1955

Year 1955 () was a (link displays the 1955 ).



January

 * -, president of , is murdered at a racetrack in.
 * - is the first  singer to perform at the  in.
 * - started in . Fighting lasted until  with a  victory.
 * - Pentagon announces plan to develop s (s) armed with s.
 * - The took place on that day.
 * - The of the  announces end of the war between the USSR and, which began during  in . Until then, despite the end of World War II, the USSR was formally at war with Germany.
 * - The authorizes President  to use force to protect  from the.

February

 * -  sends the first U.S. advisors to.
 * - Nearly 100 die in fire at a home for the elderly in ,
 * - In Chicago's Democratic primary, Mayor loses to the head of the Cook County Democratic Party,, 364,839 to 264,775

March

 * - signs on the air in the  as.
 * - The  version of , starring, is presented on television for the first time by  - also the first time that a stage musical is presented in its entirety on TV exactly as performed onstage. The program gains the largest viewership of a TV special up to that time, and becomes one of the first great television classics.
 * - The occurs in.
 * - signs on the air in the
 * -  opens in movie theaters featuring the song by  and his Comets, thus propelling  as a musical genre. Teenagers jump from their seats to dance to the song.

April

 * resigns as.
 * defeats Robert Merrian to become mayor of Chicago by a vote of 708,222 to 581,555.
 * - becomes.
 * - The  sabotaged the "", killing 16 but fails to assassinate People's Republic of China leader.
 * - The Salk is introduced.
 * - opens a  ; it is the company's ninth since it was founded in 1940, but Kroc would later take over the company and oversee its worldwide expansion.
 * - opens a  ; it is the company's ninth since it was founded in 1940, but Kroc would later take over the company and oversee its worldwide expansion.
 * -, of , is ousted for being too moderate.

May

 * - becomes a sovereign state.
 * - West Germany joins the (NATO).
 * - The is formed by the  states of  and the.
 * - The is signed by the, restoring  as a sovereign, democratic  state, to be neutral in the.

June

 * - Eighty-three are killed and at least 100 are injured after an and a  collide in the.
 * -, the first mine of the , is discovered.
 * -, 's fifteenth animated feature film, debuts in movie theaters.

July

 * - (b. ) is  for murder in  - the last woman ever to be executed in the.
 * - opens, in.
 * The first atomic-generated electrical power is sold commercially.
 * Illinois's Govenor signs Loyalty Oath Act that mandates all public employees take a loyalty oath or lose their jobs.
 * Beginning of Geneva Summit between US, USSR, UK, and France.
 * - begins broadcasting.
 * - Geneva Summit between US, USSR, UK, and France ends.
 * - Airlines  from Vienna to Tel Aviv-Yafo via Istanbul shot down over . All passengers and crew aboard the  were killed.
 * - The first congress in Tours, France, leads to the founding of the.
 * - The first congress in Tours, France, leads to the founding of the.

August

 * - hits the northeast, killing 200 and causing over $1 billion in damage.
 * - Hundreds killed in anti-French rioting in and.
 * - 11 schoolchildren were killed, when their school bus was hit by a freight train, in.
 * - The last forces leave.
 * - The first copy of a Guinness World Records book was printed and sold.
 * - is killed in

September

 * - : 's  is the target of a government-sponsored.
 * -  debuts on.
 * - 's  is published in Paris by.
 * is ousted in a military coup.
 * Hurricane Hilda kills 200 in Mexico.
 * - Independent (Commercial) Television begins broadcasting in UK.
 * - Independent (Commercial) Television begins broadcasting in UK.
 * - U.S. President suffers  while on vacation in.
 * - Actor killed when his  collides with another automobile near.

October

 * - The Reverend is released from prison in,.
 * First film footage of in a planned film short about Cleveland disc jockey
 * is proclaimed as the capital city of ,
 * - After the last troops have left the country and following the provisions of the, Austria declares its.
 * - proclaims  a republic with himself as president.
 * - proclaims  a republic with himself as president.

November

 * - Time bomb explodes aboard a  killing 44 above.
 * - 5 and a half mile Rimutaka Railway tunnel opens in New Zealand
 * - Racial segregation is forbidden on trains and buses in US.
 * - The cartoon  debuts in the USA.
 * - The are transferred from the control of the  to.

December



 * -, , refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man and is arrested.
 * The and the  merge to become the.
 * The is formed in  by  and other Black ministers to coordinate a Black boycott of city buses.
 * in opens to traffic.
 * the.
 * - becomes the first American corporation to make over  $1 billion in a year.
 * 70 mm film is introduced with .
 * - becomes the first American corporation to make over  $1 billion in a year.
 * 70 mm film is introduced with .

Undated

 * (Flughafen Düsseldorf-Mönchengladbach) is founded.

World population

 * 2,755,823,000
 * - : 246,746,000
 * - : 1,541,947,000
 * - : 575,184,000
 * - : 190,797,000
 * - : 186,884,000
 * - : 14,265,000

January-February

 * -, Australian film director
 * -, American voice actor
 * -, English comedian and actor
 * -, American writer and television producer
 * -, American writer
 * -, British author and illustrator
 * -, American musician
 * -, American actor
 * -, English conductor
 * -, member
 * -, British drummer
 * -, Dutch-born musician
 * , British author
 * , American novelist
 * , Scottish television presenter
 * -, American journalist
 * -, American actor
 * -, American novelist
 * , British professional wrestler and judoka (d. )
 * , Australian golfer
 * -, American actor and talk show host
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, Chinese writer, author of (novel)
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actor
 * , American voice actor, radio personality, and writer
 * , English musician
 * , French race car driver
 * , American computer pioneer
 * -, American actor
 * , American voice actor, radio personality, and writer
 * , English musician
 * , French race car driver
 * , American computer pioneer
 * , French race car driver
 * , American computer pioneer

March-April

 * -, French actor
 * -, American magician and comedian
 * -, Canadian actress
 * -, American football player
 * -, Canadian ice hockey player (d. , )
 * -, Egyptian actress and singer
 * -, German pop star
 * -, American singer
 * , Japanese boxer
 * , Brazilian film director
 * -, American actor
 * -, Venezuelan actor and singer
 * -, American actor
 * , American politician
 * , president of Latvia
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, Canadian ice hockey player
 * , Irish politician
 * , American singer and actress
 * , American football player
 * , Irish actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, Scottish-born guitarist
 * , Japanese manga artist
 * , British radio disc jockey
 * , American actor
 * , children's TV presenter
 * -, German actor (d. )
 * -, American fiction writer
 * -, American politician
 * -, American musician
 * -, Egyptian businessman (d. )
 * - Grand Duke
 * -, Journalist and Indian Politician
 * -, Indonesian singer and songwriter
 * -, English chess player (d. )
 * -, Dutch media tycoon
 * ,  player and
 * , Iranian actor
 * , American actress
 * , American voice actress
 * -, English chess player (d. )
 * -, Dutch media tycoon
 * ,  player and
 * , Iranian actor
 * , American actress
 * , American voice actress
 * , American actress
 * , American voice actress

May-June

 * , English musician
 * , Maltese composer and poet
 * , American software pioneer
 * , Scottish footballer
 * -, Australian cricketer (d. )
 * -, American singer
 * -, American television host
 * -, American Presbyterian author, theologian and publisher.
 * -, Swedish mezzo-soprano
 * , American sports broadcaster
 * , American assassin of
 * , Russian gymnast
 * , baseball player
 * , British singer
 * , American actress
 * -, American actor
 * -, Hong Kong actor
 * -, Canadian software engineer
 * -, Polish film composer
 * , British field hockey player
 * , American drummer, songwriter, and producer
 * , English radio DJ and television presenter
 * , American guitarist
 * , American entertainer
 * , Jpanese voice actress
 * , Japanese chef
 * , German actress and screenplay writer
 * -, Scottish musician ( and ) (d. )
 * -, British drummer
 * , American actor and comedian
 * , bassist for The Bangles
 * -, American race car driver (d. )
 * -, English inventor of the World Wide Web
 * -, American author
 * , English talk show host and comedian
 * , British actor
 * -, American actress
 * -, British scientist
 * -, Danish author
 * , American singer and founder of, and
 * , Welsh singer songwriter
 * -, motorsport executive
 * -, Canadian computer programmer
 * -, head of
 * -, British guitarist ( and )
 * -, French actress
 * -, American actor and comedian
 * -, British scientist
 * -, Danish author
 * , American singer and founder of, and
 * , Welsh singer songwriter
 * -, motorsport executive
 * -, Canadian computer programmer
 * -, head of
 * -, British guitarist ( and )
 * -, French actress
 * -, American actor and comedian
 * -, American actor and comedian

July-August

 * , Japanese comedian and actor
 * , American novelist
 * -, American radio personality
 * -, Austrian painter and sculptor
 * -, American musician and producer (d. )
 * -, Australian cricket player
 * -, American writer
 * -, American actor
 * -, Russian writer
 * - (Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir), Icelandic soprano and songwriter
 * -, American actor
 * -, Dutch singer
 * -, American athlete
 * -, American athlete

September-October

 * -, English musician
 * -, American astrophysicist
 * -, English guitarist (Sex Pistols)
 * -, Canadian cartoonist
 * -, American musician
 * , Sri Lankan musician
 * , American actor
 * -, Croatian politician
 * -, baseball player
 * -, American voice-actor
 * -, American composer, sound designer, and musician (d. )
 * -, American astronaut
 * -, American journalist
 * -, Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Canada
 * -, French-born Chinese cellist
 * -, American singer
 * -, Russian ice hockey player (retired)
 * -, British field hockey player
 * -, British television presenter
 * -, American musician (d. )
 * , American software entrepreneur
 * , CEO
 * , American software entrepreneur
 * , CEO

November-December

 * -, American saxophone player, composer, veteran of US military jazz bands and band leader
 * -, American football player
 * -, American journalist
 * -, German judo athlete
 * -, English actress
 * -, American actress and comedienne
 * -, Chief Software Architect
 * -, American composer and music critic
 * -, American author
 * -, British cricketer
 * , American voice actor
 * , British singer
 * , Chinese actor
 * -, American actor
 * -, Italian musician
 * -, American actress
 * -, English cricketer
 * -, Greek politician and businesswoman
 * -, British bassist
 * -, American basketball player
 * -, founder of the  network
 * -, American actor
 * -, American actress
 * -, British poet
 * -, American actor
 * -, American television commentator (d. )
 * -, American actress
 * -, British poet
 * -, American actor
 * -, American television commentator (d. )

Deaths

 * (See 1955 list of deaths by name: .)

January-June

 * -, (assassinated) (b. )
 * -, French painter (b. )
 * -, American athlete (b. )
 * -, U.S. Marine (b. )
 * -, American YMCA leader, recipient of the (b. )
 * - Sir, Scottish scientist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, American saxophonist (b. )
 * -, American film actress (b. )
 * -, German-born physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, Romanian composer (b. )
 * -, American boxer (b. )
 * May 10 -, Australian stained glass artist (b. )
 * -, English cricketer (b. )
 * -, American writer (b. )
 * -, American educator (b. )
 * -, Italian race car driver (b. )
 * -, American oil pioneer and businessman (b. )
 * -, Argentine singer (b. )

July-December

 * -, , recipient of the (b. )
 * -, American poet (b. )
 * -, Portuguese singer and actress (b. )
 * -, German writer, laureate (b. )
 * -, American chemist, laureate (b. )
 * -, English opera soprano (b. )
 * -, American actor (automobile accident) (b. )
 * -, American film studio owner (b. )
 * -, Catholic Archbishop of Vienna (b. )
 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, French artist (b. )
 * -, Hungarian swimmer (b. )
 * -, American actor (b. )
 * -, French-born Swiss composer (b. )
 * -, baseball player (b. )
 * -, Portuguese neurologist, recipient of the (b. )
 * -, daughter of President and  (b. )
 * -, professor of at ; he married , widow of President  (b. )
 * -, English soldier (b. )

Nobel prizes

 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded
 * - not awarded