1955

Article Index for 1955

Articles about 1955

Website Links For 1955

Information About 1955

	CATEGORIES ABOUT 1955
	19551955
	1950s

	APPAREL
	BABY
	BEAUTY
	BOOKS
	CAR TOYS
	CELL PHONES
	DVD'S
	ELECTRONICS
	GOURMET FOOD
	GROCERIES
	HEALTH & PERSONAL
	HOME & GARDEN
	JEWELRY
	MUSIC
	MUSIC INSTRUMENTS
	OFFICE PRODUCTS
	SOFTWARE
	SPORTING GOODS
	TOOLS & HARDWARE
	TOYS
	VIDEO GAMES
	SHOPPING HOME
	MORE SHOPPING...

	C	20th century
	Cf	21st century
	Yp1	1952
	Yp2	1953
	Yp3	1954
	Year	1955
	Ya1	1956
	Ya2	1957
	Ya3	1958
	Ya4	1959
	Dp3	1920s
	Dp2	1930s
	Dp1	1940s
	D	1950s
	Dn1	1960s
	Dn2	1970s
	Dn3	1980s

1955 (''' MCMLV ''') was a Common Year Starting On Saturday of the Gregorian Calendar .


EVENTS


January

• January 2 - José Antonio Remón Cantera president of Panama is murdered at a racetrack in Panama City


• January 7 - Marian Anderson is the first African American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City .


• January 22 - Pentagon announces plan to develop ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) armed with nuclear weapons


• January 28 - Congress authorizes President Eisenhower to use force to protect Formosa from Red China .

February

• February 8 - Nikolai Bulganin becomes Soviet Premier .


• February 12 - US President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends the first U.S. advisors to South Vietnam .


• February 22 - In Chicago's Democratic primary, Mayor Martin H. Kennelly loses to the head of the Cook County Democratic Party, Richard J. Daley , 364,839 to 264,775

March

• March 19 - KXTV signs on the air in the United States


• March 20 - '' Blackboard Jungle opens'' in theaters featuring the song Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and his Comets, thus propelling Rock And Roll as a musical genre. Teenagers jump from their seats to dance to the song.

April

• April 5 - Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom .


• April 5 - Richard J. Daley defeats Robert Merrian to become mayor of Chicago by a vote of 708,222 to 581,555.


• April 6 - Anthony Eden becomes Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom .


• April 12 - The Salk Polio Vaccine is introduced.


• April 15 - Ray Kroc starts the McDonald's Fast Food Restaurant chain.


• April 18 - Imre Nagy , Premier of Hungary , is ousted for being too moderate.

May

• May 5 - West Germany becomes a Sovereign state.


• May 9 - West Germany joins NATO .


• May 14 - The Warsaw Pact is formed by the Communist states of Eastern Europe and the USSR .

June

• June 11 - Eighty-three are killed and at least 100 are injured after an Austin-Healey and a Mercedes-Benz collide at the 24 Hours Of Le Mans .

July

• July 17 - Disneyland opens.


• July 18 - The first atomic-generated electrical power is sold commercially.


• July 18 - Illinois's Govenor William Stratton signs Loyalty Oath Act that mandates all public employees take a loyalty oath or lose their jobs.


• July 18 - Beginning of Geneva Summit between US, USSR, UK, and France.


• July 23 - Geneva Summit between US, USSR, UK, and France ends.

August

• August 19 - Hurricane Diane hits the northeast United States , killing 200 and causing over $1 billion in damage.


• August 20 - Hundreds killed in anti-French rioting in Morocco and Algeria .


• August 25 - The last Soviet forces leave Austria .


• August 28 - Emmett Till is killed in Money, Mississippi

September

• September 10 - '' Gunsmoke '' debuts on CBS .


• September 15 - Vladimir Nabokov 's '' Lolita '' is published in Paris by Olympia Press .


• September 19 - President Of Argentina Juan Peron is ousted in a military coup.


• September 19 - Hurricane Hilda kills 200 in Mexico.


• September 22 - The UK's first Commercial television, ITV launches


• September 24 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffers Coronary Thrombosis while on vacation in Denver .


• September 30 - Actor James Dean killed in car accident near Cholame, California.

October

• October 4 - The Reverend Sun Myung Moon is released from prison in Seoul , Korea .


• October 26 - Ngo Dinh Diem proclaims Vietnam a republic with himself as president.

November

• November 1 - Time bomb explodes aboard a United Airlines DC-6 killing 44 above Longmont, Colorado .


• November 5 - Racial segregation is forbidden on trains and buses in Interstate Commerce .


• November 5 - In the 1985 film Back To The Future , the character Dr. Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd ) comes up with the idea for a Flux Capacitor , a device that appropriates time travel.


• November 23 - The Cocos Islands are transferred from the control of the United Kingdom to Australia .

December

• December 1 - Montgomery, Alabama Seamstress , Rosa Parks , refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man and is arrested.


• December 5 - The American Federation Of Labor and the Congress Of Industrial Organizations merge to become the AFL-CIO .


• December 14 - Tappan Zee Bridge in New York opens to traffic.


• December 31 - General Motors becomes the first American corporation to make over USD $1 billion in a year.


• 70 mm film is introduced with '' Oklahoma! ''.


• Düsseldorf-Mönchengladbach Airport (Flughafen Düsseldorf-Mönchengladbach) was founded.

BIRTHS


January

• January 2 - Tex Brashear , American voice actor


• January 6 - Rowan Atkinson , English comedian and actor


• January 12 - Rockne O'Bannon , writer and television producer


• January 13 - Jay McInerney , American writer


• January 15 - Nigel Benson , British author and illustrator


• January 17 - Steve Earle , American musician


• January 18 - Kevin Costner , American actor


• January 19 - Simon Rattle , English conductor


• January 25 - Terry Chimes , British drummer ( The Clash )


• January 26 - Edward Van Halen , Dutch-born musician


• January 27 - John Roberts , Chief Justice Of The United States


• January 27 - Alexander Stuart , British author of The War Zone

February

• February 3 - Stephen Euin Cobb , American novelist


• February 8 - John Grisham , American novelist


• February 10 - Chris Adams , British professional wrestler (d. 2001 )


• February 10 - Greg Norman , Australian golfer


• February 12 - Arsenio Hall , American actor and talk show host


• February 15 - Christopher McDonald , American actor


• February 19 - Jeff Daniels , American actor


• February 20 - Kelsey Grammer , American actor


• February 23 - Howard Jones , English musician


• February 24 - Alain Prost , French race car driver


• February 24 - Steve Jobs , American computer pioneer

March

• March 5 - Penn Jillette , American magician and comedian


• March 6 - Alberta Watson , Canadian actress


• March 7 - Tommy Kramer , American football player


• March 15 - Dee Snider , American singer


• March 16 - Jiro Watanabe , Japanese boxer


• March 16 - Bruno Barreto , Brazilian film director


• March 17 - Gary Sinise , American actor


• March 19 - Bruce Willis , American actor


• March 22 - Pete Sessions , American politician


• March 23 - Moses Malone , American basketball player


• March 28 - John Alderdice , Northern Irish politician


• March 28 - Reba McEntire , American singer and actress


• March 29 - Earl Campbell , American football star


• March 31 - Angus Young , Scottish-born lead guitarist for AC/DC .

April

• April 5 - Akira Toriyama , Creator of Dragon Ball series


• April 6 - Michael Rooker , American actor


• April 7 - Werner Stocker , German actor (d. 1993 )


• April 8 - Kane Hodder , American actor


• April 11 - Kevin Brady , American politician


• April 15 - Dodi Al-Fayed , Egyptian businessman (d. 1997 )


• April 16 - Grand Duke Henri Of Luxembourg


• April 23 - Tony Miles , English chess player (d. 2001 )


• April 29 - Kate Mulgrew , American actress

May

• May 1 - Ray Buttigieg , Maltese composer and poet


• May 2 - Dave Winer , American software pioneer


• May 3 - David Hookes , Australian cricketer (d. 2004 )


• May 3 - Steve Jones , English guitarist ( Sex Pistols )


• May 6 - Tom Bergeron , American television host


• May 9 - Anne-Sofie Von Otter , Swedish mezzo-soprano


• May 10 - Chris Berman , American sports broadcaster


• May 10 - Mark David Chapman , American assassin of John Lennon


• May 16 - Olga Korbut , Russian gymnast


• May 16 - Jack Morris , baseball player


• May 16 - Hazel O'Connor , British singer


• May 16 - Debra Winger , American actress


• May 17 - Bill Paxton , American actor


• May 18 - Chow Yun-Fat , Hong Kong actor


• May 19 - James Gosling , Canadian software engineer


• May 20 - Zbigniew Preisner , Polish film composer


• May 21 - Paul Barber , British field hockey player


• May 21 - Stan Lynch , American drummer, songwriter, and producer


• May 26 - Masaharu Morimoto , Japanese chef


• May 26 - Doris Dörrie , German actress and screenplay writer


• May 28 - John McGeoch , Scottish musician ( Siouxsie And The Banshees and Public Image Ltd. ) (d. 2004 )


• May 30 - Topper Headon , British drummer ( The Clash )

June

• June 2 - Dana Carvey , American actor and comedian


• June 7 - Tim Richmond , American race car driver (d. 1989 )


• June 8 - Tim Berners-Lee , English inventor of the World Wide Web


• June 12 - Paul O'Grady , English talk show host and comedian


• June 13 - Larry Mike Garmon , American author


• June 20 - Tor Norretranders , Danish author


• June 21 - Tim Bray , Canadian computer programmer


• June 26 - Mick Jones , British guitarist ( The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite )


• June 27 - Isabelle Adjani , French actress


• June 30 - David Alan Grier , American actor and comedian

July

• July 1 - Sanma Akashiya , Japanese comedian and actor


• July 9 - Fred Norris , American radio personality


• July 21 - Howie Epstein , American musician and producer (d. 2003 )

August

• August 4 - Billy Bob Thornton , American actor


• August 7 - Vladimir Sorokin , Russian writer


• August 19 - Peter Gallagher , American actor

September

• September 1 - Bruce Foxton , English musician


• September 2 - Robert Duncan , American astrophysicist


• September 10 - Pat Mastelotto , American musician


• September 16 - Robin Yount , baseball player


• September 21 - Roger Ambrose , American art director

October

• October 7 - Yo-Yo Ma , French-born Chinese cellist


• October 10 - David Lee Roth , American rock singer


• October 15 - Kulbir Bhaura , British field hockey player


• October 17 - Mae Jemison , astronaut


• October 21 - Rich Mullins , American musician (d. 1997 )


• October 28 - Bill Gates , American software entrepreneur

November

• November 3 - Phil Simms , American football player


• November 4 - Matti Vanhanen , Prime Minister Of Finland


• November 6 - Maria Shriver , American journalist


• November 7 - Detlef Ultsch , German judoka


• November 9 - Karen Dotrice , English actress


• November 13 - Whoopi Goldberg , American actress, comedienne, and singer


• November 21 - Kyle Gann , American composer and music critic


• November 23 - Steven Brust , American author


• November 24 - Ian Botham , British cricketer

December

• December 3 - Steven Culp , American actor


• December 4 - Maurizio Bianchi , Italian experimental musician


• December 7 - Priscilla Barnes , American actress


• December 12 - Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki , Greek politician and businesswoman


• December 15 - Paul Simonon , British bassist ( The Clash )


• December 17 - Brad Davis , American basketball player


• December 18 - Ray Liotta , American actor


• December 21 - Jane Kaczmarek , American actress


• December 27 - Barbara Olson , American television commentator (d. 2001 )

DEATHS


January

• January 2 - Jose Antonio Remon , President Of Panama (assassinated) (b. 1908 )


• January 15 - Yves Tanguy , French painter (b. 1900 )


• January 21 - Archie Hahn , American athlete (b. 1880 )


• January 31 - John Mott , American YMCA leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1865 )

March

• March 11 - Sir Alexander Fleming , Scottish scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize In Physiology Or Medicine (b. 1881 )


• March 12 - Charlie Parker , American jazz saxophonist (b. 1920 )

April

• April 7 - Theda Bara , American film actress (b. 1885 )


• April 18 - Albert Einstein , German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879 )

May

• May 4 - Georges Enescu , Romanian composer (b. 1881 )


• May 9 - Kate Booth , the oldest daughter of William and Catherine Booth (b. 1858 )


• May 10 - Tommy Burns , American boxer (b. 1881 )


• May 11 - Gilbert Jessop , English cricketer (b. 1874 )


• May 16 - James Agee , American writer (b. 1909 )


• May 18 - Mary McLeod Bethune , American educator (b. 1875 )


• May 26 - Alberto Ascari , Italian race car driver (b. 1918 )

July

• July 23 - Cordell Hull , United States Secretary Of State , recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1871 )

August

• August 2 - Wallace Stevens , American poet (b. 1879 )


• August 5 - Carmen Miranda , Portuguese singer and actress (b. 1909 )


• August 12 - Thomas Mann , German writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1875 )


• August 12 - James B. Sumner , American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887 )

September

• September 30 - James Dean , American actor (automobile accident) (b. 1931 )

October

• October 1 - Charles Christie , American film studio owner (b. 1880 )


• October 9 - Theodor Cardinal Innitzer , Archbishop of Vienna (b. 1875 )

November

• November 4 - Cy Young , baseball player (b. 1867 )


• November 5 - Maurice Utrillo , French artist (b. 1882 )


• November 12 - Alfréd Hajós , Hungarian swimmer (b. 1878 )


• November 22 - Shemp Howard , American Actor and member of the Three Stooges (b. 1895 )


• November 27 - Arthur Honegger , French-born Swiss composer (b. 1892 )

December

• December 6 - Honus Wagner , baseball player (b. 1874 )


• December 13 - Egas Moniz , Portuguese neurologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize In Physiology Or Medicine (b. 1874 )


• December 27 - Alfred Francis Blakeney Carpenter , English soldier (b. 1881 )

NOBEL PRIZES

• Physics - Willis Eugene Lamb , Polykarp Kusch


• Chemistry - Vincent Du Vigneaud


• Physiology Or Medicine - Axel Hugo Theodor Theorell


• Literature - Halldór Kiljan Laxness


• Peace - not awarded