1955 Facts for Kids

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s – 1950s – 1960s 1970s 1980s
Years:	1952 1953 1954 – 1955 – 1956 1957 1958

1955 was a year filled with many important events around the world. It was a time of big changes in politics, science, and entertainment. New inventions and ideas helped shape the future, and many famous people were born or passed away.

Key Events of 1955
Famous People Born in 1955
Famous People Who Died in 1955
Television in 1955
Movies Released in 1955
Hit Songs of 1955
New Books of 1955
Images for kids
See also

Key Events of 1955

January 2 – The president of Panama, Jose Antonio Remon, passed away.
January 7 – Marian Anderson, an amazing African-American singer, made history by being the first Black person to sing at the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
January 19 – The popular Scrabble board game was first sold to the public.
February 8 – In the Soviet Union, Nikolai Bulganin took over as leader from Georgy Malenkov.
February 9 – In South Africa, a system called Apartheid was in place, which separated people by race. Because of this, 60,000 non-white people in a suburb of Johannesburg were forced to leave their homes.
February 13 – Israel received four of the seven ancient Dead Sea scrolls, which are very old and important texts.
February 23 – The first meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) happened. This group was formed to help protect countries in Southeast Asia.
March – Jim Henson, who later created The Muppets, built the very first version of Kermit the Frog.
March 2:
- King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia decided to give up his throne. His father, King Norodom Suramarit, became the new king.
- Heavy floods hit North and Western Australia. This caused many people to lose their homes and sadly, many animals also died.
April 5 – Winston Churchill, who was 80 years old, stepped down as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom due to health reasons.
April 7 – Anthony Eden became the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
April 12 – The polio vaccine, created by Jonas Salk, was approved for use in the United States. This was a huge step in fighting the disease.
April 15 – Ray Kroc opened his very first McDonald's restaurant in Illinois.
July 18 – The famous Disneyland theme park opened its doors in Anaheim, California.
October 14 – The province of East Bengal in Pakistan was renamed East Pakistan. Its capital was Dhaka. The western part of the country became West Pakistan.
October 26 – South Vietnam was officially established, along with its army.
November 1 – The Vietnam War began between the armies of North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
November 20 – Musician Bo Diddley made his first TV appearance on Ed Sullivan's Toast Of The Town show.
December 1 – Rosa Parks bravely refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. She was arrested, and this event helped start the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a major moment in the Civil Rights Movement.

Famous People Born in 1955

Many people who would become famous were born in 1955. Here are some of them:

January 6 – Rowan Atkinson, a well-known comedian and actor, famous for playing Mr. Bean.
January 18 – Kevin Costner, a popular American actor.
January 26 – Eddie Van Halen, a very talented musician and guitarist.
January 27 – John Roberts, who became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
February 8 – John Grisham, a best-selling novelist.
February 24 – Steve Jobs, who helped create Apple computers.
March 19 – Bruce Willis, a famous actor.
March 28 – Reba McEntire, a popular country music singer and actress.
March 31 – Angus Young, a guitarist from the band AC/DC.
October 28 – Bill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft and is known for his work in computers and technology.
November 29 – Howie Mandel, a comedian and TV host.

Famous People Who Died in 1955

The year 1955 also saw the passing of several important figures:

March 11 – Sir Alexander Fleming, a British medical researcher who discovered penicillin.
March 12 – Charlie Parker, a very influential American jazz saxophonist.
April 18 – Albert Einstein, a brilliant German physicist known for his theory of relativity.
August 5 – Carmen Miranda, a Portuguese singer and actress.
August 12 – Thomas Mann, a German writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
September 30 – James Dean, a popular American actor.
November 4 – Cy Young, a famous baseball player.