The
Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ended, with
Sudan becoming an independent nation after nearly 136 years of union with Egypt and 56 years of British occupation.
Carl Perkins' record "
Blue Suede Shoes" was released in the United States and would rise to the top of the charts within weeks.[1]
Liberian-registered
tankerSS Melody ran aground at
Vlissingen in the Netherlands.[8]
In the United States, the
1956 Rose Bowl college football game was won by the Michigan State Spartans, who defeated the UCLA Bruins by 17–14, with
Walt Kowalczyk being given the award for best player.[9]
A
Piasecki YH-16A Turbo Transporter helicopter prototype, 50-1270, broke up and crashed near
Swedesboro, New Jersey, near the
Delaware River, United States, during a test flight. The cause of the crash was later determined to be the aft
slip ring, which led to a failure of the rotor shaft. The two test pilots, Harold Peterson and George Callaghan, were killed, and the YH-16 was later cancelled.[11]
The Dutch
coasterSS Hartel collided with French ship SS Penhir in the
River Thames at
Gravesend, Kent, England. All nine people on board were rescued.[12]
The British cargo ship SS Gem collided with Norwegian ship SS Kallgeir at Poortershaven in the Netherlands and was beached.[13]
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, Supreme General in Chief of
Colombia, issued "Decree 133 of 1956", transforming the General Secretariat into the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic.[40]
Died:Erich Kleiber, 65, Austrian conductor and composer, died of a heart attack.
West German cargo ship MV Gertrud sank in the
North Sea 150 nautical miles (280 km) east of
Peterhead,
Aberdeenshire, Scotland. All nine crew were rescued by the local trawlers Junella and York City.[42]
^Harte, Michael; Ring, Rachel; Woodward, Heather (2006). The Day Wadhurst Changed Friday 20th January 1956.
Wadhurst: Wadhurst History Society. pp. 19–21, 61.
ISBN978-0-9545802-2-3.
^"Snow And Ice Over Wide Areas". The Times. No. 53436. London. 24 January 1956. col D, p. 8.
^"Reseña Histórica" [Historical Review]. Nuestra Entidad (in Spanish). Departamento Administrativo de la Presidencia de la República. Retrieved 2008-11-07.