Athletics

Marathon

• December 9 — Fukuoka Marathon, Japan
• Men's Winner: Keizo Yamada (JPN) 2:25:15

Auto racing

• NASCAR Championship - Buck Baker
• The United States Auto Club (USAC) was founded to take over race sanctioning from the American Automobile Association (AAA).
• USAC Racing:
• Pat Flaherty won the Indianapolis 500
• Jimmy Bryan won the season championship
• Formula One Championship - Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Ron Flockhart / Ninian Sanderson won, driving a Jaguar D-Type
• Rally racing:
• the team of Ronnie Adams / Frank Biggar won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Jaguar Mk VII
• Drag racing:
• Art Arfons' Allison-powered "Green Monster #6" become the first member of Hot Rod Magazine's new 150-mph Club.
• Melvin Heath won the NHRA "Top Fuel" Championship at the Nationals

Baseball

• April 17: Luis Aparicio replaces fellow Venezuelan Chico Carrasquel as the White Sox' everyday shortstop. Aparicio, who played 10 seasons with the White Sox, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984 and had his #11 retired by the Sox in the same year.
• July 14: Boston Red Sox lefty Mel Parnell pitches a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park, winning 4-0. It is only Parnell's third win against two losses and is the sixth straight loss for second-place Chicago. The no-hitter is the first for the Red Sox since 1923. Parnell will go 4-4 before a torn muscle in his pitching arm ends his career as the Red Sox' winningest southpaw.
• World Series: New York Yankees win 4 games to 3 over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Yankees pitcher Don Larsen, pitches the first and only perfect game in World Series history, earning himself MVP honors. It is also the only no-hitter thrown in any postseason game.
• December 1: Cincinnati slugger Frank Robinson is unanimously voted the NL Rookie of the Year. White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio is voted AL Rookie of the Year with 22 points, beating out Baltimore's Tito Francona and Rocky Colavito of the Indians.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
• San Francisco wins 83-71 over Iowa

• NBA Finals|NBA Finals:
• Philadelphia Warriors won 4 games to 1 over the Fort Wayne Pistons

Boxing

• March 19 - At age 48, Dutch boxer Bep van Klaveren contests his last match in Rotterdam.
• April 27 - Rocky Marciano retires as the only undefeated Heavyweight Champion of the world with a perfect record (49-0).
• November 30, in Chicago, Illinois - Floyd Patterson knocks out Archie Moore in the 5th round to win the vacant World Heavyweight title.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Charly Gaul of Luxembourg
• Tour de France - Roger Walkowiak of France
• World Cycling Championship: Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium

Field hockey

• Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Melbourne, Australia
• Gold Medal: India
• Silver Medal: Pakistan
• Bronze Medal: West Germany

Figure skating

• 1956 Winter Olympics:
• Men's champion: Hayes Alan Jenkins, United States
• Ladies' champion: Tenley Albright, United States
• Pair skating champions: Elisabeth Schwarz & Kurt Oppelt, Austria

• World Figure Skating Championships:
• Men's champion: Hayes Alan Jenkins, United States
• Ladies' champion: Carol Heiss, United States
• Pair skating champions: Elisabeth Schwarz & Kurt Oppelt, Austria
• Ice dancing champions: Pamela Wright & Paul Thomas (skater), Great Britain

• European Figure Skating Championships:
• Men's champion: Alain Giletti, France
• Ladies' champion: Ingrid Wendl, Austria
• Pair skating champions: Elisabeth Schwarz & Kurt Oppelt, Austria
• Ice dancing champions: Pamela Wright & Paul Thomas (skater), Great Britain

Football (American)

• NFL Championship: New York Giants won 47-7 over the Chicago Bears
• Oklahoma Sooners - college football championships.

Football (Australian)

• Victorian Football League
• Melbourne wins the 60th VFL Premiership (Melbourne 17.19 (121) d Collingwood 6.12 (48))
• Brownlow Medal awarded to Peter Box (Footscray)

Football (Canadian)

• Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos win 50-27 over the Montreal Alouettes

Football (Rugby)

• Test Series: New Zealand All Blacks defeat South African Springboks 3-1.

Football (soccer)

• European Cup - Real Madrid beat Stade de Reims 4-3 in the very first final.

England

• First Division - Manchester United win the 1955-56 title.
• FA Cup - Manchester City beat Birmingham City 3-1.

Golf

• April 5-8 - Masters Tournament - Jack Burke, Jr.
• June 14-16 - U.S. Open - Cary Middlecoff
• July 3-6 - British Open - Peter Thomson
• July 24 - PGA Championship - Jack Burke, Jr.
• PGA Tour money leader - Ted Kroll - $72,836

Men's amateur

• British Amateur - John Beharrell
• U.S. Amateur - Harvie Ward

Women's professional

• Women's Western Open - Beverly Hanson
• LPGA Championship - Marlene Hagge
• U.S. Women's Open - Kathy Cornelius
• Titleholders Championship - Louise Suggs
• LPGA Tour money leader - Marlene Hagge - $20,235

Thoroughbred horse racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Evening Peal
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Canadian Champ
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Ribot
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Talgo
• English Triple Crown races:
1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes - Gilles de Retz
2. Epsom Derby - Lavandin
3. St. Leger Stakes - Cambremer

• United States Triple Crown races:
1. May 5 - Kentucky Derby - Needles
2. Preakness Stakes - Fabius
3. Belmont Stakes - Needles

Harness racing

• TheUnited States Pacing Triple Crown races is created with the addition of the Messenger Stakes.
1. Cane Pace - Noble Adios
2. Little Brown Jug - Noble Adios
3. Messenger Stakes - Belle Acton

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
1. Hambletonian - The Intruder
2. Yonkers Trot
3. Kentucky Futurity

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
• Pacers: Gentleman John

Ice hockey

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens
• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens
• Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 1 over the Detroit Red Wings
• World Hockey Championship
• Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated the United States
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship - University of Michigan Wolverines defeat Michigan Technological University Huskies 7-5 in Colorado Springs, CO

Skiing

• Alpine skiing
• The men's Olympic Gold Medal:
• Downhill: Toni Sailer, Austria
• Slalom: Toni Sailer, Austria
• Giant Slalom: Toni Sailer, Austria
• The women's Olympic Gold Medal:
• Downhill: Madeleine Berthod, Switzerland
• Slalom: Renée Colliard, Switzerland
• Giant Slalom: Ossi Reichert, West Germany

• ISF World Championships:
• Men's combined champion: Toni Sailer, Austria
• Women's combined champion: Madeleine Berthod, Switzerland

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship: Fred Davis beats John Pulman 38-35

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
1. Australian Open - Lew Hoad
2. French Open - Lew Hoad
3. Wimbledon championships - Lew Hoad
4. US Open - Ken Rosewall

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
1. Australian Open - Mary Carter
2. French Open - Althea Gibson
3. Wimbledon championships - Shirley Fry
4. US Open - Shirley Fry

• Davis Cup Australia wins 5-0 over the United States in world tennis.

Volleyball

• Men's World Championship in Paris, France
• Gold Medal: Czechoslovakia
• Silver Medal: Romania
• Bronze Medal: Soviet Union

General sporting events

• 1956 Summer Olympics takes place in Melbourne, Australia
• Equestrian events take place in Stockholm, Sweden, due to Australian quarantine laws.
• USSR wins the most medals (98), and the most gold medals (37).

• 1956 Winter Olympics takes place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
• USSR wins the most medals (16), and the most gold medals (7).

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: Mickey Mantle, Major League Baseball
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: Pat McCormick, Diving

Births

January

• January 1 — Vivien Mitchell, Irish field hockey goalkeeper
• January 4 — Helen Cadman, English netballer
• January 6 — Stephen Cox, New Zealand cyclist
• January 8 — Milorad Krivokapić, Yugoslav water polo player
• January 9 — Zdeněk Adamec, Czech javelin thrower
• January 14 — Juan de la Puente, Spanish handball player
• January 16 — Tadija Kačar, Yugoslav boxer
• January 16 — Pertti Niittylä, Finnish ice speed skater
• January 17 — Andeh Davidson, Nigerian boxer
• January 19 — Oscar Strático, Argentine judoka and wrestler
• January 20 — John Naber, American swimmer
• January 21 — Rafael Garralda, Spanish field hockey player
• January 24 — Hans Smits, Dutch water polo player
• January 30 — Hipólito Ramos, Cuban boxer

February

• February 2 — Jean-François Lamour, French fencer and politician
• February 4 — Radamés González, Cuban marathon runner
• February 7 — Reinaldo Patterson, Cuban javelin thrower
• February 8 — Nanae Sasaki, Japanese long-distance runner
• February 9 — Hans Gildemeister, Chilean tennis player
• February 9 — José Manuel Gómet, Spanish boxer
• February 13 — Yiannis Kouros, Greek-Australian ultramarathoner
• February 13 — Maurizio Marchetto, Italian ice speed skater
• February 14 — Dave Dravecky, American baseball player
• February 15 — Bert Goedkoop, Dutch volleyball player and coach

March

• March 3 — Zbigniew Boniek, Polish soccer player
• March 5 — Ari Huumonen, Finnish discus thrower
• March 12 — Pim Verbeek, Dutch football (soccer) player and manager
• March 13 — Christian Bassemir, German field hockey goalkeeper
• March 15 — Zoltán Verrasztó, Hungarian swimmer
• March 17 — András Hargitay, Hungarian swimmer
• March 18 — Lesley Murdoch, New Zealand field hockey player
• March 18 — Ingemar Stenmark, Swedish alpine skier
• March 19 — José Gómez, Mexican long-distance runner
• March 20 — Joseph Meli, Canadian judoka
• March 20 — Sandra Neilson, American freestyle swimmer
• March 29 — Kurt Thomas, American gymnast

April

• April 2 — Josien Elzerman, Dutch freestyle and breaststroke swimmer
• April 7 — Georg Werthner, Austrian decathlete
• April 9 — Andrés Aldama, Cuban boxer
• April 10 — Thomas Graham, Canadian volleyball player
• April 11 — Gene Mayer, American tennis player
• April 19 — Sue Barker, British television presenter and tennis player
• April 24 — Mirko Puzović, Yugoslav boxer

May

• May 3 — Gillian Rolton, Australian equestrian
• May 9 — Frank Andersson, Swedish wrestler
• May 9 — Francisco de Jesus, Brazilian boxer
• May 10 — Andrey Krylov, Soviet freestyle swimmer
• May 12 — Janis Bojars, Soviet shot putter
• May 17 — Jorma Härkönen, Finnish middle distance runner
• May 17 — Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
• May 20 — Igor Duginyets, Soviet discus thrower
• May 20 — Tomáš Šmíd, Czech tennis player
• May 21 — Christine Larson-Mason, American field hockey player
• May 28 — Viktor Rybakov, Soviet boxer

June

• June 5 — Nick Saviano, American tennis player
• June 6 — Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player
• June 9 — Davey Armstrong, American boxer
• June 11 — Joe Montana, American football player
• June 15 — Dan Thompson, Canadian butterfly swimmer
• June 18 — John Graham, Scottish long-distance runner
• June 21 — William Vanhuylenbroek, Belgian long-distance runner
• June 24 — David Ambartsumyan, Armenian-Russian diver (d. 1992)
• June 27 — Heiner Dopp, German field hockey player

July

• July 15 — Alex Boegschoten, Dutch water polo player
• July 15 — Patricia McKillop, Zimbabwean field hockey player
• July 15 — Toshihiko Seko, Japanese long-distance runner
• July 20 — Mima Jaušovec, Slovenian tennis player
• July 24 — Cees Jan Diepeveen, Dutch field hockey player
• July 25 — Santiago Malgosa, Spanish field hockey player

August

• August 5 — Ewout van Asbeck, Dutch field hockey player
• August 6 — Bob Roggy, American javelin thrower (d. 1986)
• August 7 — Paul Williams, Canadian long-distance runner
• August 22 — Valeriy Abramov, Soviet long-distance runner
• August 22 — Paul Molitor, American baseball Hall of Famer
• August 23 — Anke Rijnders, Dutch freestyle swimmer
• August 25 — Irina Baskakova, Soviet track and field sprinter
• August 26 — Mark Mangino, American football coach

September

• September 7 — Jaime Zumalacárregui, Spanish field hockey player
• September 8 — Aleksandr Yatsevich, Soviet hurdler
• September 11 — Brent Miskimmin, New Zealand field hockey player
• September 13 — Aaron Fernandes, Canadian field hockey player
• September 14 — Ray Wilkins, English football (soccer) player
• September 16 — Sergei Belaglazov, Russian wrestler
• September 18 — José Doreste, Spanish sailboat racer
• September 19 — John Sadri, American tennis player
• September 20 — Elisabeth Theurer, Austrian horse rider
• September 28 — Gary Figueroa, American water polo player
• September 30 — Leonard Nitz, American track cyclist

October

• October 4 — Roberto Andino, Puerto Rican boxer
• October 4 — Doug Padilla, American middle- and long-distance runner
• October 5 — Brad Farrow, Canadian judoka
• October 5 — Pentti Sinersaari, Finnish javelin thrower
• October 16 — Melissa Belote, American backstroke swimmer
• October 16 — Yekaterina Khramenkova, Soviet long-distance runner
• October 17 — Leslie Milne, American field hockey player
• October 18 — Martina Navratilova, Czech-born tennis player
• October 23 — Darrell Pace, American archer
• October 31 — Thomas Rongen, Dutch football (soccer) coach

November

• November 13 — Bill Scanlon, American tennis player
• November 18 — Warren Moon, American football player
• November 20 — John Burra, Tanzanian long-distance runner
• November 30 — Ace Rusevski, Yugoslav boxer

December

• December 5 — Patricia Davies, Zimbabwean field hockey player
• December 7 — Larry Bird, US basketball player
• December 12 — Mauro Barella, Italian pole vaulter
• December 14 — Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein alpine skier
• December 18 — Omer Khalifa, Sudanese middle distance runner
• December 23 — Stephen Muchoki, Kenyan flyweight boxer
• December 27 — Doina Melinte, Romanian athlete
• December 27 — Matthew Mileham, British hammer thrower
• December 31 — Ahmed Salah, Djiboutian long-distance runner

Deaths

• February 8 — Connie Mack, American baseball manager
• March 2 — Fred Merkle, American MLB player (1907-1926)
• May 12 — Edgar Page, British field hockey player (b. 1884)
• May 13 — Frank Beaurepaire (65), Australian freestyle swimmer (b. 1891)
• May 20 — Zoltán Halmay (74), Hungarian Olympic swimmer (b. 1881)
• May 26 — Al Simmons, American MLB player (1924-1944)
• September 7 — C. B. Fry, England international cricketer and rugby player, long jump champion
• September 22 — Jesse Tannehill, American MLB pitcher (1894-1911)
• October 16 — Jules Rimet, Frenc founding father of the FIFA World Cup
• November 27 — Charlie Peete (27), American MLB baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals, plane crash