Q: Context: The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the first edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland on Thursday 24 May.

Question: when was the first eurovision song contest held?
Let's give stream of consciousness below
To answer this question, we should know that: The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the first edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland on Thursday 24 May. So the answer is 1956.