December 31, 1955 New Year's Eve

December 31, 1955, was a Saturday. It was 68 years, 11 months, and 22 days ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Capricorn.

Top song: December 31, 1955

The best-selling single on December 31, 1955 was "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Play the top singles from 1955
A Spotify playlist of songs from the year 1955. Take a trip back to the days of Bill Hayes, Mitch Miller, The Four Aces and The Fontane Sisters.

Facts

New Year's Eve 1955 occurred 25,194 days ago. Approximately 840 months have passed. It was the 365th day of 1955, in week 52. The decade was the fifties. It was the last day of the year. People who were born on December 31, 1955, are now 68 years old and belong to the Baby Boomer generation. 280 seasons of weather have come and gone since then.

Take me back to December 31, 1955

Let's go back to the fifties.

The date is December 31, 1955, and it's a Saturday. Babies who are born today will have the star sign Capricorn. The work week is over and Saturday has finally come, so people are spending time with their kids, going to bars, attending dances, shopping, and watching sports.

It's New Year's Eve, and everyone is wondering what the year 1956 will bring. In music, the song "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford is the best-selling record at the moment. Dwight David Eisenhower is the President of the United States, and Sir Anthony Eden is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

On television, people are watching popular shows such as "What's My Line?", "The Cisco Kid", "You Bet Your Life", and "The Roy Rogers Show". It's 1955, so radio stations and jukeboxes are playing songs from artists such as Perez Prado, Bill Haley & His Comets, Mitch Miller, Roger Williams, Les Baxter, Bill Hayes, The Four Aces, The McGuire Sisters and Pat Boone. In fashion, women are sporting chemise dresses, sheaths, sack dresses and straight-cut suits. Short boxy jackets and shift dresses are also beginning to become popular. Meanwhile, a lot of men are sporting a "Teddy Boy" style that involves leather jackets, greased-back hair, extremely narrow trousers and velvet-collared jackets. Men are also wearing formal suits as daywear.

Tailfins on cars are extremely popular at the moment. The design looks futuristic, almost like a rocket or the twin rudders on the back of an airplane. Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "Looney Tunes", "Tom and Jerry", "Adventures of Superman", and "Winky Dink and You". Children are playing with toys such as Dimestore soldiers, Toy Guns, Colorforms, and Feed the Elephant.

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on December 31, 1955, will have the star sign Capricorn.
Zodiac Element: Earth.
Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1955 was the year of the Goat (Yin Metal).
The Life Path Number for this date is 9.
Native American Zodiac: December 31, 1955 falls under the Goose.
Birthstone: A person during the month of December will have the birthstones Tanzanite, Zircon and Turquoise.
Birth flower (December): The Narcissus and the Holly.

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on December 31, 1955.

Tailfins on cars
Tailfins on cars were a popular style around this time. The design looked futuristic, almost like the twin rudders on the back of an airplane.
Movies from 1955
The most popular movies of 1955 included Cinerama Holiday, Mister Roberts, Battle Cry, "Oklahoma!", Guys and Dolls, Lady and the Tramp, and Picnic.
1955 in music
The radio stations in 1955 were dominated by artists such as Perez Prado, Bill Haley & His Comets, Mitch Miller, Roger Williams, Les Baxter, Bill Hayes, The Four Aces, The McGuire Sisters and Pat Boone.
Harlow Curtice
General Motors President Harlow Curtice was named the Time Person of the Year in 1955 after his company became the first US company to earn US$1 billion in a single year.
Rock and roll
In the mid-1950s, a new music genre called "Rock and Roll" began to take off.
Panty raids are all the rage on college campuses
Panty raids were a popular college prank at the time. Large groups of male students would "raid" the living quarters of their female counterparts and then steal their underwear as proof that the raid had been successful. These raids took place during a time when colleges had curfews and men were forbidden from entering female dormitories.
Poodle skirts are a thing
Women and young girls were wearing wide, unrestricted felt skirts called "poodle skirts." These were solid-colored skirts that had a design or a logo. In many cases, the design was an image of a poodle or a cat.
Greasers
A youth subculture called "greasers" emerged during the 1950s and early 1960s. The style included greased-back hairstyles, work pants, and denim or leather jackets.
The Jukebox
The jukebox was at the height of its popularity. Teenagers and young adults would often hang out at local restaurants and diners and listen to the latest songs.
Men are getting "DA haircuts"
The "DA haircut" was extremely popular among men. The cut consisted of a combed-back hairstyle that was parted down the middle at the back. "DA" stood for "Duck's Ass," which is what many people liked to call the style.
Sock hops
Sock hops were informal dance events for teenagers. The name originated from the fact that many of these dances required participants to remove their shoes. This is because sock hops were often held in high school gymnasiums, and the organizers didn't want scuff marks on the floors.
Capitalism vs Communism
The ideological clash between capitalism and communism heated up during the 1950s. It was during this period that a "Cold War" started between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the US, there were fears that Soviet spies had infiltrated all parts of society, including Hollywood.
The economy is booming
The world was recovering from World War II. Many countries witnessed an economic boom during this decade. Unemployment was low, consumerism increased, mortgages were cheap, and governments started to invest in infrastructure such as highways. For many, this was the "golden age" of the economy.
Rotary phones
Almost everyone had rotary phones in the 1950s. However, the heavier metal dial components were being phased out and replaced with plastic.
More and more people are buying television sets
More and more households were buying TV sets. In 1950, 20% of homes had a television. By the end of the decade, that figure had risen to 90%.
Polio cases are high
Cases of Polio were particularly high, and outbreaks were common. In the United States, the disease peaked in 1952, with nearly 60,000 cases and 3,145 deaths. It wasn't until 1955 that a national immunization program started and cases began to drop.

Personality traits

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on December 31, 1955.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

What happened around this time?

News stories, pop culture trends, and other events that happened around December 31, 1955.

December 1, 1955: Activist Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to white passengers.
December 5, 1955: The Montgomery bus boycott begins in Montgomery, Alabama.
December 7, 1955: UK politics: Clement Attlee resigns as leader of the Labour Party after 20 years in charge.
December 10, 1955: The first episode of "Mighty Mouse Playhouse" is broadcast on CBS.
December 15, 1955: Johnny Cash releases his single "Folsom Prison Blues".
December 26, 1955: NFL: The Cleveland Browns defeat the Los Angeles Rams 38-14 to win the 1955 NFL Championship Game.
This date: December 31, 1955
January 1, 1956: 124 people are killed after a crowd crush occurs at the Yahiko Shrine in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.
January 5, 1956: It is announced that Hollywood actress Grace Kelly is engaged to Monaco's Prince Rainier.
January 8, 1956: Five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States are killed by the Huaorani people of the rain forest of Ecuador.
January 27, 1956: Elvis Presley releases his song "Heartbreak Hotel".
January 28, 1956: Elvis Presley performs on TV for the first time.
January 30, 1956: The home of African American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is bombed.

1950s fashion

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

Television shows in December 1955

In December 1955, TV audiences were watching the following series:

Fury

Gunsmoke

Annie Oakley

The Danny Thomas Show

Our Miss Brooks

The Roy Rogers Show

I Love Lucy

Sky King

The Jack Benny Program

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

You Bet Your Life

The Cisco Kid

Cars in 1955

1955 saw the introduction of cars such as the Ford Thunderbird, the Chevrolet Task Force, the Ford Fairlane, the Pontiac Safari, the Ford Squire, and the Peugeot 403.

Cartoons and children's TV shows in December 1955

If you were a kid on December 31, 1955, then you were probably watching the following cartoons and TV shows:

Mighty Mouse Playhouse

Captain Kangaroo

The Mickey Mouse Club

Adventures of Pow Wow

Father Knows Best

Lassie

Winky Dink and You

Adventures of Superman

Crusader Rabbit

Tom and Jerry

Looney Tunes

Toys in 1955

If you were a child on this date, then you may have had some of the following toys:

Matchbox toy cars

Roy Rogers Plastic Figures

Mr. Potato Head

Feed the Elephant

Pitchin' Pal

Colorforms

BAS-KET Miniature Basketball

Tiny Tears (doll)

Spinning Tops

Toy Guns

Foto-Electric Baseball

Tonka trucks

Were you born on December 31, 1955?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1955.

This is because humans find it difficult to retrieve memories of their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out December 31, 1961, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on December 31.

Anthony Hopkins

Actor
Born on December 31, 1937
He turned 18 on this day in 1955.

Alex Ferguson

Soccer manager
Born on December 31, 1941
He turned 14 on this day in 1955.

John Denver

American singer Deceased
Born on December 31, 1943
He turned 12 on this day in 1955.

Val Kilmer

Actor
Born on December 31, 1959
He was born exactly 4 years after this date.

John Allen Muhammad

Convicted murderer Deceased
Born on December 31, 1960
He was born exactly 5 years after this date.

Psy

South Korean singer
Born on December 31, 1977
He was born exactly 22 years after this date.

Donald Trump Jr.

American businessman
Born on December 31, 1977
He was born exactly 22 years after this date.

Hunter Schafer

Actress
Born on December 31, 1998
She was born exactly 43 years after this date.

Holidays

National holidays and famous events that fall on December 31:

New Year's Eve

US President

Dwight David Eisenhower was the President of the United States on December 31, 1955.

UK Prime Minister

Sir Anthony Eden was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Irish Taoiseach

John A. Costello was the Taoiseach of Ireland.

Conception dates

Conception estimates for this date.

Note: These conception dates are based on broad estimates.

A baby that was born on December 31, 1955 was most likely conceived around April 9, 1955.
The due date for a baby that was conceived on December 31, 1955 is close to September 22, 1956.

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Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about December 31, 1955:

25,194 days have passed since this date.
3,599 weeks have passed.
2,176,761,600 seconds have passed since December 31, 1955.
If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,539,555,200 times.
Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 1,123,208,985,600 miles through space.
If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 362,793,600 times.
You have taken approximately 187,201,498 steps. That's roughly 83,201 miles.
26,121,139 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
How many years ago was 1955?

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December 31, 1955 New Year's Eve

Top song: December 31, 1955

Facts

Take me back to December 31, 1955

Zodiac

News, nostalgia, and fads

Tailfins on cars

Movies from 1955

1955 in music

Harlow Curtice

Rock and roll

Panty raids are all the rage on college campuses

Poodle skirts are a thing

Greasers

The Jukebox

Men are getting "DA haircuts"

Sock hops

Capitalism vs Communism

The economy is booming

Rotary phones

More and more people are buying television sets

Polio cases are high