1955

Events

January

• January 13: The sailboat "Agios Georgios" sets sail from mainland Greece transporting weapons and ammunition to Cyprus in preparation for the EOKA struggle.
• January 25: British authorities seize the sailboat "Agios Georgios" and confiscate the weaponry intended for the EOKA struggle.

March

• March 13: Greece lose to Spain's seconds 7-1 in a Mediterranean Cup game played in Madrid.

April

• April 1: Start of the EOKA campaign against the British in Cyprus.
• April 24: In a "Free Greece" radio broadcast, KKE chairman, Nikos Zachariadis, reveals that EOKA leader "Digenes" is none other than former Organisation X commander Georgios Grivas.

May

• May 6: A British colonial court in Cyprus convicts 11 Greeks of transporting weaponry and ammunition on board the sailboat "Agios Georgios".

June

• June 16: Stylianos Lenas and Markos Drakos unsuccessfully attempt to assassinate Cyprus governor Robert Armitage.

July

• July 15: Cyprus governor, Robert Armitage, establishes the "Detention of Persons Law" which abolishes the writ of habeas corpus in Cyprus.
• July 17: 27 communists break out of Vourla prison in Piraeus.

August

• August 28: Michalis Karaolis, along with two EOKA companions execute Special Branch police constable Herodotus Poullis in Ledra Street, Lefkosia. For this act, Karaolis would later become the first of nine Greek Cypriots hanged by the British during the EOKA campaign.

September

• September 6: The Istanbul Pogrom breaks out against the Greek minority.
• September 7: Riots break out against Greeks in Smyrna (Izmir) - a follow-up to the Istanbul pogrom one day earlier.
• September 23: Markos Drakos and 15 other EOKA members escape from Kerynia castle.

October

• October 3: Sir John Harding is made military governor of Cyprus.
• October 4: Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos dies in office.
• October 4: Talks between newly-installed governor Sir John Harding and Archbishop Makarios III commence on the political future of Cyprus.
• October 11: The negotiations between newly-installed governor Sir John Harding and Archbishop Makarios III end in failure.
• October 28: Michalis Karaolis is arrested in Cyprus.

November

• November 26: Cyprus governor John Harding declares a state of emergency throughout the island.
• November 28: EOKA member, Andreas Dimitriou, shoots and injures a British Intelligence agent named Taylor. For the assault, Dimitriou would become, along with Michalis Karaolis, one of the first two Cypriots hanged by the British during the EOKA struggle.

December

• December 12 - The Battle of Spilia is fought in the EOKA struggle against the British in Cyprus.
• December 14: The foundations for the Aspropyrgos Refinery are set.
• December 15: The battle of Soloi is fought during the EOKA struggle against the British in Cyprus. Charalambos Mouskos is killed (first battle fatality of the struggle).

Births

January

• January 8: Spyros Livathinos, football player, coach and scout.

March

• March 27: Lefteris Pantazis, singer.

April

• April 30: Demetra Liani, Olympic Airways hostess who married PM Andreas Papandreou.

October

• October 17: Georgios Alogoskoufis, economist, politician
• October 26: Antros Kyprianou, Cypriot politician

November

• November 23: Dinos Kouis, footballer

December

• December 12: Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki, 2004 Olympic Games organiser.

Deaths

April

• April 1: Modestos Panteli, EOKA fighter.

October

• October 4: Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos.
• October 17: Dimitrios Maximos, banker, PM of Greece

December

• December 15: Charalambos Mouskos, EOKA fighter.