What Happened In May 1956 In History

Historical Events for May, 1956

• 1st » The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
• 1st » A doctor in Japan reports an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system", marking the official discovery of Minamata disease.
• 18th » First ascent of Lhotse 8,516 meters, by a Switzerland known as Swiss team.
• 20th » In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
• 24th » The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland.

Famous Birthdays on May in 1956

• 1st » Phil Foglio, American illustrator
• 1st » Catherine Frot, French actress
• 1st » Frank Szymanski (politician) named Frank Szymanski, German politician
• 2nd » Yasushi Akimoto, Japanese songwriter and producer
• 2nd » Régis Labeaume, Canadian politician, 41st List of mayors of Quebec City called Mayor of Quebec City
• 3rd » Marc Bellemare, Canadian lawyer and politician
• 4th » Michael L. Gernhardt, American astronaut and engineer
• 4th » Charlotte Green, English radio and television host
• 4th » David Guterson, American journalist and author
• 4th » Ulrike Meyfarth, German high jumper
• 4th » Ken Oberkfell, American baseball player and coach
• 4th » Sharon Jones (singer) known as Sharon Jones, American singer (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings)
• 5th » Robert Marien, Canadian actor and singer
• 5th » Steve Scott (athlete) or Steve Scott, American runner
• 6th » Lakis Lazopoulos, Greek actor and screenwriter
• 6th » Roland Wieser, German race walker
• 7th » Jan Peter Balkenende, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
• 7th » Anne Dudley, English pianist and composer (Art of Noise)
• 7th » Nicholas Hytner, English director and producer
• 7th » Jean Lapierre, Canadian talk show host and politician
• 7th » Calum MacDonald (politician) named Calum MacDonald, Scottish politician
• 8th » Jeff Wincott, Canadian actor
• 9th » Wendy Crewson, Canadian actress and producer
• 10th » Yves Jacques, Canadian actor
• 10th » Vladislav Listyev, Russian journalist (d. 1995)
• 10th » Jonathan Roberts (writer) called Jonathan Roberts, American screenwriter, producer, and author
• 11th » Theresa Burke, Canadian journalist and producer
• 11th » Alex Lester, English radio host
• 12th » Bernie Federko, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
• 12th » Sergio Marchi, Canadian politician
• 12th » Asad Rauf, Pakistani cricketer and umpire
• 12th » Glenn Robbins, Australian actor
• 13th » Steve Blackwood, American actor
• 13th » Richard Madeley, English journalist
• 14th » Hazel Blears, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
• 15th » Andreas Loverdos, Greek lawyer and politician
• 15th » Dan Patrick, American sportscaster
• 15th » Peter Salmon (producer) or Peter Salmon, English television producer
• 17th » Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer and actor
• 17th » Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host
• 17th » Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist
• 18th » Catherine Corsini, French director and screenwriter
• 18th » John Godber, English dramatist
• 19th » Steven Ford, American actor
• 19th » Oliver Letwin, English politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
• 19th » Martyn Ware, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (The Human League and Heaven 17)
• 20th » Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Norwegian author
• 20th » Dean Butler (actor) e.g Dean Butler, Canadian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 20th » William Michaelian, American author and poet
• 20th » Douglas Preston, American author
• 20th » Marlene Zuk, American biologist and ecologist
• 22nd » Al Corley, American actor, singer, and producer
• 22nd » Natasha Shneider, Russian-American singer, keyboard player, and actress (Eleven (band) named Eleven) (d. 2008)
• 23rd » Ursula Plassnik, Austrian politician, Foreign Minister of Austria
• 23rd » Mark Shaw (rugby union) named Mark Shaw, New Zealand rugby player
• 23rd » Buck Showalter, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 23rd » Andrea Pazienza, Italian illustrator and painter (d. 1988)
• 23rd » Albert Voorn, Dutch horse rider
• 24th » Richard B. Bernstein, American historian and educator
• 24th » Larry Blackmon, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (Cameo (band) e.g Cameo and Black Ivory)
• 24th » Dominic Grieve, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales
• 24th » Michael Jackson (bishop) known as Michael Jackson, Irish archbishop
• 24th » Zaid Shakir, American author and scholar
• 25th » Stavros Arnaoutakis, Greek politician
• 25th » Tatsutoshi Goto, Japanese wrestler
• 25th » Sugar Minott, Jamaican singer and producer (The African Brothers) (d. 2010)
• 25th » David P. Sartor, American composer and conductor
• 26th » Neil Parish, English politician
• 26th » Fiona Shackleton, English lawyer
• 27th » Cynthia McFadden, American journalist
• 27th » Rosemary Squire, English theater producer and manager
• 27th » Giuseppe Tornatore, Italian director and screenwriter
• 28th » Jerry Douglas, American guitarist and producer (The Country Gentlemen and Strength in Numbers (band) known as Strength in Numbers)
• 28th » Markus Höttinger, Austrian race car driver (d. 1980)
• 28th » Michael Musyoki, Kenyan runner
• 28th » Julie Peasgood, English actress
• 28th » Peter Wilkinson (Royal Navy officer) known as Peter Wilkinson, English admiral
• 29th » Mark Lyall Grant, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United Nations
• 29th » La Toya Jackson, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 31st » Fritz Hilpert, German drummer (Kraftwerk)
• 31st » John Young (musician) known as John Young, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Qango (band) e.g Qango and Strawbs)

Famous Deaths for May 1956

• 1st » LeRoy Samse, American pole vaulter (b. 1883)
• 12th » Louis Calhern, American actor (b. 1895)
• 14th » Joan Malleson, English physician (b. 1889)
• 15th » Austin Osman Spare, English painter and magician (b. 1886)
• 18th » Maurice Tate, English cricketer (b. 1895)
• 20th » Max Beerbohm, English author and illustrator (b. 1872)
• 20th » Zoltán Halmay, Hungarian swimmer (b. 1881)
• 21st » Harry Bensley, English businessman and adventurer (b. 1877)
• 23rd » Gustav Suits, Estonian poet (b. 1883)
• 26th » Al Simmons, American baseball player and coach (b. 1902)

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