MultiEducator · The 20th Century Almanac
HistoryCentral Est. 1996
5620th C.
1956
The 20th Century Almanac · The Fifties

1956

Major Events · Sports · Music · Screen · Prizes

Soviet tanks crushed the Hungarian uprising as Britain, France, and Israel seized the Suez Canal in a humiliating crisis. Khrushchev denounced Stalin in his Secret Speech, Elvis Presley conquered American airwaves, and Around the World in 80 Days took the Oscar.

A Year in Review
Best Picture
Around the World In 80 Days
Nobel · Literature
Jiminez
World Series
New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers Se
No. 1 Song
Memories Are Made of This
Top TV
Academy · Actor
Yul Brynner

Sports Highlights

Champions of 1956

Champions

NBAPhiladelphia Warriors vs. Ft. Wayne Pistons Series: 4-1
NCAA FootballOklahoma Record: 10-0-0
Heisman TrophyPaul Hornung, notre dame, QB points: 1,066
Stanley CupMontreal Canadiens vs. Detroit Red Wings Series: 4-1 US Open Golf: Cary Middlecoff Score: 281 Course: Oak Hill CC Location: Rochester, NY
World SeriesNew York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers Series: 4-3

Top Music of 1956

The year on the charts

Top Songs

  1. Memories Are Made of This Dean Martin
  2. Rock and Roll Waltz Kay Starr
  3. Lisbon Antigua Nelson Riddle
  4. Poor People of Paris Les Baxter
  5. Heartbreak Hotel Elvis Presley
  6. The Wayward Wind Gogi Grant
  7. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You Elvis Presley
  8. My Prayer The Platters
  9. Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog Elvis Presley
  10. Love Me Tender Elvis Presley

Screen & Television

At the box office & on the air

Top Movies

  1. Guys and Dolls -
  2. The King and I
  3. Trapeze
  4. High Society
  5. I'll Cry Tomorrow
  6. Picnic
  7. War and Peace
  8. The Eddy Duchin Story
  9. Moby Dick
  10. The Searchers

Academy Awards

Honoring 1956
Best Picture
Around the World In 80 Days
Best Director
George Stevens
Giant
Best Actor
Yul Brynner
The King and I
Best Actress
Ingrid Bergman
Anastasia

Nobel & Pulitzer Prizes

The year in letters & science

Nobel Prizes

Chemistry
The prize was awarded jointly to: HINSHELWOOD, Sir CYRIL NORMAN, Great Britain, Oxford University, b. 1897, d. 1967; and SEMENOV, NIKOLAY NIKOLAEVICH, USSR, Institute for Chemical
Physics
The prize was awarded jointly, one third each, to: SHOCKLEY, WILLIAM, U.S.A., Semiconductor Laboratory of Beckman Instruments, Inc., Mountain View, CA, b. 1910 (in London, Great Britain), d. 1989; BARDEEN, JOHN, U.S.A., University of Illino
Literature
JIMINEZ, JUAN RAM”N, Spain (domicile in Puerto Rico, U.S.A.), b. 1881, d. 1958: "for his lyrical poetry, which in Spanish language constitutes an example of high spirit and artistical purity"
Peace
The prize money was allocated to the Main Fund (1/3) and to the Special Fund (2/3) of this prize section
Physiology or Medicine
The prize was awarded jointly to: COURNAND, ANDRE FREDERIC, U.S.A., Cardio-Pulmonary Laboratory, Columbia University Division, Bellevue Hospital, New York, NY, b. 1895 ( in Paris, France), d. 1988; FORSSMANN, WERNER, Germany, Mainz Universi

Pulitzer Prizes

Drama
Albert Hackett & Frances Goodrich ... "The Diary of Anne Frank"
Fiction
MacKinlay Kantor ... "Andersonville"
History
Richard Hofstadter ... "The Age of Reform" International Reoprting: William Randolph Hearst, Jr. & Frank Conniff ... "Hearst Newspapers" and Kingsbury Smith ... "International News Service" National Reporting: Charles L. Bartlett ... "Chattanooga Times"
Public Service
"Watsonville (CA) Register-Pajaronian" (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); © 1996-2025