What Happened on November 26, 1956

Historical Events

  • American weightlifter Charles Vinci wins bantamweight gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics with world-record 3-lift (snatch, clean & jerk, overhead press) total of 342.5 kilograms
  • Australian sprinter Betty Cuthbert wins the coveted 100m gold medal in 11.5 at the Melbourne Olympics; takes sprint double winning 200m final four days later
  • Egil Danielsen of Norway sets a new world record throw of 85.71m to win the men's javelin gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics
  • TV game show "The Price Is Right", hosted by Bill Cullen, debuts on NBC
  • USSR coxless pairs scull rower Viktor Ivanov wins Olympic silver medal; in his excitement he drops his medal, it sinks in Lake Wendouree (Victoria, Australia) and is later recovered by a local teenager
1956 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Dale Jarrett, American auto racer (Daytona 500 1993, 96, 2000; NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1999) and broadcaster (ESPN, ABC, NBC), born in Conover, North Carolina
  • Don Lake, Canadian television writer (The Bonnie Hunt Show), born in Toronto, Ontario
  • Marty Smith, American motocross racer (AMA 125cc 1974, 75; AMA 500cc 1977), born in San Diego, California (d. 2020)
  • Nico Slothouwer, Dutch poet (The Man and His Bag), born in Deventer, Netherlands (d. 1987)
Born in 1956

Famous Deaths

Tommy Dorsey (1905-1956)

American trombonist and big band bandleader ("Opus No. 1"; "I'll Never Smile Again"; "Yes, Indeed!"), dies at 51

1956 Highlights

About November 26, 1956

Day of the Week: Monday
How Long Ago? 67 years, 4 months and 2 days
Leap Year: Yes

Generation: Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Monkey
Star Sign: Sagittarius

Music Charts

  • UK #1 Song: Just Walkin' In The Rain - Johnnie Ray