Walt Disney died in a boating accident.
 Disney's son and the only Disney working for the company, resigned from his job as an executive because of disagreements with the company's decisions
 He received the Showman of the World Award from the National Association of Theatre Owners, and in 1955, the National Audubon Society awarded Disney its highest honor, the Audubon Medal, for promoting the "appreciation and understanding of nature" through his True-Life Adventures nature films

