Timeline September 1956

Events in September 1956 7

• 1911 – 1956 Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1911-1956) Died 27 September 1956, aged 45 American athlete considered one of the greatest all-around sportswomen of the twentieth century, excelling in track and field, basketball, and golf. She won two gold medals at the 1932 Olympics and later dominated women's professional golf, co-founding the LPGA. She died of colon cancer in Texas.
• 1955 – 1956 Little Rock crisis -- Armstrong speaks out In September 1957, Armstrong speaks out publicly about the Little Rock crisis -- Governor Orval Faubus's use of the National Guard to prevent Black students from entering Central High School. Armstrong, normally careful to avoid public political controversy, is furious. He tells a reporter: 'The way they are treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell.' He cancels a State Department tour of the Soviet Union, saying he cannot represent a government that treats its Black citizens as second-class. The statement shocks an industry accustomed to Armstrong's diplomatic public persona.
• 1956 Diagnosed with ovarian cancer Discovers two abdominal tumors while continuing an intense research schedule In September 1956, Franklin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after doctors discovered two tumors during an operation. Despite undergoing surgery and subsequent treatments, she continued to work at a demanding pace, traveling to conferences and pushing forward her virus research even as her health declined. Friends and colleagues later recalled her remarkable determination to keep working through repeated hospitalizations.
• 1956 Fats Domino releases Blueberry Hill Biggest hit His version of a 1940 song becomes his signature.
• 1956 Elvis Presley's first Ed Sullivan Show appearance Some 60 million viewers, over 80 percent of the TV audience, watch Elvis on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• 1956 – 2003 Leslie Cheung (1956-2003) Died 1 April 2003, aged 46 Leslie Cheung was one of the most successful Cantopop singers and film actors in Hong Kong, known internationally for 'Farewell My Concubine' and 'Happy Together'. He died after falling from a hotel in an apparent suicide, prompting mass public mourning across Asia.
• 1956 First transatlantic telephone cable opens First transatlantic telephone cable enters service The first transatlantic telephone cable system, TAT-1, entered service between Scotland and Newfoundland. It carried the first direct telephone circuits between Europe and North America. The cable dramatically expanded transatlantic communication capacity beyond radio links.