Information for the Year 1952

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  • George VI of England dies; his daughter becomes Elizabeth II (Feb. 6).
  • NATO conference approves European army (Feb.).
  • King Farouk of Egypt is ousted by a military coup (July 23). General Mohammed Naguib assumes power.
  • Britain announces its development of atomic weapons (Oct.).
  • Greece and Turkey join NATO.
  • Population:  2.635 billion
  • Nobel Peace Prize:  Albert Schweitzer (French Equatorial Africa)
  • US explodes first thermonuclear bomb at Enewetak Island (Nov. 1).
  • President-elect Dwight Eisenhower follows through with his campaign promise to visit Korea (Dec. 2).
  • 56 million watch Richard Nixon's "Checker's speech" on TV.
  • President:  Harry S Truman
  • Vice President:  Alben W. Barkley
  • Population:  157,552,740
  • Life expectancy:  68.6 years
  • US GDP (1998 dollars):  $358.6 billion
  • Federal spending:  $67.69 billion
  • Federal debt:  $259.1 billion
  • Median Household Income(current dollars):  Income Information Not Available Before 1953
  • Consumer Price Index:  26.5
  • Unemployment:  3.3%
  • 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 Brooklyn Dodgers
  • National Basketball Association Championship  Minneapolis Lakers defeated New York
  • National Hockey League Stanley Cup  Detroit Red Wings defeated Montreal Canadians
  • Women Wimbledon Tennis  Maureen Connolly defeated L. Brough (7-5 6-3)
  • Men Wimbledon Tennis   Frank Sedgman defeated J. Drobny (4-6 6-2 6-3 6-2)
  • Kentucky Derby Horse Race Champion   Hill Gail
  • National College Athletic Association Basketball Championship  Kansas defeated St. John's (SCORE 80-63)
  • National College Athletic Association Football Champions  Michigan St(RECORD 9-0-0) AND Georgia Tech (RECORD 12-0-0)
  • 1952 Summer Olympics Held in Helsinki Finland
  • 1952 Winter Olympics Held in Oslo Norway
  • Jose Quintero's revival of Tennessee Williams's Summer and Smoke premieres at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre and is the first major Off-Broadway success.
  • Television's first magazine-format program, the Today Show, debuts on NBC with Dave Garroway hosting.
  • The Jackie Gleason Show (The Honeymooners) debuts on CBS, beginning a two-decade run.
  • Merce Cunningham forms his own dance company.
  • Academy Award, Best Picture:  An American in Paris
  • 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:  Coleen Kay Hutchins (Utah)
  • G.W.A. Dummer (England) proposes the theoretical basis for the integrated circuit.
  • Jonas E. Salk (US) develops the first experimentally safe dead-virus polio vaccine.
  • The first plastic artificial heart valve is developed at Georgetown Medical Center.
  • First jetliner service inaugurated by BOAC between London and Johannesburg, South Africa (May 2).
  • Capt. Vincent H. McGovern and 1st Lt. Harold W. Moore make first transatlantic helicopter flight (July 15–31).

 

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