Civil Rights & Legal Milestones
- Autherine Lucy's Integration Battle: On February 3, Autherine Lucy became the first Black student to enroll at the University of Alabama. Her attendance sparked days of violent protests and riots, leading the university to suspend her "for her own safety" on February 6.
- The Montgomery Bus Boycott: The boycott, which began in December 1955, reached a critical legal turning point. On February 21, a grand jury in Alabama indicted 89 leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., for violating an anti-boycott law. Rather than backing down, the leaders voluntarily turned themselves in to the police, turning the arrests into a massive symbolic victory.
- Interstate Integration: On February 15, the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) order officially banning segregation on interstate buses and in waiting rooms went into effect, marking a major federal blow to Jim Crow laws.
Music & Culture
- Elvis Presley's Rise: On February 11, Elvis Presley made his second national TV appearance on "Stage Show." During this month, his first major-label single, "Heartbreak Hotel", began its climb to become his first million-selling record.
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Rock and Roll on Trial: The new genre faced backlash; on February 3, the city of
- Santa Cruz, California, , banned rock and roll concerts after a dance was broken up by police, with officials calling the music "detrimental to health and morals.
- The Best Picture Oscar went to "Marty", starring Ernest Borgnine.
Science & Infrastructure
- Solar Flare Activity: On February 23, one of the largest solar flares ever recorded occurred, causing a massive "Ground Level Enhancement" of cosmic rays that disrupted radio communications across the planet.
- Interstate Highway Planning: Behind the scenes, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was heavily lobbying Congress for the Federal Aid Highway Act, which would eventually be signed later that year to create the modern Interstate Highway System
