APRIL 18, 1956

WEDNESDAY
1956 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1956
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $4,480,150 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.90
Median Home Price$10,100.00
Gas Price Avg$0.29
Bread Price Avg$0.19
Movie Ticket Avg$0.60
First Class Stamp$0.04
Milk Price Avg$0.93
Top Movies From 1956
Show screen release and event cards
1 The Ten Commandments
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The Ten Commandments
2 Around the World in 80 Days
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Around the World in 80 Days
3 Giant
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Giant
4 The King and I
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The King and I
5 Trapeze
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Trapeze
6 High Society
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High Society
7 War and Peace
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War and Peace
8 The Teahouse of the August Moon
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The Teahouse of the August Moon
9 The Searchers
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The Searchers
10 Anastasia
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Anastasia
Forbidden Planet
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Forbidden Planet
Carousel
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Carousel
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Man Who Never Was
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The Man Who Never Was
The Court Jester
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The Court Jester
Patterns
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Patterns
The Conqueror
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The Conqueror
The Black Tent
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The Black Tent
The Indian Fighter
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The Indian Fighter
Rebel Without a Cause
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Rebel Without a Cause
Picnic
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Picnic
Guys and Dolls
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Guys and Dolls
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
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The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
The Man with the Golden Arm
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The Man with the Golden Arm
I'll Cry Tomorrow
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I'll Cry Tomorrow
The Rose Tattoo
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The Rose Tattoo

April 18, 1956 Trivia

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Television from this era Β· April 18, 1956
Lassie poster
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Lassie
Tony Awards poster
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Tony Awards
As the World Turns poster
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As the World Turns
Broken Arrow poster
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Broken Arrow
Hey, Jeannie! poster
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Hey, Jeannie!
Playhouse 90 poster
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Playhouse 90
State Trooper poster
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State Trooper
Telephone Time poster
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Telephone Time

Exact-date daily brief

April 18, 1956

On April 18, 1956, significant political movements marked the American landscape as the House committee endorsed the idea of federal funding for the construction of interstate highways, reflecting a growing recognition of infrastr...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of April 1956

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Hard Disk Drive (IBM 305 RAMAC)
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Hard Disk Drive (IBM 305 RAMAC)
2 Artificial Intelligence Program
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Artificial Intelligence Program
3 Microwave Oven (Home Model)
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Microwave Oven (Home Model)
4 Digital Clock
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Digital Clock
5 Underwater SCUBA Regulator
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Underwater SCUBA Regulator
6 Automatic Transmission Refinement
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Automatic Transmission Refinement
7 Medical Heart-Lung Machine
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Medical Heart-Lung Machine
8 Weather Satellite Blueprint
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Weather Satellite Blueprint
9 Computer Programming Language (FORTRAN)
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Computer Programming Language (FORTRAN)
10 Electric Can Opener Refinement
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Electric Can Opener Refinement

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From April 18, 1956

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Federal Aid for New York Thruway Approved. Impact: This seemingly mundane funding decision set off a chain reaction where highways became the backbone of road rage, leading to an epidemic of fast food drive-thrus and a national obsession with road trips. Thank you, bureaucracy!. Fact: Federal highway funds were actually a secret plot to ensure every American could reach a McDonald's within a 5-mile radius. Coincidence? I think not.
  • Headline: Dulles Optimistic About Soviet UN Support. Impact: Dulles' hopeful stance led to an unexpected rise in diplomatic handshakes, resulting in two subsequent decades of awkward photo ops at the UN where leaders pretended to like each other. Spoiler alert: they didn't. Fact: The last time Dulles was this optimistic, he accidentally sent a birthday card to the Kremlin, mistaking it for a peace offering. It didn't end well.
  • Headline: EISENHOWER OPENS '56 DRIVE WITH BID TO INDEPENDENTS; Also Asks 'Sound Democrats' to Back Him--Knowland's Call for Nixon Hailed Government Must 'Serve' Eisenhower Calls on Independents To Rally Behind G.O.P. Record A Partisan Speech Refers to Farm Veto. Impact: Eisenhower's call for independents to rally behind him resulted in a long-lasting tradition of politicians trying to woo the undecided voter, ultimately leading to the birth of a new species: the fence-sitter. Fact: Eisenhower's real platform was just a long list of things he promised not to do. It surprisingly worked, proving that sometimes doing nothing is the best strategy.
  • Headline: TIFLIS 'EXCESSES' CITED BY RECTOR; University Head Concedes Pro-Stalin Demonstrations --Gives Data on Rioting Difficulties Conceded No Data on Casualties. Impact: The rector's admission of pro-Stalin demonstrations led to a wave of unrest that inspired future generations to hold protests, ultimately leading to the invention of social media activism. Thanks, Stalin!. Fact: In a shocking twist, the rector claimed that the 'dark elements' he mentioned were just students who had skipped class to attend a concert. Rock and roll was definitely the real enemy.
  • Headline: Post-Election Session Of U.N. Asked by U.S.. Impact: This U.S. proposal for a post-election UN session set a precedent for politicians to endlessly debate issues without ever resolving themβ€”leading us straight to today's gridlocked Congress. Fact: The UN Assembly has held more sessions than most people have had hot dinners, and yet we still can't agree on pizza toppings.
  • Headline: ROLE OF NON-REDS IN TASS STRESSED; 6 Say They Did Not Belong to Party While on Staff of Soviet News Agency Policy to Bar Party Members Refuses to Name Husband. Impact: The insistence on non-communist affiliations among TASS employees led to an era where everyone suddenly became a 'non-partisan' in awkward conversations, effectively stifling genuine dialogue for decades. Fact: Invoking the Fifth Amendment could also be used as a solid excuse for avoiding awkward conversations at family gatherings. Who knew the Soviets were onto something?.
  • Headline: POINT PLEASANT BEACH,. Impact: Point Pleasant Beach's political maneuvering with a new deputy premier led to local beach parties that eventually resulted in the invention of the flip-flopβ€”now a global fashion staple. Fact: Legend has it that the first flip-flops were actually created to prevent sand from getting stuck in politicians' shoes. Beach fashion and politics, who knew they were so intertwined?.
  • Headline: Bulgarians Choose Deputy as Premier; BULGARIANS PICK AIDE AS PREMIER. Impact: Bulgarians choosing a new deputy premier initiated a series of governmental reshuffles that ultimately led to the rise of the phrase 'wait and see' in political discourseβ€”an eternal promise of inaction. Fact: It's rumored that this new deputy was actually just a placeholder until the real deal arrived, proving that sometimes politics is just a game of musical chairs, but with more bureaucracy.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
PFE
Pfizer
Price in 1956
$0.15
Stored value
$168,691

Pfizer - If you invested $1,000 in 1956, it would be worth $168,691 today (168.7x return)

Rank #2
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1956
$0.06
Stored value
$3,433,939

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1956, it would be worth $3,433,939 today (3433.9x return)

Rank #3
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1956
$0.25
Stored value
$586,657

Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1956, it would be worth $586,657 today (586.7x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
Adventures of Jerry Lewis #86
Adventures of Jerry Lewis #86
$10.00
Showcase #4
Showcase #4
$95,000
Action Comics #220
Action Comics #220
$10,200
Uncle Scrooge #10
Uncle Scrooge #10
$200
Batman #100
Batman #100
$100
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Mr. Potato Head
Mr. Potato Head
$250.00
Play-Doh
Play-Doh
$150.00
Hula Hoop
Hula Hoop
$150.00
Matchbox Cars
Matchbox Cars
$100.00
Pogo Stick
Pogo Stick
$20.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
1956 Topps Mickey Mantle
1956 Topps Mickey Mantle
$120,000
1956 Topps Al Kaline
1956 Topps Al Kaline
$350,000
1956 Topps Willie Mays
1956 Topps Willie Mays
$250,000
1956 Parkhurst Doug Harvey
1956 Parkhurst Doug Harvey
$0
1956 Spic and Span Milwaukee Braves Hank Aaron
1956 Spic and Span Milwaukee Braves Hank Aaron
$2,000