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World Events
- Seoul falls first to Communist forces (Jan. 4), then to US-led UN troops (Mar. 14). Despite peace talks in July and October, the Korean War continues.
- Six nations agree to Schuman Plan to pool European coal and steel (March 19; in effect Feb. 10, 1953).
- Japanese peace treaty signed in San Francisco by 49 nations (Sept. 8).
- Libya gains independence from Italy (Dec. 24).
U.S. Events
Economics
US GDP (1998 dollars): $339.7 billion
Federal spending: $45.51 billion
Federal debt: $255.3 billion
Consumer Price Index: 26
Unemployment: 5.3%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.03
Sports
World SeriesNY Yankees d. NY Giants (4-2)NBA ChampionshipRochester d. New York (4-3)Stanley CupToronto d. Montreal (4-1)WimbledonWomen: Doris Hart d. S. Fry (6-1 6-0)
Men: Dick Savitt d. K. McGregor (6-4 6-4 6-4)Kentucky Derby ChampionCount TurfNCAA Basketball ChampionshipKentucky d. Kansas St. (68-58)NCAA Football ChampionsTennessee (10-0-0)
Entertainment
Events- Yul Brynner makes his first appearance as the king of Siam in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I. Gertrude Lawrence costars (March 29).
- Color television introduced in the U.S.
- In an effort to introduce rhythm and blues to a broader white audience, which was hesitant to embrace "black music," disc jockey Alan Freed uses the term rock 'n' roll to describe R&B.
- In the first broadcast of Edward R. Murrow's See It Now series, Murrow shows the split-screen image of the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and tells viewers it is the first time to see the Atlantic and Pacific oceans simultaneously.
Movies- The African Queen, A Streetcar Named Desire, An American in Paris, A Place in the Sun
Music- Elliott Carter, String Quartet No. 1
Books
Science
Nobel Prizes in Science
Chemistry: Glenn T. Seaborg and Edwin H. McMillan (both US), for discovery of plutonium Physics: Sir John Douglas Cockcroft (UK) and Ernest T. S. Walton (Ireland), for work in 1932 on transmutation of atomic nuclei Physiology or Medicine: Max Theiler (South Africa), for development of anti-yellow-fever vaccine
Deaths
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