May 12th, 1956.

Fictional event.

May 12th, 1956 relates to a fictional event in a movie, book, game or television series.

• Homer Simpson is born.

Take me back to May 12th, 1956!

Let's take a stroll down memory lane!

The date is May 12th, 1956 and it's a Saturday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Taurus. Currently, people are enjoying their weekend.

The summer of 1956 has finally arrived. The weather has warmed up and the evenings are brighter than usual. In music, the song "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley is the best-selling record at the moment. Dwight David Eisenhower is currently the President of the United States and Sir Anthony Eden is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

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. It's 1956, so radio stations and jukeboxes are playing songs from singers such as Elvis Presley, Nelson Riddle, The Platters, Gogi Grant, Les Baxter, Doris Day, Dean Martin and Kay Starr.

If you were to travel back to this day, notable figures such as Humphrey Bogart would be still alive. On TV, people are watching popular shows such as "The Gene Autry Show", "Annie Oakley", "Gunsmoke" and "Fury". Kids and teenagers are watching TV shows such as "Tom and Jerry", "Adventures of Superman", "Father Knows Best" and "Captain Kangaroo".

If you're a kid or a teenager, then you're probably playing with toys such as Dimestore soldiers, BAS-KET Miniature Basketball, Mr. Potato Head and Roy Rogers Plastic Figures.

News topics, fads & culture.

Trending news stories and fads that were prevalent at this time. These are news stories and events that would have been in the media on May 12th, 1956.

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  The rise of Elvis Presley.

  Between April, 1955 and December, 1956, Elvis Presley burst onto the rock n' roll scene with four top-selling records.

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  Movies from 1956.

  The most popular movies in 1956 were The Ten Commandments, Around the World in 80 Days, Giant, Seven Wonders of the World, The King and I, Trapeze and War and Peace.

• 

  1956 in music.

  The radio stations in 1956 were dominated by artists such as Elvis Presley, Nelson Riddle, The Platters, Gogi Grant, Les Baxter, Doris Day, Dean Martin and Kay Starr.

• 

  The Hungarian freedom fighter.

  "The Hungarian freedom fighter" was named as the Time Person of the Year in 1956. This followed the Hungarian Revolution in October and November.

• 

  Tailfins on cars.

  Tailfins on cars was a popular style around this time. The design looked futuristic, almost like the twin rudders on the back of an airplane.

• 

  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 during this period of time. The prank involved large groups of male students "raiding" the living quarters of their female counterparts. Panties were then stolen as as proof that the raid had been successful. These "raids" became popular during a time when colleges had curfews and men were forbidden from entering female dormitories.

• 

  Poodle skirts are a thing.

  During the 1950s, it became a fad to wear wide unrestricted felt skirts called "poodle skirts". These skirts consisted of a solid color that had a design or a logo. In many cases, the design was an image of a poodle or a cat.

• 

  Greasers.

  During the 1950s and early 1960s, a popular youth subculture called "greasers" emerged. The style included greased-back hairstyles, work pants and denim or leather jackets.

• 

  The Jukebox.

  During this period, the jukebox was at the height of its popularity. Around this time, teenagers and young adults would hang out at local restaurants and diners and listen to the latest songs.

• 

  Men are getting "DA haircuts".

  During the 1950s, "DA haircuts" were popular among men. The cut consisted of a combed back hair style that was parted down the middle at the back. "DA" stood for "Ducks Ass", which is what many people liked to call the style.

• 

  Sock hops are popular.

  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.

  During the 1950s, 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.

  During the 1950s, people were using rotary phones. It was during this period that the heavier metal dial components were phased out and replaced with plastic.

• 

  More and more people are buying television sets.

  In the late 1940s and 1950s, more and more households were buying TV sets. In 1950, 20% of homes had a television set. By the end of the decade, that figure had risen to 90%.

Basic facts.

Basic facts and information about this date.

• This date fell on a weekend.
• 66 years and 11 days have passed since May 12th, 1956.
• Week Number: This date occurred during Week 19 of 1956.
• Leap Year: 1956 was a leap year, which means that it contained 366 days instead of 365 (with an extra day in February).
• Age: Anyone born on May 12th, 1956, will be 66 years of age.
• Generation: People born in 1956 belong to the Baby Boomer generation.

Around this time.

Notable events that occurred around May 12th, 1956.

• April 16th, 1956: Buddy Holly releases his debut single "Love Me".
• April 18th, 1956: Hollywood actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier are married at the Prince's Palace of Monaco.
• April 27th, 1956: Boxer Rocky Marciano announces his retirement, having gone undefeated at 49-0.
• April 30th, 1956: Former US Vice President Alben Barkley dies from a heart attack while giving a speech in Lexington, Virginia.
• May 1st, 1956: The first episode of the clay animation series "The Gumby Show" is aired.
• May 1st, 1956: The polio vaccine is made available to the public.
• May 1st, 1956: Johnny Cash releases his song "I Walk the Line".
• May 5th, 1956: Soccer: Manchester City win the 1956 FA Cup Final with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham City.
• This date: May 12th, 1956
• May 30th, 1956: The circus film "Trapeze" is released in movie theaters.
• June 5th, 1956: Elvis Presley performs his new single "Hound Dog" on The Milton Berle Show.

Personality traits.

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on this date.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

Horoscope, birthstone & birth flower information.

Zodiac & Birthstone information.

NEW! Check out our personality summary image for this birth date.

• Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on May 12th, 1956, will have the star sign Taurus.
• However, if you are going by the new star sign system that was discovered in 2020, then the sign for this date is actually Aries.
• Zodiac Element: Earth.
• Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1956 was the year of the Monkey (Yang Water).
• The Life Path Number for this date is 11.
• Native American Zodiac: May 12th, 1956 falls under the Beaver.
• Birthstone: Anyone born during the month of May will have the birthstone Emerald.
• Birth flower (May): The Lily of the Valley and the Hawthorn.

Photos of 1950s fashion.

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

Cars in 1956.

1956 saw the introduction of cars such as the 1957 Chevrolet, the Mercedes-Benz W105, the Studebaker Hawk, the Volvo Amazon, the Continental Mark II and the Ford F-Series (third generation).

Were you born on this date?

If you were born on this date, then it is unlikely that you will remember anything from the year 1956.

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

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then check out May 12th, 1962 instead.

Conception dates.

Conception estimates for this date.

Warning! These conception dates are based on broad estimates.

• A baby that was born on May 12th, 1956 was most likely conceived around August 20th, 1955.
• The due date for a baby that was conceived on May 12th, 1956 is close to February 2nd, 1957.

How old was I?

Enter your date of birth below to find out how old you were on May 12th, 1956.

Time difference & statistics.

Here are some fun statistics about May 12th, 1956.

• A total of 24,117 days have passed since this date.
• 3,445 weeks have passed.
• 2,083,708,800 seconds have passed since the May 12th, 1956.
• If you were born on this day, your heart has beated approximately 2,430,993,600 times.
• Since May 12th, 1956, the earth has travelled approximately 1,075,193,740,800 miles through space.
• If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 347,284,800 times.
• If you were born on this day, you have taken approximately 179,198,957 steps. That's about 79,644 miles!
• Since this date, 25,004,506 meteors have entered the earth's atmosphere!

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