Timeline January 1956

Events in January 1956 13

• 1880 – 1956 H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) Died 29 January 1956, aged 75 American journalist, satirist, and cultural critic known for his acerbic commentary and coverage of the Scopes Trial. He was a longtime writer for the Baltimore Sun and edited The American Mercury magazine. He died in Baltimore after a long decline following a stroke in 1948.
• 1882 – 1956 A.A. Milne (1882-1956) Died 31 January 1956, aged 74 English author best known for creating Winnie-the-Pooh, based on stories he told his son Christopher Robin. He was also a successful playwright and essayist before turning to children's literature. He died at his home in Sussex, England.
• 1956 Australian Open 1956 Men: Lew Hoad · Women: Mary Carter
• 1956 Buddy Holly's Nashville sessions for Decca Failed start Recordings that go nowhere.
• 1956 1956: Juan Manuel Fangio Ferrari Fangio won his fourth championship, this time driving for Ferrari after Mercedes's withdrawal from the sport.
• 1956 – 1958 Early Australian Television First brought Dame Edna to Australian television audiences in 1956, gradually developing the character from a mousy housewife into something more flamboyant.
• 1956 Marcus Theory Developed the theory of electron transfer reactions that would win him the Nobel Prize. The theory predicted how the rate of electron transfer depends on the driving force and the reorganisation energy of the molecules involved, including the counterintuitive 'inverted region' where increasing the driving force actually slows the reaction.
• 1956 – 1959 Military Training and Education Attended the Norwegian Military Academy and the Cavalry Officers' Candidate School, followed by studies in political science, history and economics at Balliol College, Oxford. He would maintain a lifelong connection to the Norwegian armed forces.
• 1956 Sudan gains independence Sudan becomes independent Sudan became an independent republic, ending Anglo-Egyptian condominium rule that had lasted since 1899. The transition followed a vote by the Sudanese parliament in December 1955. It was one of the first African nations to gain independence in the postwar decolonization wave.
• 1956 – 1958 US Army Service Served in the US Army from 1956 to 1958, playing in army bands.
• 1956 – 2012 Marie Colvin (1956-2012) Died 22 February 2012, aged 56 American war correspondent for the Sunday Times known for her coverage of conflicts across the Middle East. She was killed by shelling while reporting from the besieged city of Homs during the Syrian civil war.
• 1956 1956 Winter Olympics VII Winter Games - Cortina d'Ampezzo The first Winter Olympics to be televised. Winner: Soviet Union.
• 1956 Elvis Presley releases Heartbreak Hotel Elvis Presley's breakthrough single tops the charts Elvis Presley released "Heartbreak Hotel", his first single for RCA Victor. The song reached number one on the Billboard chart and became his first million-selling record. It helped establish rock and roll as a dominant force in popular music.