What Happened in 1956

The Last Battle published

The Last Battle is the seventh and final novel in The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. Lewis was awarded the Carnegie Medal for the book... Read more

Volvo Amazon is First Produced

The Volvo Amazon was a mid-size car manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1956 until July 3 1970 at the company's Torslandaverken — with 667,323 vehicles... Read more

'Profiles in Courage' is Published

Profiles in Courage is a 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning book attributed to John F. Kennedy, describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United... Read more

S. R. Crown Hall Completed

S. R. Crown Hall, designed by the German-born Modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, is the home of the College of Architecture at the... Read more

Kellogg's Special K Cereal Appears In Stores

Special K is a lightly toasted breakfast cereal manufactured by the Kellogg Company. The cereal was introduced to the United States in 1956. It is... Read more

Aretha Franklin Releases "Songs of Faith"

Songs of Faith is Aretha Franklin's debut album. Songs of Faith is a 1956 album released by R&B/soul icon Aretha Franklin. It was her very first... Read more

Ford Parklane is First Produced

The Ford Parklane was a car produced by the Ford Motor Company in the United States for one year only, 1956. Launched to compete with the Chevrolet... Read more

Castle & Cooke Exchanges Ownership in Hawaiian Tuna Packers for Columbia River Packers Association

Castle & Cooke exchanges ownership in Hawaiian Tuna Packers for 12% interest in Columbia River Packers Association, producers of Bumble Bee® Seafood. Read more

Volvo P1900 is First Produced

The Volvo P1900 is a fiberglass-bodied roadster built in small numbers in 1956 and 1957 by Volvo of Sweden. Volvo's president and founder Assar... Read more

Buddy Holly Signs Recording Contract with Decca Records

Buddy negotiates a recording contract with Decca and a three-year songwriter's contract with Cedarwood Publishing Company. Throughout 1956, between... Read more

VII Olympic Winter Games Held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Cortina... Read more

Buddy Holly's First Recording Session

Jan. 26 - Holley, Sonny Curtis, and Guess begin their first recording sessions for Decca at Owen Bradley's Barn in Nashville under the name Buddy... Read more

A.A. Milne Dies

After Milne's death, his widow sold the rights to the Pooh characters to the Walt Disney Company, which has made a number of Pooh cartoon movies,... Read more

"The Searchers" Is Released

The Searchers is a 1956 epic Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is the story of Ethan Edwards, a... Read more

28th Academy Awards

The 28th Academy Awards were presented at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Marty, a simple and low-budget film usually... Read more

Elvis Presley releases self-titled debut album

Elvis Presley was the name of Elvis Presley's debut LP. It was released on RCA Victor, in mono, catalogue number LPM 1254, in March 1956. The... Read more

San Francisco Beats Iowa in Final Four

The 1956 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of... Read more

Jack Burke Jr. wins the 20th Masters Tournament

Jack Burke scored a final round 71, one of only two subpar rounds Sunday, to rally from a Tournament record eight shots back and defeat amateur Ken... Read more

Montreal Canadiens win Stanley Cup

The 1956 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Montreal Canadiens and the defending champion Detroit Red Wings in the... Read more

FDA Approves Pfizer's Atarax

Atarax is an antihistamine used to relieve the symptoms of common anxiety and tension and, in combination with other medications, to treat anxiety... Read more

"The King And I" Is Released

The King and I is a 1956 musical film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Walter Lang and produced by Charles Brackett and Darryl F. Zanuck. The... Read more

Marilyn Monroe Marries Arthur Miller

During this time, the relationship between Monroe and Miller had developed, and although the couple were able to maintain their privacy for almost... Read more

Two Airliners Collide Over the Grand Canyon

June 30, 1956; A midair collision over the Grand Canyon involving TWA Super Constellation L-1049 N6902C, Star of the Seine and United Airlines DC-7... Read more

The SS Andrea Doria Collides with MS Stockholm

A little after 11:00 p.m., the Stockholm struck the Doria, delivering a fatal blow. The impact opened such a gaping hole in the Doria's side that... Read more

"Bob Le Flambeur" Is Released

Bob le flambeur ("Bob the Gambler" or "Bob the High Roller") is a 1956 French gangster film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The film stars Roger... Read more