On This Day

Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor, named Musical Director of La Scala Teatro in Milan, Italy

Guido Cantelli was an Italian orchestral conductor. Toscanini elected him his "spiritual heir" since the beginnings of his career.

Guido Cantelli was an Italian orchestral conductor. Toscanini elected him his "spiritual heir" since the beginnings of his career. He was named music director of La Scala, Milan in November 1956, but his promising career was cut short only one week later by his death at the age of 36 in the 1956 Paris DC-6 crash in France en route to the United States.

Historical Significance

Guido Cantelli was an Italian orchestral conductor.

Events Before

  1. "The Bob Cummings Show" premieres on NBC (later moves to CBS)

    "The Bob Cummings Show" premieres on NBC (later moves to CBS)

  2. Bhutan issues its first postage stamps

    The first postage stamps of Bhutan were issued in 1962, the same year that the first motorable road was opened.

  3. Marian Anderson is the first African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera, singing the role of Ulric

    Marian Anderson is the first African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera, singing the role of Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera"

  4. American film director Stanley Kubrick (26) weds second wife, Austrian theatrical designer Ruth Sobotka (29); divorce in

    American film director Stanley Kubrick (26) weds second wife, Austrian theatrical designer Ruth Sobotka (29); divorce in 1957

  5. "The Millionaire" TV series premieres on CBS

    "The Millionaire" TV series premieres on CBS

Events After

  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

More from the 1950s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 16, 1956?
Guido Cantelli was an Italian orchestral conductor. Toscanini elected him his "spiritual heir" since the beginnings of his career. He was named music director of La Scala, Milan in November 1956, but his promising career was cut short only one week later by his death at the age of 36 in the 1956 Paris DC-6 crash in France en route to the United States.
Why is Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor, named Musical Director of La Scala Teatro ... significant?
Guido Cantelli was an Italian orchestral conductor.

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