- Dwight Eisenhower re-elected President, defeating Adlai Stevenson handily for a second time
- Soviet leader Khrushchev publicly denounces Stalin, begins official policy of "de-Stalinization" in the USSR
- Egypt seizes Suez Canal; Britain and France respond with force; U.S. and Soviet Union help negotiate a cease-fire
- Israel invades Sinai Peninsula
- Soviet troops suppress a popular uprising against the communist regime in Hungary
- Congress approves Highway Act, which allows for construction of the U.S. interstate highway system
- Fidel Castro begins revolution in Cuba
- Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria sinks after colliding with another vessel
MAJOR EVENTS:
- Atomic Energy Commission approves development of commercial nuclear power plants
- IBM founder Thomas J. Watson dies
BUSINESS & ECONOMY:
- First transatlantic telephone cable goes into operation
- Dr. Albert Sabin develops oral polio vaccine
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:
- World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn, 4-3
- Olympic Games held in Melbourne, Australia
SPORTS:
- Movies: The Ten Commandments, Lust for Life, Around the World in 80 Days, The Man with the Golden Arm, The Seventh Seal
- Songs: Don’t Be Cruel, Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, I Could Have Danced All Night, On the Street Where You Live
- TV Shows: Danny Thomas Show, Perry Como Show, Ed Sullivan Show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, December Bride, This is Your Life
- Books: Peyton Place, Grace Metalious; Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy; The Last Hurrah, Edwin O’Connor; The Organization Man, W.H. Whyte
- Rock and roll becomes a national phenomenon, fueled by the popularity of Elvis Presley
- My Fair Lady opens in New York
- Grace Kelly marries Monaco’s Prince Rainier III
- Artist Jackson Pollock dies
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT:
- Interstate highway system authorized, helping to fuel a long-term trend toward the populating of suburban communities, often at the expense of established urban neighborhoods
