WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO JULY 1956
Find out what all happened January to July 1956

Start of Gal Oya riots, the first reported ethnic riots that target minority Sri Lankan Tamils in the Eastern Province. The total number of deaths is reportedly 150. (11. June 1956)

Elvis Presley introduces his new single, "Hound Dog", on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements. (5. June 1956)

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closes its very last "Big Tent" show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, due to changing economics all subsequent circus shows will be held in arenas. (16. July 1956)

The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public. (1. May 1956)

My Fair Lady receives its premiere performance on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. (15. March 1956)

American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. (30. January 1956)

The International Air Transport Association finalizes a draft of the Radiotelephony spelling alphabet for the International Civil Aviation Organization. (1. March 1956)

Fidel Castro declares himself at war with the President of Cuba. (5. April 1956)

The United States Merchant Marine Academy becomes a permanent Service Academy. (20. February 1956)

Spain relinquishes its protectorate in Morocco. (7. April 1956)

As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS-TV. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format. (2. April 1956)

Jim Laker becomes the first man to take all 10 wickets in a Test match innings as he returns figures of 10/53 in the Australian 2nd innings. This combined with his 9/37 in the first innings gave him match figures of 19/90 in the 4th Test at Old Trafford. (31. July 1956)

Fritz Moravec and two other Austrian mountaineers make the first ascent of Gasherbrum II (8,035 m). (7. July 1956)

Operation Auca: Five U.S. missionaries are killed by the Huaorani of Ecuador shortly after making contact with them. (8. January 1956)

Conclusion of the Sixth Buddhist Council on Vesak Day, marking the 2,500 year anniversary after the Lord Buddha's Parinibbāna. (24. May 1956)

In Chicago, Illinois, videotape is first demonstrated. (14. April 1956)

In his speech On the Personality Cult and its Consequences, Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union denounces the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin. (25. February 1956)

A new year event causes panic and stampedes at Yahiko Shrine, Yahiko, Niigata, Japan, killing at least 124 people. (1. January 1956)

A TWA Super Constellation and a United Airlines DC-7 collide above the Grand Canyon in Arizona and crash, killing all 128 on board both planes. It is the worst-ever aviation disaster at that point in time. (30. June 1956)

Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world. (Republic Day in Pakistan) (23. March 1956)