The 1950s

1957

Richard Mohaupt, German composer and Kapellmeister (born 1904)

Richard Mohaupt was a German composer and Kapellmeister.

Richard Mohaupt, German composer and Kapellmeister (born 1904)

1957

Vasily Maklakov, a Russian lawyer and politician (born 1869)

Vasily Alekseyevich Maklakov was a Russian student activist, a trial lawyer and liberal parliamentary deputy, an orator, and one of the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic Par…

Vasily Maklakov, a Russian lawyer and politician (born 1869)

1957

Carlos Castillo Armas, Authoritarian ruler of Guatemala (1954-1957)

Carlos Castillo Armas was a Guatemalan military officer and politician who was the 28th president of Guatemala, serving from 1954 to 1957 after taking power in a coup d'état. A mem…

Carlos Castillo Armas, Authoritarian ruler of Guatemala (1954-1957)

1957

Isaac Heinemann, German-Israeli scholar and academic (born 1876)

Isaac Heinemann was an Israeli rabbinical scholar and a professor of classical literature, Hellenistic literature and philology.

Isaac Heinemann, German-Israeli scholar and academic (born 1876)

1957

Ellen Fairclough (pictured) became the first woman to be appointed to the cabinet of Canada

Ellen Louks Fairclough was a Canadian politician. A Progressive Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1950 to 1963, she was the first woman ever to serve in th…

Ellen Fairclough (pictured) became the first woman to be appointed to the cabinet of Canada

1957

Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar (born 1887)

Anugrah Narayan Sinha, known as Bihar Vibhuti, was an Indian nationalist politician, participant in Champaran Satyagraha, Gandhian, and one of the architects of modern Bihar. He se…

Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar (born 1887)

1957

James M. Cox, American publisher and politician, 46th Governor of Ohio (born 1870)

James Middleton Cox was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th and 48th governor of Ohio, and a two-term U.S. representative from Ohio. As the Democratic nom…

James M. Cox, American publisher and politician, 46th Governor of Ohio (born 1870)

1957

Bob Shiring, American football player and coach (born 1870)

Charles Robert Shiring was a professional football player from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began his professional playing career with the Homestead Library & Athletic Club in 1901…

Bob Shiring, American football player and coach (born 1870)

1957

Sacha Guitry, French actor and director (born 1885)

Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac…

Sacha Guitry, French actor and director (born 1885)

1957

Edith Abbott, American economist, social worker, and educator (born 1876)

Edith Abbott was an American economist, statistician, social worker, educator, and author. Abbott was born in Grand Island, Nebraska. Abbott was a pioneer in the profession of soci…

Edith Abbott, American economist, social worker, and educator (born 1876)

1957

South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm began a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor

South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam, was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered recognition in 1949 as the associated State of …

South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm began a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor

1957

The United Kingdom tested its first hydrogen bomb over Malden Island in Operation Grapple

A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon, using nuclear fusion. The most destructive weapons ever created, their yields…

The United Kingdom tested its first hydrogen bomb over Malden Island in Operation Grapple

1957

Led by John Diefenbaker (pictured), the Progressive Conservative Party won a plurality of House of Commons seats in the

John George Diefenbaker was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1935 and 1979 to lead the pa…

Led by John Diefenbaker (pictured), the Progressive Conservative Party won a plurality of House of Commons seats in the

1957

Hurricane Audrey made landfall near the Texas–Louisiana border, killing over 400 people, mainly in and around Cameron, L

Hurricane Audrey was a catastrophic and very deadly hurricane that devastated the southwestern Louisiana coast in 1957. Along with Hurricane Alex in 2010, it was also the strongest…

Hurricane Audrey made landfall near the Texas–Louisiana border, killing over 400 people, mainly in and around Cameron, L

1957

The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, a largely autobiographical novel by Evelyn Waugh, was published.

The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold is a novel by the British writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in July 1957. It is Waugh's penultimate full-length work of fiction, which the author c…

The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, a largely autobiographical novel by Evelyn Waugh, was published.

1956 70 years ago

Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco

Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. Prior to her m…

Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco

1956 70 years ago

SS Ideal X, the world's first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas

SS Ideal X, a converted World War II T-2 oil tanker, was the first commercially successful container ship.

SS Ideal X, the world's first successful container ship, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for Houston, Texas

1956 70 years ago

The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public

Polio vaccine is a vaccine used to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). Two types are used: an inactivated poliovirus given by injection (IPV) and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth (O…

The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public

1956 70 years ago

David M

David McDowell Brown was a United States Navy captain and NASA astronaut. He died on his first spaceflight, when the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) disintegrated during orbital r…

David M

1956 70 years ago

T Lavitz, American keyboard player, composer, and producer (died 2010)

Terry "T" Lavitz was an American keyboardist, composer, and producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead.

T Lavitz, American keyboard player, composer, and producer (died 2010)

1956 70 years ago

Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier

Lise-Marie Morerod is a Swiss former slalom skier. In 1977, she was women's overall season champion.

Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier

1956 70 years ago

Colin Tyre, Lord Tyre, Scottish lawyer and judge

Colin Jack Tyre, Lord Tyre, is a Scottish lawyer, former President of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, and a Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the Supre…

Colin Tyre, Lord Tyre, Scottish lawyer and judge

1956 70 years ago

Anne Glover, Scottish biologist and academic

Dame Lesley Anne Glover is a Scottish biologist and academic. She was Professor of molecular biology and cell biology at the University of Aberdeen before being named Vice Principa…

Anne Glover, Scottish biologist and academic

1956 70 years ago

Former Vice President and Democratic Senator Alben Barkley dies during a speech in Virginia

Alben William Barkley was an American lawyer and politician from Kentucky who served as the 35th vice president of the United States from 1949 to 1953 under President Harry S. Trum…

Former Vice President and Democratic Senator Alben Barkley dies during a speech in Virginia