1957 CE

The Sputnik launch begins the Space Race; Sputnik 2 sends Laika into orbit; the Treaty of Rome creates the European Economic Community; the 1957–1958 influenza pandemic kills over a million worldwide; the Little Rock Nine integrate Little Rock Central High School; The Bridge on the River Kwai premieres to major acclaim; the Syrian Crisis of 1957 heightens Middle East tensions; the Lewisham rail crash kills 90 in London; and Hurricane Audrey devastates the U.S. Gulf Coast.

In the 1950s, the 20th century.

1957 at a glance

World population: about 2.85 billion Our World in Data
United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower (President) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
United Kingdom: Elizabeth II (Queen); Anthony Eden, then Harold Macmillan (Prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
Soviet Union: Nikita Khrushchev (General Secretary); Kliment Voroshilov (Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet); Nikolai Bulganin (Chairman of the Council of Ministers) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
People's Republic of China: Mao Zedong (Chairman; Paramount Leader); Mao Zedong (Chairman); Zhou Enlai (Premier) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
French Fourth Republic: René Coty (President); Guy Mollet, then Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury, then Félix Gaillard (Prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
East Germany: Wilhelm Pieck (President); Otto Grotewohl (Chairman) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
West Germany: Theodor Heuss (President); Konrad Adenauer (Chancellor) Wikipedia rev. 1371751893
$1 in 1957: $11.99 in September 2026 dollars BLS CPI-U

Who led every country in 1957 →Born in 1957? What it cost, who led, what was No. 1 →

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.source
January 10 – Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.source
January 11 – The African Convention is founded in Dakar.source
January 20 – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula (captured from Egypt on October 29, 1956).source
22 January – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula (captured from Egypt on 29 October 1956 during the Suez Crisis), keeping forces in the Gaza Strip and along the eastern shore of the peninsula.Israel source
January 26 – The Ibirapuera Planetarium (the first in the Southern Hemisphere) is inaugurated in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.source
February 15 – Andrei Gromyko becomes foreign minister of the Soviet Union.source
February 23 – The founding congress of the Senegalese Popular Bloc opens in Dakar.source
March 1 – U Nu becomes Prime Minister of Burma.source
March 6 – United Kingdom colonies Gold Coast and British Togoland become the independent nation of Ghana.source
March 25 – The Treaty of Rome (Patto di Roma) establishes the European Economic Community (EEC; predecessor of the European Union) between Italy, France, West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.source
25 March – Luxembourg is one of the six founder signatories of the Treaty of Rome, creating the European Economic Community.Luxembourg source
April 5 – The Communist Party of India wins the elections in Kerala, making E. M. S. Namboodiripad its first chief minister.source
April 15 – White Rock secedes from Surrey, British Columbia, following a referendum.source
11 May - Laos withdraws from the French Union.Laos source
May 16 – Paul-Henri Spaak becomes the new Secretary General of NATO.source
June 21 – John Diefenbaker becomes the 13th Prime Minister of Canada.source
July 14 – Rawya Ateya takes her seat in the National Assembly of Egypt, thereby becoming the first female parliamentarian in the Arab world.source
July 25 – Tunisia becomes a republic, with Habib Bourguiba as its first president.source
August 31 – The Federation of Malaya gains independence from the United Kingdom, subsequently celebrated as Malaysia's National Day. Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan, Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, becomes the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaya. The country's new Constitution had come into force on August 27. The Alliance Party and its successor are the ruling coalition until 2018.source
September 9 – The Civil Rights Act of 1957 is enacted, establishing the United States Commission on Civil Rights.source
September 21 – Olav V becomes King of Norway on the death of his father Haakon VII.source
20 October – A new Central Executive Committee of the PAP is formed with Toh Chin Chye as chairman and Lee Kuan Yew as Secretary-General.Singapore source
October 27 – Celâl Bayar is re-elected president of Turkey.source
30 October – The Alliance (the predecessor of the Barisan Nasional political coalition in Malaysia) was officially registered as a political organization.Malaya source
November 14 – Carlos P. Garcia is elected president in the presidential elections.Philippines source
November 15 – Yugoslavia announces the end of an economic boycott of Francoist Spain (although it does not reinstitute diplomatic relations).source
November 16 – Adnan Menderes of the Democrat Party forms the new government of Turkey (23rd government, last government formed by DP and Menderes).source
November 30 – 1957 New Zealand general election: The Labour Party defeats the governing National Party, with Walter Nash succeeding Keith Holyoake as Prime Minister.source
December 10 – Canadian diplomat Lester B. Pearson receives the Nobel Peace Prize, for his peacekeeping efforts in the United Nations.source
Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar, having served as Prime Minister for only 56 days, is forced to resign. Feroz Khan Noon succeeds Chundrigar as Prime Minister. He is the seventh Prime Minister in 10 years.Pakistan source
1957 North Korean parliamentary electionNorth Korea source

Conflict & Security

1 January - Lèse majesté in Thailand is strengthened to include "insult" and changed to a crime against national security, after the Thai criminal code of 1956 went into effect.Thailand source
February 4 – France prohibits U.N. involvement in Algeria.source
2 April and 3 April - The so-called "battle of Santiago" takes place. Due to the economic crisis in the country, protests took place that left more than 20 dead and serious clashes with the police. In the last hours of April 3, President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo is forced to declare a state of siege and take the army out into the streetsChile source
April 13 – The 1957 alleged Jordanian military coup attempt against Hussein Bin Talal is made by Ali Abu Nuwar.source
May 8 – South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem begins a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor.source
May 15 – Operation Grapple: At Malden Island in the Pacific, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb, which fails to detonate properly.source
May 24 – May 24 incident: Anti-American riots erupt in Taipei, Taiwan.source
May – The Anti-Party Group attempts to overthrow Nikita Khrushchev.Soviet Union source
8 June – 2 Israeli civilians, Daniel Agron, son of Jerusalem mayor Gershon Agron, and future MK Avraham Katz were injured when their vehicle drove over a landmine near Nahal Oz.Israel source
July 10 – The Philippine Army establishes its headquarters located at the Fort Andres Bonifacio in Taguig, Rizal, under the leadership of Brigadier General Leoncio S. Tan.Philippines source
6 August – Lee Kuan Yew and five other right-wing PAP CEC members does not recognize the results of the 4th Party Conference and refused to resume office.Singapore source
September 4 – American Civil Rights Movement – Governor Orville Faubus of Arkansas calls out the National Guard of the United States to prevent the "Little Rock Nine" African American students from enrolling in Little Rock Central High School.United States source
September 5 – Cuban Revolution: Fulgencio Batista’s forces bomb anti-government riots in Cienfuegos.source
25 September – Operation Deep Water, a big NATO exercise around Çanakkale.Turkey source
November 4: An alleged extraterrestrial attack on two sentries at the Itaipu Fort takes place in Praia Grande, São Paulo. The entire electricity of the fort, including the emergency circuits, went down during the incident. Afterwards, Brazilian Army and United States Air Force (USAF) personnel, along with investigators of the Brazilian Air Force, flew to the fort to interview the soldiers.Brazil source

Exploration & Expansion

April 27 - The SS Moyie takes her final voyage.Canada source
5 June – The establishment of Far Eastern Air Transport.Taiwan source
June 9 – Broad Peak, on the China-Pakistan border, is first ascended.source
10 September – Hallvard Devold, Arctic explorer, trapper and meteorologist (born 1898)Norway source
22 September – The fishing boat Doron is captured by Egyptian forces, who claim that the boat entered Egypt's territorial waters, and is led to Port Said. Its crew, 5 Israeli fishermen and its Italian captain, are interrogated by the Egyptians.Israel source
November – The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition arrives in Antarctica.Soviet Union source
The so-called 'mound of Midas', the Great Tumulus near Gordium, is excavated.source
Ivor Hele wins the Archibald Prize with his Self PortraitAustralia source
V. S. Wakankar discovers Bhimbetka rock shelter cave paintings.India source
New Zealand Trotting Cup – LookawayNew Zealand source

Religion & Belief

January 14 – Kripalu Maharaj is named fifth Jagadguru (world teacher), after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars.source
February 4 – A coal gas explosion at the giant Bishop Coal Mine in Bishop, Virginia, United States, kills 37 men.source
March 1 – Arturo Lezama becomes President of the National Council of Government of Uruguay.source
May 2 – "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika", written by Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven, becomes the South African national anthem, replacing "God Save the Queen", which is retained as a royal anthem.source
May–September – Fethard-on-Sea Ne Temere boycott: a Roman Catholic priest and some of his parishioners organised a boycott of Protestant-owned local businesses.Ireland source
June 25 – The United Church of Christ is formed in Cleveland, Ohio, by the merger of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church.United States source
July 11 – His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV becomes the 49th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims at age 20. His grandfather Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah Aga Khan III appoints Prince Karim in his will.source
12 July – James Maroni, theologian and priest, Bishop of the Diocese of Agder (born 1873)Norway source
28 July - Christian Democratic Party is founded.Chile source
30 December – Asher ze'ev Werner (born 1894), Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Tiberias, Chief Rabbi of Poalei Agudat Yisrael and a member of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.Israel source
Balbir Singh Sr. became the first hockey player to be awarded the Padma Shri.India source
Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan: Tunku Munawir (Regent)Malaya source
National Trust for Scotland agrees to accept the bequest of the islands of St Kilda.United Kingdom source

Economy & Finance

28 January – Harry Lundeberg, merchant seaman and labour leader in America (born 1901)Norway source
March 1 – Sud Aviation forms, from a merger between SNCASE (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud Est) and SNCASO (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud Ouest).source
April 1 - Second Nehru ministry adopts Decimalisation of Indian rupee and discontinue the concept of anna coin system.India source
May 8 - Coca-Cola, full-scale sale start in Japan.Japan source
13 July – Shmuel Tajer (born 1868), Sofia-born merchant, one of the founders of Tel Aviv. Grandfather of MK Avraham Katz-Oz and grand-grandfather of MK Erel Margalit.Israel source
1 August - The Deutsche Bundesbank was established.Germany source
3 October – Australian National Airways (ANA) is merged with Ansett to form Ansett-ANA.Australia source
December 1 – In Indonesia, Sukarno announces the nationalization of 246 Dutch businesses.source
1 December – The Malayan Public Records Office (now known as the Malaysian National Archives or Arkib Negara) was formed.Malaya source
Raja Fashions, a tailoring business, is founded in Hong Kong.source
Increase since 31 December 1956: 53,600 (2.43%).New Zealand source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.source
January 16 – Global hotel brand Marriott opens its first hotel, the Marriott Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.source
February 2 – President Iskander Mirza of Pakistan lays the foundation-stone of the Guddu Barrage across the Indus River, near Sukkur.source
March 8 – Egypt re-opens the Suez Canal.source
March 16: Rede Ferroviária Federal, a public company responsible for the operation of 19 unified railways, is created by Federal Law n° 3,115.Brazil source
April 1 – The first new conscripts join the Bundeswehr.source
April 9 – Egypt reopens the Suez Canal to all shipping.source
April 15 – The Distant Early Warning Line is handed over by contractors to the U.S. and Canadian military.source
14 May – Yitzhak Harel, CEO of Israel Railways and former major general in the IDF.Israel source
June 1 – Launch of the first Ayanami-class destroyer warship by the JMSDF.source
30 June – Ministry of Industry was establishedTurkey source
July 1 – Production of the Citroën Traction Avant automobile, begun in 1934, ceases.source
1 July – The Berita Harian is launched.Singapore source
1 September – Tuanku Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan was installed as the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong.Malaya source
30 September – Last day of operation of 97 miles (155 km) of railway in Northern Ireland (Great Northern Railway (Ireland) branches and the entire Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway) following government instructions. Fermanagh loses all its lines.Northern Ireland source
2 October – David Lean's Academy Award-winning film The Bridge on the River Kwai is released.United Kingdom source
October 4 – The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow delta wing interceptor aircraft is unveiled.source
5 October - In Valparaíso, UCV Televisión, the first Chilean television channel, begins its transmissions.Chile source
November 1 – The Mackinac Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages at this time, opens in the United States, to connect Michigan's two peninsulas.source
November 15 - A first section Nagoya to Sakae of Nagoya Municipal Subway Higashiyama Line operation started in Aichi Prefecture.Japan source
December 20 – The Boeing 707 airliner flies for the first time.source

Science & Discovery

January 1 – The first Canadian peacekeepers arrive in Egypt after the Suez CrisisCanada source
20 January: Scott Base, New Zealand's main presence in Antarctica, is established by Sir Edmund Hillary.New Zealand source
January 26: The Ibirapuera Planetarium in São Paulo opens to the public. It is the first planetarium in the Southern Hemisphere.Brazil source
February 16 – Ingmar Bergman's film The Seventh Seal opens at cinemas in Sweden.source
27 February - Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Germany source
April 30 – The solar eclipse of April 30, 1957, a non-central annular solar eclipse that does not have a northern path limit, takes place. This is the last of 57 umbral solar eclipses of Solar Saros 118.source
April – IBM sells the first compiler for the Fortran scientific programming language.source
May 15 – Stanley Matthews plays his final international game, ending an English record international career of almost 23 years.source
24 June – Moshe Weizmann (born 1878), Russian-born Professor of Chemistry at the Hebrew University, brother of first Israeli president, Haim Weizmann.Israel source
July 1 – The International Geophysical Year begins.source
July 1 – Hugh Everett III publishes the first scientifically founded many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.source
July 16 – United States Marine Major John Glenn flies an F8U supersonic jet from California to New York in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8 seconds, setting a new transcontinental speed record.source
July 23 – Asghar Khan becomes the first native Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force and the world's youngest Air Vice Marshal at 36 years old.source
July 29 – The International Atomic Energy Agency is established.source
21 August – Harald Sverdrup, oceanographer and meteorologist (born 1888)Norway source
October 1 – The Africanized bee is accidentally released in Brazil.source
October 4 – Space Age – Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.source
4 October – Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, is launched.Soviet Union source
October 9 – The Jodrell Bank radio telescope in Cheshire, England, is controlled from its control room for the first time.source
October 11 – The orbit of the last stage of the R-7 Semyorka rocket (carrying Sputnik I) is first successfully calculated on an IBM 704 computer at the MIT Computation Center as part of Operation Moonwatch, Cambridge, Massachusetts.source
November 3 – Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2, with the first animal to orbit the Earth, a dog named Laika, on board. There is no technology available to return her to Earth.source
November 13 – Gordon Gould invents the laser.source
December 6 – The first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite fails, when the Vanguard rocket blows up on the launch pad.source
Three new neo-grotesque sans-serif typefaces are released: Folio (designed by Konrad Bauer and Walter Baum), Neue Haas Grotesk (designed by Max Miedinger) and Univers (designed by Adrian Frutiger); all will be influential in the International Typographic Style of graphic design.source
Padraic Fiacc publishes Woe to the Boy.Northern Ireland source

Health & Medicine

January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be dismissed for having handled the ball in Test cricket.source
January 9 – British Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigns on health grounds.source
January 30 – The General Assembly of the United Nations calls on South Africa to reconsider its apartheid policy.South Africa source
March 14 – President Sukarno declares martial law in Indonesia.source
8 April – Dr. Moshe Wallach (born 1866), German-born physician, founder of Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem.Israel source
27 April – The first Pontianak film was released, establishing the horror genre in the local film industry.Singapore source
16 July – Article 433 of Decree 324 bans prostitution. The remainder of the legislation gives additional powers to the secret police.Romania source
24 July - Influenza outbreak in the port of Valparaíso. Between August and September it would expand to all of Chile.Chile source
29 July – Health insurance is made mandatory for all employees.Luxembourg source
The Asian Flu killed around 1-2 million pe ple in China and Hong Kong.China source
Otago: King Edward Technical College OBNew Zealand source
Late June – The 1957–1958 influenza pandemic ("Asian flu") which has already killed thousands of people worldwide, reaches Britain where it will kill a number estimated at between 20,000 and 33,000.United Kingdom source

Crime & Justice

12 January – Over 100 Irish republican suspects are arrested under the Civil Authorities (Special Powers) Act (Northern Ireland).Northern Ireland source
February 18 – The last person to be executed in New Zealand, Walter James Bolton, is hanged at Mount Eden Prison for poisoning his wife.source
4 March – A few minutes past midnight, Israel Kastner is shot outside his house by Ze'ev Eckstein (who pulled the trigger), Dan Shemer and Yosef Menkes. All three were former members of the pre-state right-wing underground Jewish militant group Lehi. Kastner dies of his injuries twelve days later.Israel source
April 17 – Suspected English serial killer Dr John Bodkin Adams is found not guilty of murder, at the Old Bailey.source
2 July – Osman Bölükbaşı, the chairman of Republican Nation Party was arrestedTurkey source
21–22 August – Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock launched a series of anti-communist mass arrests under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance known as Operation Apple. About 35 people were detained including the five of the newly elected CEC members and 13 branch officials of the PAP.Singapore source
October 16: Farmer Antônio Vilas Boas claims to have been abducted by extraterrestrials. This would become one of the earliest recorded alien abduction cases.Brazil source
Albeit the practice was in decline since the late 19th Century, and illegal since 1912, the very last new case of Chinese foot binding was reported this year.source
Mao Zedong admits that 800,000 "class enemies" had been summarily liquidated in China between 1949 and 1954.source
Henan Experimental Middle School, in Jinshui District, Zhengzhou, HenanChina source
Sultan of Kelantan: Sultan IbrahimMalaya source
The Chatham Cup is won by Seatoun who beat Technical Old Boys 3–1 in the final.New Zealand source

Disasters & Accidents

February 17 – A fire at a home for the elderly in Warrenton, Missouri, United States, kills 72 people.source
March 22 – A United States Air Force Boeing C-97 disappears somewhere over the Pacific Ocean near the coast of Japan. All 67 people and the aircraft remain missing to this day.source
April 7: A Varig aircraft crashes near Bagé airport, in Rio Grande do Sul, after suffering a fire on board. All 40 occupants on board lose their lives.Brazil source
16 April – Armed Palestinian Arab militants, who infiltrated into Israel from the village of Faqqua, killed two guards, Yechezkel Beit Elgar (Idgadri) and Yamin (Binyamin) David-Hai at Kibbutz Mesilot. The militants also planted a landmine in a nearby field, which exploded when a tractor drove over it. The tractor driver was injured lightly.Israel source
April 17- A Vickers Valletta C.1 (VW832) of the RAF crashes in Queria after the plane's left wing detached in turbulence 5 minutes after takeoff from Aqaba for Habbaniya, killing all 26 occupants. The crash is currently Jordan's deadliest.Jordan source
July 28 – Heavy rains and mudslides at Isahaya, western Kyūshū, Japan, kill 992.source
September 21 – The sailing ship Pamir sinks off the Azores in a hurricane.source
26 September – Soviet submarine M-256 sinks after one of its diesel engines explodes.Soviet Union source
September 29 – The Kyshtym disaster occurs at the Mayak nuclear reprocessing plant in Russia.source
October 12 – Foreign Minister Lester B. Pearson wins the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Suez CrisisCanada source
October 20 – Two trains collide at Yarımburgaz in Turkey; 95 die.source
20 October – Yarımburgaz train disaster, the worst train accident with 95 dead and 150 wounded peopleTurkey source
October 27 – According to Fire and Disaster Management Agency has official report, An apartment house caught fire by arsonist relative insurance fraud in Akishima, Tokyo, kills eight persons, injures six persons, Japan National Police Agency official report, a suspicion was arrested on March 8, 1958.Japan source
November 15 – 1957 Aquila Airways Solent crash: A flying boat crash on the Isle of Wight leaves 45 dead.source
December 4 – The Lewisham rail crash in London, UK, leaves 92 people dead.source
December 5 – All 326,000 Dutch nationals are expelled from Indonesia.source
22 December – Two buses collide near San Antonio, killing 21.Chile source

Climate & Environment

April 24–25 – The 1957 Fethiye earthquakes occur on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.source
26 May - 1957 Abant earthquakeTurkey source
June 27 – Hurricane Audrey demolishes Cameron, Louisiana, U.S., killing 400 people.source
June 27 – Hurricane Audrey demolishes Cameron, Louisiana, killing 400 people.United States source
July 25–28 - According to Japanese government official confirmed report, heavy massive torrential rain and flood swept hit around Isahaya, Kyushu Island. 992 persons lost their lives in mudslides and flooding.Japan source
15 September – Hobart has its wettest day on record with 156.2 millimetres as a result of a slow-moving low pressure system redeveloping over the Tasman SeaAustralia source
October 10 – Windscale fire: Fire at the Windscale nuclear reactor on the north-west coast of England releases radioactive material into the surrounding environment, including iodine-131.source
November 13 – Flooding in the Po Valley of Italy leads to flooding also in Venice.source
December 4 – 1957 Bayankhongor Earthquake in Mongolia kills 30+ peoplesource
13 December – The Mw 6.5 Farsinaj earthquake strikes Hamadan province, killing at least 1,130 people.Iran source
December 18 – A violent F5 tornado wipes out the entire community of Sunfield, Illinois.source
A series of shark attacks near Durban occur during Black December.South Africa source
Lag Ba'omer – nightfall, 18 May to nightfall, 19 MayIsrael source
Sultan of Johor: Sultan IbrahimMalaya source

Culture & Society

January 15 – The film Throne of Blood, Akira Kurosawa's reworking of Macbeth, is released in Japan.source
February 4 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, logs its 60,000th nautical mile, matching the endurance of the fictional Nautilus described in Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. It is decommissioned on March 3, 1980.source
February 10 – The Confederation of African Football is founded, at a meeting in Khartoum.source
March 3 – Net als toen, sung by Corry Brokken (music by Guus Jansen, lyrics by Willy van Hemert), wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1957 (held at Frankfurt), for the Netherlands.source
March 6 – Zodi Ikhia founds the Nigerien Democratic Front (FDN) in Niger.source
16 March – Representing Luxembourg, Danièle Dupré finishes fourth in the Eurovision Song Contest 1958 with the song Amours mortes (tant de peine).Luxembourg source
March 27 – The 29th Academy Awards Ceremony is held in Hollywood. Around the World in 80 Days wins Best Picture.source
29 March – The opening of National Center of Arts in Taipei.Taiwan source
May 30 – Real Madrid beats Fiorentina 2–0 at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, to win the 1956–57 European Cup (football).source
July 1 – The University of Waterloo is founded in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.source
4 July - Queen Sirikit gives birth to a fourth child and third daughter Chulabhorn.Thailand source
July 6 – At the age of fifteen, Paul McCartney meets John Lennon and his band, the Quarrymen, at the St Peter's Church Hall fête in Woolton.source
July 28 – The 6th World Festival of Youth and Students, a high point of the Khrushchev Thaw, opens in Moscow.source
August 4 – Juan Manuel Fangio, driving for Maserati, wins the Formula One German Grand Prix, clinching (with 4 wins this season) his record 5th world drivers championship, including his 4th consecutive championship (also a record); these 2 records endure for nearly half a century.source
30 August – Stadium Merdeka was officially opened.Malaya source
Pakistan celebrates its tenth year as an independent nation.Pakistan source
September 26 – West Side Story, a new musical by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, opens on Broadway in New York City.source
3 November – The Workers' Party is formed by David Marshall with the inauguration held at the Hokkien Association Hall at Telok Ayer Street.Singapore source
15 November – Moshe Ichilov (born 1903), Zionist activist, served as deputy mayor of Petah Tikva and of Tel Aviv.Israel source
Gruppe SPUR, an artistic collaboration, is founded in Germany.source
Doctor Zhivago (novel) is published in Italy by Boris Pasternak after being rejected by Soviet censors.Soviet Union source

Births

March 10 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi-born terrorist and founder of al-Qaeda (died 2011)source
March 11 – Qasem Soleimani, Iranian general (died 2020)source
April 7 - Kim Kap-soo, Kim Soo-chulSouth Korea source
May 13 – Carrie Lam, Hong Kong civil servantsource
15 May – Princess Margaretha of LiechtensteinLuxembourg source
June 11: António Paris, footballerCape Verde source
July 2 – Bret Hart, Canadian professional wrestlersource
4 July - Chulabhorn Thai PrincessThailand source
July 29 – Fumio Kishida, 100th Prime Minister of Japansource
August 22 – Steve Davis, British snooker playersource
August 24 – Stephen Fry, British comedian, author and actorsource
September 13 – Bongbong Marcos, 17th President of the Philippinessource
September 21 – Kevin Rudd, 26th Prime Minister of Australiasource
October 23 – Paul Kagame, 4th President of Rwandasource
November 4 – Tony Abbott, 28th Prime Minister of Australiasource
November 13 – Greg Abbott, American attorney and politiciansource
December 6 – Andrew Cuomo, American politiciansource
December 24 – Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistansource

Deaths

1 January – Lim Boon Keng, doctor and reformer (born 1869).Singapore source
8 January – Tengku Muhamad bin al-Marhum Sultan Ahmad, 4th Menteri Besar of Pahang (born 1901)Malaya source
January 14 – Humphrey Bogart, American actor (born 1899)source
January 16 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor (born 1867)source
February 8 – John von Neumann, Hungarian-born American mathematician (born 1903)source
February 9 – Miklós Horthy, Austro-Hungarian admiral and regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (born 1868)source
February 18 – Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.source
March 11 – Richard E. Byrd, American explorer (born 1888)source
March 17 – 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash: Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others are killed in a plane crash.source
March 17 – President Magsaysay dies in a plane crash. Vice President Carlos P. Garcia assumes the presidency.Philippines source
May 2 – Joseph McCarthy, American senator (born 1908)source
17 September – 15 Children from the Arab village Sandala are killed while playing with a mortar shell which was fired but wasn't exploded during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.Israel source
September 20 – Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer (born 1865)source
September 21 – King Haakon VII of Norway (born 1872)source
October 19 – V. Gordon Childe, Australian archaeologist (born 1892)source
November 3 – Wilhelm Reich, Austrian psychoanalyst (born 1897)source
November 30 – Indonesian president Sukarno survives a grenade attack at the Cikini School in Jakarta, but several children are killed.source
December 17 – Dorothy L. Sayers, British crime writer, poet, playwright and essayist (born 1893)source