Daily Facts about 1955

1955

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) merge to create the AFL-CIO, becoming the largest labor federation in the United States.

1955

Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, refuses to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, igniting the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

1955

Ngo Dinh Diem declares himself President of South Vietnam, marking the beginning of the Diem regime.

1955

Marian Anderson, an acclaimed African American contralto, makes history as the first Black singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.