Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 1951. This year saw 190 significant events. 38 notable figures were born. 4 notable figures passed away.
American actor Burgess Meredith (43) weds (his 4th and final time) Swedish-American ballerina Kaja Sundsten (21), until his death in 1997
"La Vie Commence Demain," the first X-rated movie depicting artificial insemination, opens in London
English-American actress Elizabeth Taylor's 1st divorce from American hotel heir Conrad Hilton Jr. after nearly 9 months of marriage
American civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois (83) weds award-winning author Shirley Graham (54) in Queens, New York
American actress and singer Doris Day (29) weds American film and television producer Martin Melcher (35) in Burbank, California, until his death in 1968
American "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (28) weds Joyce Halverson; divorce in 1972
AT&T becomes the first US corporation to have a million stockholders after young car salesman Brady Denton purchases seven shares worth $1,078
Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Anglo-Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor.
Amos 'n' Andy is an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago then later in the Harlem section of New York City.
Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shinobu Hashimoto.
The film "An American in Paris," with music by George Gershwin, directed by Vincente Minnelli, and starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, premieres in London (Academy Award for Best Picture, 1952)
The Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines is an agreement between the two nations recognizing that an attack in the Pacific on either would endanger the...
Search for Tomorrow is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of...
American conductor Leonard Bernstein (33) weds Costa Rican actress Felicia Montealegre (29), at Temple Mishkan Tefila in Roxbury, Massachusetts, until her death in 1978
Actor Peter Sellers (26) weds actress Anne Howe in London, England
"A Streetcar Named Desire," a film directed by Elia Kazan and based on Tennessee Williams' 1947 play of the same name, starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh, premieres at the Warner Theatre, NYC
Actor Jackie Coogan (36) divorces Ann McCormack after 5 years of marriage
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (né Dzhugashvili; 18 December [O.S. 6 December] 1878 – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian-born Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his...
Singer and actor Frank Sinatra (35) and 1st wife Nancy (Barbato) (33) divorce due to infidelity after 12 years of marriage
American entertainer Frank Sinatra (35) marries 2nd wife American film star Ava Gardner (26); divorce in 1957
Operation Buster-Jangle: First underground atomic explosion at Frenchman Flat, Nevada, codenamed "Uncle"
Joseph Paul DiMaggio, nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball...
Future British PM Margaret Roberts (26) weds businessman Denis Thatcher (36) at Wesley's Chapel in City Road, London
National Football League Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum: Los Angeles Rams beat Cleveland Browns 24-17; first coast-to-coast televised NFL title game
MLB centerfielder Mickey Mantle (20) weds author Merlyn Mantle (19) in Commerce, Oklahoma
Philip Jerome Quinn Barry (June 18, 1896 – December 3, 1949) was an American dramatist best known for his plays Holiday (1928) and The Philadelphia Story (1939), which were both made into films...
9 Jewish Kremlin physicians "exposed" as British/US agents
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea;...
Ganghwa massacre: Hundreds of South Korean communist sympathisers are slaughtered
Washington Capitals NBA team folds
First jet passenger trip is made
Maurice Richard scores his 16th career hat trick in the Montreal Canadiens' 3-0 win over NY Rangers to bring his career total to 274 goals; passes Howie Morenz as NHL's #2 all-time leading goal scorer
German general Christian Hansen freed early from Dutch prison
"Cloud of Death" rolls down Mount Lamington, New Guinea kills 3-5,000
The Việt Minh, officially the League for Independence of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Độc lập Đồng minh or Việt Nam Độc lập Đồng minh Hội, chữ Hán: 越南獨立同盟(會), lit. 'Vietnam Independence Alliance';...
China refuses ceases-fire in Korea
William Kyle Rote Sr. (October 27, 1928 – August 15, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a running back and wide receiver for eleven years in the National Football League (NFL)...
Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Johncrowe Ransom
3rd Emmy Awards: Alan Young Show, Alan Young and Gertrude Berg win
Dutch government Drees-van Schaik resigns
US begins 126 nuclear tests at Nevada Test Site
Baseball signs 6 year All-Star pact for TV-radio rights for $6 million
Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951.
-50°F (-46°C), Gavilan, New Mexico (state record)
Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Decatur County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,312 at the time of the 2020 census.
"Broker Special" train crashes in Woodbridge NJ, killing 84
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB).
"John and Marsha" by Stan Freberg, a parody of daytime soap operas which had only two voices repeating each other's names, peaks at #21 in the USA
NYC passes bill prohibiting racism in city-assisted housing
3 City College of NY basketball players admit to accepting bribes
South Carolina House of Representatives urges "Shoeless Joe" Jackson be reinstated by Major League Baseball
Ice Pairs Championship at Milan won by Ria Baran & Paul Falk of GER
The 1951 Pan American Games, officially known as I Pan American Games (Spanish: I Juegos Panamericanos) and commonly known as Buenos Aires 1951, were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between February...
Bread rationing in Czechoslovakia begins
The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to two, and sets additional...
French government of Pleven dissolves
Bill Mikvy of Temple University scores NCAA basketball record 73 points, including 54 straight, in 93-69 win on the road at Wilkes College [1]
Conscription, also known as the draft in American English, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law.
Intl Table Tennis Federation bans Egypt (for refusing to play Israel)
Baseball Commish Happy Chandler loses fight (9-7) to stay in office
2nd Dutch government of Willem Drees forms
The nationalization of the Iranian oil industry resulted from a movement in the Iranian parliament (Majlis) to seize control of Iran's oil industry, which had been run by private companies, largely...
New Dutch government of Willem Drees takes power
William Grant Still's Symphony No. 4 ("Autochthonous"), premiere performance, by the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra with Victor Alessandro conducting
The Caine Mutiny is a 1951 novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II.
Fujiyoshida, a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū is founded
2,900,000 US soldiers in Korea
Wages in France increase 11%
5th Tony Awards: "Guys & Dolls" (musical) and "The Rose Tattoo" (play) win
US tanks exceed 38° of latitude in Korea
Christopher Fry's "Sleep of Prisoners" premieres in Oxford
American Bowling Congress begins first Masters Tournament
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia.
Michael Gorsira is 1st person in charge of Curacao
British submarine Affray sank in English Channel, killing 75
Dutch Antilles government of Da Costa Gomez forms
4th Cannes Film Festival: "Miss Julie" directed by Alf Sjoberg and "Miracle in Milan" directed by Vittorio De Sica jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-2 for a 4-1 series victory
China seizes the assets of the Asiatic Petroleum Company, a joint venture between the Shell and Royal Dutch oil companies in retaliation for the Hong Kong Government's requisitioning of the tanker Yung Hao
,000 march for peace & freedom in Germany
Gil McDougald ties major league record with 6 RBIs in 1 inning
Pitts Pirate Cliff Chambers no-hits Boston Brave, 3-0
International Olympic committee allows Russia to participate in 1952 Olympics
Dacron men's suits introduced
Air raid on Chinese positions at Yalu River
Zephaniah Alexander Looby (April 8, 1899 – March 24, 1972) was a lawyer in Nashville, Tennessee, who was active in the civil rights movement.
American engineer Jay Forrester applies for patent for computer core memory
The Ernie Kovacs Show is an American comedy show hosted by comedian Ernie Kovacs, first shown in Philadelphia during the early 1950s, then nationally.
The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (New York International Airport) and Heathrow Airport (London), operated by El Al Israel Airlines
US General Collins predicts use of atom bomb in Korea
The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition - a gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively know as the New York School.
Racial segregation in Washington, D.C. restaurants ruled illegal
The Pilgrim's Progress is an opera by Ralph Vaughan Williams, based on John Bunyan's 1678 allegory The Pilgrim's Progress.
Charles F. Blair, Jr. makes the first solo flight over the North Pole in a single-engine plane, a P-51 Mustang named Excalibur III
Netherlands & South Africa sign cultural accord
1st self-contained titanium plant opens (Henderson Nevada)
Clifford Odet's stage drama "The Country Girl", starring Uta Hagen closs at the Lyceum Theatre, NYC, after 235 performances
Pirate's' Gus Bell hits for cycle helps beat Phillies 12-4
Winstead Sheffield "Doodles" Weaver (May 11, 1911 – January 16, 1983) was an American character actor, comedian, and musician. Born into a wealthy West Coast family, Weaver began his career in radio.
Mozambique becomes an oversea province of Portugal
Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of North Korea. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about 109 km (68 mi) upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea.
UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was a line of electronic digital stored-program computers starting with the products of the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation.
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany and Vichy France in World War II and...
Cleveland Indian Bobby Avila hits 3 HRs, double & single vs Red Sox
Gene Rayburn & Dee Finch morning show premieres on NBC radio
Most expensive US hailstorm ($1.5M crop damage & $14M property-Kansas)
Persian army takes over nationalized oil installations
"Bob & Ray show" premieres on NBC radio
The Korean conflict is an ongoing conflict based on the division of Korea between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and South Korea (Republic of Korea), both of which claim to be...
Mob tries to keep black family from moving into all-white Cicero, Illinois
Great Flood: 2,000,000 acres in Kansas and Missouri in central US are flooded by rain-swollen Missouri and Kansas Rivers
First color telecast of a sporting event (CBS - horse race)
Len Hutton scores his 100th century, Yorkshire vs. Surrey at The Oval
Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts, is chartered
On 20 July 1951, Abdullah I, the first King of Jordan, was assassinated while visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Berta da Costa Ribeiro Arthur Craveiro Lopes (1899–1958) was the wife of the 12th President of the Portuguese Republic, Francisco Craveiro Lopes, and the country's First Lady from 9 August 1951,...
Netherlands ends state of war with Germany
Japan Airlines (JAL) is a major Japanese airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo.
William H Jackson ends term as deputy director of CIA
Uprising by Moluccan soldiers from Indonesia at Ambonese Camp, Netherlands
The National Museum of Racing opens in Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, NY
Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket reaches 1,992 km/h (1,237.77 mph)
Dutch Korea volunteers win US Presidential Unit Citation
First televised baseball game in color airs on WCBS in New York City; Boston Braves beat Brooklyn Dodgers 8-1
Great Britain and Iraq sign a new oil contract
18th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Cleveland 33, All-Stars 0 (92,180 attendees)
Harlem Globetrotters play at Olympic Stadium in Berlin before 75,052 spectators
Cleveland Indians win 16th consecutive home game
Dutch professor Jacob Jongbloed demonstrates an artificial heart in Paris
MLB Boston Braves sell pitcher Johnny Sain to the New York Yankees for $50,000
The Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines is an agreement between the two nations recognizing that an attack in the Pacific on either would endanger the...
First transcontinental TV broadcast by US President Harry Truman
The Treaty of San Francisco, also called the Treaty of Peace with Japan, re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allies on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of...
Love of Life is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980.
Britain begins an economic boycott of Iran
St Louis Cards beat NY Giants 6-4 (rescheduled from 9/12) then at night lose to Boston Braves 2-0
Giant's Bob Niemans homers on his 1st 2 at bats
Emile Zatopek runs world record 20k (1:01:15.8)
US National League umpire Frank Dascoli clears the Dodgers bench, ejecting 15 players
Romanian bishop A. Pacha of Timisoara sentenced to 18 years
1st broadcast of "Search for Tomorrow" on CBS-TV
Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Harlow was a small town until the mid-20th century. In 1947 it was designated as a new town.
Professor Youngblood demonstrates an artificial heart in Paris
Persian troops occupy oil refinery at Abadan
American astronomer Seth Barnes Nicholson discovers Ananke, the 12th moon of Jupiter, from Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles County, California
The 25th Infantry Division (nicknamed "Tropic Lightning") is a United States Army division based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.
First TV broadcast in the Netherlands (Toverspiegel)
Bobby Thomson hits a 3-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the bottom of the 9th inning with 1 out, giving the New York Giants a dramatic 5-4 playoff win and the NL pennant at the Polo Grounds
NFL Detroit Lions Jack Christiansen returns 2 punts for touchdowns vs Los Angeles Rams
Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 1895 – 16 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Pakistan from 1947 until his assassination in 1951.
Egyptian army fires on British soldiers
USSR performs a nuclear test
US President Harry Truman formally ends state of war with Germany
The "Johnny Bright Incident" occurs during a football game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where an African-American quarterback from Drake University suffers a broken jaw in a violent attack by Oklahoma A&M defenders [1]
Earthquake hits Formosa, 100 killed
Jan de Hartog's "Four Poster" premieres in New York City
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea;...
Emile Zatopek runs world record 30,000m, 25,000m & 15 miles
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
French Second Chamber accepts the Schuman Plan
Jet is an American weekly digital magazine focusing on news, culture, and entertainment related to the African-American community. Founded in print by John H.
NY Giants & NY Yanks score back-to-back TDs on kickoff returns
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to two, and sets...
First long-distance telephone call without operator assistance
Janet Collins is the first 1st African-American dancer to appear at the Metropolitan Opera, in a production of Aida
NY Yankee Gil McDougald wins AL Rookie of Year
Britain reports development of the world's first nuclear-powered heating system
"See it Now" premieres on TV
US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Snowdonia, or Eryri, is a mountainous region and national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), which...
British auto manufacturers Austin and Morris Motors merge
17 die in a train crash in Woodstock, Alabama
1st rocket to intercept an airplane at White Sands, New Mexico
I Am a Camera is a 1951 Broadway play by John Van Druten adapted from Christopher Isherwood's 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin, which is part of The Berlin Stories.
The 1951 Syrian coup d'état was the fourth coup d'état in Syria following independence.
17th Heisman Trophy Award: Dick Kazmaier, Princeton halfback
AL alters its restrictions on night games, adopting NL's suspended game rule & lifting its ban on lights for Sunday games
West German voters approve merger of 3 states to form Baden-Wurttemberg
NBC premiere of "Dragnet" in black and white
Dutch Communist Party members forbidden to be civil servants
Nazi General Christiansen leaves Netherlands
Walter Zinn's Experimental Breeder Reactor I, the first nuclear reactor to produce electric power, goes live at the Argonne National Laboratory, USA
Sua Vida Me Pertence (lit. 'Your Life Belongs To Me') is a Brazilian television series known as the first telenovela produced in the country.
Australia cricket all out 82 v West Indies at Adelaide
Last Belgian communities get electricity
First opera commissioned for television - "Amahl and the Night Visitors" by Gian Carlo Menotti premieres on NBC with the NBC Opera Theater
West Indies wrap up 6 wicket defeat of Australia on first Christmas Day of Test cricket, the 3rd day of 3rd Test at the Adelaide Oval
"The Roy Rogers Show", American Western television series starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans debuts on NBC; runs for 6 seasons
1st battery to convert radioactive energy to electricity announced
Crystal Gayle, American musician, known for american country music singer, was born on 1951-01-09.
Rush Limbaugh, American political commentator, known for american political commentator, was born on 1951-01-12.
Charo is born
Eric Holder lawyer, known for american lawyer, was born on 1951-01-21. Eric Himpton Holder Jr. is an American lawyer who served as the 82nd United States attorney general from 2009 to 2015.
Phil Collins, English musician, known for english musician, was born on 1951-01-30. Philip David Charles Collins is an English singer, drummer, songwriter, record producer and actor.
Mark Spitz, American athlete, known for american olympic swimmer, was born on 1951-02-10. Mark Andrew Spitz is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion.
Julius Erving athlete, known for american former basketball player, was born on 1951-02-22. Julius Winfield "Dr. J" Erving II is an American former professional basketball player.
George Thorogood, American musician, known for american blues rock vocalist/guitarist, was born on 1951-02-24. George Lawrence Thorogood is an American musician, singer and songwriter.
Helen Clark is born
William H. Macy actor, known for american actor, was born on 1951-03-13. William Hall Macy Jr. is an American actor and filmmaker.
Sergey Lavrov, Russian diplomat, known for russian diplomat, was born on 1951-03-21. Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov is a Russian diplomat who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2004.
Martin Short, Canadian american comedian and actor, known for canadian and american comedian and actor, was born on 1951-03-26. Martin Hayter Short is a Canadian comedian, actor and writer.
Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish musician, known for swedish singer, was born on 1951-04-05. Agneta Åse "Agnetha" Fältskog is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and a member of the pop group ABBA.
Ron Perlman actor, known for american actor, was born on 1951-04-13. Ronald N. Perlman is an American actor.
Luther Vandross musician, known for american singer, was born on 1951-04-20. Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr.(April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record…
Jay Leno, American television host and comedian, known for american television host and comedian, was born on 1951-04-28. James Douglas Muir Leno is an American television host, comedian, and writer.
Dale Earnhardt, American athlete, known for american racing driver, was born on 1951-04-29.
Stevie Wonder, American musician, known for american musician, was born on 1951-05-13.
Sally Ride, American physicist and astronaut, known for american physicist and astronaut, was born on 1951-05-26.
Jean-Claude Duvalier is born
Huey Lewis is born
Viktor Yanukovych is born
Arianna Huffington, American american businesswoman, known for greek and american businesswoman, was born on 1951-07-15.
Richard Branson, English musician, known for english business magnate, was born on 1951-07-18.
Robin Williams, American actor and comedian, known for american actor and comedian, was born on 1951-07-21.
Ken Kutaragi, Japanese engineering technologist and businessman, known for japanese engineering technologist and businessman, was born on 1951-08-02.
Steve Wozniak, American engineer, programmer, and apple co-founder, known for american engineer, programmer, and apple co-founder, was born on 1951-08-11.
Gary Larson, American cartoonist, known for american cartoonist, was born on 1951-08-14.
Ron Guidry, American athlete, known for american baseball player and coach, was born on 1951-08-28.
Phil McGraw television host and psychologist, known for american television host and psychologist, was born on 1951-09-01. Phillip Calvin McGraw, better known as Dr.
Douglas Lenat is born
Narendra Modi is born
Darryl Sittler, Canadian athlete, known for canadian ice hockey player, was born on 1951-09-18.
Bill Murray, American actor and comedian, known for american actor and comedian, was born on 1951-09-21.
Gilbert Perreault, Canadian athlete, known for canadian ice hockey player, was born on 1951-11-13.
Ed Harris, American actor and director, known for american actor and director, was born on 1951-11-28. Edward Allen Harris is an American actor and filmmaker.
Rajinikanth, Indian actor, known for indian actor, was born on 1951-12-12. Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema.
Edward Lee Howard united states intelligence officer and soviet defector, known for united states intelligence officer and soviet defector, was born on 1951-10-27.
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish military leader and statesman, known for finnish military leader and statesman, died on 1951-01-28.
August Horch dies
André Gide, French author and nobel laureate, known for french author and nobel laureate, died on 1951-02-19.
Eddie Collins baseball player, known for american baseball player, died on 1951-03-25. Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr.
American actor Burgess Meredith (43) weds (his 4th and final time) Swedish-American ballerina Kaja Sundsten (21), until his death in 1997
"La Vie Commence Demain," the first X-rated movie depicting artificial insemination, opens in London
English-American actress Elizabeth Taylor's 1st divorce from American hotel heir Conrad Hilton Jr. after nearly 9 months of marriage
American civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois (83) weds award-winning author Shirley Graham (54) in Queens, New York
American actress and singer Doris Day (29) weds American film and television producer Martin Melcher (35) in Burbank, California, until his death in 1968
American "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (28) weds Joyce Halverson; divorce in 1972
AT&T becomes the first US corporation to have a million stockholders after young car salesman Brady Denton purchases seven shares worth $1,078
Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Anglo-Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor.
Amos 'n' Andy is an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago then later in the Harlem section of New York City.
Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shinobu Hashimoto.
The film "An American in Paris," with music by George Gershwin, directed by Vincente Minnelli, and starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, premieres in London (Academy Award for Best Picture, 1952)
The Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines is an agreement between the two nations recognizing that an attack in the Pacific on either would endanger the...
Search for Tomorrow is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of...
American conductor Leonard Bernstein (33) weds Costa Rican actress Felicia Montealegre (29), at Temple Mishkan Tefila in Roxbury, Massachusetts, until her death in 1978
Actor Peter Sellers (26) weds actress Anne Howe in London, England
"A Streetcar Named Desire," a film directed by Elia Kazan and based on Tennessee Williams' 1947 play of the same name, starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh, premieres at the Warner Theatre, NYC
Actor Jackie Coogan (36) divorces Ann McCormack after 5 years of marriage
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (né Dzhugashvili; 18 December [O.S. 6 December] 1878 – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian-born Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his...
Singer and actor Frank Sinatra (35) and 1st wife Nancy (Barbato) (33) divorce due to infidelity after 12 years of marriage
American entertainer Frank Sinatra (35) marries 2nd wife American film star Ava Gardner (26); divorce in 1957
Operation Buster-Jangle: First underground atomic explosion at Frenchman Flat, Nevada, codenamed "Uncle"
Joseph Paul DiMaggio, nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball...
Future British PM Margaret Roberts (26) weds businessman Denis Thatcher (36) at Wesley's Chapel in City Road, London
National Football League Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum: Los Angeles Rams beat Cleveland Browns 24-17; first coast-to-coast televised NFL title game
MLB centerfielder Mickey Mantle (20) weds author Merlyn Mantle (19) in Commerce, Oklahoma
Philip Jerome Quinn Barry (June 18, 1896 – December 3, 1949) was an American dramatist best known for his plays Holiday (1928) and The Philadelphia Story (1939), which were both made into films...
9 Jewish Kremlin physicians "exposed" as British/US agents
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea;...
Ganghwa massacre: Hundreds of South Korean communist sympathisers are slaughtered
Washington Capitals NBA team folds
First jet passenger trip is made
Maurice Richard scores his 16th career hat trick in the Montreal Canadiens' 3-0 win over NY Rangers to bring his career total to 274 goals; passes Howie Morenz as NHL's #2 all-time leading goal scorer
German general Christian Hansen freed early from Dutch prison
"Cloud of Death" rolls down Mount Lamington, New Guinea kills 3-5,000
The Việt Minh, officially the League for Independence of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Độc lập Đồng minh or Việt Nam Độc lập Đồng minh Hội, chữ Hán: 越南獨立同盟(會), lit. 'Vietnam Independence Alliance';...
China refuses ceases-fire in Korea
William Kyle Rote Sr. (October 27, 1928 – August 15, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a running back and wide receiver for eleven years in the National Football League (NFL)...
Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Johncrowe Ransom
3rd Emmy Awards: Alan Young Show, Alan Young and Gertrude Berg win
Dutch government Drees-van Schaik resigns
US begins 126 nuclear tests at Nevada Test Site
Baseball signs 6 year All-Star pact for TV-radio rights for $6 million
Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951.
-50°F (-46°C), Gavilan, New Mexico (state record)
Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Decatur County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,312 at the time of the 2020 census.
"Broker Special" train crashes in Woodbridge NJ, killing 84
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB).
"John and Marsha" by Stan Freberg, a parody of daytime soap operas which had only two voices repeating each other's names, peaks at #21 in the USA
NYC passes bill prohibiting racism in city-assisted housing
3 City College of NY basketball players admit to accepting bribes
South Carolina House of Representatives urges "Shoeless Joe" Jackson be reinstated by Major League Baseball
Ice Pairs Championship at Milan won by Ria Baran & Paul Falk of GER
The 1951 Pan American Games, officially known as I Pan American Games (Spanish: I Juegos Panamericanos) and commonly known as Buenos Aires 1951, were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between February...
Bread rationing in Czechoslovakia begins
The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to two, and sets additional...
French government of Pleven dissolves
Bill Mikvy of Temple University scores NCAA basketball record 73 points, including 54 straight, in 93-69 win on the road at Wilkes College [1]
Conscription, also known as the draft in American English, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law.
Intl Table Tennis Federation bans Egypt (for refusing to play Israel)
Baseball Commish Happy Chandler loses fight (9-7) to stay in office
2nd Dutch government of Willem Drees forms
The nationalization of the Iranian oil industry resulted from a movement in the Iranian parliament (Majlis) to seize control of Iran's oil industry, which had been run by private companies, largely...
New Dutch government of Willem Drees takes power
William Grant Still's Symphony No. 4 ("Autochthonous"), premiere performance, by the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra with Victor Alessandro conducting
The Caine Mutiny is a 1951 novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II.
Fujiyoshida, a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū is founded
2,900,000 US soldiers in Korea
Wages in France increase 11%
5th Tony Awards: "Guys & Dolls" (musical) and "The Rose Tattoo" (play) win
US tanks exceed 38° of latitude in Korea
Christopher Fry's "Sleep of Prisoners" premieres in Oxford
American Bowling Congress begins first Masters Tournament
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia.
Michael Gorsira is 1st person in charge of Curacao
British submarine Affray sank in English Channel, killing 75
Dutch Antilles government of Da Costa Gomez forms
4th Cannes Film Festival: "Miss Julie" directed by Alf Sjoberg and "Miracle in Milan" directed by Vittorio De Sica jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-2 for a 4-1 series victory
China seizes the assets of the Asiatic Petroleum Company, a joint venture between the Shell and Royal Dutch oil companies in retaliation for the Hong Kong Government's requisitioning of the tanker Yung Hao
,000 march for peace & freedom in Germany
Gil McDougald ties major league record with 6 RBIs in 1 inning
Pitts Pirate Cliff Chambers no-hits Boston Brave, 3-0
International Olympic committee allows Russia to participate in 1952 Olympics
Dacron men's suits introduced
Air raid on Chinese positions at Yalu River
Zephaniah Alexander Looby (April 8, 1899 – March 24, 1972) was a lawyer in Nashville, Tennessee, who was active in the civil rights movement.
American engineer Jay Forrester applies for patent for computer core memory
The Ernie Kovacs Show is an American comedy show hosted by comedian Ernie Kovacs, first shown in Philadelphia during the early 1950s, then nationally.
The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (New York International Airport) and Heathrow Airport (London), operated by El Al Israel Airlines
US General Collins predicts use of atom bomb in Korea
The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition - a gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively know as the New York School.
Racial segregation in Washington, D.C. restaurants ruled illegal
The Pilgrim's Progress is an opera by Ralph Vaughan Williams, based on John Bunyan's 1678 allegory The Pilgrim's Progress.
Charles F. Blair, Jr. makes the first solo flight over the North Pole in a single-engine plane, a P-51 Mustang named Excalibur III
Netherlands & South Africa sign cultural accord
1st self-contained titanium plant opens (Henderson Nevada)
Clifford Odet's stage drama "The Country Girl", starring Uta Hagen closs at the Lyceum Theatre, NYC, after 235 performances
Pirate's' Gus Bell hits for cycle helps beat Phillies 12-4
Winstead Sheffield "Doodles" Weaver (May 11, 1911 – January 16, 1983) was an American character actor, comedian, and musician. Born into a wealthy West Coast family, Weaver began his career in radio.
Mozambique becomes an oversea province of Portugal
Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of North Korea. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about 109 km (68 mi) upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea.
UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was a line of electronic digital stored-program computers starting with the products of the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation.
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany and Vichy France in World War II and...
Cleveland Indian Bobby Avila hits 3 HRs, double & single vs Red Sox
Gene Rayburn & Dee Finch morning show premieres on NBC radio
Most expensive US hailstorm ($1.5M crop damage & $14M property-Kansas)
Persian army takes over nationalized oil installations
"Bob & Ray show" premieres on NBC radio
The Korean conflict is an ongoing conflict based on the division of Korea between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and South Korea (Republic of Korea), both of which claim to be...
Mob tries to keep black family from moving into all-white Cicero, Illinois
Great Flood: 2,000,000 acres in Kansas and Missouri in central US are flooded by rain-swollen Missouri and Kansas Rivers
First color telecast of a sporting event (CBS - horse race)
Len Hutton scores his 100th century, Yorkshire vs. Surrey at The Oval
Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts, is chartered
On 20 July 1951, Abdullah I, the first King of Jordan, was assassinated while visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Berta da Costa Ribeiro Arthur Craveiro Lopes (1899–1958) was the wife of the 12th President of the Portuguese Republic, Francisco Craveiro Lopes, and the country's First Lady from 9 August 1951,...
Netherlands ends state of war with Germany
Japan Airlines (JAL) is a major Japanese airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo.
William H Jackson ends term as deputy director of CIA
Uprising by Moluccan soldiers from Indonesia at Ambonese Camp, Netherlands
The National Museum of Racing opens in Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, NY
Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket reaches 1,992 km/h (1,237.77 mph)
Dutch Korea volunteers win US Presidential Unit Citation
First televised baseball game in color airs on WCBS in New York City; Boston Braves beat Brooklyn Dodgers 8-1
Great Britain and Iraq sign a new oil contract
18th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Cleveland 33, All-Stars 0 (92,180 attendees)
Harlem Globetrotters play at Olympic Stadium in Berlin before 75,052 spectators
Cleveland Indians win 16th consecutive home game
Dutch professor Jacob Jongbloed demonstrates an artificial heart in Paris
MLB Boston Braves sell pitcher Johnny Sain to the New York Yankees for $50,000
The Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines is an agreement between the two nations recognizing that an attack in the Pacific on either would endanger the...
First transcontinental TV broadcast by US President Harry Truman
The Treaty of San Francisco, also called the Treaty of Peace with Japan, re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allies on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of...
Love of Life is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980.
Britain begins an economic boycott of Iran
St Louis Cards beat NY Giants 6-4 (rescheduled from 9/12) then at night lose to Boston Braves 2-0
Giant's Bob Niemans homers on his 1st 2 at bats
Emile Zatopek runs world record 20k (1:01:15.8)
US National League umpire Frank Dascoli clears the Dodgers bench, ejecting 15 players
Romanian bishop A. Pacha of Timisoara sentenced to 18 years
1st broadcast of "Search for Tomorrow" on CBS-TV
Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Harlow was a small town until the mid-20th century. In 1947 it was designated as a new town.
Professor Youngblood demonstrates an artificial heart in Paris
Persian troops occupy oil refinery at Abadan
American astronomer Seth Barnes Nicholson discovers Ananke, the 12th moon of Jupiter, from Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles County, California
The 25th Infantry Division (nicknamed "Tropic Lightning") is a United States Army division based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.
First TV broadcast in the Netherlands (Toverspiegel)
Bobby Thomson hits a 3-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the bottom of the 9th inning with 1 out, giving the New York Giants a dramatic 5-4 playoff win and the NL pennant at the Polo Grounds
NFL Detroit Lions Jack Christiansen returns 2 punts for touchdowns vs Los Angeles Rams
Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 1895 – 16 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Pakistan from 1947 until his assassination in 1951.
Egyptian army fires on British soldiers
USSR performs a nuclear test
US President Harry Truman formally ends state of war with Germany
The "Johnny Bright Incident" occurs during a football game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where an African-American quarterback from Drake University suffers a broken jaw in a violent attack by Oklahoma A&M defenders [1]
Earthquake hits Formosa, 100 killed
Jan de Hartog's "Four Poster" premieres in New York City
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea;...
Emile Zatopek runs world record 30,000m, 25,000m & 15 miles
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
French Second Chamber accepts the Schuman Plan
Jet is an American weekly digital magazine focusing on news, culture, and entertainment related to the African-American community. Founded in print by John H.
NY Giants & NY Yanks score back-to-back TDs on kickoff returns
The Nevada National Security Sites (N2S2 or NNSS), popularized as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a reservation of the United States Department of Energy located in the southeastern portion...
The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to two, and sets...
First long-distance telephone call without operator assistance
Janet Collins is the first 1st African-American dancer to appear at the Metropolitan Opera, in a production of Aida
NY Yankee Gil McDougald wins AL Rookie of Year
Britain reports development of the world's first nuclear-powered heating system
"See it Now" premieres on TV
US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Snowdonia, or Eryri, is a mountainous region and national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), which...
British auto manufacturers Austin and Morris Motors merge
17 die in a train crash in Woodstock, Alabama
1st rocket to intercept an airplane at White Sands, New Mexico
I Am a Camera is a 1951 Broadway play by John Van Druten adapted from Christopher Isherwood's 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin, which is part of The Berlin Stories.
The 1951 Syrian coup d'état was the fourth coup d'état in Syria following independence.
17th Heisman Trophy Award: Dick Kazmaier, Princeton halfback
AL alters its restrictions on night games, adopting NL's suspended game rule & lifting its ban on lights for Sunday games
West German voters approve merger of 3 states to form Baden-Wurttemberg
NBC premiere of "Dragnet" in black and white
Dutch Communist Party members forbidden to be civil servants
Nazi General Christiansen leaves Netherlands
Walter Zinn's Experimental Breeder Reactor I, the first nuclear reactor to produce electric power, goes live at the Argonne National Laboratory, USA
Sua Vida Me Pertence (lit. 'Your Life Belongs To Me') is a Brazilian television series known as the first telenovela produced in the country.
Australia cricket all out 82 v West Indies at Adelaide
Last Belgian communities get electricity
First opera commissioned for television - "Amahl and the Night Visitors" by Gian Carlo Menotti premieres on NBC with the NBC Opera Theater
West Indies wrap up 6 wicket defeat of Australia on first Christmas Day of Test cricket, the 3rd day of 3rd Test at the Adelaide Oval
"The Roy Rogers Show", American Western television series starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans debuts on NBC; runs for 6 seasons
1st battery to convert radioactive energy to electricity announced
Crystal Gayle, American musician, known for american country music singer, was born on 1951-01-09.
Rush Limbaugh, American political commentator, known for american political commentator, was born on 1951-01-12.
Charo is born
Eric Holder lawyer, known for american lawyer, was born on 1951-01-21. Eric Himpton Holder Jr. is an American lawyer who served as the 82nd United States attorney general from 2009 to 2015.
Phil Collins, English musician, known for english musician, was born on 1951-01-30. Philip David Charles Collins is an English singer, drummer, songwriter, record producer and actor.
Mark Spitz, American athlete, known for american olympic swimmer, was born on 1951-02-10. Mark Andrew Spitz is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion.
Julius Erving athlete, known for american former basketball player, was born on 1951-02-22. Julius Winfield "Dr. J" Erving II is an American former professional basketball player.
George Thorogood, American musician, known for american blues rock vocalist/guitarist, was born on 1951-02-24. George Lawrence Thorogood is an American musician, singer and songwriter.
Helen Clark is born
William H. Macy actor, known for american actor, was born on 1951-03-13. William Hall Macy Jr. is an American actor and filmmaker.
Sergey Lavrov, Russian diplomat, known for russian diplomat, was born on 1951-03-21. Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov is a Russian diplomat who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2004.
Martin Short, Canadian american comedian and actor, known for canadian and american comedian and actor, was born on 1951-03-26. Martin Hayter Short is a Canadian comedian, actor and writer.
Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish musician, known for swedish singer, was born on 1951-04-05. Agneta Åse "Agnetha" Fältskog is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and a member of the pop group ABBA.
Ron Perlman actor, known for american actor, was born on 1951-04-13. Ronald N. Perlman is an American actor.
Luther Vandross musician, known for american singer, was born on 1951-04-20. Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr.(April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record…
Jay Leno, American television host and comedian, known for american television host and comedian, was born on 1951-04-28. James Douglas Muir Leno is an American television host, comedian, and writer.
Dale Earnhardt, American athlete, known for american racing driver, was born on 1951-04-29.
Stevie Wonder, American musician, known for american musician, was born on 1951-05-13.
Sally Ride, American physicist and astronaut, known for american physicist and astronaut, was born on 1951-05-26.
Jean-Claude Duvalier is born
Huey Lewis is born
Viktor Yanukovych is born
Arianna Huffington, American american businesswoman, known for greek and american businesswoman, was born on 1951-07-15.
Richard Branson, English musician, known for english business magnate, was born on 1951-07-18.
Robin Williams, American actor and comedian, known for american actor and comedian, was born on 1951-07-21.
Ken Kutaragi, Japanese engineering technologist and businessman, known for japanese engineering technologist and businessman, was born on 1951-08-02.
Steve Wozniak, American engineer, programmer, and apple co-founder, known for american engineer, programmer, and apple co-founder, was born on 1951-08-11.
Gary Larson, American cartoonist, known for american cartoonist, was born on 1951-08-14.
Ron Guidry, American athlete, known for american baseball player and coach, was born on 1951-08-28.
Phil McGraw television host and psychologist, known for american television host and psychologist, was born on 1951-09-01. Phillip Calvin McGraw, better known as Dr.
Douglas Lenat is born
Narendra Modi is born
Darryl Sittler, Canadian athlete, known for canadian ice hockey player, was born on 1951-09-18.
Bill Murray, American actor and comedian, known for american actor and comedian, was born on 1951-09-21.
Gilbert Perreault, Canadian athlete, known for canadian ice hockey player, was born on 1951-11-13.
Ed Harris, American actor and director, known for american actor and director, was born on 1951-11-28. Edward Allen Harris is an American actor and filmmaker.
Rajinikanth, Indian actor, known for indian actor, was born on 1951-12-12. Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema.
Edward Lee Howard united states intelligence officer and soviet defector, known for united states intelligence officer and soviet defector, was born on 1951-10-27.
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish military leader and statesman, known for finnish military leader and statesman, died on 1951-01-28.
August Horch dies
André Gide, French author and nobel laureate, known for french author and nobel laureate, died on 1951-02-19.
Eddie Collins baseball player, known for american baseball player, died on 1951-03-25. Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr.