January 15: The first successful test flight of the Boeing 707, the world's first commercial jet airliner, takes place.
February 25: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. This event marks the beginning of the Space Age.
March 6: Ghana becomes the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence from colonial rule.
April 12: The United Nations Security Council passes a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Suez Crisis.
May 13: The Little Rock Nine, a group of nine African-American students, enroll at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, amid protests and violence.
June 3: The Civil Rights Act of 1957 is signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This legislation is a major step forward in the fight against racial discrimination in the United States.
July 29: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is established.
August 21: The Soviet Union successfully tests the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
October 4: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2, carrying a dog named Laika into space. Laika is the first living creature to orbit the Earth.
October 29: The United States launches Explorer 1, its first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
November 3: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3, the heaviest satellite to date.
December 6: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) establishes the Headquarters Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT).
December 9: The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Hungary, following the brutal suppression of the Hungarian Revolution.