The Year 1956
MAJOR EVENTS:

Dwight Eisenhower re-elected President, defeating Adlai Stevenson handily for a second time

Soviet leader Khrushchev publicly denounces Stalin, begins official policy of "de-Stalinization" in the USSR

Egypt seizes Suez Canal; Britain and France respond with force; U.S. and Soviet Union help negotiate a cease-fire

Israel invades Sinai Peninsula

Soviet troops suppress a popular uprising against the communist regime in Hungary

Congress approves Highway Act, which allows for construction of the U.S. interstate highway system

Fidel Castro begins revolution in Cuba

Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria sinks after colliding with another vessel

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

Atomic Energy Commission approves development of commercial nuclear power plants

IBM founder Thomas J. Watson dies

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

First transatlantic telephone cable goes into operation

Dr. Albert Sabin develops oral polio vaccine

SPORTS:

World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn, 4-3

Olympic Games held in Melbourne, Australia

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT:

Movies: The Ten Commandments, Lust for Life, Around the World in 80 Days, The Man with the Golden Arm, The Seventh Seal

Songs: Don't Be Cruel, Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, I Could Have Danced All Night, On the Street Where You Live

TV Shows: Danny Thomas Show, Perry Como Show, Ed Sullivan Show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, December Bride, This is Your Life

Books: Peyton Place, Grace Metalious; Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy; The Last Hurrah, Edwin O'Connor; The Organization Man, W.H. Whyte

Rock and roll becomes a national phenomenon, fueled by the popularity of Elvis Presley

My Fair Lady opens in New York

Grace Kelly marries Monaco's Prince Rainier III

Artist Jackson Pollock dies

EVERYDAY LIFE:

Interstate highway system authorized, helping to fuel a long-term trend toward the populating of suburban communities, often at the expense of established urban neighborhoods