1951-1955

1951

1951 Peace Treaty between Japan and Allies A peace treaty was signed between Japan and all the belligerents, with the exception of the USSR, Czechoslovakia and Poland. Under the terms of the treaty, Japan was forced to give up all its overseas territory.
1951 King Abdulah assassinated King Abdullah of Jordan (formerly Transjordan) was assassinated while praying at the Al Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem. Abdullah had been engaging in secret negotiations with Israel and was killed by a Palestinian extremist. Abdullah was succeeded by his son Emir Talal, who was later declared mentally ill. His son, Crown Prince Ibn Talal Hussein, took over, and ruled Jordan until his death in 1999.
1951 H- Bomb On May 12, the United States detonated a hydrogen bomb on an island in the Pacific. The hydrogen bomb is many times more powerful than an atomic bomb. The Russian development of an A–bomb convinced the US to proceed with development of the H–bomb.
1951 First Electronic Computer The Remington Rand Corporation unveiled the first commercial digital computer, called the "UNIVAC" (Universal Automatic Computer). The "UNIVAC" followed the experimental "ENIAC," which had been developed in 1945. The first "UNIVAC" was sold to the Census Bureau.
1951 US Airforce Orders B- 52 Bomber The US Airforce ordered production models of the B-52 Bomber from Boeing. The B-52 was set to replace the B-36 Bomber. It has eight engines and a total bomb load of 50,000 pounds. The B-52 can fly non-stop for a total of 15,000 miles.
1951 Color TV Introduced CBS introduced the first color television broadcast. The broadcast took place in 5 American cities, and CBS began producing two and a half hours a day.

1952

1952 Czechoslovakia's Slansky executed for High Treason A trial on charges of treason was held in Prague, in which Rudolf Slansky, former Secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party, and ten other prominent party members (most of whom were Jewish) were all convicted and hung.
1952 King George VI Dies, Elizabeth crowned Queen King George of England died on February 6. He had come to the throne following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII. George was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth.
1952 Mau Mau Begin Terrorists Actions A state of emergency was declared by the British Governor of Kenya as the Mau Mau began an open uprising against British rule. The British arrested hundreds of Kikuyu tribesman -- among them Jomo Kenyatta, who went on to become the first Prime Minister of Kenya.
1952 King Farouk Adbicates Young army officers, disgusted by widespread corruption in Egypt, staged a revolt against King Farouk. The revolt was led by General Mohammed Neguib and Colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser. Neguib became leader of Egypt. He remained in control until 1954, when Nasser – the real power behind the revolt – took power.
1952 New immigration Quotas The Congress overrode a Presidential veto and vetoed to restrict immigration into the United States to 154,657 immigrants per year. This was the most restrictive policy in American history to date. Foreigners with technical training and high education would receive priority under the law.
1952 Revolt in Bolivia A revolt took place in Bolivia when the Movimento Nacional Revolucionario was deprived of the election of its leader as President. Over the course of the revolution, 3,000 were killed but the MNR succeeded and their leader Vixtgor Paz became President.
1952 Polio Vaccine Invented A vaccine that prevented polio was developed in 1952 by Jonas Salk.
1952 High Court Rules Truman Seizure of Steel Illegal The Supreme Court ruled that the seizure of the steel mills by Truman was illegal. Truman had seized the mills on April 8, after the companies had refused to give the workers the wage increase proposed by the Wage Stabilization Act. He acted under his war powers. The Supreme Court decision on June 2 stated that he had exceeded his power.

1953

1953 Korean Armistice On July 27, after three years, one month, and two days of fighting, the Korean War officially ended. The United States suffered 33,327 deaths and 102,000 wounded. The cost of the war was over $18 billion.

Under the terms of the cease-fire, Korea would be divided at the 38th parallel, as it was the day the Communists attacked. The first truce talks had begun on July 10, 1951. A cease-fire agreement was quickly reached in almost all areas, with the exception of a prisoner-exchange. The United Nations forces refused to return prisoners who did not want to be repatriated. Two more years of fighting ensued and only a threat by President Eisenhower to use nuclear weapons finally brought about an armistice.
1953 Stalin Dies Josef Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, died of a stroke at the age of 73. Stalin was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev. The new government eliminated some of the most repressive activities of the Stalin regime, including the execution of Laurentia Beria, the head of the Secret Police.
1953 France grants Laos independence France granted Laos independence in all but foreign affairs. A communist national movement called Pathet Lao gained control of northern Laos and set up a separate government.
1953 Rosenbergs Executed Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed on June 19, after being convicted of espionage for selling the formula for the atomic bomb to the Soviets. They were the first civilians put to death under the Espionage Act of 1917.
1953 Comet Crashes On May 2, a "Comet" aircraft crashed outside of New Delhi. This was the third crash in the first year of the Comet's service.
1953 Super Sabre Introduced On May 25, North American aviation test pilot George Welsh flew the "YF Super Sabre" for its maiden voyage. In its first flight, the "Sabre" broke the sound barrier. The F-100 entered Airforce service in 1954 and remained in service until 1972. A total of 2,247 were acquired by the Airforce.
1953 DC-7 Introduced Douglas Aircraft introduced the DC-7 on May 18, 1953. The DC-7 was a derivative of the DC-6. It had a longer fuselage, with new and stronger engines. There were three versions of DC-7 built: A,B, and C variants. The C version was the first plane that could fly non-stop across the Atlantic without difficulty.

1954

1954 Four Power meeting Berlin A meeting of the foreign ministers of the US, the Soviet Union, France and Great Britain was held in Berlin. The conference lasted for three weeks, but ended in a deadlock. No substantial progress could be made on any subject separating the Eastern and Western powers. 1954 Dien Bien Puh Falls French forces, under the command of General Navarre, decided that holding Dien Bien Phu, a valley post in Western Vietnam, was a major strategic objective. The French fortified the position with over 30,000 soldiers. On March 15, the Viet Minh began their assault. On May 7, Dien Bien Phu fell, and with it so did French hopes of victory in Vietnam. 1954 Geneva Accords The Geneva Accords ended the war in Vietnam, for the time being. Under the terms of the Accords, the country was divided into a Communist North and Non-Communist South. Elections under international supervision were to be held in both the North and South two years after the signing of the Accords. 1954 SEATO Formed In an additional collective security alliance, modeled on N.A.T.O., eight nations formed the South East Asia Treaty Organization. The nations were: the United States, Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Pakistan and Thailand. Members of S.E.A.T.O. are pledged to their mutual defense. 1954 Revolt breaks Out in Algeria The National Liberation Front (FLN) began a revolt against French rule. The FLN wished to establish an independent Algerian state. 1954 Nautilus Submarine Launched Before a crowd of 12,000, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christened the nation's first atomic-powered submarine, the "Nautilus." Atomic powered submarines would revolutionize the Navy and warfare. 1954 Army McCarthy Hearing Senator Joe McCarthy finally went too far in his Communist witch–hunt, when his investigating committee attempted to investigate the US Army. The hearings, which were televised, showed to the American people the true nature of McCarthy's investigation. McCarthy soon went into decline. 1954 Gunfire in Capital On March 1, three men and a women, all Puerto Rican nationalists, fired gunshots from the gallery of the House of Representatives, wounding five Congressmen. 1954 Segregation Ruled Illegal The US Supreme Court, in the case of Brown v. the Board of Education, ruled that segregation was unconstitutional. The opinion was written by Chief Justice Earl Warren. The decision was a landmark case, and eventually resulted in the desegregation of all public institutions.

1954 US Backed Coup In Guatemala The Guatemalan Government of Jacobo Arbenz Guzman was overthrown by military forces led by Col Carlos Castillo Armas. Armas received direct support from the United States Central Intelligence Agency. The Guzman government supported a Communist-authored land reform bill that expropriated most of the land holdings of United Fruit Company. The Guatemalan action led to a U.S. arms embargo. The Guatemalans then purchased arms from Czechoslovakia thereby providing the excuse for the coup. 1954 F- 104 Makes Debut Lockheed unveiled its new fighter, the "F–104 Starfighter." The F–104 represents a new level of air performance, capable of reaching Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. 1954 Boeing Unveils the 707 On July 15, Boeing unveiled the "707." It was taken on a maiden flight of 90 minutes. The 707 was the first jet aircraft to be commercially successful. It heralded the true entry of the jet age in commercial aviation. Over 3,000 707s were sold by Boeing. 1954 Lockheed intriduces the YC-130 " Hercules"On August 23, Lockheed tested its first "Hercules" turbo prop aircraft. The Hercules is a highly agile transport craft that can carry 90 troops over 2,000 miles. Its ability to land and take off from short runways made it a favorite of airforces the world over. More than 1,900 Hercules planes have been produced, making it one of the most successful transport planes of all time. 1954 First kidney Transplant A team from Harvard Medical School successfully completed the first kidney transplant operation. 1954 Soviets Introduce the MIG- 19 The Soviets introduced the MIG–19. The MIG–19 was the first Soviet fighter that could fly at supersonic speeds. It was a simple, but highly maneuverable plane.

1955

1955 Germany becomes Member of NATO In October 1955, a NATO meeting voted to terminate the occupation of West Germany. The vote also called for the continued presence of NATO troops in West Germany. At the meeting, it was further decided to admit West Germany to the alliance as a member.
1955 Vienna Treaty Restores Austrian Independence At the end of World War II, Austria was occupied by the four powers. In 1946, the four powers officially recognized Austria within its 1937 frontiers. The Austrians were granted a large degree of autonomy. On May 15, 1955, a four-power Foreign Ministers' conference in Vienna agreed on a peace treaty with Austria. It called for withdrawal of all foreign troops from Austrian soil. The agreement was designed to insure Austrian neutrality.
1955 Geneva Summit The fact that a summit meeting was finally taking place after 10 years– the last one had been at Potsdam– seemed to indicate a significant relaxation of East-West tensions. However, very little of real substance occurred at the conference. The major surprise was Eisenhower's proposal for "open skies," which entailed allowing each side to send intelligence-gathering aircraft over the other's territories, virtually unhindered. The summit ended without any major agreements.
1955 First McDonalds restuarant opens In Des Plains, Illinois, the first McDonald's restaurant was opened. Ray Kroc owned the restaurant.
1955 Military Cooup Ousts Peron President Juan Peron of Argentina was ousted by the military. Since the death of his wife, Eva, Peron had lost much of his support. Economic problems, as well as Peron's excommunication by the Catholic church, further harmed his position.
1955 Mirage Unveiled Marcel Dassault unveiled its swept wing fighter, the "Mirage." The "Mirage" can fly at speeds in excess of Mach 2 and can climb to 57,000 feet. The "Mirage" is possibly best known for its success as an air superiority fighter during the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.
1955 U-2 is Tested Lockheed presented the C.I.A. with a proposal for a high altitude spy craft. The C.I.A. accepted the proposal and, in eight months, Lockheed produced the "U-2." In its first flight, the lightly-loaded U-2 refused to land. Test pilot Tony LeVier made five attempts before succeeding. A U-2 was downed over the Soviet Union in 1960, and its pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was captured. The plane was key in discovering Russian missiles in Cuba. A new version of the U-2, known as the "TR-1," is still being flown by the US Airforce.