This Day In 1956

Now, as you roam about the website and chance upon this page, it may provide you with some nostalgic flash-backs or even some surprises.  Enjoy!

During the Civil War, on this day, March 30, 1863, just three months after his Emancipation Proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer. He stated: “We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God... we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.” President Lincoln concluded: “Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become... too proud to pray to the God that made us!”

April 1

(Easter)

On this day in 1956, at the 10th Tony Awards, Diary of Anne Frank and Damn Yankees won big.  You remember that yesterday was Elvis' last performance in his Louisiana Hayride contract?  Well, today he had his first screen test for Paramount Studios in Hollywood.  In a true "April Fool" twist, Elvis, "The King," was made to lip-synch "Blue Suede Shoes" for the movie, "The Rainmaker". . . . and he didn't get the role!!!  Today, Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" hit the top of the R&B chart and stayed there for 8 straight weeks.  

On this date in 1956, Adlai Stevenson, my hero back then, was knocked out of the primaries for the Democrat nomination for President of the United States when he lost to Estes Kefauver in Minnesota.  As the World Turns and Edge of Night premiered on the television scene.  Johnny Cash's record, "I Walk the Line" (with "Get Rhythm" on the back side) was released today.   It sold 1 million in the first year, and Johnny wrote later that he was disappointed that Sam Phillips, Florence, Alabama, owner of sound studios in Memphis and Muscle Shoals, didn't give him a Cadillac like he did for Elvis and Carl Perkins.  It was Easter weekend, and the traditional egg roll contest was held today on the White House lawn.  The cover story in Life magazine, today, was all about us teens of the day and our telephone habits:

On April 3, 1956, President Eisenhower, in a letter expressing his disappointment at not working out a compromise on a major farm bill before Congress, quoted an old German saying, "The best is the enemy of the good," implying that sometimes people hold out for a result in a controversy that perfectly matches their own rather than settling for something that "almost" matches it.  Boy, does that reflect the polarized political scene today!  

On April 3, 1956, the worst tornado in the history of Western Lower Michigan caused devastation along a nearly 50 mile long path.  On another April 3 in 1974, a line of powerful thunderstorms stretching from the Gulf Coast to the top of the United states spawned hundreds of tornadoes, including seven F5 (on the Fujita scale of damage) twisters--3 of which were here in Alabama.  (By the way, another famous non-1956 April 3 was in the year A.D. 33--the traditional date of the crucifixion of Jesus.)

The media continued to report on the civil rights unrest, focusing on the problem here in the South--the active resistance of young blacks at Virginia lunch counters and the bus boycott in Montgomery that was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks December 3 during our senior year in high school.  Today in 1956, leaders of the racial boycott against Montgomery City Lines buses asked in vain for permission to operate an all-Negro bus line in Montgomery. The City Commission turned them down with the observation that the boycotted Montgomery City Lines Inc. is offering "excellent bus service for the entire city" and the "45 or 50 buses are now standing empty." Negroes for 19 weeks have refused to ride the segregated City Lines buses.  In this Herblock political cartoon in the Washington Post on this date, President Eisenhower is depicted as doing nothing:

Strom Thurmond, former governor of South Carolina and unsuccessful candidate for President of the United States on the States Rights Democrat ticket, became the first and only senator to be elected on a write-in vote on this day in 1956.  He promised to resign after his term and return to the National Democrat Party, which he did and was elected to fill the vacancy created by his own resignation.  Two terms later, he became a Republican and continued to be re-elected 5 times.

Grace Kelly and her 65-member wedding party boarded the ocean liner Constitution on April 4, 1956 and sailed off to her storybook wedding to Prince Rainier in Monaco.

Capt. Roy Hall, U.S. Army, ret.; Charles Anderson and others observed a U.F.O. over  McKinney, Texas at 3:15 p.m. and for 6 hours thereafter.  Seen through telescopes, it was described to be one fat, oblong object with two lines around its middle.

On this day in 1968, Martin Luther King, at age 39, was shot as he stood on the balcony outside his hotel room. Escaped convict and committed racist James Earl Ray was convicted of the crime.

On April 5, 1956, the house where Booker T. Washington was born in Franklin County, Virginia, was created a United States National Monument.   A 45-year old Associate State Supreme Court Justice of Alabama, Hon. James J. Mayfield, who had been quoted as saying he was having a devil of a time over segregation," was found shot to death today, and it was ruled suicide.  Gasoline stocks rise to a new high as fuel inventories continue to shrink and refinery rates of operation decline.   An increase of 1,408,000 barrels in the nation's gasoline stocks in the week ended last Friday was reported yesterday by the American Petroleum Institute.  The price of gasoline was about $0.30 per gallon.

In 2063, 57 years from this date, today, First Contact will be made with the Vulcans on Star Trek.

Today in 1956, Elvis fulfilled his major dream of stardom by signing a 7-year contract with Hal Wallis and Paramount Theater, a move that wasn't so good for him.  Although he starred in all these films made in this period, he dropped off the popular music charts.  The movie roles were selected by his manager, Col. Parker, who chose scripts that he considered "tried and true," but which were generally considered to be "same old" inferior stories with no co-stars of equal talent (except for Ann-Margaret in Viva Las Vegas).

Love Me Tender (1956)
Loving You (1957)
Jailhouse Rock(1957)
King Creole (1958)*
G.I. Blues (1960)--the most enjoyed Elvis film!)Flaming Star (1960)
Wild in the Country (1961)
Blue Hawaii (1961)
Follow that Dream (1962)
Kid Galahad (1962)
Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)
It Happened at the World's Fair (1963)
Fun in Acapulco (1963)
Kissin' Cousins (1964)
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
Roustabout (1964)
Girl Happy (1965)
Tickle Me (1965)
Harum Scarum (1965)
Frankie and Johnny (1966)
Paradise Hawaiian Style (1966)
Spinout (1966)
Double Trouble (1967)
Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)
Clambake (1967)
Stay Away Joe (1968)
Speedway (1968)
Live a Little, Love a Little (1968)
Charro! (1969)
Trouble With Girls (1969)
Change of Habit (1969)

On April 6, a group of North Alabama Citizens' Council men gathered at a West Anniston service station owned by Kenneth Adams, one of Asa Carter's chief lieutenants.  "In the heady atmosphere of gasoline and crankshaft oil," Adams lectured the men on the evils of rock-and-roll and bebop, elucidating the wicked, communistic intentions of the African American musicians who played such music to corrupt white teenagers and to invalidate the integrity of the color line.  In this meeting they put out the call for 100 men to attend and disrupt the Nat King Cole concert in Birmingham on the 10th.

In London, Nikita Khrushchev informs the British that his nation can produce an intercontinental missile with a hydrogen bomb warhead.  In 1956, a gallon of milk sold for $.97, a loaf of bread sold for $.18, a new car sold for $2,100.00, a gallon of gas sold for $.23, and a new house sold for $22,000.00. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was about 499.47.

Today in 1956 was a Sunday, and the last round of the 20th Golf Masters Championship occurred on this date.  Jack Burke, Jr. (Jack Who????) won, shooting a 289--a tie with Sam Snead for the highest Masters' winning total.   Up in South Carolina, 6 marine recruits drowned in Ribbon Creek during a marsh training exercise at Parris Island, SC.  On this Sunday morning at his Unification Headquarters Church in Seoul, Korea, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon spoke on "Let Us Become The Elite Troop Of God."  Today in 1956, Elvis performed at 3 o'clock and an 8 o'clock shows in the Coliseum in Denver, Colorado.  He wasn't drawing huge crowds at that time.  He had just played at the San Diego Arena on the 4th and 5th, and only grossed $17,250 for two days of performing before a 2-day total of 11,250 fans. 

Edward R. Murrow was still around in April 1956 and actively reporting, while his sparring partner, Red-baiting Sen. Joseph McCarthy was on his last legs, dying of alcoholic cirrhosis:

Red Grandy ©Stars and Stripes
Wiesbaden, Germany, April 8, 1956: CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow is on the other end of the microphone this time as he talks to reporters during a stop in Wiesbaden, where he received a USAFE briefing before moving on to Tripoli to begin gathering material for a pair of programs on Africa. Murrow, famed for his broadcasts from London during the German bombings of World War II, had most recently made headlines by taking on Red-baiting Sen. Joseph McCarthy.  

Connie Johnson, member of 1st Methodist Choir, Easter 1956

On this Palm Sunday, as we enter Holy Week in 2006, it is ironic to note that in 1956, we celebrated Easter Sunday 8 days ago, April 1.  In the 131 years between 1875 and 2005, Easter has come as early as April 1 or in March 34 times, or 25% of these years.  Sorry I let that pass last week, class.

Nat King Cole looks out at the Birmingham audience before the April 10, 1956, performance

This was the day of the Nat King Cole concert at the Birmingham Municipal Auditorium.  Asa Carter, chief thug of the North Alabama Citizens' Council had only gotten 5 "takers" of his call for 100 white men to disrupt the concert.  The two Vinson brothers and Carter's chief lieutenant, Kenneth Adams, entered the auditorium, waiting in the rear until the 3rd number and then raced down the aisle to the stage.  Two eluded the policeman who was chasing them, hit Cole with a flying tackle and started pummeling him with their fists.  The third tussled with the policeman while shouting "White Trash!" at the audience.  Police arrived from the wings of the stage and subdued the attack.  Cole was quoted as saying, "Man, I sure do like performing, but not enough to die doing it!"  Despite the apologies and pleas of Mayor Jimmy Morgan and the prolonged ovation of the audience, Cole declined to perform for the white audience.  He came back and performed for the black audience later that evening.  This was the last concert he gave in his home state of Alabama.

Cole took a lot of heat from the Northern press and the black leaders at that time when he responded to a reporter's question about performing to segregated audiences, "Sure, I will.  It's my job. . . . It's foolish to think a performer like me can go into a Southern city and demand that audiences be integrated.  The Supreme Court is having a hard time integrating schools.  What chance do I have to integrate audiences."  Thurgood Marshall said, "All Cole needs to complete his role as Uncle Tom is a banjo." 

These thugs didn't stop the tide of civil rights, but they stopped a single concert in an Alabama town. . . . . and they damaged the reputation of one of the most talented sons of Alabama.

Source:  Alabama Heritage, No. 71, Winter 2004

The 12th major attack by Palastinian terrorists on Israelis between January 1, 1952 and today, April 11, 1956, occurred when terrorists opened fire on a synagogue full of children and teenagers, in the farming community of Shafrir. Three children and a youth worker were killed on the spot, and five were wounded, including three seriously.  This was the second of nine such attacks that will occur during this year alone.

Today, it was reported that Chevrolet sold the EX-122 Corvette to Russell Sanders, assistant Chief Engineer of Chevrolet.  The first production model Corvette rolled off the assembly line June 30, 1953, so this "EXperimental" model was a restored earlier version—and what a beauty!  I remember entering the 1956 Readers' Digest Sweepstakes to win a red 1956 Corvette Grand Prize.  I even subscribed to the magazine to insure my winning so I could drive up to school in Nashville.  I actually hitch-hiked to and from Vandy that year.  I've never owned a Corvette, and I don't subscribe to Readers' Digest.

In a speech on this date, the great wordsmith Clement Attlee, former Prime Minister of Great Britain said, "Russian Communism is the illegitimate child of Karl Marx and Catherine the Great."

The reunification of East and West Germany was in the headlines—and in political cartoons, like this one by the cartoonist P. G. Sorcar that was published this date:

This afternoon's paper blared the headline, "Egyptian Plane Shot Down Over Israel."  Seven Arab commando raiders had flown a sortie into Israeli air space, and one of the planes was brought down by the anti-aircraft fire of the Israelis.  This brought Mid-East tension to a new peak.

Congress passed the Farm Bill that President Eisenhower had warned about being disastrous for farmers and for America.  He has threatened to veto such a bill, but he faces extreme criticism from the Democrats if he does.  Also in the news today was the announcement that Ike had kicked off his reelection campaign.

This is the 125th birthday of that venerable Alabama institution of higher learning, The University of Alabama.  That makes today in 2006 the 175th birthday! 

It appeared on the front page of the Tuscaloosa News, April 12, 1956, just like it was a report of another legitimate organization that was having a growth spurt, that the Ku Klux Klan had inducted 50 new members at its meeting hall on Old Birmingham Highway.  The reporter even thought it important to close the article with the statement that no march or cross-burning occurred.

The big 1" headline today tells us that Mid-East tensions have been eased after yesterdays' downing of an Egyptian plane when both sides pledged only to participate in "defensive fighting," whatever that is. There was speculation by reporters that the size of the U.N. peacekeeping team in the Middle East was to be doubled.

Taxpayers heard today that the IRS was going to give them an extra day to file their income tax forms because April 15 would come on a Sunday this year.  We get 2 days this year.

The governor of the state of Alabama, "Big Jim" Folsom sat down to lunch with former president Harry S. Truman in St. Louis, Missouri.  It was reported that he bought lunch for this prominent Missouri citizen, just because Missouri does a lot of business at the Port of Mobile.  There was speculation that he was lining up support for the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway project.

On this day in 1956, the Ampex Corporation demonstrated the first commercially available videotape recorder.  Unlike the two other competitors, Disney and RCA, the unique design allowed up to 90 minutes of excellent recording instead of 3-4 minutes with poor quality pictures.  But, take a look at the size and the price—both big!  They sold briskly at $50,000 and Ampex ruled the market for years.

This evening, Bill Pearl won the Mr. U.S.A. title, beating out Clarence Ross, Zabo Kosewski and Timmy Leong (Who cares?).

The American stage, film and television actress Hope Lange married Don Murray, a mostly TV actor on this date.  Lasted 5 years and produced two children.

It may be Easter today, in 2006, but in 1956 it was an ordinary Monday over 2 weeks after Easter which was celebrated on April 1.  Sweet Bird of Youth, a Tennessee Williams play, opened at  the Studio M Playhouse in Coral Gables, Florida, April 16, 1956.  President Eisenhower finally vetoed the Farm Bill which he said would be disastrous for the American farming community.  The first solar powered radios went on sale today in 1956 (didn't catch on like calculators would later in the 1960s).  On the morning of April 16, 1956, Vice President Richard Nixon served notice that the vice-presidency had finally become an office to be sought after by ambitious politicians rather than a position in which to gain four years of rest.  He strode into the office of the President and forced the decision to keep him on as Vice-president instead of dumping him as was widely speculated.

What would our lives have been like if we had heeded the Time Magazine announcement on April 16, 1956: "Hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) is the No. 1 killer among diseases in the U.S. …supported by ten years of research: emotional stress is the main cause of arteriosclerosis…”

On April 18, 1956, the big headlines told us that Grace Kelly had wed her prince in the civil ceremony.  The church wedding will take place tomorrow. 

Today, 50 years ago, "Big Bob" Gibson's daughter and son-in-law opened the first of the Gibson's Barbeque Restaurants that became the unrivaled best barbeque joints in North Alabama. 

If you have ever uttered the derisive cry, "Blue, get a pair of glasses!!!" at a baseball game, it might interest you to know that on this day in 1956, Ed Rommell became the first umpire to wear glasses in a regular-season game.  Ted Williams bruised his foot, an injury that led to his being on the DL for 33 days in the critical part of the season.  Down in Florida, the Miami Marlins, a new franchise team, played its first game at Miami Stadium, beating the Buffalo Bisons 10-3.  50-yr-old Pitcher Satchel Paige arrived by helicopter.  

Grace Kelly's Catholic church wedding, attended by royalty and celebrities the world over, was the headliner in the news again today, April 19, 1956.

Waiting For Godot was first presented as En Attendant Godot at the Theatre de Babylone, Paris, France during the season of 1952-53. It had its Broadway premiere at the John Golden Theater on April 19, 1956 and played through June 9 for a total of 59 performances.

On April 19, four of the individuals involved in the Cole attack-Clevenger, Fox, Mabry, and E.L. Vinson-were convicted of conspiracy to commit assault and battery.  Each received the maximum sentence of 180 days in jail plus fines. Later in 1956, the other two, Adams and Willis Vinson, pled guilty to assault charges and were assessed small fines of fifty and one hundred dollars, respectively. However, with these convictions, the purportedly non-violent North Alabama Citizens' Council was in trouble.

Clevenger, Fox, Mabry, and E.L. Vinson cover their faces in the Birmingham courtroom on April 19, 1956.

Elvis Presley's meteoric rise was just beginning when he visited Houston today, April 21, 1956. Under the headline "Squeals, Moans and Screams," the Houston Chronicle's story began, "A tall young giant from Tennessee strode out on the stage of Municipal Auditorium Saturday night and pandemonium reigned."

The news account ended by quoting Presley's awkward closing joke, " 'It's been a wonderful show folks,' he yelled in parting.  'Just remember this.  Don't go milkin' the cow on a rainy day.  If there's lightning, you may be left holding the bag'. . . . Four thousand females just died."

You baseball fans know how rare it is for a team to bat around the roster in the one inning in the major league.  Well, today in 1956, the Kansas City Royals did it to Detroit in Detroit's home stadium by putting 13 players on first base in the third inning.  That tied the American League record, but fell short of the Major League record of 19.

In the campaign leading up to the Presidential election in the fall of 1956,  Democratic candidate for President Adlai Stevenson today proposed a halt to H-bomb tests; his proposal brought anti-nuclear sentiment to the heart of U. S. politics, although it was hardly a winning issue.

On this date in 1956, heavyweight champion, Rocky Marciano, retired from boxing.  Marciano was the only heavyweight title-winner to retire with an undefeated record, at 49-0.  President Eisenhower wrote an endearing letter to Winston Churchill, today, because Winnie had misinterpreted what Ike had intended to say about the relations of our two countries back in the Fifties in a prior letter. 

Fifty years ago on April 27, 1956, the historic inaugural ocean voyage of IDEAL X began.  This was the first vessel to carry containerized cargo on the open seas (between the ports of New York/New Jersey and Houston, Texas) revolutionizing global trade and in the process, the world of logistics and supply chain management.

Today, in 1956, the last member of the French Army departed Vietnam.  The humiliating defeat at Dien Bien Phu had occurred 2 years previously, and the French were wearied by this no-win situation in southeast Asia.  The U.S. would replace them three years later, with the same results.  

Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Reds hit the first of his amazing 586 lifetime home runs--38 in this season alone (a rookie record, earning him "Rookie Of The Year").  

It's Monday, back in 1956, and the State Department called in the Soviet ambassador to the U.N. to reprimand him for having his goons beat up 5 defecting Russian sailors and intimidating them into going back to Russia.  Wonder what the Soviets did to us in their "tit for tat" response?

Time Magazine cover, featuring Nikita Kruschev, Soviet Prime Minister

It's Monday, back in 1956, and the State Department called in the Soviet ambassador to the U.N. to reprimand him for having his goons beat up 5 defecting Russian sailors and intimidating them into going back to Russia.  Wonder what the Soviets did to us in their "tit for tat" response?

Mae West opened her newest stint at the Latin Quarter nightclub in New York City, supporting the belief at that time that "everything should be bigger and better".  Life Magazine came out today with a story about Elvis titled, "Howling Hillbilly Success." 

Former Vice-president of the U.S., Alben Barkley, died today.  He is said to have uttered the often repeated phrase, "I would rather have a back row seat in the house of the Lord than a front row seat among the rich and powerful."

Today is May Day--and Labour Day (in most countries of Europe, in Canada, Australia and New Zealand), Loyalty Day (a day set aside for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedom--started in 1930), Day of the International Solidarity of Workers (sounds commie!), and the official Feast of Spring in Switzerland.  Oh to be Czech!  Today, we would flock to the memorial of a Poet in Prague and kiss on "National Love Day."

Today, in 1956, the vaccine developed by Jonas Salk to prevent polio was released for public use.  I copied these late summer, 1955, headlines from the microfiche files of the Tri-Cities Daily at the Sheffield Public Library to show you how far we have come in public health care.  In our lifetime--actually since we graduated from high school--this scourge has been all but eliminated from the planet Earth.

Today, in 1956, Israel and its Arab neighbors, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, agreed to an unconditional cease-fire.  Adlai Stevenson and Estes Kefauver called a truce in their campaigns to become the Democratic nominee for President in order to attend Alben Barklay's funeral.  The Senate approved a $33 Billion Defense Department budget in the face of growing concerns about Soviet military build-up.  The arms race was heating up!  Eisenhower's controversial and much-amended Soil Bank bill was expected to pass in the House of Representatives today.

Frank Loesser, Broadway playwrite/producer, saw his musical about Napa Valley, CA, Most Happy Fella, open in New York.  It would run 676 shows for 2 years and produce songs like "Standing on the Corner" that were on everybody's lips.  Also in the entertainment world, Marilyn began filming Bus Stop, and up-and-coming Jayne Mansfield signed her first studio contract with 20th Century Fox. 

A new range of never before seen mountains was discovered in Antartica.  Two of them were over 13,000 feet--not exactly "four leaf clovers" that had been overlooked before.

On this day in 1956, as he visited Gettysburg, President Eisenhower reassured the nation at a news conference that even though we could not match the Soviets in ground forces, our Air Force with its Strategic Air Command and our Navy with its atomic submarine fleet will more than match the threat.  Along the same lines, "Texas Tower," a radar island in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, successfully detected approaching "fake enemy" planes in a test of the first installation in the early radar warning system to defend the U.S.  Today, in 1956, the first explosion in the atomic bomb test series that will lead up to the May 8 first air drop of the newly developed "H-Bomb" will take place on Runit Island on the east side of the Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

Remember the draft?  Today, back then, the Army issued a call for 13,000 to be drafted in May and June.  The other services didn't use the draft at that time.

Martha Raye, popular comediene, was charged today with a lawsuit claiming "alienation of the affections" of Robert O'Shea from Barbara Ann.  It was reported in the Kansas City Star that Blacks were leaving the South at the rate of 300,000 per year.

Here's the Dick Tracy comic strip for this day in 1956.  Note the advanced technology used by our hero--helicopters in police work, indeed!

This is a Saturday back in 1956, and it's the 82nd running of the Kentucky Derby.  Jocky David Erb rode Needles to victory in 2:03.4--a bit off the all time best pace of Secretariat (1:59.4 ) in 1973, but right in there with most winning times in the history of the Derby.  The schools of Bossier Parrish, Louisiana, right across the Red River from Shreveport, were told by the local authorities to ban Time, Life and Look magazines from school libraries because of their treatment of segregation news.  NATO foreign ministers announced that the disarmament and peaceful coexistance deliberations would be entrusted to the "three wise men" (Canada's Lester Pearson, Italy's Gaetano Martino, and Norway's Halvard Lange).  The U.N. Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjold, departed the Middle East, having finished his peacemaking mission (we all know how good that mission was as the 3-Day's War was about to take place in the fall).

Today, in 1956, was Tuesday, primary elections day, in 5 states, the first official voter contests in the nation this election year. In Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida and New Mexico they were watching closely to see how much the Republican vote would exceed the Democrat vote as the pendulum was on the Republican side in those years.

The command structure of the Marine Corps at Parris Island was totally redone over the past 72 hours, and the demotion of the base commander was announced as a result of the death of 6 recruits who was marched into the marshy tidelands of the rifle range.

Tarzan of the Apes broke our hearts as the news of Johnny Weismuller's arrest for DUI was reported from Hollywood today.

As expected, 50 years ago on this day after the 5 primaries for the political party nominations for president, Eisenhower handily garnered more votes than the combined votes for Democrat candidates Kefauver and Stevenson.  Of course, he faced no Republican opposition, so the primaries were previews of the election.  Down in Texas, Lyndon Johnson secured control of the Texas delegation to the Democrat National Convention by a landslide.

Today, the second time was a charm for Wonderley Carmargo, an 18-year old Brazilian who was a stowaway in the nose wheel compartment of an airliner flying from Brazil to Idelwild Airport in New York City.  He was deported the first time and jailed when he did it again.  He was released from jail when the Brazilian wife of an airlines engineer offered to sponsor him in a legal immigration process.  How times have changed!

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission released indices that showed the economic boom was continuing at a hot pace in the country.  The H-Bomb test was postponed again as news from Russia indicated that they were gaining the lead in atomic research with the building of a 12 billion volt proton accelerator.  Greek Cypriot rebels threatened bloody reprisals against the British soldiers occupying Cyprus.

Today, in 1956, the Brits took swift action against the Greek Cypriot rebel leaders by hanging two of them, fueling further outbursts of protest.  Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, at the peak of his career, played for Princess Margaret at the first royal jazz concert in Empress Hall in London, much to the delight of 9,000 attendees.  The dress code at Hunter College, a New York exclusive college for women, made the news today by banning Bermuda shorts.  "No woman of poise and dignity wants to go around a city with bare knees," decreed Dean Kathryn L. Hopwood.  Talk about pushing back the tide!  Another tide pusher, Herman Talmadge, former Governor of Georgia, announced his intentions today to run for State Senator of Georgia in order to carry his segregationist states' rights message to the nation.

Meanwhile, ads were appearing in newspapers for beachgoers who were stocking up on supplies as summer approaches:

                         Note the "bare knees"

On this day in 1956, General Motors laid off 390,000 assembly line workers because of poor automobile sales, bringing the total number of out-of-work auto workers to about a half-million.  Harry S. Truman, former President, boarded the USS United States for his 3rd trip to Europe with his very first passport.  On prior occasions as an artillery officer in WWI and as President of the United States he did not need one.  Congress was asked to ante up 4 billion dollars for the Agriculture Department this year--2 billion more in new support for the farm price support program that ran up a 1.2 billion dollar debt last year.  Today, the Senate put its approval on a 5 billion dollar federal flood insurance program, the first time the U.S. government would "help" victims of this type of natural catastrophe.  The action resulted from last years disastrous floods of the mid-Atlantic, New England and Pacific Northwest states, and had a cap of $250,000 with no personal residence being insured for more than $10,000.  Some help!  But, then, my brick home in Sheffield cost my Dad only $7,000 in 1940.  In what today would seem to be a paradoxical action, the Democrats in the House tried to boost defense spending over the objections of the Republicans and the Republican administration.  What a difference 50 years makes!

Today marked the 32nd anniversary of J. Edgar Hoover's being top cop in the F.B.I.  He announced that the agency would begin conducting civil rights schools for police in the South.  New York was up by two over Cleveland in the American League, and there was a 3-way tie for first in the National League (Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Cincinnati).  Top first-run movies on this date were "Never Say Goodbye" with Rock Hudson and Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock."  And, here is the "Best Buick yet," the 1956 Century with its powerful 322 cu. in. V8 engine and Variable Pitch Dynaflow with the highest torque ratio in the industry (but not selling too well):

Today, back in 1956, Ike was pronounced "in excellent health" after a checkup "from head to toe."  He celebrated by playing a round of golf on his way home (to the White House) from the hospital.  Anthony Eden's government in England was subjected to "bitter shock," when the Russians released information that Great Britain had apologized to them for sending a frogman to spy on a Russian ship docked in Portsmouth Harbour.  Seems the Russians had done the same to the Brits a year before when a British vessel was in Leningrad.  Imagine that!

A visually handicapped (i.e., blind) University of Tennessee student was arrested for driving while intoxicated, but the sympathetic judge suspended the fine and paroled him so he wouldn't miss out on his educational opportunities.  The announcement of the death of stage and screen actor, Louis Calhern, came today.  The star of Magnificent Yankee and Life With Father had a commanding stage presence, and, in 1956, he still had the distinction of having been the only actor in the history of Broadway to have won every "Best Actor" title awarded in one season by every critic and group--and he did that a decade earlier in 1946.

"Today's Chuckle," a little feature that appeared on front pages of most newspapers in the country, including The Tri-Cities Daily, spoke to the affluence of the post-war United States on this date:

"Two Texas oilmen walked into an automobile showroom.  "How much is that deluxe model over there?" asked one.  "Ten thousand dollars," replied the salesman.  "I'll take it," the oilman said and took some thousand dollar notes out of his pocket.  "Oh, no you don't!" said his companion, taking out his wallet, "You paid for lunch!"

Remember, we are one day of the week behind 1956, so it's Sunday back then, and I'm getting the news from the Sunday papers.  The big headlines in the Mothers' Day news tell of the wild weather in the upper mid-west, with deadly tornadoes in Michigan and Ohio.

Last night, the Washington Press Club held its annual "Roast," and Ike and members of Congress were lampooned greatly--just like you and I will be on Friday night at our reunion.  In the aftermath of his heart attack, Ike was announced as "the first Republican in history who has medical proof that he has a heart."  Today, Tetsu Yokoyama became the sixth Hiroshima citizen to die this year from radiation-related illness following the Atom Bomb explosion a little over a decade earlier.  Sir Winston Churchill visited Germany for the first time since the Potsdam Conference that ended World War II eleven years ago.  The much-postponed H-Bomb test has been postponed indefinitely.

On this day, a Monday back in 1956, the Supreme Court turned down the request of The University of Alabama to block a Judge Johnson order that Autherine Lucy and other qualified Negroes should be admitted.  On the list of Phi Beta Kappa honor students today at UCLA, was 42-year old Evelyn Venable, a huge star in Hollywood during the 1930's, who left at the height of her career to become a mom and housewife.  Montgomery Clift, a huge star in the 50's, crashed his car into a power pole negotiating a hairpin curve on a steep downhill road while driving home from an Elizabeth Taylor party.  Smashed his face, but they said he would retain his good looks.  Said Monty, "I wasn't drinking."  Stock prices dropped sharply today on the news from Russia that it was decreasing the size of its standing army by 1.3 million troops (strange that prospects for peace would cause the market to drop!).  Front page headlines told us that the storm 2 days ago in Michigan and Ohio was worse than they thought.  The popular single-panel comic strip, Wilbert, featured our own Harold Fell:

                                                     Slightly modified from the original

On this day, back in 1956, the headlines on the front page told of the U.S. response to the announced Soviet "troop reductions."  "Propaganda," said John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State.  "Those troop reductions will be unverified.  Remember, we have already cut our troop levels by 9 million men since WWII.  Besides, they'll probably put the 1.3 million troops that they are going to cut to work making Atom Bombs."  The word came that the H-Bomb test is back on for Wednesday (tomorrow back then).  And so the war of words went on.

The announcement came today that they will be issuing a death certificate for Adolph Hitler--11 years after his suicide by gunshot wound.  Another front page story of dubious national import told ofa Knoxville, Tennessee, brawl involving 100 high school boys who fought it out with eggs, lettuce heads and tomatoes as ammunition.  If only they would be so benign today!  There were Civil War vets still alive and having birthdays back in 1956.  John B Salling, a Johnny Reb, celebrated his 110th birthday in Ft. Blackmore, Virginia.

My favorite comic strip back in high school was Lil Abner.

Back in 1956, we were experiencing a cold wave on this date, just like the one we are having now--only more so.  Ironically, the little town of Frostburg, Maryland (that's a Southern state, isn't it?) was blanketed with snow while the temperatures hovered between 22° and 28° all over the mid-Atlantic states.  It was 53° in Atlanta--which is about what we've been seeing for the past 2 days, now.  Out West, they were sweltering--108°  in Yuma, Arizona.

The last two of the 11 Brinks robbers were caught today in Boston.  Egypt recognized Red China as a legitimate nation, joining Israel as one of the few nations in the world that faced the fact that Chang Kai-Chek's Taipei government in exile would never rule mainland China.  Here in the U.S., the Senate (or, rather, Republicans in the Senate) voted to let the needy elderly eat dog food.  There was strict party-line voting on the Long bill to increase the Federal portion of the formula about $5 per month to help old age citizens who took the "Poverty Oath."  The Alabama Legislature responded to the 2-year old court order to integrate schools by passing a law ("The Freedom of Choice Law") that would allow parents to determine whether to send their children to an integrated school or not, and school officials could turn away Negroes on the basis that their admission might incite a riot.  Only in the deep South. . . .

Today in 1956, President Eisenhower was recording his impressions of his top secret meeting with India's Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, May 17-18, at his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, farm.  The far-ranging topics discussed included almost everything of importance in the unfolding of the history of Asia, the Mid-East and the direction of the contest between Communism and democracy--a good read as Bucky would say.

The Japanese team of mountain climbers reached the summit of Mt. Everest, overcoming the superstitious Nepalese villagers attempt to keep them from climbing the mountain because of their fear that the gods who lived on the peaks would be displeased.  Remember Victor Riesel, the newspaper columnist who wrote of mob involvement in labor unions and was blinded by acid thrown in his face?  Today, he called for congressional investigation into racketeering in the labor unions.  His appeal was listened to.  Armed Forces Day is scheduled for tomorrow, but, today, "high Washington officials" ordered that the size of the celebration be scaled 'way back.  On the news, today, that the federal government was expected to be 2.3 billion dollars in the black, a new debate on whether to give tax payers a cut in taxes or whether to pay down the national debt arose.

The introduction of the Salk polio vaccine earlier this spring prompted one editorial cartoonist to be optimistic today:

A sports event made the front pages on this date in 1956 was the unfortunate collision of the Washington Nationals' Pete Runnels and the Cleveland Indians' third baseman, Al Rosen, which sent Rosen to the hospital and on the DL indefinitely.  What put this on the front page was the reaction of the Cleveland fans--they cheered because each time he came up to bat there were men on base, and Rosen had left 9 men stranded up to the time of the injury.  Cleveland manager, Al Lopez, said the Cleveland fans are "bush" and don't deserve to have a ball club in their city.  ("Bush" is a baseball term that means minor or petty.)

We celebrated "Armed Forces Day" throughout the country on this Saturday in 1956.  Despite the encouragement by high officials to play it down, the public got an eyeful of the military might of the U.S.A.  In today's news, though, was the bulletin that a document stolen by an Air Force Sergeant (presumably to sell to the Russians) was of the utmost national security importance, giving the locations and details of all Air Force installations around the world.  Egypt's Premier Gamar Abdel Nasser announced today that Egypt is free to buy arms from anybody it pleases, and it pleased him to work a deal with Red China.

Another favorite comic strip (you can see that I like the funny pages) was Steve Canyon.  It was never "funny," and on patriotic occasions, Milt Caniff, the artist, always had something positive to say about the U.S.A. and its fighting men and women.  Here's his tribute to them on Armed Forces Day, 1956:

It's Sunday, again, back in 1956 on this date, May 20.  Front page headlines told us that UCLA, one of the nation's powerhouse football teams was slapped with a $93,000 fine (that's worth $641,514.66 today) and 3 years probation by the Pacific Coast Conference for numerous rule violations, among which were illegal payments to star athletes.  Imagine that!  New Yorkers who owned guns illegally learned of a new program whereby they could have amnesty for their crime if they turned their weapons in to the police.  Must not have worked.

They finally dropped the H-bomb on that Eniwetok atoll.  It didn't cause the world to come to an end.

You give gold presents on your Golden Anniversary, 50 years of marriage.  What do you give for 100 years together.  Moscow Radio announced that today Akhmed and Maria Adamov celebrated their 100th year of marriage on a collective farm near the Caspian Sea.

Today, in 1956, Papa Eisenhower had to rebuke his children, the Army and the Air Force for dragging their feud out into the public arena.  Seems like the interservice rivalry was based on greed for the abundant "filthy lucre" in the booming post-war period.  Each service wanted appropriations for "their own" missile defense or weapons delivery systems.  Meanwhile, the funding authorities (i.e., The Congress) took the axe to President Eisenhower's military budget today.  And, can you believe this headline?  I had heard that there was a meek media back in our day when Ike reigned.

Remember the cool wave with snow in the East last week?  Well, it's hot and dry in the western plains states--93° Farenheit in Kansas.  They announced plans to drop government stores of hay to hungry cows in the beef-producing states because of the prolonged drought out there.

Imperial Wizard, E. L. Edwards of Atlanta, told his followers at a cross-burning in Florence, South Carolina, that the KKK had clavens in all Southern states and many in the North.  Evidence presented in a Florida Circuit Court all pointed to the probability of violence if Florida schools were to be integrated.  Nobody presented evidence in support for integration.  Looks like the State of Florida is headed for a "stand in the schoolhouse door," too.

Tonight, we will see the last Bob Hope Show on television.

Former President Harry S. Truman visited an invasion beach in Italy, today, 50 years ago, and reporters heard him say there were a lot of other invasion points that could have been used that wouldn't have been as bloody.  The headlines blared:  "Pres. Truman Says Invasions Unnecessary."  Not much different today, except the Democrat was cast in a bad light.  The two Democrats running for their parties nomination for the presidential race were so blatant with their dart-throwing at the Republican President that the Republican National Committee asked for equal time on the television networks.

In 1956, we were still trying to put our weapons systems together in the nuclear race.  In today's paper, a failed test of the Nike atomic bomb-carrying guided missile was reported.  After yesterday's headlines of the President's displeasure over the interservice rivalry, the spin doctors had him saying that "Differences between the services are good for the country."

A big hit movie playing in the nation's theaters today was Audie Murphy in "To Hell and Back."  Hal Boyle, a popular newspaper columnist whose specialty was humor wrote on the difference between Northern girls and Southern girls today.  He said that he had found that the girls seemed prettier in the South, and the farther south you go the prettier they get (amen).  But, all the clichés like talkativeness, cooking, aggressiveness seemed not to be true, so he asked an old Southern gentleman about the differences.  After taking Hal into another room and closing the door, he confided that "the only real difference between Southern and Northern girls is that the Southern girl can chase you harder without your even knowing she's after you."

Today, back in 1956, President Tito of Yugoslavia, announced that he was going to take his country into an alliance with the Soviet Union.  In the Cold War, chalk up one for the "bad guys."  You can tell how anti-Red our country was back then even in such unrelated things as the choice of national "Father of the Year."  For the upcoming holiday, the National Fathers' Day Committee selected the lead counsel for the Army in the Army-McCarthy anti-Communist hearings as the best representative of a father in the good ol' U.S.A.  A Senate committee probing the blocked defection of some Russian sailors, called for the ouster of a member of the Soviet delegation to the U.N. because of his use of thugs to "convince" the sailors to go back home.

Race was injected into the Democratic primary race when Kefauver supporters claimed, today, that Negroes would vote Republican if Stevenson were nominated.  The U.N. head, Dag Hammarskjold just got things calmed down in the Middle-East, and today Syrians infiltrated into northern Israel, sparking a flare-up in tensions there.  Little did they know (or maybe they did) what the next 50 years had in store, i.e., no peace.

This news item appeared on a front page that I reviewed for today's "50 Years Ago Today":