Explore 3255 historical events from 1950–1959.
Pelageya Fedorovna Shajn, née Sannikova, was a Russian astronomer in the Soviet Union, and the first woman credited with the discovery of a minor planet, at the Simeiz Observatory …
Pelageya Shajn, Russian astronomer and academic (born 1894)
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. Prior to her m…
American actress Grace Kelly (pictured) became the princess consort of Monaco upon her marriage to Rainier III
Women's March took place on 9 August 1956 in Pretoria, South Africa. The marchers' aims were to protest the introduction of the Apartheid pass laws for black women in 1952 and the …
About 20,000 women marched on Pretoria, South Africa, to protest the introduction of pass laws for black women under…
The Eurovision Song Contest 1956, originally titled the Gran premio Eurovisione 1956 della canzone europea, was the first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 24 May 195…
The first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland
A double referendum was held in Egypt on 23 June 1956. The two issues were the candidacy of Gamal Abdel Nasser for the presidency and a new constitution. Both were approved, with t…
In a nationwide referendum, Gamal Abdel Nasser (pictured) was elected President of Egypt, a post he held until his death
The 1956 Poznań protests, also known as Poznań June, were the first of several massive protests against the communist government of the Polish People's Republic. Demonstrations by …
Polish workers demanding better working conditions began massive protests in Poznań, but were later violently repressed
The Marcinelle mining disaster occurred at the Bois du Cazier coal mine at Marcinelle, Hainaut Province, in Belgium on 8 August 1956. One of the largest and most notorious mining d…
A mining disaster killed 262 workers, mainly Italian nationals, at the Bois du Cazier coal mine in Belgium.
The Bonn–Paris conventions were signed in May 1952 and came into force after the 1955 ratification. The conventions put an end to the Allied occupation of West Germany.
The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into
The Austrian State Treaty or Austrian Independence Treaty established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on 15 May 1955 in Vienna, at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allie…
The Austrian State Treaty restores Austrian sovereignty.
The Northeastern United States form one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. Located on the Atlantic coast of North America, the region borders Ca…
In the Northeast United States, severe flooding caused by Hurricane Diane, claims 200 lives.
Henri is a member of the grand ducal family of Luxembourg who reigned as Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 2000 until his abdication in 2025.
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Todd Arlan Lickliter is the former head coach of the Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). He was previously the head coach of Maria…
Todd Lickliter, American basketball player and coach
Pete Shelley was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He formed early punk band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist in 1977 when …
Pete Shelley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2018)
Michael Adrian Stroud, OBE, FRCP is a professor of medicine and nutrition at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, England. He has interests in gastroenterology and human hea…
Mike Stroud, English physician and explorer
Murathan Mungan is a Turkish author, short story writer, playwright, and poet.
Murathan Mungan, Turkish author, poet, and playwright
Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the western highland of Java island, it has one of the coolest climates compared to other provincial …
Twenty-nine nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference
The first large-scale Asian–African or Afro–Asian Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference, was a meeting of Asian and African states, most of which were newly independent,…
The Bandung Conference ends: Twenty-nine non-aligned nations of Asia and Africa finish a meeting that condemns coloniali
The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc …
Cold War: West Germany joins NATO
Anthony John Miles was an English chess player and the first Englishman to earn the Grandmaster title.
Tony Miles, English chess player (died 2001)
Urmas Ott was an Estonian television and radio journalist, and talk show host in Soviet Union, Estonia and Russia.
Urmas Ott, Estonian journalist and author (died 2008)
Rialuth Serge Vohor was a Vanuatuan politician. He hailed from the largest island of Vanuatu, Espiritu Santo, from Port Olry.
Serge Vohor, Vanuatuan politician, 4th Prime Minister of Vanuatu (died 2024)
Marion Caspers-Merk is a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). She was a member of the Bundestag, representing Lörrach – Müllheim, and Parli…
Marion Caspers-Merk, German politician
Johannes Hendrikus Hubert "John" de Mol Jr. is a Dutch media proprietor. De Mol is one of the men behind production companies Endemol and Talpa. He created the reality television f…
John de Mol Jr
The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc …
Cold War: Eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a mutual defense treaty called the Warsaw Pac