Dwight Eisenhower elected President over Adlai Stevenson by wide margin;
Republicans gain control of White House and both houses of Congress
Korean conflict continues as truce attempts fail
Princess Elizabeth of Britain coronated queen upon the death of her father,
King George VI
U.S. begins construction of first nuclear submarine, the
Nautilus
U.S. detonates world's first hydrogen bomb in a test at
Marshall Islands atoll
Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Richard Nixon defends himself
against charges of maintaining a secret slush fund in his "Checkers"
speech, broadcast on national television
Violent protests erupt in Egypt
Britain develops atomic bomb
BUSINESS & ECONOMY:
Green-tinted chlorophyll becomes a popular additive to a variety of food
and medicinal products as a breath aid (a benefit soon to be disputed by many
doctors and scientists)
First commercial jet passenger service (British Overseas Airways)
The price of a postcard doubled to two cents
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:
First contraceptive pill developed
Dr. Jonas Salk develops polio vaccine
Army vet George Jorgensen travels to Sweden for first sex change operation
in medical history. He returns as "Christine"
SPORTS:
World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn, 4-3
Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland
John Cobb sets a water speed record of 206.89 m.p.h. on Loch Ness,
Scotland; is killed in process
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT:
Movies: Limelight, High Noon, The Greatest Show on
Earth
Best Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Actor: Gary Cooper in High Noon
Best Actress: Shirley Booth in Come Back, Little Sheba
Songs: It Takes Two to Tango, Your Cheatin' Heart,
Wheel of Fortune
TV Shows: Our Miss Brooks, Jackie Gleason Show, I
Love Lucy, Dinah Shore, Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, George Burns and Gracie
Allen Show, The Today Show, Dragnet
Books: The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest
Hemmingway; East of Eden, John Steinbeck; The Grass
Harp, Truman Capote; The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman
Vincent Peale
Revised Standard Version of the Bible published
New in print: Mad comic books
First 3-D Movie shown as Bwana Devil
EVERYDAY LIFE:
1952 presidential campaigns are the first to be broadcast on television
Microwave ovens made available for domestic use; first models are the size
of refrigerators and cost over $1,200
New Products: Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes & Sugar Smacks, Paint by number kits,
small Sony transistor radios (pocket sized)
