1956Duke Ellington's comeback at the Newport Jazz FestivalDiminuendo and Crescendo in BluePaul Gonsalves' 27-chorus solo sets off a near-riot and revives his career.
1956 – presentThe Calouste Gulbenkian FoundationCultural PatronageA major charitable foundation and museum that is a central pillar of Portuguese cultural life.
1956Andrea Doria sinks off NantucketItalian liner sinks after mid-Atlantic collisionThe Italian ocean liner SS Andrea Doria collided with the Swedish liner MS Stockholm off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and sank the following morning. Forty-six people died in the collision and sinking. Most of the roughly 1,660 passengers and crew were rescued in one of the largest maritime rescue operations of its time.
1956Egypt nationalizes the Suez CanalNasser seizes control of the canalEgyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, taking control of the canal from its British and French shareholders. The move came after the United States and Britain withdrew funding for the Aswan Dam project. It directly triggered the Suez Crisis later that year.