Delegates gathered in Moscow as the 20th Congress of the Communist Party entered its final days, setting the stage for Khrushchev's landmark denunciation of Stalin.

Nikita Khrushchev delivered his stunning 'Secret Speech' to the 20th Communist Party Congress, denouncing Stalin's crimes and cult of personality.

France formally recognized Tunisia's independence, ending a protectorate that had lasted since 1881 and installing Habib Bourguiba's path toward the presidency.

Pakistan became an Islamic Republic as its first constitution came into force, nine years after independence, formally ending its status as a dominion under the British Crown.

News of Khrushchev's secret speech denouncing Stalin's crimes began spreading through Communist parties worldwide, shaking global Marxist movements.

IBM issued the first FORTRAN programming manual, introducing a language that let scientists write formulas directly instead of raw machine code.

Seven nations competed in Lugano, Switzerland, in the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest, launching what would become the world's longest-running annual television music competition.

Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, triggering an international crisis and eventual war.

Amid the escalating Suez Crisis in the summer of 1956, diplomatic maneuvering intensified as Egypt's nationalization of the canal pushed Britain and France toward military confrontation.

Egypt formally rejected an eighteen-nation proposal for international control of the Suez Canal, deepening the standoff that would trigger war weeks later.

Soviet tanks roll into Budapest as Hungarian citizens and army units battle occupying forces in a spontaneous revolt against communist rule.

Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and 80 fighters landed the overloaded yacht Granma on Cuba's southeastern coast to launch their guerrilla war against Batista.