1956 Snapshot
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The Vibe
Pop Culture
Drive-in Movies
Slang
"Blast"
Price Check
Gas: $0.23
Notable Deaths
Jackson Pollock, Béla Lugosi
Music & Style
Rockabilly
World Affairs
Suez Crisis
Hungarian Uprising
Year's Summary
- Global Events: The Suez Crisis erupts in Egypt. The Hungarian Uprising against Soviet rule is crushed. The Federal Aid Highway Act begins the US Interstate system.
- Culture & Mood: Elvis Presley dominates the charts with 'Heartbreak Hotel' and shocks the nation on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- Fashion & Slang: Capri pants and flat shoes for women. A great party is a 'Blast.'
- Fun Fact: The first computer hard drive is invented by IBM—it was the size of two refrigerators and held only 5 megabytes of data!
- 23 Oct 1956: Outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution – A massive nationwide popular uprising began in Hungary against the Stalinist government and Soviet-imposed policies. While initially successful in establishing a reformist government under Imre Nagy, the revolution was brutally crushed in November by invading Soviet military forces, resulting in thousands of casualties and widespread international condemnation.
- 29 Oct 1956: Outbreak of the Suez Crisis – Israel, joined by Britain and France, launched a military invasion of Egypt following Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal. The intervention triggered intense diplomatic pressure from the United States and the United Nations, forcing a withdrawal and signaling the decline of traditional European imperial power.
- 16 Nov 1956: Opening of the Melbourne Olympic Games – Australia hosted the Games of the XVI Olympiad in Melbourne, marking the first time the Olympic Games were held in the Southern Hemisphere. Despite international political boycotts stemming from the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian uprising, the event celebrated global athletic camaraderie and sportsmanship.
- 20 Dec 1956: Establishment of the Montgomery Bus Integration – Following the historic 381-day boycott and a decisive US Supreme Court ruling declaring segregated seating unconstitutional, integrated public bus services officially commenced in Montgomery, Alabama, marking a major legal milestone for the American Civil Rights Movement.