On This Day

Francis Crick and James Watson discover the chemical structure of the DNA molecule (double-helix polymer) using X-ray di

Francis Crick and James Watson discover the chemical structure of the DNA molecule (double-helix polymer) using X-ray diffraction studies developed by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins

Francis Crick and James Watson discover the chemical structure of the DNA molecule (double-helix polymer) using X-ray diffraction studies developed by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins

Key People

Francis Crick

physicist and biologist

English physicist and biologist

James Watson

biologist

American biologist

Rosalind Franklin

X-ray crystallographer

British X-ray crystallographer

Maurice Wilkins

Zealand-born British biophysicist

New Zealand-born British biophysicist

Events Before

  1. Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 5th string quartet and premieres it in Leningrad in 1953

    The 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich are a set of 24 musical pieces for solo piano, one in each of the major and minor keys of the chromatic scale.

  2. "Today Show" premieres with Dave Garroway & Jack Lescoulie on NBC-TV

    Today (also called The Today Show) is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952.

  3. Jawaharlal Nehru's Indian National Congress wins India's first general election

    The Indian National Congress (INC), also known as the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a big tent political party in India.

  4. First TV detector van begins operating in the UK to identify users of unlicensed television sets

    First TV detector van begins operating in the UK to identify users of unlicensed television sets

  5. Queen Elizabeth II succeeds King George VI to the British throne and is proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom and the o

    Queen Elizabeth II succeeds King George VI to the British throne and is proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

Events After

  1. KSLA TV channel 12 in Shreveport, Louisiana (CBS) begins broadcasting

    KSLA (channel 12) is a television station in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Ark-La-Tex region.

  2. Georgetown-IBM experiment, the first public demonstration of a machine translation system, is held at IBM headquarters i

    Georgetown-IBM experiment, the first public demonstration of a machine translation system, is held at IBM headquarters in New York City

  3. "The Nutcracker" ballet choreographed by George Balanchine with Maria Tallchief as the Sugar Plum Fairy opens in New Yor

    "The Nutcracker" ballet choreographed by George Balanchine with Maria Tallchief as the Sugar Plum Fairy opens in New York, establishes its popularity in the US

  4. First mass inoculation against polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh,

    First mass inoculation against polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  5. US explodes Castle Bravo, a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll, which accidentally becomes the most powerful nucle

    US explodes Castle Bravo, a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll, which accidentally becomes the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated by the US

More from the 1950s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 28, 1953?
Francis Crick and James Watson discover the chemical structure of the DNA molecule (double-helix polymer) using X-ray diffraction studies developed by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins
Who was involved in Francis Crick and James Watson discover the chemical structure of the DNA mol...?
Key figures include Francis Crick (physicist and biologist), James Watson (biologist), Rosalind Franklin (X-ray crystallographer), Maurice Wilkins (Zealand-born British biophysicist).

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