February 14 - The Iranian government bans rock & roll because they claim that the form of music is against the concepts of Islam and also a health hazard. Iranian doctors warned of the risk of injuries to the hips from the "extreme gyrations" of rock & roll dances.
March 12 - Billie Holiday is given a year's probation by a Philadelphia court following her arrest and guilty plea on narcotics possession charges in 1956.
... process increased rapidly.
The first direct elections for Africans to the Legislative Council took place in 1957.
The Kenya African National Union was founded ...