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- The Hush-a-Phone federal court ruling forces AT&T to allow private equipment connected to its network.
- A Supreme Court decision forces AT&T to license its patents and intellectual property to its competitors.
- A TWA Super Constellation and a United Airlines DC-7 collide over the Painted Desert, killing 128 people.
- Bette Nesmith Graham invents "Mistake Out" (later "Liquid Paper") to cover mistakes on the typewriter.
- Ford offers seat belts as an option for the car buyer. Volvo makes them standard equipment this year.
- The '56 Chrysler Imperial has an in-car turntable (16-2/3 rpm player for 7-inch microgrooved records).
- The Ampex Corporation builds a practical videotape recorder for TV stations, replacing the kinescope.
- The first transatlantic telephone cable (Newfoundland to Scotland) is completed running 2,250 miles.
- The Italian liner Andrea Doria sinks after colliding with the Swedish ship Stockholm off New England.
- The world's first TV broadcast via videotape is Douglas Edward and the News, broadcast on CBS.
- First successful use of external defibrillation of the heart is performed by Paul M Zoll at Harvard.
- The contraceptive pill is introduced; a breakthrough in simple, reliable methods of birth control.
- The first prefrontal lobotomy is performed (but I'd rather have a "free bottle in front of me.")
- WNBQ in Chicago becomes first TV station to broadcast all its local programming in color.
- The Federal Highway Act is signed, launching work on a new interstate highway system.
- Sir Christopher Cockerell develops the first practical hovercraft (the SRN1) this year.
- US scientists detect high-temperature microwave radiation from the planet Venus.
- The Eveready Battery Company (Energizer) introduces the first 9-volt battery.
- 3M introduces Scotchgard, providing a versatile fabric protector.
- The first non-stop transcontinental helicopter flight is made.
- Jay Forrester is issued a patent for computer core memory.
- Solar-powered radios appear on store shelves this year.
- The first computer hard disk drive is developed by IBM.
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| Life Style: |
- John Lennon (age 15) and Paul McCartney (age 13) meet for the first time at a church dinner in England.
- Dear Abby first appears as a syndicated advice column in newspapers. The pen name Abigail Van Buren is first used by Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips, and subsquently by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips.
- Actress Grace Kelly becomes Princess Grace of Monaco when she marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
- The last performance of the Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus under a canvas tent is this year.
- William Herz is the first to ride a motorcycle over 200 miles per hour; he is clocked at 210 mph.
- The first trailer bank opens in Locust Grove, NY; it takes in $100,000 in deposits the first day.
- Zenith introduces "Space Command" the first ultrasonic TV remote (uses aluminum rods).
- The first fully enclosed shopping mall is designed and built by Victor Gruen in Edina, MN.
- Elvis Presley is America's most popular singer, with ten songs in the Top 100 this year.
- Goodyear introduces the "Captive-Air Safety" tire (the "tire with the built-in spare").
- Singer Nat Cole is attacked by whites while on stage in a theater in Birmingham, AL.
- Elvis Presley makes his first national television appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
- Noah and Joseph McVicker found Rainbow Crafts and start manufacturing Play-Doh.
- The first gorilla born in captivity is at a zoo in Columbus, OH; it's named "Colo."
- Marketing begins to separate teenagers into the "greasers" and the "preppies."
- Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis end their partnership a decade after it began.
- Streetcar service comes to an end this year in Brooklyn, NY.
- Toilet paper in pastel colors is introduced this year.
- The Rolodex is patented by Arnold Neustadter.
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| Entertainment: |
- Buddy Holly's first formal recording session makes Blue Days, Black Night at Decca Studios in Nashville.
- Chet Huntley and David Brinkley bring a "star" element to newscasting on the Huntley-Brinkley Report.
- My Fair Lady opens at the Mark Hellinger Theater in NYC; it runs for six years (2,715 performances).
- Stan Freberg begins a career as a radio adman singing jingles that make fun of singing jingles.
- Elvis Presley reaches a world-wide audience with the release of his first film Love Me Tender.
- Dick Clark appears as host of a local program in Los Angeles called American Bandstand.
- The daytime soaps As The World Turns and Edge of Night premier on television.
- The original motion picture King Kong is shown on television for the first time.
- My Friend Flicka premieres on CBS television (and later on NBC-TV) .
- Elvis Presley records his first hit, Heartbreak Hotel in Nashville.
- Alfred E Neuman first appears on the cover of Mad Magazine.
- The Bob Hope Show comes to an end on NBC television.
- The Pinky Lee Show also ends on NBC television.
- To Tell the Truth debuts on CBS television.
- Peyton Place heats up the bestseller lists.
- Playhouse 90 debuts on CBS television.
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Academy Awards: "Oscars"
Best Picture - Around the World in Eighty Days
Best Actor - Yul Brynner (The King and I)
Best Actress - Ingrid Bergman (Anastasia)
Television Awards "Emmys"
Best Series Actor - Phil Silvers
Best Series Actress - Lucille Ball
Best Variety Series - Toast of the Town
Best Comedy Series - The Phil Silvers Show
Best Music Series - Your Hit Parade
Best Dramatic Series - Producers' Showcase
Best Daytime Series - Matinee Theater
Recording Awards "Grammys"
[Not awarded until 1958]
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Top Songs of '56:
Allegheny Moon, Patti Page
Blue Suede Shoes, Carl Perkins
Don't Be Cruel, Elvis Presley
The Great Pretender, The Platters
Green Door, Jim Lowe
Heartbreak Hotel, Elvis Presley
Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom), Perry Como
I Almost Lost My Mind, Pat Boone
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, Elvis Presley
Just Walking in the Rain, Johnnie Ray
Love Me Tender, Elvis Presley
Moonglow and Theme from Picnic, Morris Stoloff Orchestra
My Prayer, The Platters
No, Not Much, The Four Lads
The Poor People of Paris, Les Baxter Orchestra & Chorus
Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be), Doris Day
Rock and Roll Waltz, Kay Starr
Singing the Blues, Guy Mitchell
The Wayward Wind, Gogi Grant
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| Sports: |
- At the Olympic Games in Melbourne, American Harold Connolly wins the hammer throw and the heart of women's discus Champion, Olga Fikotova (Czechoslovakia). After the Games they are married.
- The USA sets 12 Olympic Records and 2 World Records in track and field; repeats as basketball champs.
- USA men win 15 track and field events, sprinter Bobby Morrow wins 3 Golds; Al Oerter wins the discus.
- However, the Soviets out-medal the US for the first time, winning gymnastics and track and field.
- The Rose Bowl in Pasadena: Michigan State 17, UCLA 14.
- The NCAA Football Champions (per Press and Coaches polls): Oklahoma.
- Fullback Jim Brown (Syracuse), sets an NCAA record by scoring 43 points in a game (vs Colgate).
- Darrell Floyd (Furman) finishes a three-year NCAA basketball career averaging 32.1 points per game.
- Al Carmichael (Green Bay Packers) sets a new NFL record for the longest kick-off return: 106 yards.
- The NFL Eastern Conference winner: New York Giants.
- The NFL Western Conference winner: Chicago Bears.
- NFL commissioner Bert Bell disallows the use of radio-equipped helmets by NFL quarterbacks.
- The NFL makes grabbing the facemask of an opponent other than the ball carrier illegal.
- Willie Mosconi sinks 150 consecutive balls in a billiards tournament.
- Heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano retires from boxing undefeated.
- The Wales Trophy winner (professional hockey): Montreal.
- The Hart Trophy (professional hockey MVP) winner: Jean Belveau, Montreal Canadiens.
- The NBA scoring champion is Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks, with 25.7 points a game.
- The MVP of the NBA this year is Bob Pettit, St. Louis.
- Mickey Mantle hits home runs from both sides of the plate in three games setting a major league record.
- The National League pennant winner: Brooklyn Dodgers (93-61), managed by Walter Alston.
- The National League home run champion is Duke Snider, Brooklyn, with 43.
- The National League batting champion is Hank Aaron, Milwaukee (0.328).
- The National League MVP is Don Newcombe, Brooklyn.
- The American League pennant winner: New York Yankees (97-57), managed by Casey Stengel.
- The American League home run champion is Mickey Mantle, New York, with 52.
- The American League batting champion and home run leader is Mickey Mantle, New York (0.353).
- The American League MVP is Mickey Mantle, New York.
- The New York Yankees win the World Series versus the Brooklyn Dodgers, as Don Larsen pitches the only post-season perfect game.
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Big Wins in '56
MLB World Series - New York Yankees
NBA Champions - Philadelphia Warriors
NHL Stanley Cup - Montreal Canadians
NFL Champions - New York Giants
Men's U.S. Golf Open - Cary Middlecoff
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NCAA Basketball Champions - University of San Francisco
Heisman Trophy - Paul Hornung, University of Notre Dame
Indianapolis 500 - Pat Flaherty, at 128.5 mph (average)
Kentucky Derby - David Erb aboard Needles in 2:03.4<
Women's U.S. Golf Open - Kathy Cornelius
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| Costs of Living: |
National Statistics: |
- Average House - $17,800
- Average New Car - $2,100
- Gallon of Gasoline - 29¢
- Milk (half-gallon) - 51¢
- Bread (one loaf) - 18¢
- Steak (per pound) - 91¢
- One Dozen Eggs - 69¢
- First Class Mail - 3¢
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- U. S. Population - 167,306,000
- Gross Domestic Product - $437.5 billion
- Federal Spending - $70.6 billion
- The Federal Debt - $276.6 billion
- Federal Debt per Capita - $1,650
- Annual Income per Capita - $2,000
- Consumer Price Index - 27.2
- Unemployment - 4.1%
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