1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). [edit] Events of 1955 [edit] January [edit] February - March 5 – WBBJ-TV signs on the air in the Jackson, Tennessee, with WDXI as its initial call-letters, to expanded American commercial television in mostly-rural areas.
- March 7 – The Broadway musical version of Peter Pan, which had been created in 1954, starring Mary Martin, is presented on television for the first time by NBC-TV. It is also the first time that a stage musical is presented in its entirety on TV exactly as it was performed on stage. This program gains the largest viewership of a TV special up to this time, and it becomes one of the first great TV children's classics.
- March 17 – The Richard Riot occurs in Montreal.
- March 19 – KXTV of Stockton, California, signs on the air in the United States, being the 100th commercial television station in this country.
- March 20 – Evan Hunter's movie adaptation of the novel Blackboard Jungle premieres in the United States, featuring the famous single, Rock Around the Clock, by Bill Haley and his "Comets". Teenagers jump from their seats to dance to the song.
- May 5 – West Germany becomes a soverign country that is recognized by important Western foreign countries, such as France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.
- May 9 – West Germany joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
- May 11 – The Japanese ferry Shiun Maru sinks off of Takamatsu, Shikoku, Japan; 168 people are killed.
- May 14 – Eight Communist Bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a mutual defence treaty in Warsaw, Poland, that is called the Warsaw Pact.
- May 15 – The Austrian State Treaty, which restores Austria's national sovereignty, is concluded between the four occupying powers following World War II (the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and France) and Austria, setting up Austria as a neutral country.
- July 7 – The New Zealand Special Air Service is formed.
- July 13 – Ruth Ellis (born 1926) is hanged for murder in London. She was the last woman ever to be executed in the United Kingdom, as of 2009.
- July 17 – The Disneyland Amusement Park opens in Anaheim, California.
- July 18
- The first nuclear-generated electrical power is sold commercially, partially powering the town of Arco, Idaho.
- The Illinois Governor, William Stratton, signs the "Loyalty Oath Act", passed by the State Legislature, which mandates all public employees take a loyalty oath to Illinois and the United States, or lose their jobs.
- The first Geneva Summit meeting between the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France begins. It ends on July 23rd.
- July 27 – The El Al Flight 402 airliner from Vienna, Austria, to Tel Aviv-Yafo via Istanbul is shot down over Bulgaria. All 58 passengers and crewmen aboard the Lockheed Constellation airplane are killed.
- July 28 – The first Interlingua Congress in Tours, France, leads to the founding of the Union Mundial pro Interlingua.
[edit] August [edit] September [edit] October [edit] November [edit] December - December 1 – Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person, and the national civil rights movement begins.
- December 5
- December 14
- The Tappan Zee Bridge in New York opens to traffic.
- Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sri Lanka join the United Nations in one fell stroke, after several years of morotorium of admitting new members that began during the Korean War.
- December 22 – The American cytogeneticist Joe Hin Tjio discovers the correct number of human chromosomes, forty-six, by counting them correctly.
- December 31 -- The General Motors Corporation becomes the first American corporation to make a profit of over one billion dollars in one year.
[edit] Ongoing [edit] World population - – Africa: 246,746,000
- – Asia: 1,541,947,000
- – Europe: 575,184,000
- – South America: 190,797,000
- – Northern America: 186,884,000
- – Oceania: 14,265,000
[edit] Births [edit] January [edit] February - February 2 – Leszek Engelking, Polish poet, writer and translator
- February 3 – Kirsty Wark, Scottish television presenter
- February 6 – Michael Pollan, American journalist
- February 7 – Miguel Ferrer, American actor
- February 8
- Charles Shaughnessy, British Actor
- February 10
- February 12
- February 13 – Akiko Yano, Japanese singer-songwriter
- February 15 – Christopher McDonald, American actor
- February 17 – Mo Yan, Chinese writer
- February 19 – Jeff Daniels, American actor
- February 20 – Kelsey Grammer, American actor
- February 23
- February 24
- March 2
- March 3 – Kent Derricott, Canadian TV personality in Japan
- March 4 – Dominique Pinon, French actor
- March 5
- March 6 – Alberta Watson, Canadian actress
- March 7 – Tommy Kramer, American football player
- March 8 – Don Ashby, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1981)
- March 9 – Franco Uncini, Italian motorcycle racer
- March 10 – Youssra, Egyptian actress and singer
- March 11 – Nina Hagen, German pop star
- March 12 – Rupert Jones, American baseball player
- March 13 – Bruno Conti, Italian football player
- March 15
- March 16
- March 17 – Gary Sinise, American actor
- March 18
- March 19
- March 20 – Mariya Takeuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter
- March 21 – Philippe Troussier, French football coach
- March 22
- March 23 – Moses Malone, American basketball player
- March 26 – Danny Arndt, Canadian ice hockey player
- March 28
- March 29
- March 30 – Paul Reiser, American actor
- March 31 – Angus Young, Australian rock guitarist (AC/DC)
- May 1 – Ray Buttigieg, Maltese composer and poet
- May 2
- May 3 – David Hookes, Australian cricketer (d. 2004)
- May 4 – Robert Ellis Orrall, American singer
- May 6 – Tom Bergeron, American television host
- May 8 – Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia
- May 9 – Anne-Sofie von Otter, Swedish mezzo-soprano
- May 10
- May 16
- May 17 – Bill Paxton, American actor
- May 18 – Chow Yun-Fat, Hong Kong actor
- May 19 – James Gosling, Canadian software engineer
- May 20
- May 22
- May 24
- May 25
- May 26
- May 30 – Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII, Japanese Kabuki actor
- May 31 – Tommy Emmanuel, Australian guitarist (CGP)
- June 1 – Chiyonofuji Mitsugu, Japanese sumo wrestler (58th Yokozuna grand champion)
- June 2 – Dana Carvey, American actor and comedian
- June 5 – Fernando Borrego Linares, Cuban singer and songwriter (aka Polo Montañez)
- June 6
- June 7 – Tim Richmond, American race car driver (d. 1989)
- June 8 – Tim Berners-Lee, English inventor of the World Wide Web
- June 10
- June 14 – Paul O'Grady, English talk show host and comedian
- June 16 – Laurie Metcalf, American actress
- June 18 – Sandy Allen, American, world's tallest woman (d. 2008)
- June 20 – Tor Norretranders, Danish author
- June 21
- June 22 – Glenn Danzig, American rock singer (The Misfits, Samhain, Danzig)
- June 23 – Alan J. Gow, British motorsport executive
- June 21 – Tim Bray, Canadian computer programmer
- June 24 – Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Indian head of Siddha Yoga
- June 26 – Yoko Gushiken, Japanese boxer
- June 27 – Isabelle Adjani, French actress
- June 30 – David Alan Grier, American actor and comedian
[edit] August - August 2 – Caleb Carr, American writer
- August 4
- August 6 – Ron Davis, American baseball player
- August 7 – Vladimir Sorokin, Russian writer
- August 8 – Diddú (Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir), Icelandic soprano and songwriter
- August 9 – Doug Williams, American football quarterback
- August 13 – Daryl, American magician
- August 17 – Richard Hilton, American businessman
- August 19
- August 20 – Agnes Chan, Hong Kong born TV personality in Japan
- August 22 – Chiranjeevi, Indian actor
- August 24 – Mike Huckabee, American politician, former Governor and 2008 Presidential candidate
- August 27 – Laura Fygi, Dutch singer
- August 30 – Mayumi Muroyama, Japanese manga artist
- August 31 – Edwin Moses, American athlete
[edit] September - September 1
- September 2 – Robert Duncan, American astrophysicist
- September 4 – Hiroshi Izawa, Japanese actor
- September 6 – Raymond Benson, American author
- September 7 – Efim Zelmanov, Russian mathematician
- September 9 – John Kricfalusi, Canadian cartoonist
- September 15
- September 16 – Robin Yount, American baseball player
- September 17 – Charles Martinet, American voice-actor
- September 19 – Richard Burmer, American composer, sound designer, and musician (d. 2006)
- September 21 – Richard Hieb, American astronaut
- September 23 – Don Graham, American journalist
- September 24 – Shinbo Nomura, Japanese manga artist
- September 25 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, German football player
- September 28 – Stéphane Dion, Canadian politician
[edit] October [edit] November - November 2 – Chris Burnett, American saxophone player, composer, veteran of US military jazz bands and band leader
- November 3
- November 4 – Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland
- November 5
- November 6 – Maria Shriver, American journalist, First Lady of California
- November 7 – Detlef Ultsch, German judo athlete
- November 9 – Karen Dotrice, English actress
- November 10 – Roland Emmerich, German film director
- November 11 – Jigme Singye Wangchuk, King of Bhutan
- November 13 – Whoopi Goldberg, American actress and comedienne
- November 14 – Koichi Nakano, Japanese bicycle racer
- November 19 – Dianne de Leeuw, Dutch figure skater
- November 20 – Ray Ozzie, American computer programmer
- November 21 – Kyle Gann, American composer and music critic
- November 23 – Steven Brust, American author
- November 24 – Ian Botham, British cricketer
- November 27 – Bill Nye, American science presenter and public television host
- November 29 – Howie Mandel, Canadian actor and game show host
- November 30
[edit] December - December 3 – Steven Culp, American actor
- December 4 – Maurizio Bianchi, Italian musician
- December 7 – Priscilla Barnes, American actress
- December 8 – Ian Greig, English cricketer
- December 9 – Asashio Tarō IV, Japanese sumo wrestler
- December 12 – Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Greek politician and businesswoman
- December 16 – Chiharu Matsuyama, Japanese singer-songwriter
- December 17 – Brad Davis, American basketball player
- December 16 – Rob Levin, American founder of the freenode IRC network (d. 2006)
- December 18 – Ray Liotta, American actor
- December 21 – Jane Kaczmarek, American actress
- December 23
- December 24
- December 27 – Barbara Olson, American television commentator (d. 2001)
- December 31 – Jim Tracy, American baseball player
[edit] Deaths [edit] January–February - January 1 – Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, Indian scientist (b. 1894)
- January 2 – Jose Antonio Remon, President of Panama (assassinated) (b. 1908)
- January 6 – Yevgeny Tarle, Soviet historian (b. 1874)
- January 11 – Rodolfo Graziani, Italian General (b. 1882)
- January 15 – Yves Tanguy, French painter (b. 1900)
- January 18 – August Duesenberg, German-born American automobile manufacturer (b. 1879)
- January 21 – Archie Hahn, American athlete (b. 1880)
- January 24 – Ira Hayes, U.S. Marine (b. 1923)
- January 29 – Hans Hedtoft, Prime Minister of Denmark (b. 1903)
- January 31 – John Mott, American YMCA leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1865)
- February 11 – Ona Munson, American actress (b. 1903)
- February 12
- February 23 – Paul Claudel, French poet, dramatist, and diplomat (b. 1868)
- February 27 – Trixie Friganza, American actress (b. 1870)
[edit] March–April - March 8 – William C. deMille, American screenwriter and director (b. 1878)
- March 9 – Matthew Henson, American explorer (b. 1866)
- March 11 – Sir Alexander Fleming, Scottish scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1881)
- March 12 – Charlie Parker, American saxophonist (b. 1920)
- March 16 – Nicolas de Staël, Russian painter (b. 1914)
- March 23 – Artur da Silva Bernardes, President of Brazil (b. 1875)
- March 30 – Ylla, Hungarian photographer (b. 1911) (jeep accident)
- April 7 – Theda Bara, American film actress (b. 1885)
- April 18 – Albert Einstein, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
- April 25 – Constance Collier, stage & screen actress (b. 1878)
[edit] May–June - May 4 – Georges Enescu, Romanian composer (b. 1881)
- May 10
- May 11 – Gilbert Jessop, English cricketer (b. 1874)
- May 14 – Anwar Wagdi, Egyptian actor and filmmaker (b. 1904)
- May 16 – James Agee, American writer (b. 1909)
- May 18 – Mary McLeod Bethune, American educator (b. 1875)
- May 22 – Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, American actor (b. 1891)
- May 26 – Alberto Ascari, Italian race car driver (b. 1918)
- May 30 – Bill Vukovich, American race car driver (b. 1918)
- June 5 – Pattillo Higgins, American oil pioneer and businessman (b. 1863)
- June 11 – Walter Hampden, American actor (b. 1879)
- June 17 – Carlyle Blackwell, American actor (b. 1884)
- June 19 – Adrienne Monnier, French poet (b. 1892)
- June 24 – Carlos Gardel, Argentine singer (b. 1890)
- June 26 – Engelbert Zaschka, German helicopter pioneer (b. 1896)
[edit] July–August - July 3 – Beatrice Chase, British writer (b. 1874)
- July 13 – Stanley Price, American film and television actor (b. 1892)
- July 23 – Cordell Hull, United States Secretary of State, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1871)
- July 31 – Robert Francis, American actor (b. 1930)
- August 2 – Wallace Stevens, American poet (b. 1879)
- August 5 – Carmen Miranda, Portuguese singer and actress (b. 1909)
- August 8 – Grace Hartman, American actress (b. 1907)
- August 12
- August 13 – Florence Easton, English opera soprano (b. 1882)
- August 17 – Fernand Léger, French painter and sculptor (b. 1881)
- August 28 – Emmett Till, American murder victim (b. 1941)
[edit] September–October - September 1 – Philip Loeb, American actor (b. 1891)
- September 20 – Robert Riskin, American screenwriter (b. 1897)
- September 23 – Martha Norelius, American Olympic swimmer (b. 1908)
- September 24 – Ib Schønberg, Danish actor (b. 1902)
- September 30
- October 1 – Charles Christie, American film studio owner (b. 1880)
- October 8 – Iry LeJeune, Cajun musician (b. 1928)
- October 9
- October 18 – José Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher (b. 1883)
- October 19 – John Hodiak, American actor (b. 1914)
- October 31 – William Woodward, Jr., American banker and horse breeder, shot to death by his wife (b. 1920)
[edit] November–December - November 1 – Dale Carnegie, American writer and lecturer (b. 1888)
- November 4 – Cy Young, American baseball player (b. 1867)
- November 5 – Maurice Utrillo, French artist (b. 1882)
- November 7 – Tom Powers, American actor (b. 1890)
- November 11 – Jerry Ross, American lyricist and composer (b. 1926)
- November 12 – Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer (b. 1878)
- November 14 – Robert E. Sherwood, American playwright (b. 1896)
- November 15 – Lloyd Bacon, American actor and director (b. 1889)
- November 22 – Shemp Howard, American actor and comedian (The Three Stooges) (b. 1895)
- November 27 – Arthur Honegger, French-born Swiss composer (b. 1892)
- December 1 – Chief Thundercloud, American character actor (b. 1899)
- December 6
- December 13 – Egas Moniz, Portuguese neurologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1874)
- December 21 – Garegin Njdeh, Armenian statesman (b. 1886)
- December 25
- December 27 – Alfred Francis Blakeney Carpenter, English soldier (b. 1881)
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