54 trivia questions from 1956, with answers
Seven rounds about 1956 for a 70th birthday party in 2026 or a 50s night: the year in the news, science and inventions, sports, films, songs, TV, and famous people born in 1956. Every answer links to its source.
54 questions · 1956 trivia questions with answers · answers included
Updated
No questions match these filters.
The year in the news
- 1
In November 1956, which president won a second term by beating Adlai Stevenson, the same man he had beaten four years earlier?
easy
Hint: He was a famous World War II general, known as Ike.
AnswerDwight D. Eisenhower.
His running mate was again Richard Nixon, and it was the second time, after 1900, that the sitting president won a rematch.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_United_States_presidential_election?oldid=1379715444
- 2
Which Oscar-winning American actress married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in April 1956?
easy
Hint: She won Best Actress for The Country Girl (1954).
AnswerGrace Kelly.
She retired from acting at 26 to marry him, after three Alfred Hitchcock thrillers including Rear Window.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Kelly?oldid=1375712870
- 3
The Federal-Aid Highway Act, signed by President Eisenhower on June 29, 1956, paid for building which road network?
medium
Hint: Eisenhower had admired Germany's Autobahn during World War II.
AnswerThe Interstate Highway System.
Its first $25 billion made it the largest public works project in American history up to then.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal-Aid_Highway_Act_of_1956?oldid=1352572165
- 4
In July 1956, Egypt's president Nasser used the name of the man who built it as a code word to order his forces to seize which waterway?
medium
Hint: It links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.
AnswerThe Suez Canal.
The code word was "Ferdinand de Lesseps", and he announced the nationalization in a speech in Alexandria on July 26.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis?oldid=1382866119
- 5
Which Italian ocean liner sank off Nantucket in July 1956 after a collision with the Swedish ship Stockholm?
medium
Hint: Of all Italy's ships at the time, it was the largest, fastest and supposedly safest.
AnswerThe Andrea Doria.
Of the 1,706 people on board, 1,660 were rescued.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Andrea_Doria?oldid=1378826249
- 6
On November 1, 1956, Hungary's new government under Imre Nagy declared it was leaving which Soviet-led alliance?
medium
Hint: The USSR set it up in May 1955 with seven Eastern Bloc countries.
AnswerThe Warsaw Pact.
The revolution began with university students in Budapest on October 23 and lasted 15 days before Soviet troops crushed it.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956?oldid=1382845122
- 7
Which song contest was held for the first time on May 24, 1956, in Lugano, Switzerland?
hard
Hint: Its name began in 1951 as a British telecommunications term.
AnswerThe Eurovision Song Contest.
Seven countries took part, each with two songs, and the host country won with a song sung by Lys Assia.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_1956?oldid=1383170922
- 8
Which Canadian, a future prime minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his push for a UN peacekeeping force during the 1956 Suez Crisis?
hard
Hint: He was Canada's external affairs minister at the time.
AnswerLester B. Pearson.
He received the prize in 1957 and is considered the father of modern peacekeeping.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis?oldid=1382866119
Science and inventions
- 9
Which children's modeling compound, shown at an educational convention in 1956, began life as a cleaner for wallpaper?
easy
Hint: Kids squash it into shapes, and it comes in little cans.
AnswerPlay-Doh.
A nursery school teacher, Kay Zufall, came up with the name; the makers had wanted to call it Rainbow Modeling Compound.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play-Doh?oldid=1381503596
- 10
Which dice game, first sold under its name in 1956, is said to have been invented by a Canadian couple who played it on their boat?
easy
Hint: You roll five dice, for 13 rounds.
AnswerYahtzee.
Edwin S. Lowe bought the rights from the couple for 1,000 gift sets.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee?oldid=1378338750
- 11
In September 1956, IBM shipped the first hard disk drive, part of its 305 RAMAC computer. How much did the RAMAC unit weigh: about 10 pounds, about 100 pounds, or over a ton?
medium
Hint: It was delivered by large cargo airplane.
AnswerOver a ton.
It had to be moved with forklifts and held about five megabytes.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_305_RAMAC?oldid=1374216697
- 12
At a broadcasters' convention in Chicago in April 1956, which California company amazed the crowd by showing the first practical videotape recorder?
medium
Hint: Its name has five letters and starts with A.
AnswerAmpex.
When the machine replayed a speech moments after it was given, the room broke into "pandemonium".
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadruplex_videotape?oldid=1353701452
- 13
In 1956, a typist named Bette Nesmith Graham invented a correction fluid in her kitchen called "Mistake Out". What was it later renamed?
medium
Hint: A brand name for something that paints over typing errors.
AnswerLiquid Paper.
Her son, Michael Nesmith, became the guitarist of the Monkees.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_Paper?oldid=1371954253
- 14
Zenith's Space Command, developed in 1956, was the first practical wireless version of which household gadget?
medium
Hint: It often gets lost down the back of the sofa.
AnswerThe TV remote control.
Zenith's first TV remote, from 1950, had a cable, and viewers complained about the cord running from chair to set.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenith_Electronics?oldid=1381210823
- 15
John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing which electronic part?
medium
Hint: It revolutionized electronics and ushered in the Information Age.
AnswerThe transistor.
Bardeen won the physics prize again in 1972, the only person to win it twice.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bardeen?oldid=1383240692
- 16
A 1956 summer workshop at Dartmouth College is seen as the founding event of which field of computer science?
hard
Hint: Today it is better known by two letters.
AnswerArtificial intelligence.
The proposal for the workshop is credited with introducing the field's name.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_workshop?oldid=1382271170
Sports
- 17
Which heavyweight champion retired in April 1956, still the only heavyweight champion to finish his career undefeated?
easy
Hint: He was born Rocco Francis Marchegiano.
AnswerRocky Marciano.
He was raised in Brockton, Massachusetts, and was nicknamed "The Rock from Brockton".
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Marciano?oldid=1381001124
- 18
The 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne were the first held in which hemisphere?
medium
Hint: Think of where Australia sits on the globe.
AnswerThe Southern Hemisphere.
Because the seasons are reversed there, the Games ran from November 22 to December 8.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_Summer_Olympics?oldid=1381210547
- 19
In November 1956, who became the youngest world heavyweight champion up to then, at 21?
medium
Hint: He had won Olympic middleweight gold in 1952.
AnswerFloyd Patterson.
He beat Archie Moore for the title Rocky Marciano had left empty, and later became the first heavyweight to win the title back after losing it. His age record stood until Mike Tyson won the title in November 1986.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Patterson?oldid=1373802444
- 20
Which New York Yankee won baseball's Triple Crown in 1956, with 52 home runs and a .353 batting average?
medium
Hint: Teresa Brewer sang a 1956 song about loving him.
AnswerMickey Mantle.
He is the only switch hitter to win the Triple Crown, and he called 1956 his "favorite summer".
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Mantle?oldid=1382312331
- 21
The Yankees won the 1956 World Series in seven games. Which team did they beat, in the last all-New York Series for decades?
medium
Hint: Jackie Robinson hit a home run for them in the Series.
AnswerThe Brooklyn Dodgers.
They were the defending champions, and they moved to California after the 1957 season.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956_World_Series?oldid=1359492368
- 22
In 1956, which American became the first Black player to win a Grand Slam tennis title, at the French Championships?
medium
Hint: Her first name begins with Al.
AnswerAlthea Gibson.
In the early 1960s she also became the first Black player in the LPGA, the women's pro golf tour.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althea_Gibson?oldid=1382598995
- 23
In October 1956, a 13-year-old beat Donald Byrne in what was hailed as "The Game of the Century". Which chess player was he?
hard
Hint: The game was played at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City.
AnswerBobby Fischer.
The highlight was a queen sacrifice on move 17, and the boy went on to become world champion.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_the_Century_(chess)?oldid=1382823337
At the movies
- 24
Who played Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956)?
easy
Hint: His initials are C. H.
AnswerCharlton Heston.
Yul Brynner played Rameses, and the film has aired every Passover and Easter season on U.S. network TV since 1973.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ten_Commandments_(1956_film)?oldid=1383507241
- 25
Which actor won the Best Actor Oscar for the 1956 film of The King and I, as the King of Siam?
easy
Hint: He was famous for his bald head.
AnswerYul Brynner.
He played the role 4,625 times on stage, and he kept the shaved head as his trademark.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yul_Brynner?oldid=1382871370
- 26
Which film, produced by Mike Todd and starring David Niven as Phileas Fogg, won Best Picture for 1956?
medium
Hint: Fogg bets he can circle the globe in under three months.
AnswerAround the World in 80 Days.
Its cameo stars included Frank Sinatra as a saloon pianist and Buster Keaton as a train conductor.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_80_Days_(1956_film)?oldid=1378349349
- 27
For which 1956 film, released after his death, was James Dean nominated for Best Actor as Jett Rink?
medium
Hint: The title is a word for something huge.
AnswerGiant.
It made him the only actor with two posthumous acting nominations, and George Stevens won Best Director for the film.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29th_Academy_Awards?oldid=1375870025
- 28
Ingrid Bergman won the Best Actress Oscar for 1956 as a woman who may be the Russian tsar's youngest daughter, rumored to have survived. Name the film.
medium
Hint: The film is named after the grand duchess.
AnswerAnastasia.
Yul Brynner and Helen Hayes co-starred, and the film was Bergman's Hollywood comeback after years working only in Europe.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasia_(1956_film)?oldid=1381871957
- 29
In Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), what do the alien copies of people grow out of?
medium
Hint: Peas come in them.
AnswerGiant seed pods.
The film gave rise to the slang term "pod people", and its story begins in a made-up California town, Santa Mira.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers?oldid=1380802865
- 30
Which 1956 Western stars John Wayne as Ethan Edwards and was named the greatest American Western by the American Film Institute in 2008?
medium
Hint: The title describes people on a long hunt.
AnswerThe Searchers.
John Ford directed it, and though it is set in Texas, it was filmed in Monument Valley.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Searchers?oldid=1383642493
- 31
Which 1956 science fiction film introduced Robby the Robot and was the first film to use an entirely electronic music score?
hard
Hint: It is set on the far-off world of Altair IV.
AnswerForbidden Planet.
Its story is often compared to Shakespeare's The Tempest, and a young Leslie Nielsen starred.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_Planet?oldid=1383392015
On the radio
- 32
Released in January 1956, which song was Elvis Presley's first single on RCA Victor and his first million-seller?
easy
Hint: A newspaper story about a lonely man inspired it.
Answer"Heartbreak Hotel".
It was written by Mae Boren Axton, a high school teacher, and Tommy Durden, and it was one of the best-selling singles of 1956.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartbreak_Hotel?oldid=1382812995
- 33
Fats Domino's 1956 hit says he found his thrill on which hill?
easy
Hint: It is named after a small blue fruit.
AnswerBlueberry Hill.
Gene Autry's 1941 recording of the song inspired Domino's version.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberry_Hill?oldid=1382945956
- 34
Elvis Presley's 1956 smash "Hound Dog" was first a hit in 1953 for which blues singer?
medium
Hint: Her first name was Willie Mae, but she went by a big nickname.
AnswerBig Mama Thornton.
Elvis's version topped the pop chart for 11 weeks, a record that stood for 36 years.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hound_Dog_(song)?oldid=1382951901
- 35
Who wrote and first recorded "Blue Suede Shoes", a hit for him in early 1956 before Elvis covered it?
medium
Hint: His record came out on the Sun label.
AnswerCarl Perkins.
Johnny Cash said he planted the idea for the song, and Perkins replied, "I don't know anything about shoes."
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Suede_Shoes?oldid=1367774002
- 36
Doris Day introduced "Que Sera, Sera" in which 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film?
medium
Hint: The title says the hero knew a little more than was safe.
AnswerThe Man Who Knew Too Much.
It won the Oscar for Best Original Song, and its writer got the idea from an Italian family motto, "Che sarà sarà", in an earlier film.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Que_Sera,_Sera_(Whatever_Will_Be,_Will_Be)?oldid=1383318211
- 37
Which 1956 Johnny Cash song makes him hum before the verses, because it changes key several times?
medium
Hint: He first recorded it at Sun Studio in April 1956.
Answer"I Walk the Line".
He said he wrote it backstage one night in 1956 in Gladewater, Texas.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Walk_the_Line?oldid=1382563253
- 38
Which singer's 1956 album Calypso was the first LP to sell more than a million copies in a year?
medium
Hint: He sang "Day-O".
AnswerHarry Belafonte's.
The album included "Day-O" (the Banana Boat Song), and he was dubbed the "King of Calypso".
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Belafonte?oldid=1382534734
- 39
Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' 1956 debut single was first called "Why Do Birds Sing So Gay?". What was it called when it came out?
hard
Hint: It asks why people lose their hearts so easily.
Answer"Why Do Fools Fall in Love".
It was released on January 10, 1956, and Diana Ross covered it in 1981.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Do_Fools_Fall_in_Love_(song)?oldid=1378670668
On TV
- 40
Which singer, famous for "Unforgettable", began hosting his own NBC variety show on November 5, 1956?
easy
Hint: He began his career as a jazz pianist, leading a trio.
AnswerNat King Cole.
It was one of the first variety programs hosted by an African American, but no national sponsor was ever found, and Cole said afterward that "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark."
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_King_Cole?oldid=1381420437
- 41
On The Steve Allen Show in July 1956, Elvis Presley sang "Hound Dog" in white tie and tails to whom?
easy
Hint: The audience for the song was an actual dog.
AnswerA basset hound wearing a top hat.
Allen came up with the stunt because of the fuss over Elvis's TV performances, and his show aired against Ed Sullivan's.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Steve_Allen_Show?oldid=1380774799
- 42
About how many viewers watched Elvis Presley's first Ed Sullivan Show appearance on September 9, 1956: 6 million, 60 million or 160 million?
medium
Hint: Sullivan paid him an unheard-of $50,000 for three shows.
AnswerAbout 60 million.
That was a record 82.6 percent of the TV audience, and the actor Charles Laughton hosted that night in Sullivan's place.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley?oldid=1382884107
- 43
Which CBS soap opera, set in the town of Oakdale, Illinois, premiered on April 2, 1956, and ran for 54 years?
medium
Hint: The title is about the Earth spinning.
AnswerAs the World Turns.
It and The Edge of Night, which began the same day, were the first two soaps to be 30 minutes long from the start.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_the_World_Turns?oldid=1368627039
- 44
Which 1939 film musical starring Judy Garland was first shown on TV by CBS in 1956?
medium
Hint: Follow the yellow brick road.
AnswerThe Wizard of Oz.
In his heavy makeup as the Cowardly Lion, Bert Lahr could only eat soup and milkshakes during breaks.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_Oz?oldid=1381939819
- 45
Which NBC evening news show began on October 29, 1956, with one anchor in New York and the other in Washington?
hard
Hint: The anchors were Chet and David.
AnswerThe Huntley-Brinkley Report.
Apart from their sign-off, the two anchors spoke to each other on air only by saying each other's name, the cue for a technician to switch lines between cities.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huntley%E2%80%93Brinkley_Report?oldid=1380972814
- 46
The soap The Edge of Night, which began on CBS in 1956, was first planned as a daytime version of which fictional lawyer's stories?
hard
Hint: At the time he was popular in novels and on radio.
AnswerPerry Mason.
Perry Mason got his own prime-time show on September 21, 1957.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Edge_of_Night?oldid=1372242943
Born in 1956
- 47
Which actor, born in 1956, won back-to-back Best Actor Oscars, for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump?
easy
Hint: He was stranded on an island with a volleyball in Cast Away.
AnswerTom Hanks.
He first became a star in comedies such as Splash (1984) and Big (1988).
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Hanks?oldid=1383093881
- 48
Which actor, born in 1956, played the dad, Hal, in Malcolm in the Middle and then the chemistry teacher Walter White in Breaking Bad?
medium
Hint: He was born in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
AnswerBryan Cranston.
Breaking Bad won him the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama four times.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Cranston?oldid=1383094045
- 49
Which quarterback, born in 1956, was the first player to be named Super Bowl MVP three times?
medium
Hint: He played college football at Notre Dame.
AnswerJoe Montana.
He won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and was nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid".
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Montana?oldid=1379222316
- 50
Which basketball great, born in 1956, was nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick"?
medium
Hint: He played for the Boston Celtics from 1979 to 1992.
AnswerLarry Bird.
He is the only person in NBA history named Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Bird?oldid=1383586439
- 51
Which tennis player, born in 1956, holds the all-time record of nine Wimbledon singles titles?
medium
Hint: She is Czech-American.
AnswerMartina Navratilova.
She and her great rival Chris Evert dominated women's tennis for much of the 1980s.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martina_Navratilova?oldid=1381535553
- 52
Which actress, born in 1956, played Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984)?
medium
Hint: She is known for tough, resilient characters.
AnswerLinda Hamilton.
She came back to the role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019).
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Hamilton?oldid=1375266652
- 53
Which actress, born in 1956, won Best Supporting Actress for The Accidental Tourist (1988)?
hard
Hint: She also starred in Beetlejuice and A League of Their Own.
AnswerGeena Davis.
In 1999 she was one of 300 women trying for a semifinal place with the U.S. Olympic archery team.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geena_Davis?oldid=1381677804
- 54
Which saxophonist, born in 1956, set a world record by holding one note, an E-flat, for 45 minutes and 47 seconds?
hard
Hint: His stage name is a first name and one initial.
AnswerKenny G.
With more than 75 million records sold, he is the best-selling non-vocal musician in history.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_G?oldid=1374260156
Use this set at a 70th birthday party
Read a question, allow thinking time, then invite an answer. Play the guest of honor against the room: they answer each question alone, everyone else answers together, and the side with more right answers wins. Save the last round, Born in 1956, for the end: everyone in it turns 70 the same year as the guest of honor. A guest born in 1956 remembers the 60s and 70s best, so add a decades round for the years they lived through.
Timer and team scores
8 turns × 60 seconds = 8 minutes of play, plus instructions and breaks.
60
Pause whenever the group needs more time.
Team Lime's turn
Team Lime: 0
Team Violet: 0
Team Tangerine: 0
Team Sky: 0
Team Lemon: 0
Team Bubblegum: 0