studied mechan ...
, Egyptian politician, Prime Minister 2015 - 2018


July 7, 1955 (Thursday)

*The New Zealand Special Air Service is formed. *Burhan Alden Aaian becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Kingdom of Iraq The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq ( ar, المملكة العراقية الهاشمية, translit=al-Mamlakah al-ʿIrāqiyyah ʾal-Hāshimyyah) was a state located in the Middle East from 1932 to 1958. It was founded on 23 August 1921 as the Kingdo ...
.


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 ...
, 1955 (Friday)

*
Burapha University Burapha University (BUU) (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยบูรพา) is one of Thailand's public universities. It is in the coastal town of Saen Suk, near the beach of Bangsaen in Chonburi province. It was established on 8 July 1955 ...
is established in Chonburi Province, Thailand.


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 ...
, 1955 (Saturday)

*Pacifist Bertrand Russell issues his Russell–Einstein Manifesto in London, highlighting the dangers posed by
nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
and calling for world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to international conflict. The signatories include eleven pre-eminent intellectuals and scientists, including Albert Einstein. *London police procedural '' Dixon of Dock Green'', starring Jack Warner, premieres on the
BBC Television Service BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...
in the UK; it will run for 21 years. *Born: Jimmy Smits, American actor, in New York City


July 10, 1955 (Sunday)

* Jorge Luis Borges is appointed Director of the
National Library of the Argentine Republic The Mariano Moreno National Library ( es, Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno) is the largest library in Argentina. It is located in the barrio of Recoleta in Buenos Aires. The library is named after Mariano Moreno, one of the ideologists of the M ...
. *Dies: Francis Augustus Hamer, retired Texas Ranger, and one of the men who helped hunt down
Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...
, dies at 71 in Austin, Texas as a result of a heat stroke 2 years earlier.


July 11, 1955 (Monday)

*The Nelson baronetcy is created in the
baronetage of the United Kingdom Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) James I of E ...
for engineer Sir George Nelson, later Baron Nelson of Stafford. *Future
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...
begins work as a test pilot at the High-Speed Flight Station of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), located at
Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...
in California, having transferred there from the NACA's Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio.


July 12 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – The armies of Titus attack the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Three days later they breach the walls, which enables the army to destroy the Second Temple. * 927 – King Constantine II of ...
, 1955 (Tuesday)

*Mexican
passenger ship A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...
''La Flecha'' sinks off Veracruz with the loss of 30 lives.


July 13, 1955 (Wednesday)

*British cargo ship ''Geologist'' collides with Liberian-registered ''SS Sun Princess'' and sinks with the loss of twenty of her 42 crew. *Dies:
Ruth Ellis Ruth Ellis ( née Neilson; 9 October 1926 – 13 July 1955) was a British nightclub hostess and convicted murderer who became the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom following the fatal shooting of her lover, David Blakely. In her t ...
, 28, Welsh nightclub hostess, hanged for murder in London, becoming the last woman ever to be executed in the United Kingdom; Stanley Price, 61, US film and television actor


July 14, 1955 (Thursday)

*The ''
Federal Express FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...
'' train from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts derails in
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...
, USA, killing the engine driver.


July 15, 1955 (Friday)

*The
Air Force Bal Bharati School Air Force Bal Bharati School (AFBBS) established 1955, is a senior secondary school situated on Lodi Road, New Delhi, India, and run by the Indian Air Force Educational and Cultural Society. It is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary E ...
is founded in New Delhi, India.


July 16 Events Pre-1600 * 622 – The beginning of the Islamic calendar. * 997 – Battle of Spercheios: Bulgarian forces of Tsar Samuel are defeated by a Byzantine army under general Nikephoros Ouranos at the Spercheios River in Greece. * 105 ...
, 1955 (Saturday)

*The
1955 British Grand Prix The 1955 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Aintree on 16 July 1955. It was race 6 of 7 in the 1955 World Championship of Drivers. British driver Stirling Moss led a Mercedes 1–2–3–4 domina ...
is held at
Aintree Motor Racing Circuit Aintree Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in the village of Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. The circuit is located within the Aintree Racecourse and used the same grandstands as horse racing. It was b ...
and is won by
Stirling Moss Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss (17 September 1929 – 12 April 2020) was a British Formula One racing driver. An inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, he won 212 of the 529 races he entered across several categories of comp ...
.


July 17, 1955 (Sunday)

*The Disneyland theme park opens in Anaheim, California, for a preview event broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company television network.


July 18, 1955 (Monday)

*Disneyland opens to the public. *The first nuclear-generated electrical power is sold commercially, by National Reactor Testing Station, partially powering the town of Arco, Idaho. *The Illinois Governor,
William Stratton William Grant Stratton (February 26, 1914 – March 2, 2001), was the 32nd governor of Illinois from 1953 to 1961. Early life and career Born February 26, 1914 in Ingleside, Lake County, Illinois, the son of William J. Stratton, an Illinoi ...
, signs the "Loyalty Oath Act", passed by the State Legislature, which mandates all public employees take a loyalty oath to Illinois and the United States, or lose their jobs. *The first Geneva Summit meeting between the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France begins. It ends on July 23.


July 19, 1955 (Tuesday)

*The
1955 World Archery Championships The 1955 World Archery Championships was the 17th edition of the event. It was held in Helsinki, Finland on 19–22 July 1955 and was organised by World Archery Federation (FITA). Medals summary Recurve Medals table References External li ...
open in Helsinki, Finland.


July 20, 1955 (Wednesday)

*The fourth Miss USA beauty pageant is held at Long Beach, California, and is won by
Carlene King Johnson Carlene King Johnson Drake (May 31, 1933 – April 15, 1969) was an American model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1955. She attended Middlebury College, where she was a member of the Nu chapter Sigma Kappa sorority.Sigma Ka ...
. *Died: Calouste Gulbenkian, 86, Armenian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1869)


July 21, 1955 (Thursday)

*The BBC brings into service its Divis transmitter, its first permanent 405-line VHF Band I facility serving Northern Ireland, marking the launch of a television service for Northern Ireland; the 35 kW transmissions can also be readily received in much of the Republic of Ireland.


July 22, 1955 (Friday)

*The fourth Miss Universe pageant is held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, California, USA, and is won by Miss Sweden, 21-year-old Hillevi Rombin. *The Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland is awarded for the last time (though the medal is not disestablished until 1992).


July 23, 1955 (Saturday)

*The
Ffestiniog Railway The Ffestiniog Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a heritage railway based on narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park. The railway is roughly long an ...
in North Wales reopens as a
Heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
. *Died:
Cordell Hull Cordell Hull (October 2, 1871July 23, 1955) was an American politician from Tennessee and the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years (1933–1944) in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ...
, 83, United States Secretary of State, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize


July 24, 1955 (Sunday)

*The
First Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet The First Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet was an Indonesian cabinet named after the Prime Minister, and also known as 'Kabinet IV', that served from 1 August 1953 until 24 July 1955. Composition Cabinet Leadership *List of Prime Ministers of Indone ...
of Indonesia is dissolved. Prime Minister Ali Sastroamidjojo remains in post until August.


July 25 Events Pre-1600 * 306 – Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops. * 315 – The Arch of Constantine is completed near the Colosseum in Rome to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. ...
, 1955 (Monday)

*The
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
system begins using tokens.


July 26, 1955 (Tuesday)

*
1955 Israeli legislative election Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijia ...
: Elections for the third Knesset are held in Israel. Voter turnout is 82.8%. Mapai retained its plurality in the Knesset, although its share of the vote dropped by 5.1 and its share of seats dropped from 47 (at the end of the Second Knesset) to 40.


July 27, 1955 (Wednesday)

*
El Al Flight 402 El Al Flight 402 was an international passenger flight from London to Tel Aviv via Vienna and Istanbul. On 27 July 1955, the flight, operated by a Lockheed Constellation registered as 4X-AKC, strayed into then-Communist Bulgarian airspace and was ...
, a Lockheed Constellation flying from London to Tel Aviv via Vienna and Istanbul, strays into Bulgarian air space and is shot down by
Bulgarian Air Force The Bulgarian Air Force ( bg, Военновъздушни сили, Voennovazdushni sili) is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and p ...
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...
fighters. All 58 people aboard are killed. *The
Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...
opens a new branch between Hillsport, Ontario, and
Manitouwadge, Ontario Manitouwadge is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the Thunder Bay District, at the north end of Highway 614, east of Thunder Bay and north-west of Sault Ste. Marie. History Manitouwadge (''Manidoowaazh'' in Oj ...
.


July 28, 1955 (Thursday)

*The first Interlingua Congress in Tours, France, leading to foundation of the
Union Mundial pro Interlingua The Union Mundial pro Interlingua (UMI; World Interlingua Union) is a global organization that promotes Interlingua, an international auxiliary language (IAL) published in 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association (IALA). UMI was ...
.


July 29, 1955 (Friday)

*Maltese passenger ship runs aground off
St. Julian's Saint Julian's ( mt, San Ġiljan) is a town in the Central Region of Malta. As of 2020, its registered number of inhabitants stands at 13,792. It is situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-or ...
and is wrecked. One crew member and a passenger are killed.


July 30 Events Pre-1600 * 762 – Baghdad is founded. *1419 – First Defenestration of Prague: A crowd of radical Hussites kill seven members of the Prague city council. *1502 – Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands ...
, 1955 (Saturday)

* English poet Philip Larkin makes the train journey from
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
to Grantham which inspires his poem ''
The Whitsun Weddings ''The Whitsun Weddings'' is a collection of 32 poems by Philip Larkin. It was first published by Faber in the United Kingdom on 28 February 1964. It was a commercial success, by the standards of poetry publication, with the first 4,000 copies ...
''.


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 ...
, 1955 (Sunday)

*
1955 Atlantic hurricane season The 1955 Atlantic hurricane season was, at the time, the costliest season ever recorded, just ahead of the previous year. The hurricane season officially began on June 15, 1955, and ended on November 15, 1955. It was an extremely active ...
: Tropical Storm Brenda develops in the north-central Gulf of Mexico at 0600 UTC. *Died: Robert Francis, 25, US actor, killed when the small aircraft he is piloting bursts into flames as he attempts to land on a parking lot near Lockheed Air terminalSpokesman Review (via Google)
"''Cause of Plane Crash Sought''" (August 2nd, 1955 - retrieved on June 11th, 2011).


References

{{Events by month links
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
*1955-07 *1955-07