HCPT - The Pilgrimage Trust :: The world in 1956

The world in 1956

Month	News	Sport	Entertainment

January	The British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, warned in his New Year's message that the success of the British economy depends upon increasing exports... From British Pathe news	26: The 8th Winter Olympic Games opened in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy . The Cortina games were the first to be televised, and the first attended by the USSR - who immediately won more medals than any other nation.	Entertainment

February	11: Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, two of the 'Cambridge Spy ring' who gave the names of British agents to the KGB surfaced in Moscow five years after they mysteriously disappeared.	Sport	Entertainment

March	News	WALES win the rugby 5 Nations tournament 24: Cambridge win the boat race	15: My fair Lady opened in Broadway, starring Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews Oscars "The King and I" and "Around the World in 80 days" swept the boards at this years Oscars, Yul Brynner took the best Actor awars for his portryal of the King while awards were also given for Art direction, costume and Music. Around the World in 80 Days took awards for Best Motion Picture, cinematography, film editing and music. Ingrid Bergman ,collected best actress for her role in Anastasia. The best song was awarded to "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" from The Man Who Knew Too Much.

April	27: First Ministerial broadcast on UK television is made by prime minister Anthony Eden, to report that the world is a safer place, following the visit to Britain of Soviet leaders Marshall Bulganin and Chairman Nikita Khruschev. ..more	Grand National: Devon Loch, perhaps the most famous non-winner of the Grand National. With the race at his mercy, Dick Francis' mount inexplicably spread-eagled in the run-in, thus robbing HM The Queen Mother of a deserved victory.	01: Easter Sunday. Kay Starr was at No.1 with "Rock & Roll Waltz" 19: Prince Rainer III of Monaco married the Hollywood actress Grace Kelly.

May	07: British Health minister, RH Turton, rejected claims that smoking tobacco caused cancer. He stated in the House of Commons that "Two cancer-causing agents have been identified in tobacco smoke but whether they have a direct role in producing lung cancer and if so what, has not been proved."	05: FA Cup Final: Manchester City 3 - 1 Birmingham City. The final of 1956 saw Manchester City win 3-1 against Birmingham City. Roughly 15 minutes before the end of the game, Man City's goalkeeper Bert Trautmann (a German who had been taken as a prisoner of war by the British in 1945) injured his neck when he made a save at the feet of Birmingham's Peter Murphy. Despite being in terrible pain he continued to play till the end of match and collected his winners' medal still clutching his neck. An x-ray later revealed that he had broken his neck. - from www.wikipedia.org	11: Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel enters the UK record charts, his first hit on the HMV label, and reaches number two. 25: The first ever Eurovision Song Contest is held at Lugano, Switzerland. It is won by the Swiss entry, Refrain sung by Lys Assia, chosen by two jury members from each country from among 14 entries. Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland each enter two songs.

June	News	Wimbledon Lew Hoad (Australia) beat Ken Rosewall 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-4 Margaret Smith (Australia) beat Maria Bueno 6-4 7-5	Entertainment

July	26: Egypt seized the Suez canal, sparking an international diplomatic and oil crisis.	Sport	06: Hancock's Half Hour first televised.

August	News	Sport	Entertainment

September	News	Sport	Entertainment

October	23: Budapest. Thousands of Hungarians protest against Soviet rule, led by former Prime Minister Imre Nagy.	Sport	Entertainment

November	01: Premium bonds first went on sale in the UK 04: Budapest: Soviet troops blast the Hungarian capital to crush the uprising opposition to Soviet rule. 06: Allied (British & French) forces took control of the Suez canal, later the UN forced them to back down - one of a number of events leading to the 1957 resignation of Anthony Eden, British Prime Minister.	22: The 16th Olympic Games opened in Melbourne, Australia. USSR led the medals table with 37 Gold, 29 Silver and 32 Bronze, UK came 8th with 6 Gold, 7 Silver and 11 Bronze	03: The Wizard of Oz was first shown on US television

December	News	Sport	Entertainment

Books published this year include:
Diamonds are forever, Ian Fleming
The Fall, Albert Camus
The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis
Three cheers secret seven, Enid Blyton
Five on a Secret Trail, Enid Blyton
One hundred and one Dalmations, Dodie Smith

Sources include:
BBC News
British Pathe news
Academy Awards
Wikipedia
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