On This Day

General Ayub Khan succeeds Iskander Mirza as President of Pakistan

Iskander Ali Mirza (13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969) was a Pakistani politician and military general who served as the fourth and last governor-general of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956, and then as...

Iskander Ali Mirza (13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969) was a Pakistani politician and military general who served as the fourth and last governor-general of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956, and then as the first president of Pakistan from the promulgation of the first constitution in 1956 until his overthrow in a coup d'état in 1958, following his declaration of martial law and unilateral abrogation of the constitution.

Mirza was educated at the University of Bombay before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

Events Before

  1. Sputnik 1 Launch

    The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite, igniting the Space Age and the US-Soviet Space Race.

  2. An Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit attacks Brookeborough Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in one of the most famous i

    An Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit attacks Brookeborough Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in one of the most famous incidents of the IRA's Operation Harvest

  3. Aviator Howard Hughes marries 2nd wife actress Jean Peters

    Aviator Howard Hughes marries 2nd wife actress Jean Peters

  4. South African golfer Gary Player (21) weds childhood sweetheart Vivienne Verwey, until her death in 2021

    South African golfer Gary Player (21) weds childhood sweetheart Vivienne Verwey, until her death in 2021

  5. English-American actress Elizabeth Taylor's 2nd divorce from English actor Michael Wilding, after almost 5 years of marr

    English-American actress Elizabeth Taylor's 2nd divorce from English actor Michael Wilding, after almost 5 years of marriage

Events After

  1. Johnny Cash performs the first of many free concerts behind bars at San Quentin State Prison in California

    Johnny Cash performs the first of many free concerts behind bars at San Quentin State Prison in California

  2. Chad becomes an autonomous republic in the French Community

    The French Community (French: Communauté française) was the constitutional organization set up in October 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of…

  3. USSR's Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity

    A gravity assist, gravity assist maneuver, swing-by, or generally a gravitational slingshot in orbital mechanics, is a type of spaceflight flyby which makes use of the relative movement (e.g.

  4. TV western "Rawhide," starring Clint Eastwood, premieres on CBS

    TV western "Rawhide," starring Clint Eastwood, premieres on CBS

  5. Plane crash known as "The Day the Music Died" kills musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson (aka The Big

    Plane crash known as "The Day the Music Died" kills musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper), and the pilot near Clear Lake, Iowa

More from the 1950s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 27, 1958?
Iskander Ali Mirza (13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969) was a Pakistani politician and military general who served as the fourth and last governor-general of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956, and then as the first president of Pakistan from the promulgation of the first constitution in 1956 until his overthrow in a coup d'état in 1958, following his declaration of martial law and unilateral abrogation of the constitution. Mirza was educated at the University of Bombay before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
Why is General Ayub Khan succeeds Iskander Mirza as President of Pakistan historically important?
Mirza was educated at the University of Bombay before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

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