August 8, 1956

August 8, 1956, was a Wednesday. It was 68 years, 2 months, and 28 days ago. The zodiac star sign for this date is Leo.

Top song: August 8, 1956

The best-selling single on August 8, 1956 was "My Prayer" by The Platters.

Play the top songs from 1956
A Spotify playlist of songs from the year 1956. Take a trip back to the days of Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Kay Starr and The Platters.

Facts

This date was 24,926 days ago. Approximately 831 months have passed. It was the 221st day of 1956, in week 32. The decade was the fifties. People born on this day are currently 68 years old and belong to the Baby Boomer generation. 1956 had 366 days because it was a leap year. The Earth has experienced 277 seasons of weather since then.

Take me back to August 8, 1956

Let's take a stroll down memory lane.

It is Wednesday, August 8, 1956. Anyone born today will have the star sign Leo. It is "Hump Day", so many are beginning to think about the weekend ahead.

The summer of 1956 is in full swing. The weather is warm, and the evenings are brighter than usual. Most schools and colleges are now finished until August or September. In music, the song "My Prayer" by The Platters 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.

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 "What's My Line?", "The Jack Benny Program", "The Danny Thomas Show", and "Annie Oakley". Children and teenagers are watching television shows such as "Crusader Rabbit", "Winky Dink and You", "The Mickey Mouse Club", and "The Gumby Show".

Popular toys at the moment include Spinning Tops, Tiny Tears (doll), Feed the Elephant, and Roy Rogers Plastic Figures.

Zodiac

Zodiac, birthstone, and birth flower information.

Personality summary image

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Anyone born on August 8, 1956, will have the star sign Leo.
Zodiac Element: Fire.
Chinese Zodiac Animal: In the Chinese Zodiac, 1956 was the year of the Monkey (Yang Water).
The Life Path Number for this date is 1.
Native American Zodiac: August 8, 1956 falls under the Salmon.
Birthstone: A person during the month of August will have the birthstone Peridot.
Birth flower (August): The Gladiolus and the Poppy.

News, nostalgia, and fads

These are news stories, trending topics, and fads that were popular on August 8, 1956.

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.
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 were 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 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%.

Personality traits

Check out our personality summary for people who were born on August 8, 1956.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

View Personality Summary

What happened around this time?

Notable events that happened close to August 8, 1956.

July 9, 1956: Dick Clark takes over as the new host of the music-performance TV series "American Bandstand".
July 13, 1956: Elvis Presley releases his version of the song "Hound Dog".
July 17, 1956: The romantic musical comedy film "High Society" is released in movie theaters.
July 18, 1956: Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor and British actor Michael Wilding announce that they are separating after four years of marriage.
July 26, 1956: Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser causes international outcry after he nationalizes the Suez Canal.
July 30, 1956: The phrase "In God We Trust" becomes the national motto of the United States.
August 6, 1956: The DuMont Television Network makes its final broadcast and winds up operations after years of financial struggles.
This date: August 8, 1956
August 21, 1956: The historical drama film "War and Peace" is released.
September 7, 1956: Brazilian soccer player Pelé makes his professional debut for Santos FC at the age of 15.

1950s fashion

Photographs of 1950s fashion and hairstyles.

TV shows in 1956

The following TV shows were popular in August 1956:

Fury

Gunsmoke

Annie Oakley

The Danny Thomas Show

The Roy Rogers Show

I Love Lucy

Sky King

The Jack Benny Program

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

You Bet Your Life

What's My Line?

The Lone Ranger

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).

Kids TV shows on August 8, 1956

Cartoons and TV shows that children and teenagers were watching on this day in 1956:

The Gumby Show

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

Popular toys and games in 1956

Toys and games that were popular in 1956:

Wooly Willy

Play-Doh

Matchbox toy cars

Roy Rogers Plastic Figures

Mr. Potato Head

Feed the Elephant

Colorforms

BAS-KET Miniature Basketball

Tiny Tears (doll)

Spinning Tops

Toy Guns

Foto-Electric Baseball

Were you born on August 8, 1956?

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 of their early childhood.

If you are looking for some childhood nostalgia, then you should check out August 8, 1962, instead.

Celebrity birthdays

Celebrities, historical figures, and other notable people who were born on August 8.

Dustin Hoffman

Actor
Born on August 8, 1937
He turned 19 on this day in 1956.

Louis van Gaal

Soccer manager
Born on August 8, 1951
He turned 5 on this day in 1956.

The Edge

U2
Born on August 8, 1961
He was born exactly 5 years after this date.

Chris Eubank

Boxer
Born on August 8, 1966
He was born exactly 10 years after this date.

Drew Lachey

98 Degrees
Born on August 8, 1976
He was born exactly 20 years after this date.

JC Chasez

NSYNC
Born on August 8, 1976
He was born exactly 20 years after this date.

Meagan Good

Actress
Born on August 8, 1981
She was born exactly 25 years after this date.

Roger Federer

Tennis player
Born on August 8, 1981
He was born exactly 25 years after this date.

Shawn Mendes

Singer
Born on August 8, 1998
He was born exactly 42 years after this date.

Holidays

National holidays and famous events that fall on August 8:

Peace Festival

US President

Dwight David Eisenhower was the President of the United States on August 8, 1956.

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 August 8, 1956 was most likely conceived around November 16, 1955.
The due date for a baby that was conceived on August 8, 1956 is close to May 1, 1957.

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Statistics

Here are some interesting statistics about August 8, 1956:

24,926 days have passed since this date.
3,560 weeks have passed.
2,153,610,000 seconds have passed since August 8, 1956.
If you were born on this day, your heart has beat approximately 2,512,545,000 times.
Since then, the Earth has traveled approximately 1,111,262,760,000 miles through space.
If you were born on this day, your eyes have blinked approximately 358,935,000 times.
You have taken approximately 185,210,460 steps. That's roughly 82,316 miles.
25,843,320 meteors have entered the Earth's atmosphere.
How many years ago was 1956?

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August 8, 1956

Top song: August 8, 1956

Facts

Take me back to August 8, 1956

Zodiac

News, nostalgia, and fads

The rise of Elvis Presley

Movies from 1956

1956 in music

The Hungarian freedom fighter

Tailfins on cars

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