1956 Progressive Conservative leadership convention, Voting
Going into the vote, none of the three declared candidates enjoyed the widespread support of the party's membership; Diefenbaker's western populist stances were seen as too reminiscent of those of unpopular former leader John Bracken, Fleming had been a harsh critic of Drew (who was still personally well-liked among much of the party), hurting his support in his native Ontario, while Fulton was generally considered too inexperienced to be a serious contender. Still, after late attempts to draft interim leader William Earl Rowe and University of Toronto president Sidney Smith both failed, Diefenbaker emerged as the favourite due to being the most experienced of the candidates and having given what was generally seen as the most effective speech at the convention.


1956 Progressive Conservative leadership convention, Voting
As expected, the western provinces heavily favoured Diefenbaker, while Quebec backed Fleming. Ontario was thus left as the key vote, and while Drew could probably have swung the vote of his native province, and thereby victory towards either of the two frontrunners (while the unofficial tradition was for outgoing Tory leaders to remain neutral in the leadership contest to succeed them, Drew still held considerable influence behind the scenes), he ultimately did not do so. The Ontario vote thus came down behind Diefenbaker, earning him a decisive victory on the first ballot.


1956 Puerto Rican general election
The 1956 Puerto Rican general elections were held in Puerto Rico on 6 November 1956. Luis Muñoz Marín of the Popular Democratic Party was re-elected as governor, whilst the PPD also won a majority of the vote in the House of Representatives elections. Voter turnout was 80.4% in the gubernatorial elections and 80.3% in the House elections.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1956 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Jack Mollenkopf, the Boilermakers compiled a 3–4–2 record, finished in a tie for seventh place in the Big Ten Conference with a 1–4–2 record against conference opponents, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 139 to 122.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team
Notable players on the 1956 Purdue team include quarterback Len Dawson, fullback Mel Dillard, and end Lamar Lundy.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Pre-season
On December 9, 1955, Purdue head coach Stu Holcomb resigned his position and signed a five-year contract as the athletic director at Northwestern. Four days later, Purdue president Frederick L. Hovde announced that Holcomb's top assistant, Jack Mollenkopf, had been signed to a three-year contract as Purdue's head football coach.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Game summaries, Missouri
In the first game under head coach Mollenkopf, Purdue defeated Missouri, 16–7, before a crowd of 46,455 at Ross–Ade Stadium in Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue halfback Tom Fletcher rushed for 154 yards on 22 carries, including a 35-yard touchdown run. Purdue quarterback Len Dawson completed eight of 17 passes for 118 yards.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Game summaries, Minnesota
Minnesota defeated Purdue, 21–14, before a crowd of 59,314 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. Fullback Dick Borstad scored two Minnesota touchdowns on runs of 23 yards and one yard. Purdue quarterback Len Dawson completed seven of 13 passes for 102 yards and three interceptions. Mel Dillard rushed for 120 yards on 25 carries.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
Purdue defeated Notre Dame (ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll), 28–14, before a crowd of 58,778 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. Purdue back Mel Dillard rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Game summaries, Wisconsin
Purdue and Wisconsin played to a 6–6 tie before a Dad's Day crowd of 53,094 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Danny Lewis ran 30 yards for a Wisconsin touchdown in the first quarter, and Len Dawson threw a touchdown pass to Lamar Lundy in the second quarter. Neither team converted its extra point.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Game summaries, Iowa
Iowa (ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll) defeated Purdue, 21–20, before a crowd of 41,415 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette. Purdue quarterback Len Dawson threw two touchdown passes, and Mel Dillard ran for a third. Iowa also scored three touchdowns, with the difference being a missed extra point. Purdue drove into Iowa territory late in the game, but Purdue fumbled at the 25-yard line with a minute and a half remaining in the game.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Game summaries, Illinois
Illinois and Purdue played to a 7–7 tie before a homecoming crowd of 46,166 at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Game summaries, Michigan State
Michigan State (ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll) defeated Purdue, 12–9, before a crowd of 56,431 at Macklin Stadium in East Lansing. Purdue was a three touchdown underdog without Len Dawson but scored on a touchdown run by Mel Dillard and a safety triggered by Fletcher tackling Martin in the end zone. Michigan State scored two touchdowns, a 27-yard pass from Jim Ninowski to Harold Dukes, and a fumble recovery by Tony Kolodziej in Purdue's end zone.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Game summaries, Northwestern
Northwestern defeated Purdue, 14–0, before a crowd of 32,000 at Dyche Stadium in Evanston. Northwestern recovered five of seven Purdue fumbles and intercepted three passes. Four of the fumbles were recovered by Al Viola. After the game, Edward Prell wrote in the Chicago Tribune that Northwestern had in 1956 been "brought back to life by its new 33 year old coach, Ara Parseghian."


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Game summaries, Indiana
In the annual battle for the Old Oaken Bucket, Purdue defeated Indiana, 39–20, at Ross-Ade Stadium in Lafayette, Indiana. In his final college game, Purdue quarterback Len Dawson threw two touchdown passes, both caught by end Lamar Lundy. Mel Dillard rushed for 130 yards (on 24 carries) and three touchdowns in the game and a conference high 873 yards for the season. The game proved to be a battle for last place in the conference, with Purdue finishing in ninth place and Indiana in tenth and last place.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Awards and statistics
Purdue fullback Mel Dillard was recognized by both the Associated Press and the United Press as a first-team player on the 1956 All-Big Ten Conference football team.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Awards and statistics
Purdue players led the Big Ten in rushing yards, total offense, and passing yards. Dillard led the conference with 873 rushing yards and 902 yards of total offense. Quarterback Len Dawson led the conference with 856 passing yards. Lamar Lundy ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 248 receiving yards.


1956 Purdue Boilermakers football team, 1957 NFL Draft
The following Purdue players were among the first 100 picks in the 1957 NFL Draft:


1956 Quebec general election
The 1956 Quebec general election was held on June 20, 1956, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Union Nationale,  led by Maurice Duplessis, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Georges-Émile Lapalme.


1956 Quebec general election
This was the fifth and final time (and the fourth in a row) that Duplessis led his party to a general election victory. No party has since been able to win more than three elections in a row. Duplessis died in office in 1959.


1956 Quebec general election
It was Lapalme's second (and final) loss in a row as Liberal leader. The Liberals did not manage to improve on their performance in the previous 1952 election.


1956 Queensland state election
Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 19 May  1956 to elect the 75 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. The Labor government was seeking its ninth continuous term in office since the 1932 election; it would be Vince Gair's second election as Premier.


1956 Queensland state election, Results
Queensland state election, 19 May 1956Legislative Assembly << 1953–1957 >>


1956 Queensland state election, Seats changing party representation
This table lists changes in party representation at the 1956 election.


1956 Queensland state election, Aftermath
This was to be Labor's last successful election until the 1989 election. On 18 April 1957, the Queensland Central Executive of the Labor Party passed a vote of no confidence in Premier Gair, and on 24 April, despite having gained a unanimous vote of support from the Cabinet, he was expelled from the Labor Party. On 26 April, Gair convened a meeting of 25 MLAs, including all of the Cabinet except Deputy Premier John Duggan and two ex-Labor Independents, and formed the Queensland Labor Party (QLP) with those present, while the Labor Party moved to the opposition benches. All these were also expelled from the party. The resulting government was denied supply in parliament, and an election was called for 3 August, at which the QLP government and the Labor Party were defeated by the Country-Liberal coalition led by Frank Nicklin.


1956 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
The 1956 Railway Cup Hurling Championship was the 30th series of the inter-provincial hurling Railway Cup. Three matches were played between 19 February 1956 and 17 March 1956 to decide the title. It was contested by Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster.


1956 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
On 17 March 1956, Leinster won the Railway Cup after a 5-11 to 1-07 defeat of Munster in the final at Croke Park, Dublin. It was their seventh Railway Cup title overall and their first title since 1954.


1956 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
Leinster's Nicky Rackard was the Railway Cup top scorer with 3-08.


1956 Republican National Convention
The 1956 Republican National Convention was held by the Republican Party of the United States at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California,  from August 20 to August 23, 1956. U.S. Senator William F. Knowland was temporary chairman and former speaker of the House Joseph W. Martin Jr. served as permanent chairman. It renominated President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard M. Nixon as the party's candidates for the 1956 presidential election.


1956 Republican National Convention
On August 23, 1956, singer Nat King Cole spoke at the Republican Convention.


1956 Republican National Convention
The 1956 Republican convention was held after that year's Democratic National Convention. This was unusual, as since 1864, in every election but 1888, Democrats had held their convention second.


1956 Republican National Convention
It has become an informal tradition that the party holding the White House (which, accordingly, in 1956 had been the Republican Party) hosts their convention second, but it is unclear when this tradition began (Democrats had held the White House and held their conventions second between 1936 and 1952, but it is unclear whether they scheduled their conventions second in these years because of their White House incumbency, or whether they scheduled them second because it was traditional that Democratic National Conventions had been held after the Republican National Convention).


1956 Republican National Convention, The ‘Joe Smith incident’
President Eisenhower was unanimously re-nominated by the Republican delegates for President of the United States. Such was expected for Vice President Nixon as well, until one renegade delegate, former Democratic Congressman and perennial candidate Terry Carpenter, decided to place in nomination for Vice President a man named Joe Smith, from Carpenter’s own Terrytown, Nebraska. When asked who Joe Smith was at the 1956 convention, Carpenter mysteriously replied, “Oh, he is a symbol of an open convention, in that sense of the word.” It was eventually revealed that there was no such man, and that his nomination was a protest against the perceived political theater of the closed 1956 Republican National Convention. He ultimately did cast his one dissenting vote for Vice President for Joe Smith.


1956 Republican Party presidential primaries
From March 11 to June 5, 1956, voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for president in the 1956 United States presidential election. Incumbent President Dwight D. Eisenhower was again selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1956 Republican National Convention held from August 20 to August 23, 1956, in San Francisco, California.


1956 Republican Party presidential primaries
Eisenhower sought re-nomination and faced no formidable opposition. He swept the primaries without difficulty. Senator William F. Knowland of California was on the ballot for a number of them. Knowland had announced he would run if Ike would not, and the president announced so late that there was no time for Knowland to withdraw.


1956 Rhode Island Rams football team
The 1956 Rhode Island Rams football team was an American football team that represented the University of Rhode Island as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season. In its first season under head coach Herb Maack, the team compiled a 2–6 record (1–4 against conference opponents), finished in sixth/last place out of six teams in the Yankee Conference, and was outscored by a total of 235 to 87. The team played its home games at Meade Stadium in Kingston, Rhode Island.


1956 Rhode Island gubernatorial election
The 1956 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1956. Incumbent Democrat Dennis J. Roberts defeated Republican nominee Christopher Del Sesto with 50.09% of the vote.


1956 Riccarton by-election
The Riccarton by-election 1956 was a by-election held in the Riccarton electorate in Christchurch during the term of the 31st New Zealand Parliament following the death of the Labour Party incumbent. The by-election, held on 27 October 1956, was won by Mick Connelly, also of the Labour Party.


1956 Riccarton by-election, Background
The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP Angus McLagan of the Labour Party on 4 September 1956. McLagan, who had represented the electorate since 1946, was hospitalised in early August 1956 suffering from a chest ailment before dying several weeks later.


1956 Riccarton by-election, Candidates
Several names were put forward as potential nominees for the Labour Party candidacy:


1956 Riccarton by-election, Candidates
The Labour Party selected Mick Connelly as its candidate. He was the son of MLC Michael Connelly. McGuigan declined nomination, citing personal reasons, and Kirk withdrew from the selection contest prior to the selection meeting. Rotorua MP Ray Boord spoke at public meetings in Connelly's support.


1956 Riccarton by-election, Candidates
Balfour Grieve Dingwall was chosen as the National Party's candidate. He had contested the electorate previously at the 1954 general election. Bill Sullivan, the Minister of Labour, made several speeches in Dingwall's support.


1956 Riccarton by-election, Candidates
Founder of the Social Credit Party Wilfrid Owen contested the by-election. In the previous election he had contested the nearby seat of Lyttelton. His campaign focused on the plea that Social Credit needed a voice in parliament and targeted Labour voters to support him in the by-election given the result could not change the government. Former Labour MP, turned Social Credit activist Frank Langstone spoke at hustings in support of Owen.


1956 Riccarton by-election, Candidates
Ernest Yealands representing a splinter group of the Social Credit Party contested the seat against Owen, where he was expected to draw away "a few hundred votes from his one-time leader". Additionally Richard Israel Charles Grenfell had initially chosen to contest the seat as an independent, but withdrew. However, his decision to withdraw came after the ballot papers were printed.


1956 Riccarton by-election, Campaign
A prominent issue in the by-election was the question of state-aid to private schools. Connelly and Dingwall opposed the notion, Yealands supported it while Owen sidestepped the issue stating that under Social Credit state-aid would not be necessary. There was also a hotly argued debate between the supporters of Connelly and Owen over whether Labour's first Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage was a social crediter. The debate spilled over into newspapers, filling correspondence columns and letters to editors for over a week.


1956 Riccarton by-election, Results
Connolly was re-elected at the subsequent general election confirming him as the MP. He would represent it until 1969 when he transferred to the neighbouring Wigram electorate.


1956 Rice Owls football team
The 1956 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University during the 1956 NCAA University Division football season. The Owls were led by 17th-year head coach Jess Neely and played their home games at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas. They competed as members of the Southwest Conference, finishing in sixth.


1956 Roller Hockey World Cup
The 1956 Roller Hockey World Cup was the twelfth roller hockey world cup, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Patinage a Roulettes (now under the name of Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports). It was contested by 11 national teams (10 from Europe and 1 from South America) and it is also considered the 1956 European Roller Hockey Championship (despite the presence of Brazil). All the games were played in the city of Porto, in Portugal, the chosen city to host the World Cup.


1956 Rose Bowl
The 1956 Rose Bowl was the 42nd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 2. The Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference defeated the UCLA Bruins of the Pacific Coast Conference, 17–14. Michigan State halfback Walt Kowalczyk was named the Player of the Game.


1956 Rose Bowl
The game featured two of the most racially integrated college football teams of the day, with six African American players for the Bruins and seven for the Spartans. This stood in stark contrast to the Sugar Bowl, where there was controversy over whether Bobby Grier from Pitt should be allowed to play and whether Georgia Tech should even play at all, due to Georgia governor Marvin Griffin's opposition to integration. Only one month previous, Rosa Parks made her famous protest in the Montgomery bus boycott. The 1956 Rose Bowl has the highest TV rating of all college bowl games, watched by 41.1% of all people in the US with TV sets.


1956 Rose Bowl
As New Year's Day fell on a Sunday in 1956, the bowl games were played the following day.


1956 Rose Bowl, Teams, Michigan State College Spartans
The Ohio State Buckeyes were the undefeated Big Ten conference champions. However, Ohio State would not be invited to the Rose Bowl because of the no-repeat rule in the Big Ten conference. This left Michigan State to be accepted. Ohio State was ranked fourth with a 7–2 record, and Michigan State was second with a 9–1 record. The teams did not play each other during the regular season. Michigan State opened with a 20–13 win at Indiana, but fell to in-state rival Michigan 14–7, their only setback of the season. They won 38–14 over then-#20 Stanford, and defeated then-#4 Notre Dame 21–7. The Spartans did not play Northwestern, Iowa, or Ohio State. The Buckeyes' two losses were out of conference, to Duke (20–14) and Stanford (6–0).


1956 Rose Bowl, Teams, UCLA Bruins
UCLA was the defending national champion after an undefeated season in 1954. The Bruins began the 1955 season ranked number one. In a showdown at #5 Maryland, the Bruins lost 0–7 to the Terrapins. A 38–0 win over Oregon State ultimately proved to be the game for the conference championship. The Bruins won the rest of their regular season games, including a 21–13 win over Stanford. With the Pacific Coast conference championship already won, the Bruins won their third straight rivalry game over USC 17–7.


1956 Rose Bowl, Pre-game activities
In a Sports Illustrated article preceding the 1956 Rose Bowl, UCLA head coach Red Sanders was quoted as saying "Sure, winning isn't every thing, It's the only thing." Coaches Duffy Daugherty and Red Sanders appeared on The Jack Benny Program "New Years Day" 1956 episode on Sunday, January 1, 1956, preceding the game to be played the next day.


1956 Rose Bowl, Game summary
This was the second meeting between the two schools, the first was a 28–20 victory for the Spartans two years earlier in the 1954 Rose Bowl. The Spartans wore their green home jerseys and the Bruins wore their white road jerseys.


1956 Rose Bowl, Game summary
On the first play from scrimmage, Jim Decker of UCLA intercepted a pass from Michigan State quarterback Earl Morrall, and returned four yards to the MSU 16-yard line. Four plays later, Bob Davenport scored on a two-yard run over left guard to give the Bruins a 7–0 lead.


1956 Rose Bowl, Game summary
Midway through the second quarter, Michigan State put together an 11-play, 80-yard drive to pull even at seven; Walt Kowalczyk's 30-yard run to the UCLA 17 set up Morrall's 13-yard touchdown toss to Clarence Peaks. There was no additional scoring through the third quarter.


1956 Rose Bowl, Game summary
On the second play of the fourth quarter, the Spartans took their first lead at 14–7 on Peaks’ 67-yard touchdown pass to John Lewis, who caught the ball on the 50 and took it the distance. Five minutes later, The UCLA Bruin passing game produced a big play as UCLA quarterback Ronnie Knox connected with Jim Decker with a 47-yard pass play to the Spartan 7-yard line. Three plays later, Doug Peters scored on a one-yard plunge at center. Morrall directed an 11-play, 59-yard drive to the UCLA 24, but Gerald Planutis missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt.


1956 Rose Bowl, Game summary
Five penalties were called in the closing minutes and field position shifted in Michigan State's favor when UCLA was whistled for three-straight penalties. UCLA was called for an intentional grounding infraction which pushed the ball back to its own one-yard line; a punt gave the Spartans the ball at the UCLA 40-yard line. The Bruins were cited for interference with the kick returner on the punt play, which put the ball at the Bruin 19-yard line. Replacing Planutis as placekicker, Dave Kaiser of Michigan State converted his first career field-goal attempt, a 41-yard kick, with seven seconds remaining in the game to give the Spartans a 17–14 win.


1956 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
Although it was UCLA penalties in the final minutes that gave field position to Michigan State, the Spartans' 98 yards given up on 10 penalties are a Rose Bowl game record as of 2008. The Spartans were named National Champions by the Boand System. Oklahoma would be named National champion by all the other organizations. In the 1956 Orange Bowl, the #1 Oklahoma Sooners defeated the #3 Maryland Terrapins 20–6 in a battle of undefeated teams. The Sugar Bowl was the last bowl game to be integrated. The Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Sugar Bowl were not integrated until 1948, 1955, and 1956 respectively.


1956 Round Australia Trial (Ampol)
The 1956 Round Australia Trial, officially the Ampol Trial was the fourth running of the Round Australia Trial. The rally took place between 15 and 29 July 1956. The event covered 10,460 kilometres around Australia. It was won by Wilfred Murrell and Allan Taylor, driving a Peugeot 403.


1956 Round Australia Trial (Mobilgas)
The 1956 Round Australia Trial, officially the Mobilgas Trial was the fifth running of the Round Australia Trial. The rally took place between 4 and 19 August 1956. The event covered 13,680 kilometres around Australia. It was won by Eddie Perkins and Lance Perkins, driving a Volkswagen 1200.


1956 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
The 1956 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 1956 NCAA University Division football season. In their first season under head coach John Stiegman, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 3–7 record and were outscored by their opponents 240 to 117. The team's statistical leaders included William Gatyas with 450 passing yards, Billy Austin 380 rushing yards and Jay Hunton with 408 receiving yards.


1956 SANFL Grand Final
The 1956 SANFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football competition. Port Adelaide beat West Adelaide 81 to 65.


1956 SANFL season
The 1956 South Australian National Football League season was the 77th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.


1956 SCCA National Sports Car Championship
The 1956 SCCA National Sports Car Championship season was the sixth season of the Sports Car Club of America's National Sports Car Championship. It began March 10, 1956, and ended November 4, 1956, after eleven races.


1956 Sacramento State Hornets football team
The 1956 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented Sacramento State College during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season.


1956 Sacramento State Hornets football team
Sacramento State competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC). The Hornets were led by third-year head coach Dave Strong. They played home games at Charles C. Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. The team finished the season with a record of three wins, five losses and one tie (3–5–1, 1–4 FWC). For the season the team was outscored by its opponents 128–178.


1956 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Team players in the NFL
No Sacramento State players were selected in the 1957 NFL Draft.


1956 Sagaing earthquake
The 1956 Sagaing earthquake occurred on July 16, 1956, at 15:07 UTC. The earthquake was located near Sagaing, Burma. This earthquake had a magnitude of Mw 7.1.


1956 Sagaing earthquake
Thirty-eight people died because of the earthquake. Several pagodas, including the Mingun Pagoda, were severely damaged. The earthquake was close to the Shan-Sagaing Fault. However, the focal mechanism remains undetermined. The intensity reached MM VIII to MM IX near the epicenter.


1956 Salvadoran legislative election
Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 15 May 1956. The result was a victory for the Revolutionary Party of Democratic Unification, which won all 54 seats.


1956 Salvadoran presidential election
Presidential elections were held in El Salvador on 4 March 1956. The result was a victory for José María Lemus of the Revolutionary Party of Democratic Unification, who received 95.2% of the vote.


1956 Salvadoran presidential election
The Central Electoral Council had disqualified the candidacies of José Alberto Funes (Democratic Institutional Party), Roberto Edmundo Cannessa (National Action Party) and José Alvaro Díaz (Nationalist Democratic Party). It also forbade Rafael Carranza Anaya (Authentic Constitutional Party) and Enrique Magaña Menéndez (Renovating Action Party) from withdrawing their candidacies; nevertheless, the latter two boycotted the elections.


1956 San Diego State Aztecs football team
The 1956 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State College during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season.


1956 San Diego State Aztecs football team
San Diego State competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by head coach Paul Governali, in his first year, and played home games at both Aztec Bowl and Balboa Stadium. They finished the season with four wins, three losses and two ties (4–3–2, 2–1 CCAA).


1956 San Diego State Aztecs football team, Team players in the NFL
No San Diego State players were selected in the 1957 NFL Draft.


1956 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1956 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's seventh season in the National Football League (NFL), and was coming off a 4–8–0 record, finishing in 5th place in the Western Conference.


1956 San Francisco 49ers season
San Francisco brought in a new head coach for the second straight season, as Red Strader was replaced with former 49ers quarterback Frankie Albert, who played with the team from their AAFC days in 1946 until 1952.


1956 San Francisco 49ers season
The Niners got off to a rough start, winning only 1 of their first 7 games to sit in last place in the Western Conference. San Francisco went unbeaten in their final 5 games, and finished the year with a 5–6–1, and in 3rd place in the Conference.


1956 San Francisco 49ers season
Offensively, Y. A. Tittle threw for a team-high 1,641 yards and 7 touchdowns, and had 56.9% of his passes completed. Hugh McElhenny rushed for a team-best 916 yards and 8 touchdowns, while Billy Wilson caught a club-high 60 receptions for 889 yards, along with 5 touchdowns. Bob St. Clair blocked ten Field Goal attempts.


1956 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1956 San Francisco State Gators football team
The 1956 San Francisco State Gators football team represented San Francisco State College during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season.


1956 San Francisco State Gators football team
San Francisco State competed in the Far Western Conference (FWC). The Gators were led by 7th-year head coach Joe Verducci. They played home games at Cox Stadium in San Francisco, California. The team finished the season as co-champion of the FWC, with a record of five wins and five losses (5–5, 4–1 FWC). For the season the team was outscored by its opponents 168–177.


1956 San Francisco State Gators football team, Team players in the NFL
No San Francisco State players were selected in the 1957 NFL Draft.


1956 San Jose State Spartans football team
The 1956 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State College during the 1956 NCAA University Division football season.


1956 San Jose State Spartans football team
San Jose State played as an Independent in 1956. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Bob Bronzan, and played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spartans finished the 1956 season with a record of two wins, seven losses and one tie (2–7–1). Overall, the team was outscored by its opponents 186–301 for the season. This was the last season under Coach Bronzan, finishing his San Jose State career with a record of 32–30–5, a winning percentage of .515.


1956 San Jose State Spartans football team, Team players in the NFL
The following San Jose State players were selected in the 1957 NFL Draft.


1956 Santa Barbara Gauchos football team
The 1956 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos football team represented Santa Barbara College during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season.


1956 Santa Barbara Gauchos football team
Santa Barbara competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The team was led by first-year head coach Ed Cody, and played home games at La Playa Stadium in Santa Barbara, California. They finished the season with a record of five wins and five losses (5–5, 1–1 CCAA). At the end of the season, but Gauchos accepted an invitation to play in a charity bowl game. The game was the first and only Citricado Bowl, played at Escondido High School in Escondido, California against a military team from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.


1956 Santa Barbara Gauchos football team, Team players in the NFL
No Santa Barbara Gaucho players were selected in the 1957 NFL Draft.


1956 Santiago rail crash
The 1956 Santiago rail crash occurred on February 14, 1956, at 4:00 a.m. near the Chilean capital Santiago on the branch to Cartagena and killed 23 people.


1956 Santiago rail crash
Two trains left the capital twelve minutes apart. Seven kilometres into their journeys, the second train ran into the back of the first; destroying a wooden, third-class carriage. 23 people were killed and 198 injured. President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo ordered an immediate enquiry; the driver of the rear train was found to be at fault.


1956 Santiago rail crash
The accident happened just seven months after a very similar accident at San Bernardo twenty kilometers south of the city killed 38 people.


1956 Santos FC season
The 1956 season was the forty-fifth season for Santos FC.


1956 Saskatchewan general election
The 1956 Saskatchewan general election was held on June 20, 1956, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.


1956 Saskatchewan general election, The campaign
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation government of Tommy Douglas lost a significant share of the popular vote, and 6 of the seats it had won in the 1952 election; but retained its majority in the legislature, winning a fourth term in office.


1956 Saskatchewan general election, The campaign
The Liberal Party of Alexander H. McDonald also lost votes, but picked up an additional three seats.


1956 Saskatchewan general election, The campaign
The Social Credit Party of Saskatchewan rebounded from its poor results in previous elections to win over 21% of the popular vote. Because this was spread out across the province, however, the party won only 3 seats in the legislature under the British parliamentary first-past-the-post system.


1956 Scottish Airlines Malta air disaster
The 1956 Scottish Airlines Malta air disaster was an air accident that happened on 18 February 1956. A Scottish Airlines Avro York crashed after takeoff from RAF Luqa in Malta on a trooping flight from the Suez Canal Zone to London Stansted Airport. The disaster killed all 50 passengers and crew on board the aircraft; all passengers except one (a British Army private) were Royal Air Force personnel.


1956 Scottish Airlines Malta air disaster, Accident
The accident happened on 18 February 1956 when the Avro York, registration G-ANSY, took off from Malta International Airport at 12:21 UTC time on a flight to London Stansted Airport with 45 passengers and five crew aboard. Shortly after becoming airborne, the boost enrichment capsule in the carburetor of the number one engine failed, and the engine caught fire. The pilots failed to feather the propeller as the aircraft slowly climbed to 700–800 feet; they then made a left turn to return to the airport. Shortly after retracting the flaps, the aircraft went into a nose-up attitude at very low speed. This resulted in a stall, which caused the aircraft to enter an unrecoverable dive. It crashed into the ground near Zurrieq, Malta, killing all 50 passengers and crew on board.


1956 Scottish Airlines Malta air disaster, Cause
The reported mechanical cause was failure of the number one engine. However, this was compounded by a loss of speed and consequent loss of control through pilot error.


1956 Scottish Airlines Malta air disaster, Memorials
There is memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum a British site of national remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire. Near the place of crash at town Żurrieq in the Southern Region of Malta  there is memorial monument in Il-Gibjun Gardens.


1956 Scottish Cup Final
The 1956 Scottish Cup Final in association football was played on 21 April 1956 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 71st staging of the Scottish Cup. Hearts and Celtic contested the match. The match was won 3-1 by Hearts.


1956 Scottish League Cup Final
The 1956 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 27 October 1956 and replayed on 31 October 1956. Both matches were played at Hampden Park in Glasgow and it was the final of the 11th Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Celtic and Partick Thistle. The first match ended in a goalless draw, necessitating the reply. Celtic won the replay match 3–0, thanks to a goal by Bobby Collins and two goals by John McPhail.


1956 Segunda División Peruana
The 1956 Segunda División Peruana, the second division of Peruvian football (soccer), was played by 10 teams. The tournament winner, Porvenir Miraflores was promoted to the Primera División Peruana 1957.


1956 Segunda División de Chile
The 1956 Segunda División de Chile was the fifth season of the Segunda División de Chile.


1956 Six Hour Le Mans
The 1956 Six Hour Le Mans was an endurance motor race for Closed Production Cars and Sports Cars. The event was held at the Caversham Airfield in Western Australia on 20 May 1956, utilizing the "Triangle" circuit. It was the second Six Hour Le Mans race to be held in Western Australia. The race was scheduled to be run on 13 May but was postponed until 20 May.


1956 Six Hour Le Mans
The race was won by Sydney Anderson and Sid Taylor driving an Austin-Healey 100.


1956 Six Hour Le Mans, Results
The Teams Prize was awarded to the Diesel Motors Renault Team which comprised cars No 2 and the No 3 competing in the under 750cc class.


1956 Small Club World Cup
The 1956 Small Club World Cup was the fifth edition of the Small Club World Cup, a tournament held in Venezuela between 1952 and 1957, and in 1963 and in 1965. It was played by four participants, 3 from Europe and 1 from South America in double round robin format, and featured players like Alfredo Di Stéfano, Héctor Rial, Francisco Gento, Miguel Muñoz for Real Madrid, Uruguayan Alcides Ghiggia for Roma, Vavá for Vasco da Gama, Hernâni Silva, and Virgílio Mendes for Porto. This was Di Stéfano's second participation and trophy and his first with Real Madrid.


1956 Small Club World Cup
Real Madrid crowned champion of the competition, achieving their second Small World Cup trophy, while Argentine Alfredo Di Stéfano and Brazilians Vavá and Sabará, were the topscorers with 4 goals each.


1956 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia and New Zealand
The 1956 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia and New Zealand, more commonly known in New Zealand as the 1956 Springboks tour was a series of rugby union matches played by South Africa in Australia and New Zealand. The Springboks won 21 matches of 29, drew 1, and lost 7. They played 6 Test matches, with two victories over Australia and one over New Zealand. The New Zealand leg of their trip was the primary focus of the tour—23 of their 29 matches were in New Zealand, which included a four Test match series against New Zealand.


1956 South American Basketball Championship for Women
The 1956 South American Basketball Championship for Women was the 6th regional tournament for women in South America. It was held in Quito, Ecuador and won by Chile. Seven teams competed.


1956 South American Basketball Championship for Women, Results
Each team played the other teams once, for a total of four games played by each team.


1956 South American Championship
South American Championship 1956 was a football tournament held in Uruguay, who won it. Chile were runners-up. Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador withdrew from the tournament. Enrique Hormazábal from Chile became top scorer of the tournament with 4 goals.


1956 South American Championship, Goalscorers
A total of 26 different players scored 38 goals in the tournament. None of the goals are credited as own goal.


1956 South American Championship squads
These are the squads for the countries that played in the 1956 South American Championship. The participating countries were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.


1956 South American Championships in Athletics
The 1956 South American Championships in Athletics  were held in the Chilean capital, Santiago, between 14 and 22 April.


1956 South Australian state election
State elections were held in South Australia on 3 March 1956. All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League led by Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford IV defeated the Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Mick O'Halloran.


1956 South Australian state election
A redistribution occurred in 1955 based upon the results of the census held in June 1954.


1956 South Australian state election, Background
Labor won one seat, rural Murray from the LCL. The LCL won two seats, rural Wallaroo from Labor and rural Chaffey from an independent. An independent won one seat, rural Burra from the LCL.


1956 South Australian state election, Results
South Australian state election, 3 March 1956House of Assembly << 1953–1959 >>


1956 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
The 1956 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 1956 NCAA University Division football season. The Gamecocks finished the season 7–3 overall.


1956 South Dakota Coyotes football team
The 1956 South Dakota Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Dakota in the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season. In its first season under head coach Ralph Stewart, the team compiled a 4–4 record (4–2 against NCC opponents), tied for second place out of seven teams in the NCC, and was outscored by a total of 146 to 140. The team played its home games at Inman Field in Vermillion, South Dakota.


1956 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team
The 1956 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team was an American football team that represented South Dakota State University in the North Central Conference during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season. In its tenth season under head coach Ralph Ginn, the team compiled a 4–5 record, finished in a tie for fourth place out of seven teams in the NCC, and was outscored by a total of 212 to 137.


1956 South Dakota gubernatorial election
The 1956 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1956.


1956 South Dakota gubernatorial election
Incumbent Republican Governor Joe Foss defeated Democratic nominee Ralph Herseth with 54.39% of the vote.


1956 South Korean local elections
Elections were held in South Korea on 8 August 1956 for city, town and township mayors and councilors and on 13 August 1956 for special city and provincial councilors. A total of six city mayors, 30 town mayors, 544 township mayors, 416 city councilors, 990 town councilors, 15,548 township councilors, 47 special city councilors, and 390 provincial councilors were elected.


1956 South Korean local elections, City, town and township elections
Elections for city, town and township mayors and councilors were held on 8 August 1956.


1956 South Korean local elections, Special city and provincial elections
Elections for special city and provincial councilors were held on 13 August 1956.


1956 South Korean presidential election
Presidential and vice-presidential elections were held in South Korea on 15 May 1956. The result was a victory for Syngman Rhee, who won 70.0% of the vote. Voter turnout was 94.4%.


1956 South Korean presidential election
Rhee, who at that time held a virtual monopoly on political power, was opposed by Shin Ik-hee and Cho Bong-am. Shin died before the election by disease, and Cho campaigned on a platform of peaceful reunification in opposition to Rhee's policy of "March North and unify Korea". Cho exceeded expectations by receiving over 30% of the vote. Three years later, Cho was accused of violating the National Security Law and executed.


1956 South Pacific Championship for Racing Cars
The 1956 South Pacific Championship for Racing Cars was a motor race  staged at the Gnoo Blas Motor Racing Circuit, near Orange in New South Wales, Australia, on Monday, 30 January 1956. The race was contested over 27 laps, a total distance of 100 miles. It was the feature race at the South Pacific Road Racing Championships meeting, which was organised by the Australian Sporting Car Club in conjunction with the Orange Cherry Blossom Car Racing Committee.


1956 South Pacific Championship for Racing Cars
The race was won by Reg Hunt driving a Maserati 250F.


1956 South Vietnamese Constitutional Assembly election
Constitutional Assembly elections were held in South Vietnam on 4 March 1956. A total of 431 candidates contested the 123 seats from all five registered pro-government political parties, with 11 elected as pro-government independents. Due to President Diem's policy of repression against the opposition and rigid control of the elections in order to prevent infiltration of Viet Cong communist elements, no opposition candidates were allowed to stand. Two deputies were not permitted to take seats due to electoral violations, making the total number of deputies seated at 121. On 26 October the body was transformed into the National Assembly after the new constitution came into effect.


1956 Southern 500
The 1956 Southern 500, the seventh running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 3rd, 1956, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.


1956 Southern 500
This race was considered to be the "Labor Day Classic" for 1956; complete with a pre-race beauty pageant with a judging panel led by Fonty Flock for the title of Ms. Southern 500 (won by 19 year old Robin Williams of South Carolina) and a parade down the front stretch of the race track.


1956 Southern 500
By the 1990s, NASCAR's top-level series became a media circus that only races at facilities that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.


1956 Southern 500, Background
Darlington Raceway, nicknamed by many NASCAR fans and drivers as "The Lady in Black" or "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and advertised as a "NASCAR Tradition", is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.


1956 Southern 500, Background
The track is a four-turn 1.366 miles (2.198 km) oval. The track's first two turns are banked at twenty-five degrees, while the final two turns are banked two degrees lower at twenty-three degrees. The front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch is banked at six degrees. Darlington Raceway can seat up to 60,000 people.


1956 Southern 500, Background
Darlington has something of a legendary quality among drivers and older fans; this is probably due to its long track length relative to other NASCAR speedways of its era and hence the first venue where many of them became cognizant of the truly high speeds that stock cars could achieve on a long track. The track allegedly earned the moniker The Lady in Black because the night before the race the track maintenance crew would cover the entire track with fresh asphalt sealant, in the early years of the speedway, thus making the racing surface dark black.


1956 Southern 500, Background
Darlington is also known as "The Track Too Tough to Tame" because drivers can run lap after lap without a problem and then bounce off of the wall the following lap. Racers will frequently explain that they have to race the racetrack, not their competition. Drivers hitting the wall are considered to have received their "Darlington Stripe" thanks to the missing paint on the right side of the car.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
There were 364 laps done on a paved track spanning 1.375 miles (2.213 km). It only took five hours, fifteen minutes, and thirty-three seconds for the race to reach its conclusion. Seven cautions were committed for seventy-eight laps and the margin of victory was more than two laps. Attendance was established at seventy thousand people; about the size of a typical modern day sporting event.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
The NASCAR races of the 1950s were definitely different in how they raced, qualified, had race entertainment, and how drivers built and set up each car. Speeds of up to 120 miles per hour (190 km/h) were consistently witnessed throughout the race in addition to the qualifying sessions. Drivers who were amazed at the speeds they went during these times would be absolutely surprised at the modern NASCAR vehicles going upwards of 184 miles per hour (296 km/h) in the most recent races at Darlington Raceway.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
However, the use of ever-advancing technology and complicated luck-based strategies has caused driver skill to become of secondary importance in NASCAR races. The raw skill, determination and grit that dominated the NASCAR Cup Series from its debut in 1949 to the late-1990s has been replaced by calculated strategies made primarily by the crew chiefs in the 21st century.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
The average speed of the race was 95.167 miles per hour (153.156 km/h) while the pole speed was 119.695 miles per hour (192.630 km/h) and was achieved by Speedy Thompson. Seventy American drivers competed as the race entries; there were no foreigners in that race. Other notable drivers in the race included future car owner Junior Johnson, Joe Weatherly, Fonty Flock, Gwyn Staley, Fireball Roberts, Tiny Lund and Herb Thomas. Judge Rider would make his only Cup Series start in this event. Gene Bergin would participate in his first NASCAR Grand National race here and finished in 36th place. Fireball Roberts crashed into another car on lap 166 because he failed to slow down for a caution flag. The cars of #54 Bill Brown and #72 of Peck Peckham were the only cars in the race not manufactured in 1956.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
Bobby Myers fell out then drove in relief for Jim Paschal finishing in sixth place. Paschal, however, got credit for the finish according to NASCAR's archives of race finishes. Larry Flynn made contact with Bill Brown during this race around lap 235. Brown, sporting a very rare onboard (on the front bumper), flew over the wall, destroying the guardrail there, and rolled down the bank, and Flynn's gas container flew out. It was hit by someone and a fire started, which spread to the car. Luckily, seatbelts helped to save the lives of both Flynn and Brown.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
Total winnings for the race was $35,365 ($332,570 when adjusted for inflation). Manufacturers involved in the event included Chevrolet (active), Ford (active), Dodge (active), Mercury (defunct after 2010), Plymouth (defunct), Chrysler (active), Pontiac (defunct), and Buick (active).


1956 Southern 500, Race report
Only one Pontiac and one Chrysler were too slow to compete in this event. The rest of the non-qualifying vehicles were Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, and Plymouth. Jesse James Taylor made his first Cup start since his brutal rollover at Lakewood back in November 1951 that left him with some serious head injuries. He never quite reached back to the heights he did before; any chances of making a comeback ended quickly here with an engine failure in the early laps. After Lee Petty withdrew his No. 42 he replaced Glen Wood in the No. 35.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
This race had a loaded field that had 30 drivers who had a significant level of expertise in the NASCAR Cup Series during the 1950s and had previously won a NASCAR Grand National Series at a time where racing skill was paramount.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
This was the last race for Dink Widenhouse due to an accident he was involved in a wreck on lap 158 where he managed to cut his arm. As he climbed out of his car, Widenhouse noticed he was bleeding and passed out. The track officials saw him unconscious, tangled in his safety belt, and upside down, head in the helmet, with the helmet resting on the racing surface. He wasn't really hurt that badly and didn't have to be sent to a nearby hospital.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
Carl Kiekhaefer was the only notable crew chief to attend this race; he was also the owner of the #87 Chrysler vehicle driven by Buck Baker.


1956 Southern 500, Race report
Until the AC Spark Plug 500 in 1988, this marked the last time that Goodyear tires were not present.


1956 Southern 500, Race report, Qualifying
Failed to qualify: William Pike (#74), Joe Blair (#5), Matt Gowan (#64), Bobby Boyd, Rat Garner (#17), Bryce Beck, Pete Yow (#03), Jud Larson (#69), Everett Brashear (#39) Withdrew from race: Johnny Fite (#20)


1956 Southern 500, Race report, Finishing order
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased * Driver failed to finish race


1956 Southern Area League
The 1956 Southern Area League was the third season of the regional third tier/division of speedway racing in the United Kingdom British teams. Brafield Flying Foxes were no longer competitors with Southern Rovers taking their place. Southern Rovers had no track and raced all their 'home' fixtures on away tracks.


1956 Southern Area League, Summary
Rye House Roosters were the champions for the second consecutive season.


1956 Southern Area League, Summary
Although the Southern Area League continued, it became the second tier division instead of the third tier division. There was not another third division of British speedway until 1996 when the Conference was inaugurated.


1956 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1956 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from March 1–3, 1956 at the Richmond Arena in Richmond, Virginia. The West Virginia Mountaineeers, led by head coach Fred Schaus, won their second Southern Conference title and received the automatic berth to the 1956 NCAA Tournament.


1956 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The top eight finishers of the conference's ten members were eligible for the tournament. Teams were seeded based on conference winning percentage. The tournament used a preset bracket consisting of three rounds.


1956 Southern Illinois Salukis football team
The 1956 Southern Illinois Salukis football team was an American football team that represented Southern Illinois University (now known as Southern Illinois University Carbondale) in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season. Under second-year head coach Albert Kawal, the team compiled a 4–5 record. The team played its home games at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.


1956 Southwark Borough election
Elections to Metropolitan Borough of Southwark were held in 1956.


1956 Southwark Borough election
The borough had ten wards which returned between 3 and 8 members. Labour won all the seats and no other party stood a full set of candidates.


1956 Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs football team
The 1956 Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented the Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in the Gulf States Conference during the 1956 NCAA College Division football season. In their sixth year under head coach Raymond Didier, the team compiled a 4–6 record.


1956 Soviet Class B
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Frietjes (talk | contribs) at 21:45, 18 March 2020. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


1956 Soviet Class B
Following are the results of the 1955 Soviet First League football championship. FC Spartak Minsk and FC Krylya Sovetov Kuibyshev winning the championship.


1956 Soviet Top League
12 teams took part in the league with FC Spartak Moscow winning the championship.


1956 Soviet nuclear tests
The Soviet Union's 1956 nuclear test series was a group of 9 nuclear tests conducted in 1956. These tests followed the 1955 Soviet nuclear tests series and preceded the 1957 Soviet nuclear tests series.


1956 Speedway National League
The 1956 National League Division One was the 22nd season and eleventh post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.


1956 Speedway National League, Summary
The league consisted of seven teams after the West Ham Hammers ceased competitive speedway racing at the end of 1955. Poole Pirates came up from the second tier to replace them. Match line-ups were increased to eight riders after a single season with seven riders. Wimbledon won their third successive National League Championship.


1956 Speedway National League, Summary
Norwich Stars rider Malcolm Flood died on 2 April, at Poole. The 25-year-old rider suffered fatal injuries despite an earlier warning from the race steward that he was riding too erratically into the bends.


1956 Speedway National League, National Trophy Stage Two
The 1956 National Trophy was the 19th edition of the Knockout Cup. The Trophy consisted of two stages; stage one was for the second tier clubs, stage two was for the top tier clubs. Wimbledon won the second and final stage and were therefore declared the 1956 National Trophy champions.


1956 Speedway National League Division Two
1956 was the final season of the Speedway National League Division Two.


1956 Speedway National League Division Two, Summary
With the number of sides competing at national level diminishing from 37 at the start of 1951 to just 14 in 1956, only a single national division would be in existence by 1957. Poole Pirates had been promoted to Division One and Exeter Falcons had closed leaving seven entrants.


1956 Speedway National League Division Two, Summary
Southampton's 34-year-old captain Ernie Rawlins died in Southampton Hospital on 22 September 1956, following an accident in the match against Birmingham on 18 September.


1956 Speedway National League Division Two, National Trophy Stage One
The 1956 National Trophy was the 19th edition of the Knockout Cup. The Trophy consisted of two stages; stage one was for the second tier clubs, stage two was for the top tier clubs. Southampton won stage one and qualified for second and final stage.


1956 St. Louis Cardinals season
The 1956 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 75th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 65th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 76–78 during the season and finished 4th in the National League.


1956 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1956 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1956 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1956 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1956 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1956 Stanford Indians football team
The 1956 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1956 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by Chuck Taylor in his sixth year. The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.


1956 Stanford Indians football team, NFL Draft
Three Stanford Indians were selected in the 1957 NFL Draft.


1956 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1956 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1955–56 season, and the culmination of the 1956 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Montreal Canadiens and the two-time defending champion Detroit Red Wings in the fourth Detroit-Montreal series in the 1950s, the two teams having met in the previous two years as well as in 1952; Detroit won all three. The Canadiens were appearing in their sixth consecutive Finals, the Red Wings their third. The Canadiens won the series, four games to one.


1956 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
Montreal defeated the New York Rangers 4–1 to reach the final. Detroit defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–1 to reach the final.


1956 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries
The Canadiens, down 4–2 after two periods, scored four unanswered goals, in a 5:29 span, in the third period to win game one 6–4 at the Forum. Jacques Plante held the Red Wings to just ten goals in the five games. This was the first Final for Henri Richard and former Habs player Toe Blake's first Final as coach.


1956 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The 1956 Stanley Cup was presented to Canadiens captain Emile Bouchard by NHL President Clarence Campbell following the Canadiens 3–1 win over the Red Wings in game five.


1956 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The following Canadiens players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup


1956 Star World Championship
The 1956 Star World Championship was held in Naples, Italy in 1956.


1956 Star World Championship, Results
Legend: DNF – Did not finish; DNS – Did not start; DSQ – Disqualified; WDR – Withdrew;


1956 State of the Union Address
The 1956 State of the Union Address was given by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Friday, January 5, 1956, to both houses of the 84th United States Congress. He said this in it, "There has been broad progress in fostering the energies of our people, in providing greater opportunity for the satisfaction of their needs, and in fulfilling their demands for the strength and security of the Republic."


1956 Sugar Bowl
The 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the 11th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. The game was played on January 2, since New Year's Day was a Sunday. Much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Segregationists tried to keep Pitt fullback/linebacker Bobby Grier from playing because he was black. Georgia’s governor publicly threatened the Georgia Tech’s president Blake R Van Leer to cancel the game. Ultimately, Bobby Grier played making this the first integrated Sugar Bowl and is regarded as the first integrated bowl game in the Deep South.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
This game occurred during segregation battles in the south, including Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and the murder of Emmett Till (1955). The Sugar Bowl had been racially segregated since its first inception in 1935. No black players had ever taken the field in it. There were even different sections of the stadium set aside for black and white attendees.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
In the past, most Southern colleges (including Georgia Tech) were all-white and had an unofficial "gentleman's agreement" with integrated Northern schools in which the teams would only play against each other if the African American players on the team were benched for the game. By the 1950s, this agreement was starting to break down, with some Northern schools refusing to honor it and some Southern schools agreeing to play against integrated teams so long as the game took place in the North.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
Many Southern schools responded to this shift by simply refusing to play Northern schools at all, resulting in a significant decline in inter-sectional gameplay. The Bowl games, most of which took place in the South, became a focal point of contention. The Cotton Bowl in Dallas held its first integrated game in 1948, and the Sun Bowl in El Paso held one in 1950. But up to 1956, most Southern games still remained strictly segregated.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
Georgia Tech had been involved in a previous racial incident in 1934, when the team refused to play a game against the University of Michigan unless the Wolverines benched their star end, a black player named Willis Ward. Michigan eventually complied with the demand, but only after Georgia Tech agreed to reciprocate by benching their own star end, Hoot Gibson. With both players out of the game, it proceeded on schedule, with Michigan winning 9-2 to earn what turned out to be their only victory of the season. By 1956, Georgia Tech had played against integrated teams before, including a game against Notre Dame two years earlier (a 27-14 defeat that ended the Yellow Jackets' 31-game winning streak), but none of these games had taken place in the South.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
Pittsburgh's linebacker and fullback, Bobby Grier, was black. Many segregationists in New Orleans fought to bar him from playing. This stood in stark contrast to the 1956 Rose Bowl, which featured two of the most racially integrated college football teams of the day with six African American players for the UCLA Bruins and seven for the Michigan State Spartans. Pitt's official stance was "No Grier, no game". The School announced Grier would “travel, eat, live, practice, and play with the team.”


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
After receiving the team invitation to the Sugar Bowl, Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd took a poll of his players to see if they were willing to play an integrated team. Every single player voted in favor of playing the game. Starting quarterback Wade Mitchell said "I personally have no objection to playing a team with a Negro member on it, and, as far as I know, the rest of the boys feel the same way.” Georgia Tech president Blake R Van Leer and coach Dodd met with Governor Marvin Griffin privately who promised to back them. With the full endorsement of the team and backing from the president, Georgia Tech accepted the invitation.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
Georgia governor Marvin Griffin, who had a son attending Georgia Tech at the time, privately told Dodd and Van Leer the game could proceed, but publicly opposed integration and pressured Blake R Van Leer to withdraw Georgia Tech from the game. Van Leer was already catching heat for pushing through a vote to allow women in Georgia Tech after a previous failed attempt. On December 2, 1955 (the day after Rosa Parks began her Montgomery bus boycott), Griffin publicly sent another telegram to his state's Board Of Regents imploring that teams from Georgia not engage in racially integrated events which had Blacks either as participants or in the stands. It read:


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
The South stands at Armageddon. The battle is joined. We cannot make the slightest concession to the enemy in this dark and lamentable hour of struggle. There is no more difference in compromising integrity of race on the playing field than in doing so in the classrooms. One break in the dike and the relentless enemy will rush in and destroy us.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
That same night, a group of 2,000 Georgia Tech students held a protest against Griffin's stance, which soon turned into a riot. Holding signs saying "We play anybody" and "governor Griffin sits on his brains", the students broke windows, upturned parking meters, hung Griffin in effigy, and marched all the way to the governor's mansion, surrounding it until 3:30 a.m. and only agreeing to disperse when state representative Milton "Muggsy" Smith (himself a former Georgia Tech football player) addressed the crowd and assured them the game would be played.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
A few days later, students at the rival University of Georgia, who had lost 21-3 against GT in the final game of the season, held their own protest against Griffin, stating "For once we are with Georgia Tech." Others all across America came out against Griffin, including labor leader Walter Ruether, who called Griffin's statement "un-American", and said "you couldn't help the communists more if you were on their payroll." Van Leer was summoned by the board of regents and valiantly stood his ground in a show of support. He was quoted:


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
Either we’re going to the Sugar Bowl or you can find yourself another damn president of Georgia Tech.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
On December 5 the Georgia Tech board of regents voted 13-1 in favor of allowing the game to proceed as scheduled.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Background
Governor Griffin threatened to have Van Leer fired. Van Leer would later receive a standing ovation for standing up to Griffin.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
The game was a high caliber defensive game. The two teams gave up a combined 7 points, on 453 combined yards. Georgia Tech was held without any points the remaining three quarters of the game, and ended up winning by a 7-0 margin. Pittsburgh, despite dominating the game in terms of yardage (311–142) lost because of 2 lost fumbles, and 72 penalty yards.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
After Georgia Tech recovered a Pitt fumble on the Panthers 32-yard line, Grier was flagged for a 31-yard pass interference penalty, giving the Yellow Jackets a first and goal from the 1. The call was hotly disputed, both by fans in attendance and Pitt players. On the next play, quarterback Wade Mitchell took the ball into the end zone to give his team a 7-0 lead.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
In the second quarter, Georgia Tech was held to five offensive plays, while Pitt got a chance to score with a 79-yard drive to the Yellowjackets 1-yard line. But with time running out, Pitt QB Corny Salvaterra was stuffed for no gain on 4th and goal by GT defenders Franklin Brooks and Allen Ecker.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
In the third quarter, a 26-yard run by Grier sparked a drive to the GT 16-yard line, but this ended with no points due to an interception. Later in the period, Pitt drove all the way to the Yellow Jacket 7, only to lose the ball on a fumble. In the fourth quarter, Pitt mounted a last minute drive for the tying score, but was stopped on the GT 5-yard line when time ran out.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
Grier finished as the game's leading rusher with 51 yards.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
After the game, Grier protested the pass interference call, but praised the Georgia Tech players, saying "They were good sportsmen, perhaps the best I've played against all season. They played hard, but clean. It was a good game. But believe me. I didn't push that man." The referee who made the call was Rusty Coles, a Pittsburgh native who had been selected by Pitt for the game (Both teams got to select three referees each). Coles later admitted the call was an error, but denied making it intentionally. After much pressure and press, Georgia Tech’s progressive president Blake Van Leer died from a heart attack two weeks later.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
The game did not immediately lead to future integration of the Sugar Bowl. In July 1956, the Louisiana state legislature passed Act 579, known as the Athletic Events Bill, which prohibited interracial sports competitions. Governor Earl Long signed it on July 16. It said, in part:


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
All persons, firms and corporations are prohibited from sponsoring, arranging, participating in, or permitting on premises under their control any dancing, social functions, entertainments, athletic training, games, sports or contests and other such activities involving personal and social contacts, in which the participants or contestants are members of the white and negro races.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
The Sugar Bowl would not host another Northern team for the next eight years. Eventually, a federal district court ruled Act 579 was unconstitutional. Five days after the 1964 Sugar Bowl, the United States Supreme Court agreed to let the lower court ruling stand. The lower court stated "Cities may as well face up to the facts of life: New Orleans, here and now, must adjust to the reality of having to operate desegregated public facilities. Time has run out. There is no defense left.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
There is no excuse left which a court, bound by respect for the Rule of Law, could now legitimize as a legal justification for a city's continued segregation of governmental facilities." The following year, Louisiana State University played in the 1965 Sugar Bowl against a Syracuse University team that featured two black players, Floyd Little and Jim Nance, both of whom would go on to play in the NFL.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
In 1957, Georgia senator Leon Butts introduced a bill to ban all integrated athletic contests in the state, as well as other social functions such as dances and concerts. A violation of this act would be a misdemeanor crime, with a possible fine of up to 1,000 dollars or 60 days in jail. Governor Griffin supported the bill, but it received fierce opposition from sports writers and athletic clubs, who warned it would ruin Georgia athletics.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
The bill passed unanimously in the Georgia senate, but died in the house before it could be put to a vote, leading Butts to complain "I think it's a shame the major league ball clubs and the NAACP have gotten control of the Georgia House." A few months later, the Georgia Bulldogs played a scheduled football game against an integrated University of Michigan team, losing 26-0.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
After the 1956 Sugar Bowl, the regents of both Georgia University and Georgia Tech instituted a new policy of refusing to play against integrated teams in integrated stadiums for games that took place in the South, but this was largely symbolic and unenforced. Just four years later, Georgia accepted an invitation to the Orange Bowl to play against the University of Missouri, which had two black running backs.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
Georgia Tech guard Franklin Brooks was named the game's MVP. Bobby Grier's participation in the 1956 Sugar Bowl, as well as the support he received from various communities, is seen by some experts as a milestone in American race relations.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
Brooks went on to have a successful coaching career after a brief stint with the Washington Redskins. Brooks coached at the high school level before returning to Georgia Tech as an assistant coach under Pepper Rodgers. Excelling as an assistant coach, Brooks was poised to become Rogers' replacement but was untimely stricken with inoperable lung cancer.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
Brooks was a non-smoker and non-drinker. According to doctor's reports, he developed cancer as a result of exposure to asbestos during a summer job as a teen. Despite his courageous fight over a two-year period, Brooks died in 1977. Among friends and family, Brooks' funeral procession included College and Pro Football greats such as Eddie Lee Ivery and Bill Curry.


1956 Sugar Bowl, Aftermath
Brooks' struggles with cancer contributed to reform and ultimately the elimination of unsafe asbestos production. Governments and businesses all around the world have urgently taken measures to eliminate structures containing asbestos over the last twenty-five years.


1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad and commonly known as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1956.


1956 Summer Olympics
These Games were the first to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere and Oceania, as well as the first to be held outside Europe and North America. Melbourne is the most southerly city ever to host the Olympics.


1956 Summer Olympics
Due to the Southern Hemisphere's seasons being different from those in the Northern Hemisphere, the 1956 Games did not take place at the usual time of year, because of the need to hold the events during the warmer weather of the host's spring/summer (which corresponds to the Northern Hemisphere's autumn/winter) which resulted in the only summer games ever to be held in November and December. Australia did not host the Games again until 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, and will host them again in 2032 in Brisbane, Queensland.


1956 Summer Olympics
The Olympic equestrian events could not be held in Melbourne due to Australia's strict quarantine regulations, so they were held in Stockholm five months earlier. This was the second time the Olympics were not held entirely in one country, the first being the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, with some events taking place in Ostend, Belgium and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Despite uncertainties and various complications encountered during the preparations, the 1956 Games went ahead in Melbourne as planned and turned out to be a success. The enduring tradition of national teams parading as one during the closing ceremony was started at these Olympics.


1956 Summer Olympics
Eight teams boycotted the Games for various reasons. Four teams boycotted in response to the Suez Crisis where Egypt was invaded by Israel, France and the United Kingdom, three in response to the Soviet invasion of Hungary and one in response to the presence of the Republic of China at the Games.


1956 Summer Olympics
The Soviet Union won the most gold and overall medals for the first time in Summer Olympics history despite a controversial Water Polo match between the Soviet Union and Hungary, who are the defending champions. The Soviet Union had recently suppressed a anti-communist revolution in Hungary and violence broke out during the match between the teams, resulting in numerous injuries. The spectators attempted to join the violence after Ervin Zádor suffered bleeding after being punched by Valentin Prokopov but they were blocked by riot police. The match was cancelled, with Hungary being declared the winner as they were in the lead.


1956 Summer Olympics, Host city selection
Melbourne was selected as the host city over bids from Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Montreal, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and San Francisco at the 43rd IOC Session in Rome, Italy on 28 April 1949. Mexico City, Montreal and Los Angeles would eventually be selected to host the 1968, 1976 and 1984 Summer Olympics.


1956 Summer Olympics, Prelude
Many members of the IOC were sceptical about Melbourne as an appropriate site. Its location in the Southern Hemisphere was a major concern since the reversal of seasons would mean the Games must be held during the northern winter. The November–December schedule was thought likely to inconvenience athletes from the Northern Hemisphere, who were accustomed to resting during their winter.


1956 Summer Olympics, Prelude
Notwithstanding these concerns, the field of candidates eventually narrowed to two Southern Hemisphere cities, these being Melbourne and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Melbourne was selected, in 1949, to host the 1956 Olympics by a one-vote margin. The first sign of trouble was the revelation that Australian equine quarantine would prevent the country from hosting the equestrian events. Stockholm was selected as the alternative site, so equestrian competition began on 10 June, five and a half months before the rest of the Olympic Games were to open.


1956 Summer Olympics, Prelude
The above problems of the Melbourne Games were compounded by bickering over financing among Australian politicians. Eventually, in March 1953, the State Government accepted a £2 million loan from the Commonwealth Government to build the Olympic Village, which would accommodate up to 6,000 people, in Heidelberg West. After the Olympics, the houses in the village were handed back to the Housing Commission for general public housing.


1956 Summer Olympics, Prelude
At one point, IOC President Avery Brundage suggested that Rome, which was to host the 1960 Games, was so far ahead of Melbourne in preparations that it might be ready as a replacement site in 1956.


1956 Summer Olympics, Prelude
As late as April 1955, Brundage was still doubtful about Melbourne and was not satisfied by an inspection trip to the city. Construction was well under way by then, thanks to a $4.5 million federal loan to Victoria, but it was behind schedule. He still held out the possibility that Rome might have to step in.


1956 Summer Olympics, Prelude
By the beginning of 1956, though, it was obvious that Melbourne would be ready for the Olympics.


1956 Summer Olympics, Participation and boycotts
Egypt, Iraq, Cambodia and Lebanon announced that they would not participate in the Olympics in response to the Suez Crisis when Egypt was invaded by Israel, the United Kingdom, and France.


1956 Summer Olympics, Participation and boycotts
The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland boycotted the event in protest at the Soviet Union presence in light of their recent crushing of the Hungarian Revolution.


1956 Summer Olympics, Participation and boycotts
The People's Republic of China chose to boycott the event because Taiwan had been allowed to compete.


1956 Summer Olympics, Participation and boycotts
Although the number of countries participating (67) was almost the same as in 1952 (69), the number of athletes competing dropped sharply, from 4,925 to 3,342. (This figure does not include the 158 athletes from 29 countries who took part in the Stockholm equestrian competition.)


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
Once underway, the Games progressed smoothly, and came to be known as the "Friendly Games". Betty Cuthbert, an 18-year-old from Sydney, won the 100 and 200 metre sprint races and ran an exceptional final leg in the 4 x 100 metre relay to overcome Great Britain's lead and claim her third gold medal. The veteran Shirley Strickland repeated her 1952 win in the 80 metre hurdles and was also part of the winning 4 x 100 metre relay team, bringing her career Olympic medal total to seven: three golds, a silver, and three bronze medals.


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
Australia also triumphed in swimming. They won all of the freestyle races, men's and women's, and collected a total of eight gold, four silver and two bronze medals. Murray Rose became the first male swimmer to win two freestyle events since Johnny Weissmuller in 1924, while Dawn Fraser won gold medals in the 100 metre freestyle and as the leadoff swimmer in the 4 x 100 metre relay team.


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
The men's track and field events were dominated by the United States. They not only won 15 of the 24 events, they swept four of them and took first and second place in five others. Bobby Morrow led the way with gold medals in the 100 and 200 metre sprints and the 4 x 100 metre relay. Tom Courtney barely overtook Great Britain's Derek Johnson in the 800 metre run, then collapsed from the exertion and needed medical attention.


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
Ireland's Ronnie Delany ran an outstanding 53.8 over the last 400 metres to win the 1,500 metre run, in which favourite John Landy of Australia finished third.


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
There was a major upset, marred briefly by controversy, in the 3,000 metre steeplechase. Little-known Chris Brasher of Great Britain finished well ahead of the field, but the judges disqualified him for interfering with Norway's Ernst Larsen, and they announced Sándor Rozsnyói of Hungary as the winner. Brasher's appeal was supported by Larsen, Rozsnyói, and fourth-place finisher Heinz Laufer of Germany. Subsequently, the decision was reversed and Brasher became the first Briton to win a gold medal in track and field since 1936.


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
Only two world records were set in track and field. Mildred McDaniel, the first American woman to win gold in the sport, set a high jump record of 1.76 metres (5.8 ft), and Egil Danielsen of Norway overcame blustery conditions with a remarkable javelin throw of 85.71 metres (281.2 ft).


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
Throughout the Olympics, Hungarian athletes were cheered by fans from Australia and other countries. Many of them gathered in the boxing arena when thirty-year-old Laszlo Papp of Hungary won his third gold medal by beating José Torres for the light-middleweight championship.


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
A few days later, the crowd was with the Hungarian water polo team in its match against the Soviet Union which took place against the background of the Soviet invasion of Hungary. The game became rough and, when a Hungarian was forced to leave the pool with a bleeding wound above his eye, a riot almost broke out. The police restored order and the game was called early, with Hungary leading 4–0, and the Hungarians went on to win the gold medal.


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
In a much publicized Olympic romance, American hammer throw champion Hal Connolly would marry Czechoslovak discus throw champion, Olga Fikotová. After moving to the United States, Olga wanted to continue representing Czechoslovakia, but the Czechoslovak Olympic Committee would not allow her to do so. Thereafter, as Olga Connolly, she took part in every Olympics until 1972 competing for the U.S. She was the flag bearer for the U.S. team at the 1972 Summer Olympics.


1956 Summer Olympics, Events
Despite the international tensions of 1956—or perhaps because of them—a young Melburnian, John Ian Wing, came up with a new idea for the closing ceremony. Instead of marching as separate teams, behind their national flags, the athletes mingled together as they paraded into and around the arena for a final appearance before the spectators. It was the start of an Olympic tradition that has been followed ever since.


1956 Summer Olympics, Highlights, Olympic torch relay
The Olympic flame was relayed to Melbourne after being lit at Olympia on 2 November 1956.


1956 Summer Olympics, Highlights, Olympic torch relay
While the Olympic flame was being carried to Sydney, an Australian veterinary student named Barry Larkin carried a fake Olympic Flame and fooled the mayor of Sydney.


1956 Summer Olympics, Television
These were the first Olympic Games with live television broadcasts. All three Melbourne stations, GTV9, HSV7 and ABV2, broadcast the Olympics. The three Sydney stations, TCN9, ATN7 and ABN2, relayed the Melbourne coverage.


1956 Summer Olympics, Sports
The 1956 Summer Olympics featured 17 different sports encompassing 23 disciplines, and medals were awarded in 151 events (145 events in Melbourne and 6 equestrian events in Stockholm). In the list below, the number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses.


1956 Summer Olympics, Participating National Olympic Committees
A total of 67 nations competed in the 1956 Olympics. Eight countries made their Olympic debuts: Cambodia (only competed in the equestrian events in Stockholm), Ethiopia, Fiji, Kenya, Liberia, Federation of Malaya, North Borneo (modern-day Sabah of Malaysia), and Uganda. Athletes from East Germany and West Germany competed together as the United Team of Germany, an arrangement that would last until 1968.


1956 Summer Olympics, Participating National Olympic Committees
For the first time, the team of Republic of China effectively represented only Taiwan.


1956 Summer Olympics, Participating National Olympic Committees
Five nations competed in the equestrian events in Stockholm, but did not attend the Games in Melbourne. Egypt did not compete in Melbourne due to the Suez Crisis, whilst the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland all boycotted the Melbourne Olympics in protest at the Soviet invasion of Hungary.


1956 Summer Olympics, Medal count
These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1956 Games.


1956 Summer Olympics, Medal count
*   Host nation (Australia), John Ian Wing of Australia was also presented with a bronze medal, not included in the above table, for suggesting the closing ceremony have athletes as one nation.


1956 Summer Olympics medal table
This is the full table of the medal table of the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden (equestrian events).


1956 Summer Olympics medal table
These rankings sort by the number of gold medals earned by a country. The number of silvers is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze. If, after the above, countries are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically. This follows the system used by the IOC, IAAF and BBC.


1956 Summer Olympics medal table
The Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland (Soviet invasion of Hungary), Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon (Suez Crisis) and the People's Republic of China (participation of Taiwan) boycotted the games, but some of them took part in the equestrian events in Stockholm.


1956 Summer Olympics medal table
An additional bronze medal not included in the above Wikipedia table was presented to John Ian Wing, an Australian resident, for advocating that the closing ceremony have athletes march as one nation.


1956 Sun Bowl
The 1956 Sun Bowl featured the Wyoming Cowboys and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. This was the first Sun Bowl played on January 2 since 1950.


1956 Sun Bowl, Background
Texas Tech were champions of the Border Conference while Wyoming finished fourth in the Skyline Conference.


1956 Sun Bowl, Game summary
Larry Zowada threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to John Watts to break the scoreless tie for Wyoming. But Tech responded with a Ronnie Herr touchdown run to tie the game going into the fourth quarter. Tech scored in the fourth on Fewin's touchdown run. But that is when Wyoming took over, as Zowada threw another touchdown pass to tie the game up. After Tech received the ball on the kickoff, Don Schmidt fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Pete Kutches. Three plays later, Ova Stapleton scored on a touchdown run, and from that point on the game was sealed for the Cowboys. Jim Crawford rushed for 103 yards on 18 carries and was named MVP.


1956 Sun Bowl, Aftermath
Weaver remained coach and athletic director until 1960. They did not reach the Sun Bowl again until 1964 and not win a bowl game until 1973. Tech has not won a Sun Bowl since 1951.


1956 Sun Bowl, Aftermath
Wyoming went 10–0 the following season and Crawford led the nation in rushing yards. But believing that they would get a better bowl appearance, they declined the Sun Bowl invitation. No other invitations came. They reached the Sun Bowl again in 1958 and 1966, winning both times.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix
The 1956 Sveriges Grand Prix took place on 12 August, at the Råbelövsbanan, Kristianstad. Although this was the second running of the race, it was the first time as a round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. The previous year's race, won by Juan Manuel Fangio was the first big race held in Sweden, and the organiser, Kungl Automobil Klubben dealt with it so well, the F.I.A. promoted the race. For this year's event, the circuit was widened and resurfaced.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Entry
A grand total of 29 racing cars were registered for this event, of which 28 arrived for practice and 27 for qualifying. Although this was the last round of the championship, there were only two manufacturers who could take the world title, namely Ferrari and Maserati. As a result, the entry list for this race was almost entirely Italian. Both teams were represented by five cars in the race. Ferrari send two 860 Monzas and three 290 MMs for their squad of 11 drivers, while Officine Alfieri Maserati was represented five Maserati 300S, and their team of 10. The only ray of hope from outside of Italy, were the trio of privately entered Jaguar D-Types.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
During the three qualifying sessions held on three days prior to the race, everyone in the works Ferrari and Maserati teams drove all their team cars. After 570 minutes of qualifying, Maserati's Stirling Moss emerged the fastest, putting his 300S on pole.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
The race was held over 153 laps of the 4.062 miles, Rabelövsbanan, giving a distance of 621.472 miles (1,000.161 km). At 12 noon, in front of 37,500 spectators, Collins was first away, with both the Ecurie Nationale Belge cars having trouble starting, but getting away before the leaders returned to complete their first lap. A long line of scarlet red cars screamed across the line to complete the opening lap, led by the Ferrari of Peter Collins, with Stirling Moss, Mike Hawthorn, Benoît Musy, Wolfgang von Trips and Luigi Villoresi following chase behind.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
Already out was Piero Taruffi, having been hit by the Jaguar of Ron Flockhart when his brakes locked up. While Flockhart was able to limp back to the pits for repairs, Taruffi was out on the spot. After the first hour, the only change was that Hawthorn momentarily overdid things, and this let von Trips though into third.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
Francisco Godin-Sales went off the road and was pushed back by the locals. He later stopped to hand over to Jo Bonnier, but due to axle damage the Maserati did not get far and retired on lap 25. A lap later, Musy's 300S was sidelined with gearbox troubles, while Flockhart gave his dented Jaguar to Ninian Sanderson. Just before two hour mark, the leaders began to make their routine stops for fuel and driver changes.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
Maurice Trintignant in sixth place gave over his Ferrari to Phil Hill, and Collins to Olivier Gendebien, while Moss took over the lead, followed by von Trips, Hawthorn and Eugenio Castellotti. Hawthorn went off the track again and into the undergrowth, so when he handed the car over to Alfonso de Portago, large clods of earth and gross dropped off the car. At 2:30pm, and on lap 61, both Moss and von Trips made their pit stops. Moss's Maserati took on fuel, rear wheels and with Jean Behra now behind the wheel, set off without losing the lead. Meanwhile, Collins took over from von Trips, and last of all Castellotti stopped and handed over to Fangio.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
Once all the major stops were completed, Behra was in the lead, followed by Fangio, Collins, and Gendebien. As for the Jaguars, the Le Mans winning team, Ecurie Ecosse were as neat and quick as at Circuit de la Sarthe, with Jock Lawrence taken over from Sanderson, while Desmond Titterington replaced Flockhart.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
The long procession of red sports cars suddenly turned into confusion, when Behra ran out of brakes and needed two stops to make adjustments, meanwhile Gendebien's Ferrari was leaking oil and stopped for a refill, letting Robert Manzon have a go. He did not go far before the engine's oil level dropped and stopped with a bang. Both Collins and Hill went off the road due to the resultant oil patch, while Portago was sideways on for a long while, during which Flockhart managed to avoid him by a small margin.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
Hill motored on through the corn field until he found his way back to the track, while Collins lost more time trying get back on the track, the same way he entered the field. This resulted in Fangio taking the lead, with Hill now in second, Portago third and Collins fourth. The leading Maserati was now in fifth with Harry Schell in the Villoresi car, and Behra struggling back in sixth. Flockhart retired with a blown engine when a rod broke, and Maserati decided to add Moss to the Villoresi/Schell car to try to improve on the fifth position.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
However, the pit stop did not go well, for fuel and oil was put in, while the rear wheels were changed. But everyone got in everyone's way, fuel was slopped over the pit lane, one mechanic tripped over the jack, and amidst the pools of oil, petrol and water. Moss eventually got away. Then Behra decided he was tired of driving without brakes, came in for Villoresi to take over. With gallons of petrol all over the car and the ground, suddenly there was a boomph and the whole lot was on fire.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
The prompt action of the fire brigade, who were ever at the ready, the whole pits might have gone up in flames. After a few tense moments, the Maserati lay under a heavy covering of foam, as was most of the pit crew. The explosion split the fuel tank, as the Maserati was wheeled away into retirement.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
Moss was unable to improve on his fifth place. The order was Fangio, Portago, Hill and Collins, and by 5pm, all the Ferraris had undergone another round of driver changes. Castellotti took over from Fangio, Duncan Hamilton took the Portago car. Trips went back his own car from Collins, and Hill returned his 290 MM to Trintignant. By the time driver shuffling was complete, the order was Castellotti, Trintignant, Trips and Hawthorn. In the meantime, Moss had disappeared down an escape road with no brakes. Sanderson withdrawn the remaining Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar, with a failed rear axle. This left the local Swedish-driven Ferrari in fifth. Then, Castellotti engine blew, leaving the Trintignant at the head of the remaining cars.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Report, Race
It was all over now, and the Ferraris slowed their surviving car, ensuring they complete the last hour of racing, and with the race in the bag, Ferrari reclaimed the World Sportscar Championship. As a result of Castellotti's retirement, Hill and Trintignant in car number 3, took an impressive victory, winning in a time of 6hrs :33.47.7 mins., averaging a speed of 94.690 mph. In second was the Ferrari of Collins and von Trips, just 39.9s drift. The podium was complete by another works Ferrari, of Portago, Hawthorn and Hamilton, who were a lap adrift.


1956 Swedish Grand Prix, Standings after the race
Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Total points scored are listed within brackets in the above table.


1956 Swedish general election
General elections were held in Sweden on 16 September 1956. The Swedish Social Democratic Party remained the largest party, winning 106 of the 231 seats in the Second Chamber of the Riksdag. A Social Democratic-Farmers' League coalition government was formed by Prime Minister Tage Erlander after the election with 125 of the total of 231 seats. Although the non-socialist parties held a majority in the Second Chamber, the Social Democrats held a majority in the First Chamber, so a non-socialist government could not be formed.


1956 Swedish general election
The election was dominated by economic issues. The right-wing opposition focused issues such as taxes on income and companies, as well as regulation in the construction sector. The Erlander government mainly put front social policy and its policy of full employment. Through the use of radio and television the election was now more centralized than ever, with increased focus on the party leaders. A new generation of younger and more fiery party leaders had been elected between 1944-1950, which effected the climate of the debate.