1956

1956 was a leap year marked by major political, social, and cultural shifts around the world. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal on July 26, triggering the Suez Crisis, in which Israel attacked Sinai in October, followed by British and French military action. Under international pressure, including from the United States, the involved powers withdrew by the end of the year, reshaping postwar Middle East diplomacy.

In Eastern Europe, the Hungarian Revolution began on October 23 and was crushed by Soviet forces by early November, leaving thousands dead or displaced and altering the region’s political landscape. In Poland, the Poznań protests in June 1956 indicated growing dissent within communist states. In South Asia, Pakistan became a republic on March 23, adopting a new constitution that transformed the country’s status within the Commonwealth.

Culturally and institutionally, 1956 saw the debut of the Eurovision Song Contest on May 24 in Lugano, with 14 countries participating. The Melbourne Summer Olympics ran November 22 to December 8, with equestrian events staged in Stockholm due to quarantine restrictions in Australia. In cinema, landmark releases included The Ten Commandments and Around the World in 80 Days, reflecting a vibrant mid-20th-century film industry.

Technological and infrastructural advances included the June 29 signing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act, creating the U.S. Interstate Highway System. IBM introduced the RAMAC 305 in September, the first commercial computer with a hard disk. In the United Kingdom, Calder Hall began generating electricity in 1956, becoming the world’s first nuclear power station to supply a public grid. These developments collectively marked 1956 as a year of rapid change across multiple domains.