What happened in 1957
58 entries recorded for 1957, listed by date. That was 69 years ago.
1957 at a glance
- Years ago
- 69 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1950s
- Generation born
- Baby Boomers
- Entries here
- 58
- Breakdown
- 58 historical events
January
- January 1
Lèse-majesté in Thailand
The revised Thai criminal code came into force, strengthening the law on lèse-majesté in Thailand to include insult and treating it as a crime against national security.
- January 5
United States Congress
In a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will later be called the Eisenhower Doctrine.
- January 11
African Convention
The African Convention is founded in Dakar, Senegal.
- January 14
Kripalu Maharaj
Kripalu Maharaj is named fifth Jagadguru (world teacher) after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars.
- January 22
Israel
Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula.
- January 22
New York City Police Department
New York City police arrested George Metesky, better known as the "Mad Bomber", for planting over 30 bombs over 16 years throughout the city.
- January 23
Walter Frederick Morrison
American inventor Fred Morrison sold the rights to his "flying disc" to the Wham-O toy company, who later renamed it the "Frisbee"
- January 31
Douglas DC-7
A DC-7B operated by Douglas Aircraft collided in mid-air with a U.S. Air Force F-89 and crashed into a schoolyard in Pacoima, California.
February
- February 1
Felix Wankel
Invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, the first working prototype of the Wankel rotary engine ran for the first time at the research and development department of NSU Motorenwerke AG.
- February 18
Kenya
Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.
- February 18
Walter James Bolton
Walter James Bolton becomes the last person legally executed in New Zealand.
March
- March 6
Ghana Independence Act 1957
the Ghana Independence Act 1957 is passed in the United Kingdom resulting in Ghana gaining independence from the British.
- March 9
1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake
The Andreanof Islands earthquake struck Hawaii and the Aleutian Islands, causing more than $5 million in damage from ground movement and a destructive tsunami.
- March 13
Cuba
Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista.
- March 17
1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash
A plane crash on the slopes of Mount Manunggal killed Philippine president Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
- March 25
United States Customs and Border Protection
United States Customs seizes copies of Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" on obscenity grounds.
- March 25
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community is established with West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as the first members.
April
- April 15
Victoria Coach Station
The Indiaman departed Victoria Coach Station, London, as part of the first UK–India bus service.
- April 24
Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis: The Suez Canal is reopened following the introduction of UNEF peacekeepers to the region.
May
- May 1
Vickers VC.1 Viking
A Vickers VC.1 Viking crashes while attempting to return to Blackbushe Airport in Yateley, killing 34.
- May 3
Walter O'Malley
Walter O'Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agrees to move the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
- May 8
South Vietnam
South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm began a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor.
- May 8
Ngo Dinh Diem
South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem begins a state visit to the United States, his regime's main sponsor.
- May 15
Thermonuclear weapon
The United Kingdom tested its first hydrogen bomb over Malden Island in Operation Grapple.
- May 15
Malden Island
At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple.
June
- June 9
Broad Peak
First ascent of Broad Peak by Fritz Wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger, and Hermann Buhl.
- June 10
John Diefenbaker
Led by John Diefenbaker (pictured), the Progressive Conservative Party won a plurality of House of Commons seats in the Canadian federal election.
- June 21
Ellen Fairclough
Ellen Fairclough (pictured) became the first woman to be appointed to the cabinet of Canada.
- June 27
Hurricane Audrey
Hurricane Audrey made landfall near the Texas–Louisiana border, killing over 400 people, mainly in and around Cameron, Louisiana, U.S.
July
- July 14
Rawya Ateya
Rawya Ateya takes her seat in the National Assembly of Egypt, thereby becoming the first female parliamentarian in the Arab world.
- July 16
KLM Flight 844
KLM Flight 844 crashes off the Schouten Islands in present day Indonesia (then Netherlands New Guinea), killing 58 people.
- July 19
The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold
The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, a largely autobiographical novel by Evelyn Waugh, was published.
- July 28
Isahaya, Nagasaki
Heavy rain and a mudslide in Isahaya, western Kyushu, Japan, kills 992.
August
- August 21
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union successfully conducts a long-range test flight of the R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile.
September
- September 2
South Vietnam
South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm began an official visit to Australia, the first by a foreign incumbent head of state to the country.
- September 4
Orval Faubus
Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine African-American students from attending Little Rock Central High School (pictured).
- September 4
Civil rights movement
American Civil Rights Movement: Little Rock Crisis: The governor of Arkansas calls out the National Guard to prevent African American students from enrolling in Little Rock Central High School, resulting in the lawsuit Cooper v. Aaron the following year.
- September 9
Dwight D. Eisenhower
U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights bill since Reconstruction.
- September 22
Haiti
In Haiti, François Duvalier is elected president.
- September 22
François Duvalier
François Duvalier (pictured), nicknamed Papa Doc, was elected President of Haiti as a populist before consolidating power and ruling as a dictator for the rest of his life.
- September 23
Little Rock Nine
Little Rock schools integration crisis: President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas, and federalizes the Arkansas National Guard, ordering both to support the integration of Little Rock Central High School.
- September 24
101st Airborne Division
President Eisenhower sends the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation.
- September 25
United States Army
United States Army troops escorted nine students as Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas was integrated.
- September 25
Little Rock Central High School
Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, is integrated by the use of United States Army troops.
- September 29
Nuclear reprocessing
An explosion at the Soviet nuclear reprocessing plant Mayak released 74 to 1,850 PBq of radioactive material.
October
- October 3
Superior Courts of California
The California State Superior Court rules that the book Howl and Other Poems is not obscene.
- October 14
Turia (river)
After three days of heavy rain, the Turia overflowed and flooded the city of Valencia, Spain, causing at least 81 deaths.
- October 23
Mother India
A screening of Mother India, one of the most influential Indian films in history, was held for President Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru two days before its release.
- October 24
Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar
The United States Air Force starts the X-20 Dyna-Soar crewed space program.
November
- November 2
Levelland UFO case
A large number of people witnessed a fiery object in the sky near Levelland, Texas, which the United States Air Force said was ball lightning.
- November 3
Sputnik 2
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying the space dog Laika as the first living creature to enter orbit around Earth.
- November 8
Pan Am Flight 7
En route from San Francisco to Honolulu, Pan Am Flight 7 crashed into the Pacific Ocean due to unknown causes, killing all 44 people on board.
- November 30
Sukarno
President Sukarno of Indonesia escapes a grenade attack that kills multiple bystanders.
December
- December 6
Vanguard TV-3
The first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite failed with an explosion on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
- December 6
Project Vanguard
Project Vanguard: A launchpad explosion of Vanguard TV3 thwarts the first United States attempt to launch a satellite into Earth orbit.
- December 13
1957 Farsinaj earthquake
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Iranian Hamadan province, killing at least 1,130 people.
- December 18
Tornado outbreak sequence of December 18–20, 1957
A violent F5 tornado wipes out the entire community of Sunfield, Illinois.
- December 23
Australia national cricket team
Leading the Australia national cricket team, Ian Craig became the youngest-ever Test cricket captain at the time.
Questions about 1957
What happened in 1957?
This site records 58 entries for 1957, including Lèse-majesté in Thailand on January 1. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1957?
69 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1957 turns 69 this year.
Which century is 1957 in?
1957 falls in the 20th century, in the 1950s.
Which generation was born in 1957?
Baby Boomers (1946–1964). Born in the post-war birth surge.
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