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Back to 1956

1956 Context: News, Entertainment, Lifestyle

1 / 24Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union continue testing atomic bombs following WWll. The U.S. develops Hydrogen Bombs 450 times more powerful than the bomb dropped at Hiroshima. The US tests bombs in the Marshall Islands including the Bikini Atoll.

News

Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union continue testing atomic bombs following WWll. The U.S. develops Hydrogen Bombs 450 times more powerful than the bomb dropped at Hiroshima. The US tests bombs in the Marshall Islands including the Bikini Atoll.

2 / 24The U.S. Supreme Court rules that segregation on buses is illegal. This follows a year long Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott led by Martin Luther King and sparked by the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks.

News

The U.S. Supreme Court rules that segregation on buses is illegal. This follows a year long Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott led by Martin Luther King and sparked by the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks.

3 / 24Southdale Center opens in Edina, Minnesota, bringing shops together inside a fully enclosed, climate-controlled mall. Shoppers can stroll, browse and meet friends without worrying about the weather, a welcome idea in a Minneapolis suburb with long winters.

News

Southdale Center opens in Edina, Minnesota, bringing shops together inside a fully enclosed, climate-controlled mall. Shoppers can stroll, browse and meet friends without worrying about the weather, a welcome idea in a Minneapolis suburb with long winters.

4 / 24Dodge gives its 1956 cars rocket-like tail lights, sweeping fins and plenty of chrome. The space age is making its way onto the highway, even when the destination is only the supermarket.

Advertising

Dodge gives its 1956 cars rocket-like tail lights, sweeping fins and plenty of chrome. The space age is making its way onto the highway, even when the destination is only the supermarket.

5 / 24The television set is becoming the center of the family living room. A favorite show brings everyone together, with the children claiming a place on the floor and the adults settling into their chairs.

Lifestyle

The television set is becoming the center of the family living room. A favorite show brings everyone together, with the children claiming a place on the floor and the adults settling into their chairs.

6 / 24Drive-In movies are popular. Cecil B. DeMille's film The Ten Commandments is the most expensive movie ever made at the time and becomes the top film of 1956. Starring Charlton Heston, the movie is nominated for seven Academy Awards. Released November 1956.

Movies

Drive-In movies are popular. Cecil B. DeMille's film The Ten Commandments is the most expensive movie ever made at the time and becomes the top film of 1956. Starring Charlton Heston, the movie is nominated for seven Academy Awards. Released November 1956.

7 / 24Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean appear in a lobby card for Giant. The sprawling Texas drama mixes cattle, oil and family conflict, with Dean’s final film role adding to the attention surrounding its 1956 release. Released November 1956.

Movies

Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean appear in a lobby card for Giant. The sprawling Texas drama mixes cattle, oil and family conflict, with Dean’s final film role adding to the attention surrounding its 1956 release. Released November 1956.

8 / 24Low budget science fiction movies are popular, especially with teens, reflecting both the fascination and fear associated with the growing importance of science, technology and the Cold War.

Movies

Low budget science fiction movies are popular, especially with teens, reflecting both the fascination and fear associated with the growing importance of science, technology and the Cold War.

9 / 24Grace Kelly stars in the film High Society with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. It is Kelly's final Hollywood role as she leaves acting to marry Monaco's Prince Rainier. Released July 1956.

Movies

Grace Kelly stars in the film High Society with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. It is Kelly's final Hollywood role as she leaves acting to marry Monaco's Prince Rainier. Released July 1956.

10 / 24Grace Kelly trades Hollywood for a royal wedding when she marries Monaco’s Prince Rainier in April 1956. The couple met at the Cannes Film Festival the year before, and the glamorous ceremony gives newspapers and movie fans a real-life fairy tale to follow.

News

Grace Kelly trades Hollywood for a royal wedding when she marries Monaco’s Prince Rainier in April 1956. The couple met at the Cannes Film Festival the year before, and the glamorous ceremony gives newspapers and movie fans a real-life fairy tale to follow.

11 / 24Chicago debutantes dress for a night of introductions, dancing and photographs. Full skirts, fitted bodices and pastel colors give the occasion the dressed-up look associated with the mid-fifties.

Lifestyle

Chicago debutantes dress for a night of introductions, dancing and photographs. Full skirts, fitted bodices and pastel colors give the occasion the dressed-up look associated with the mid-fifties.

12 / 24The boys at a Chicago debutante ball pause for a less formal photograph. Jackets and ties are still in place, even if the carefully arranged pose has given way to a little clowning around.

Lifestyle

The boys at a Chicago debutante ball pause for a less formal photograph. Jackets and ties are still in place, even if the carefully arranged pose has given way to a little clowning around.

13 / 24The lobby of General Motors' new Technical Center makes a striking first impression. A sweeping staircase, open space and an uncluttered reception desk put modern design on display before visitors even reach the offices.

Lifestyle

The lobby of General Motors' new Technical Center makes a striking first impression. A sweeping staircase, open space and an uncluttered reception desk put modern design on display before visitors even reach the offices.

14 / 24A secretary works at her typewriter in a New York City office. Paperwork, filing and keeping correspondence moving are everyday parts of the job, with no computer screen or email inbox in sight.

Lifestyle

A secretary works at her typewriter in a New York City office. Paperwork, filing and keeping correspondence moving are everyday parts of the job, with no computer screen or email inbox in sight.

15 / 24The increase in the birth rate following World War ll (the Baby Boom) drives suburban expansion and the need for new schools in the 1950's. This 1956 classroom scene is from a new elementary school in suburban Long Island, New York.

News

The increase in the birth rate following World War ll (the Baby Boom) drives suburban expansion and the need for new schools in the 1950's. This 1956 classroom scene is from a new elementary school in suburban Long Island, New York.

16 / 24Coca-Cola puts its familiar bottles among teenagers, sandwiches and schoolbooks. A shared lunch break looks sociable and cheerful, with the soft drink fitting neatly into the company's idealized picture of American teenage life.

Advertising

Coca-Cola puts its familiar bottles among teenagers, sandwiches and schoolbooks. A shared lunch break looks sociable and cheerful, with the soft drink fitting neatly into the company's idealized picture of American teenage life.

17 / 24Penneys offers summer separates that can be mixed and matched: sleeveless tops, shorts and striped trousers. The colors are lively, but the neatly defined waists and coordinated outfits keep everything looking put together.

Fashion

Penneys offers summer separates that can be mixed and matched: sleeveless tops, shorts and striped trousers. The colors are lively, but the neatly defined waists and coordinated outfits keep everything looking put together.

18 / 24Arrow shirts add a little variety to a man's casual wardrobe. Checks, small prints and pastel colors offer alternatives to the plain white business shirt, while the collars keep the look smart enough for company.

Fashion

Arrow shirts add a little variety to a man's casual wardrobe. Checks, small prints and pastel colors offer alternatives to the plain white business shirt, while the collars keep the look smart enough for company.

19 / 24A family gathers around a picnic table in a Los Angeles park. Food, conversation and a patch of grass are enough for a day out, with time left over for a game or a walk.

Lifestyle

A family gathers around a picnic table in a Los Angeles park. Food, conversation and a patch of grass are enough for a day out, with time left over for a game or a walk.

20 / 24A carhop takes an order at Bob's Big Boy in suburban Los Angeles. The family can stay in the car while dinner comes to them—a familiar pleasure of drive-in dining in Southern California.

Lifestyle

A carhop takes an order at Bob's Big Boy in suburban Los Angeles. The family can stay in the car while dinner comes to them—a familiar pleasure of drive-in dining in Southern California.

21 / 24The 1956 US presidential election pits Republican incumbent President Dwight Eisenhower against Democratic presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson, Governor of Illinois. Eisenhower wins his second term in a landslide.

News

The 1956 US presidential election pits Republican incumbent President Dwight Eisenhower against Democratic presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson, Governor of Illinois. Eisenhower wins his second term in a landslide.

22 / 24The Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria collides with the Swedish ship Stockholm off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. 1,660 passengers are rescued, but 46 lives are lost as the Andrea Doria sinks.

News

The Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria collides with the Swedish ship Stockholm off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. 1,660 passengers are rescued, but 46 lives are lost as the Andrea Doria sinks.

23 / 24Egypt’s nationalization of the Suez Canal leads to an invasion by Israel, Britain and France in 1956. The United States opposes the operation, and international pressure helps force a withdrawal. The crisis exposes a changing balance of power in the Middle East and the declining reach of the old European empires.

News

Egypt’s nationalization of the Suez Canal leads to an invasion by Israel, Britain and France in 1956. The United States opposes the operation, and international pressure helps force a withdrawal. The crisis exposes a changing balance of power in the Middle East and the declining reach of the old European empires.

24 / 24Nationwide protests against the Soviet controlled Hungarian People's Republic results in the collapse of the government. By the end of the year Soviet forces invade and install a new government, killing over 2500 Hungarian citizens in the process.

News

Nationwide protests against the Soviet controlled Hungarian People's Republic results in the collapse of the government. By the end of the year Soviet forces invade and install a new government, killing over 2500 Hungarian citizens in the process.