On this day

July 16, 1956

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from July 16, 1956

EAST SIDE IRT AND BMT KNOCKED OUT BY WATER IN FIRE AT WANAMAKER'S; 187 FIREMEN HURT IN 25-HOUR FIGHT; STATIONS FLOODED Service on IRT South to 23d St. Due to Be Restored Today Foundations to Be Checked WANAMAKER FIRE HALTS SUBWAYS

By Peter Kihssthe New York Times

blaze under control after 25 hrs; illus; 187 firemen hurt; 4th Av surface traffic diverted, 10th St-Astor Pl, while foundations are checked; Asst Chief Massett calls fire worst in duration and in number of firemen overcome since '35; some officials believe spark from acetylene torch of Lipsett Inc demolition crew started fire; Cavanagh scores United Service Detective Corp watchman S Piparo for 'lack of Judgment' in not reptg smoke smell in morning; Lipsett holds com compiled with all rules; Fire Dept puts loss of salvageable bldg materials at over $250,000

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Notable Births

Tony Kushner

1956Tony Kushner, American playwright and screenwriter[†]

Anthony Robert Kushner is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for Angels in America, which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaimed HBO miniseries of the same name. At the turn of the 21st century, he became known for his numerous film collaborations with Steven Spielberg. He received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2013. Kushner is among the few playwrights in history nominated for an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.

Historical Events

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

1956Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closes its last "Big Tent" show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; due to changing economics, all subsequent circus shows will be held in arenas.[†]

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling, is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Earth. It and its predecessor have run shows from 1871, with a hiatus from 2017 to 2023. They operate as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The circus started in 1919 when the Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, a circus created by P. T. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey, was merged with the Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows. The Ringling brothers purchased Barnum & Bailey Ltd. in 1907 following Bailey's death in 1906, but ran the circuses separately until they were merged in 1919.

Historical Context for July 16, 1956

In 1956, the world population was approximately 2,795,409,994 people[†]