1955

1955 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. It was marked by postwar growth, political realignments, and ongoing decolonization, as well as notable social and scientific developments.

In international affairs, the Bandung Conference gathered leaders from Asia and Africa in April to promote economic and political cooperation outside the major blocs, contributing to the rise of the Non-Aligned Movement. In May, the Warsaw Pact was signed by the Soviet Union and seven Eastern Bloc states, creating a formal East European military alliance. In the United Kingdom, the Conservative Party under Anthony Eden won the general election, returning to government.

Domestically, civil rights activism gained momentum in the United States: Rosa Parks' refusal to surrender her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus in December sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal movement in the desegregation of public facilities; the year also saw the brutal murder of Emmett Till, which helped galvanize national awareness of racial injustice.

Science and business milestones included the public confirmation, in 1955, that Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was safe and effective, leading to widespread vaccination. The same year saw the expansion of fast food as Ray Kroc opened the first franchised McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, laying the foundations of a global chain. In publishing, the Guinness Book of Records was first issued, cataloging extraordinary global achievements.

Asia-Pacific politics also shifted as South Vietnam's leadership consolidated under Ngo Dinh Diem; after a 1955 plebiscite in October, the Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed with Diem as president, shaping U.S. involvement in the region.

1955 thus reflects Cold War tensions, the momentum of civil rights movements, and accelerating globalization and cultural shifts that would unfold in the following decades.