AUGUST 12, 1956

SUNDAY
$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
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
The Harder They Fall
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The Harder They Fall
Forbidden Planet
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Forbidden Planet
Carousel
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Carousel
Somebody Up There Likes Me
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Somebody Up There Likes Me
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Killing
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The Killing
The Man Who Knew Too Much
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The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Eddy Duchin Story
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The Eddy Duchin Story
The Man Who Never Was
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The Man Who Never Was
The Court Jester
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The Court Jester
Moby Dick
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Moby Dick
The Swan
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The Swan
Patterns
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Patterns
The Proud Ones
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The Proud Ones
The Conqueror
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The Conqueror
The Black Tent
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The Black Tent
The Catered Affair
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The Catered Affair
The Great Locomotive Chase
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The Great Locomotive Chase
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
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Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
The Fastest Gun Alive
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The Fastest Gun Alive
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
August 12, 1956 Trivia
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Television On August 12, 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
Boomtown poster
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Boomtown
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
The Story of August 12, 1956

On August 12, 1956, the U.

Inventions & Breakthroughs of August 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 ON August 12, 1956

Full News Archive

  • Headline: The Legacy of Disaster in 1956. Impact: The disaster caused by Humphreys' estate led to a chain reaction of terrible real estate deals, resulting in the invention of the phrase 'buyer beware'β€”which ironically made everyone more cautious and led to a rise in the popularity of inflatable furniture.. Fact: Did you know that if you stack up enough inflatable furniture, it can double as a bouncy castle for adults? Just don't forget the safety net!.
  • Headline: New Acid Plant in Valleyfield. Impact: Nichols Chemical's acid plant in Canada sparked a rash of bizarre chemical mishaps that inadvertently led to the development of a new line of 'accidentally' sour candy. Now kids everywhere are just asking for more!. Fact: They say if you mix enough acids, you get a sweet reaction... but don’t try this at home, kids. Chemistry sets are for science fairs, not for flavor experiments!.
  • Headline: K Guettler Ties Home Run Record. Impact: Guettler's home run mark being tied led to an influx of home runs in baseball, which in turn inspired the invention of the 'home run derby'β€”a competition so popular it eventually overshadowed the actual World Series, making it the most watched event in history, right after the final episode of 'Friends.'. Fact: Home runs are just baseball's way of saying, 'Look at me! I can hit things far!' It's like the sport's version of a toddler shouting, 'Look, I can jump!'.
  • Headline: SUEZ IS LATEST IN SERIES OF SETBACKS FOR BRITAIN; But a Firm Stand on an International Status for the Canal Is Indicated Emphasis on Sanctions Foreign Recipe Trade the Goal Arab Gains Violent Reaction. Impact: The Suez crisis became the catalyst for endless debates on international control, leading to countless coffee breaks filled with passionate arguments about who really owns the world's waterways. Spoiler: it’s always the coffee makers.. Fact: Suez is so vital that if it were a person, it would be the one holding the group chat together, constantly reminding everyone to stay on topic while secretly enjoying the chaos..
  • Headline: 'Rump' Units From Two States Fail to the Regular Democratic Delegations; CONTEST LOOMS OVER MISSISSIPPI Disloyalty Charges Raised Before Open Meeting of National Committee PROTEST TURNED DOWN Bid by Splinter Group From South Carolina Also Is Unanimously Rejected. Impact: The infighting among Democratic delegations over disloyalty charges led to the creation of a new political sport: blame-tag. It’s like dodgeball, but with accusations flying instead of balls, and everyone’s a targetβ€”except the actual issues, of course.. Fact: Political meetings are just one big game of 'who can throw the loudest tantrum,' and everyone knows the real prize is not solving anything but rather getting your name in the paper..
  • Headline: THE FACE OF A CITY; TIME OUT FOR THE NEWS. Impact: The Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts show inspired a wave of artistic pretentiousness that spread across the country, leading to countless 'artsy' coffee shops where the coffee is always cold and the art is just a canvas splattered with paint because someone 'felt it.'. Fact: Art is subjective, which is a fancy way of saying, 'I don't get it, but I'm pretending to because I like the vibe of being in a gallery.'.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1956, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
PFE
Pfizer
Price in 1956
$0.15
2025 dataset 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
2025 dataset 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
2025 dataset 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