1957

1957 was the 86th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• March 3: A group of hooded Klan members toured the Jimmy Morgan Zoo.
• May 31: The town of Trussville was elevated to the status of "city".
• September: Co-producer Gail Patrick brought Raymond Burr to Birmingham to promote their new series "Perry Mason".
• The town of Sylvan Springs was incorporated.
• Country Boy Eddie Burns brought his group to serve as the house band for WBRC's Tom York Morning Show.
• The Alabama Theatre's marquee was upgraded with "new display effects."
• Susie the elephant joined Mona at the Jimmy Morgan Zoo.
• The Birmingham Public Library's Titusville Branch Library was established.
• A new well for Center Point was tapped by Cullen Scott.

Civil Rights movement

• January: Carl and Alexinia Baldwin sued to desegregate the waiting rooms at Birmingham Terminal Station.
• February 14: Fred Shuttlesworth joined Martin Luther King Jr, [[Ralph Abernathy], and others to form the the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
• September 9: Fred Shuttlesworth and other parents were assaulted by an armed mob when they attempted to enroll their children at Phillips High School.

Business

• June 27: Hill's Food Stores opened a new location in Norwood.
• John Hontzas opened Niki's West restaurant on Finley Avenue.
• Bob and Maxine Sykes opened "The Ice Spot" in Central Park
• Vernon Braden opened Braden's Furniture in Trussville.
• Storer Broadcasting sold WBRC 6 to Taft Radio and Television of Cincinnati, Ohio.
• Tommy Charles and Doug Layton left WSGN-AM for WYDE-AM.
• Western Supermarkets opened a fourth location at Crestwood Shopping Center.

Education

• Howard College moved from East Lake to Shades Valley.
• Banks High School opened to freshmen.
• Western-Olin High School was accredited.

Sports

• Bear Bryant accepted an offer to leave Texas A&M to coach the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

Individuals

• Henry Stanford succeeded Guy Snavely as President of Birmingham-Southern College.
• R. B. Knox succeeded Hoyt Ayers as Chief of the Birmingham Fire Department.
• Max Kimerling succeeded J. Harold Shevin as president of Temple Beth-El.
• Inez Andrews left the Gospel Harmonettes to join the Caravans.

Births

• February 10: Samantha Shaw, former Alabama State Auditor
• February 14: Alan Hunter, MTV VJ
• February 14: Reggie King, NBA player
• April 25: Johnny High, NBA player
• June 22: Keith McCord, NBA player
• September 21: Mark Childress, novelist
• November 23: Andrew Toney, NBA player
• Buddy Gray, Baptist minister
• Alan Jacobs, academic
• Walter Moore, educator
• Andrew Westmoreland, President of Samford University

Awards

• Tommy Charles was named "Best DJ of the Year" by the Birmingham Advertising Club.

Graduations

• John Badham graduated from Indian Springs School.

Deaths

• An iron worker was killed when the new steeple at Hunter Street Baptist Church collapsed.
• April 8: Dorothy Sebastian, actress

Works

Buildings

• Banks High School
• Federal Reserve building expansion
• Municipal Auditorium lobby and meeting rooms
• Hunter Street Baptist Church in Bush Hills
• McElwain Baptist Church fellowship hall
• Purcell Wing at Carraway Hospital

Music

• Sun Ra's first album, "Super-Sonic Jazz" was released on Saturn Records.
• Tommy Charles' single, "(I'm Afraid) The Masquerade is Over"/"Love, You're a Stranger" was released on Decca Records.

Context

Notable 1956 births included __. Deaths that year included __.

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