Information for the Year 1951

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  • 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).
  • Population:  2.593 billion
  • Nobel Peace Prize:  Léon Jouhaux (France)
  • 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, limiting the number of terms a president may serve, is ratified (Feb. 27).
  • Julius and Ethel Rosenberg sentenced to death for treason (April 5; executed June 19, 1953).
  • President:  Harry S Truman
  • Vice President:  Alben W. Barkley
  • Population:  154,877,889
  • Life expectancy:  68.4 years
  • US GDP (1998 dollars):  $339.7 billion
  • Federal spending:  $45.51 billion
  • Federal debt:  $255.3 billion
  • Median Household Income(current dollars):  Income Information Not Available Before 1953
  • Consumer Price Index:  26
  • Unemployment:  5.3%
  • Cost of a first-class stamp:  $0.03
  • Super Bowl  The first Super Bowl was not played until the year 1967.
  • World Series of Baseball  NY Yankees defeated the NY Giants
  • National Basketball Association Championship  Rochester defeated New York
  • National Hockey League Stanley Cup  Toronto Maple Leafs defeated Montreal Canadians
  • Women Wimbledon Tennis  Doris Hart defeated S. Fry (6-1 6-0)
  • Men Wimbledon Tennis  Dick Savitt defeated K. McGregor (6-4 6-4 6-4)
  • Kentucky Derby Horse Race Champion   Count Turf
  • National College Athletic Association Basketball Championship  Kentucky defeated Kansas State (SCORE 68-58)
  • National College Athletic Association Football Champions  Tennessee(RECORD 10-0-0)
  • 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.
  • Academy Award, Best Picture:  All About Eve
  • Grammy Award - Record of the Year  The first Grammy Awards were not until 1959 <
  • Emmy Award - Best Television Comedy  Best Television Comedy Award Not Given Before 1953
  • Miss America:  Yolande Betbeze (Alabama)
  • Charles F. Blair, Jr. makes the first solo flight across North Pole (May 29).
  • UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer), the first business computer to handle both numeric and alphabetic data, is introduced.

 

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