1954: Encyclopedia - 1954

1954

1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar.

1954 - Events

• January 1 - Soviet Union no longer demands war reparations from East Germany
• January 12 - Large-scale avalanches in Austria - over 20 dead
• January 14 - The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator forming the American Motors Corporation
• January 14 - Marilyn Monroe weds Joe DiMaggio.
• January 15 - Mau Mau leader Waruhiu Itote is captured in Kenya
• January 17 - In Yugoslavia, Milovan Djilas, Tito's second-in-command, is relieved of his duties
• January 20 - The National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations
• January 21 - The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut, by First Lady of the United States Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
• January 25 - The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union meet at the Berlin Conference.
• January 26 - Milpitas, California was incorporated as a city.

1954 - February

• February 3 - Queen Elizabeth II is the first reigning monarch to visit Australia
• February 10 - President Dwight Eisenhower warns against United States intervention in Vietnam
• February 23 - The first mass vaccination of children against polio begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• February 25 - Lt. Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser is made premier of Egypt.

1954 - March

• March 1 - Nuclear testing: Officials announce that an American hydrogen bomb test had been conducted on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
• March 1 - Four Puerto Ricans open fire on United States House of Representatives and wound five. Security guards apprehend them.
• March 8 - PR Newswire founded in New York by Herb Muschel.
• March 9 - Edward Murrow and Fred W. Friendly produce a 30-minute See It Now special entitled "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy".
• March 12 - Finland and Germany officially end the state of war.
• March 13 - French troops begin battle against Vietminh in Dien Bien Phu.
• March 19 - Joey Giardello knocks out Willie Tory in round seven at Madison Square Garden in the first televised prize boxing fight shown in color.
• March 22 - The London bullion market reopens (it was closed in 1939).
• March 22 - London gold exchange opens for the first time since the war.
• March 23 - Viet Minh capture the main airstrip of Dien Bien Phu - French forces are partially isolated.
• March 25 - RCA manufactures first color TV set (12" screen; price: $1,000).
• March 25 - Soviet Union recognizes sovereignty of East Germany but Soviet troops remain in the country.
• March 29 - C-47 with Genevieve de Galard on board is incapacitated on Dien Bien Phu runway.
• March 30 - Canada's first subway opens in Toronto.

1954 - April

• April 1 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.
• April 3 - Vladimir Petrov defects from the Soviet Union and asks to seek political asylum in Australia.
• April 7 - Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his "domino theory" speech during a news conference.
• April 12 - Original recording of "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets.
• April 14 - – Aneurin Bevan resigns from the UK Labour shadow cabinet.
• April 22 - Senator Joseph McCarthy begins hearings investigating the United States Army for being "soft" on Communism.

1954 - May

• May 1 - Taku (city in Japan) founded
• May 6 - Roger Bannister runs the first four minute mile
• May 7 - Construction started on Michigan's Mackinac Bridge.
• May 7 - Vietnam War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat (the battle began on March 13).
• May 14 - Boeing 707 released after about two years of development.
• May 17 - United States Supreme Court hands down its decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas 347 US 483 1954
• May 17 - Petrov Royal Commission in Australia begains it's inqury
• May 20 - Chiang Kai-shek is reelected president of the Republic of China by the National Assembly.
• May 20 - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty launches Belarusian language programming (see also Piotra Sych).
• May 29 - Robert Menzies Government re-elected for 4th term in Australia.

1954 - June

• June 1 - Radio station Sender Freies Berlin begins broadcasting
• June 9 - McCarthyism: Joseph Welch, special counsel for the United States Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during hearings on whether Communism has infiltrated the Army
• June 14 - On United States Flag Day, the words "under God" added to the Pledge of Allegiance
• June 15 - UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) is formed in Basel, Switzerland
• June 17 - Military coup in Guatemala
• June 18 - Pierre Mendes-France becomes prime minister of France
• June 19 - The last regular-service streetcar operated by Twin City Rapid Transit runs in Minneapolis.
• June 27 - Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán steps down in a CIA-sponsored military coup–Operation PBSUCCESS–triggering a bloody civil war that would continue for more than 35 years.
• June 27 - The world's first atomic power station opened at Obnisnsk, near Moscow.

1954 - July

• July 3 - Food rationing ends in Britain
• July 4 - End of rationing of meat ends all the food rationing in Britain
• July 4 - West Germany beat Hungary 3-2 to win the 1954 World Cup
• July 5 - Andhra Pradesh High Court is established.
• July 7 - In Memphis, Tennessee, WHBQ becomes the first radio station to air an Elvis Presley record
• July 15 - Maiden flight of Boeing 707
• July 21 - First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam
• July 28 - Foundation of the Situationist International.
• July 31 - First ascent of K2, by an Italian expedition.

1954 - August

• August - First flight of a B-52 Stratofortress.
• August 6 - Emilie Dionne, one of the Dionne Quintuplets, dies of asphyxiation following a epileptic seizure at Sainte Agathe, Quebec.
• August 16 - Volume 1, Issue 1 of Sports Illustrated is published
• August 24 - President of Brazil, Getulio Vargas, commits suicide; he's been accused of conspiracy to murder an air force officer.

1954 - September

• September 3 - The last new episode of The Lone Ranger is aired on radio after 2,956 episodes over a period of 21 years
• September 6 - SEATO treaty signed in Manila, Philippines
• September 8 - The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established in Bangkok, Thailand
• September 9 - An earthquake centered on the city of Oleansville in Algeria - 1500 dead and thousands homeless
• September 11 - First Miss America Pageant broadcast on television
• September 14 - USSR tests nuclear weapon
• September 30 - USS Nautilus, 1st atomic-powered vessel (submarine), commissioned by the US Navy

1954 - October

• October 11 - Vietnam War: The Viet Minh takes control of North Vietnam.
• October 18 - Texas Instruments announces the worldwide first Transistor radio.
• October 20 - Dock workers' strike expands in England
• October 23 - West Germany joins NATO
• October 26 - – Member of Muslim Brotherhood Abdul Munim Abdul Rauf tries to kill Gamal Abdal Nasser
• October 31 - Algerian War of Independence: The Algerian National Liberation Front begins a revolt against French rule.

1954 - November

• November - The main immigration port-of-entry in New York Harbor at Ellis Island closes.
• November 2 - Dock workers' strike in England ends
• November 3 - The first in the Godzilla series of films is released in Japan.
• November 10 - US President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicates the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima memorial) in Arlington National Cemetery
• November 13 - Don Estes invents the disrupter (a part to help combines work)
• November 14 - Egyptian president Mohammed Naguib is deposed - Gamal Abdel Nasser replaces him
• November 23 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at an all-time high of 382.74. More significantly, this is the first time the Dow has surpassed its 1929 peak level reached just before that year's crash.
• November 30 - In Sylacauga, Alabama, a 4 kg meteorite crashes through the roof of a house and hits Ann Hodges, badly bruising her, in the first documented case of an object from outer space hitting a person.

1954 - December

• December 2 - Red Scare: The United States Senate votes 67 to 22 to condemn Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."
• December 24 - Laos becomes independent.

1954 - unknown dates

• The first organ transplants are done in Boston and Paris.
• Battle of Dien Bien Phu between French and Viet Minh forces in Indochina
• Boy Scouts of America desegregates on the basis of race
• Stop signs are changed from black-on-yellow to white-on-red
• Gerbils (Meriones Unguiculatus), brought to the United States by Dr. Victor Schwentker.
• Unification Church founded.
• Case of Lothar Malskat, who had admitted that he had painted the frescoes in Marienkirche himself, goes into trial

1954 - Births

1954 - January

• January 2 - Henry Bonilla, American politician
• January 4 - Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott, English professional poker player
• January 6 - Anthony Minghella, British film director
• January 12 - Howard Stern, American radio host
• January 14 - Tom Cheney, American cartoonist
• January 17 - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., son of Robert F Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy and nephew of U.S president John F Kennedy and Edward M Kennedy
• January 22 - Peter Pilz, Austrian politician
• January 23 - Franco De Vita, Venezuelan singer and songwriter
• January 29 - Oprah Winfrey, American actress, talk show host, producer, and publisher
• January 29 - Yukinobu Hoshino, Japanese cartoonist

1954 - February

• February 1 - Bill Mumy, American actor and musician
• February 2 - Christie Brinkley, American model
• February 6 - Argusto Emfazie, American occultist and author
• February 12 - Philip Zimmermann, American cryptographer
• February 13 - Donnie Moore, baseball player (d. 1989)
• February 15 - Matt Groening, American cartoonist
• February 18 - John Travolta, American actor
• February 19 - Socrates, Brazilian footballer
• February 20 - Anthony Stewart Head, English actor
• February 20 - Patty Hearst, American heiress and kidnapping victim
• February 23 - Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine
• February 25 - John Doe, American musician
• February 26 - Michael Bolton, American singer

1954 - March

• March 1 - Ron Howard, American actor, director, producer
• March 4 - Catherine O'Hara, Canadian actress
• March 8 - David Wilkie, Scottish swimmer
• March 13 - The Baroness Amos, British politician
• March 15 - Craig Wasson, American actor
• March 16 - Nancy Wilson, American singer, musician, and actress
• March 17 - Lesley-Anne Down, British actress
• March 24 - Robert Carradine, American actor
• March 29 - Karen Ann Quinlan, American right-to-die cause célèbre (d. 1985)

1954 - April

• April 7 - Jackie Chan, Hong Kong-born actor
• April 7 - Tony Dorsett, American football player
• April 9 - Dennis Quaid, American actor
• April 10 - Peter MacNicol, American actor
• April 15 - Seka, American actress
• April 17 - Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver
• April 18 - Rick Moranis, Canadian actor and comedian
• April 28 - Robert Sargent Shriver III son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and nephew of John F Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy and Edward M Kennedy
• April 29 - Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian

1954 - May

• May 1 - Archie Norman, British politician and businessman
• May 7 - Amy Heckerling, American film director
• May 8 - David Keith, American actor
• May 19 - Phil Rudd, Australian drummer (AC/DC)

1954 - June

• June 9 - John Hagelin, American physicist and U.S. Presidential candidate
• June 20 - Ilan Ramon, Israeli Air Force, Israel first astronaut (d. 2003)
• June 22 - Freddie Prinze, American actor and comedian (d. 1977)
• June 26 - Steve Barton, American actor (d. 2001)
• June 27 - Ron Kirk, Mayor of Dallas, Texas
• June 30 - Pierre Charles, Prime Minister of Dominica (d. 2004)

1954 - July

• July 5 - John Wright, New Zealand cricket captains
• July 10 - Neil Tennant, British musician
• July 17 - Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
• July 25 - Walter Payton, American football player (d. 1999)

1954 - August

• August 1 - Michael J. Badnarik, software engineer and U.S. Presidential candidate
• August 11 - Joe Jackson, British singer
• August 14 - Mark Fidrych, baseball player
• August 16 - James Cameron, Canadian-born film director
• August 20 - Al Roker, American television broadcaster
• August 21 - Ivan Stang, American author and publisher
• August 25 - Elvis Costello, British singer
• August 26 - Pauline Hanson, Australian politician

1954 - September

• September 13 - Steve Kilbey, Australian musician
• September 21 - Shinzo Abe, Japanese politician
• September 23 - Charlie Barnett, American actor (d. 1996)
• September 26 - Kevin Kennedy, baseball manager and television host
• September 30 - Barry Williams, American actor

1954 - October

• October 1 - Martin Strel, Slovenian swimmer
• October 3 - Dennis Eckersley, baseball player
• October 3 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, American musician (d. 1990)
• October 9 - Scott Bakula, American television actor
• October 10 - David Lee Roth, American singer
• October 13 - Mordechai Vanunu, Israeli nuclear technician
• October 15 - Peter Bakowski, Australian poet
• October 24 - Mike Rounds, Governor of South Dakota

1954 - November

• November 2 - Pat Croce, American entrepreneur
• November 3 - Brigitte Lin, Actress
• November 7 - Kamal Haasan, Indian actor
• November 8 - Michael D. Brown, U.S. Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response
• November 14 - Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State
• November 14 - Willie Hernández, Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player
• November 15 - Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland
• November 16 - Bruce Edwards, golf caddy (d. 2004)
• November 27 - Patricia McPherson, American actress

1954 - December

• December 2 - Dan Butler, American actor
• December 7 - Mark Hofmann, American forger and murderer
• December 14 - Ib Andersen, Danish dancer
• December 14 - Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (d. 1993)
• December 20 - Michael Badalucco, American actor
• December 26 - Susan Butcher, American dog-sled racer
• December 28 - Denzel Washington, American actor

1954 - Unknown dates

• Nenad Prokic, Serbian playwright

1954 - Deaths

1954 - January

• January 18 - Sydney Greenstreet, English actor (b. 1879)

1954 - February

• February 12 - Dziga Vertov, Russian filmmaker (b. 1896)

1954 - March

• March 7 - Otto Diels, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876)
• March 31 - Edwin Howard Armstrong, American electrical engineer and inventor (b. 1890)

1954 - May

• May 6 - B.C. Forbes, Scottish-born publisher (b. 1880)
• May 19 - Charles Ives, American composer (b. 1874)

1954 - April

• April 10 - Auguste Lumière, French inventor (b. 1862)
• April 28 - Léon Jouhaux, French labor leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1879)

1954 - June

• June 7 - Alan Turing, British mathematician (b. 1912)

1954 - July

• July 11 - Henry Valentine Knaggs, English physician and author (b. 1859)
• July 13 - Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter (b. 1907)
• July 14 - Jacinto Benavente, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
• July 29 - Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (b. 1879)

1954 - August

• August 24 - Getúlio Vargas, President of Brazil (b. 1882)

1954 - September

• September 21 - Kokichi Mikimoto, Japanese pearl farm pioneer (b. 1858)

1954 - November

• November 3 - Henri Matisse, French painter (b. 1869)
• November 28 - Enrico Fermi, Italian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
• November 29 - Dink Johnson, American musician (b. 1892)
• November 30 - Wilhelm Furtwängler, German conductor (b. 1886)

1954 - December

• December 8 - Claude Cahun, French photographer and writer (b. 1894)
• December 30 - Eugen, Archduke of Austria, Austrian field marshal (b. 1863)

1954 - Nobel Prizes

• Physics - Max Born, Walther Bothe
• Chemistry - Linus Carl Pauling
• Medicine - John Franklin Enders, Thomas Huckle Weller, Frederick Chapman Robbins
• Literature - Ernest Hemingway
• Peace - The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

1954 - Fields Medalists

• Kunihiko Kodaira, Jean-Pierre Serre

Category: 1954

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "1954", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954, used and available under the GNU Free Documentation License.