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South Pacific, the prize-winning musical, opens on Broadway on April 7
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Harry Truman is inaugurated as U.S. president after being elected in 1948 to his own term. He authorized the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan during World War II, on August 6 and August 9, 1945, respectively
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North Korea and South Korea declare war after Northern forces stream south on June 25.
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The Rosenbergs, Ethel and Julius, were convicted on March 29 for espionage.
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H-Bomb is in the middle of its development as a nuclear weapon, announced in early 1950 and first tested in late 1952.
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The King and I, musical , opens on Broadway on March 29.
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Santayana goodbye: George Santayana, philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist, dies on September 26.
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Joseph Stalin dies on March 5, yielding his position as leader of the Soviet Union.
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Sergei Prokofiev, the composer, dies on March 5, the same day as Stalin.
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Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov succeeds Stalin for six months following his death. Malenkov had presided over Stalin's purges of party "enemies", but would be spared a similar fate by Nikita Khrushchev mentioned later in verse.
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Peter Pan is broadcast on TV live and in color from the 1954 version of the stage musical starring Mary Martin on March 7. Disney released an animated version the previous year.
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Albert Einstein dies on April 18 at the age of 76
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Disneyland opens on July 17 as Walt Disney's first theme park.
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James Dean achieves success with East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause, gets nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, and dies in a car accident on September 30 at the age of 24 .
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Elvis Presley signs with RCA Records on November 21, beginning his pop career
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Nikita Khrushchev makes his famous Secret Speech denouncing Stalin's "cult of personality" on February 23.
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Trouble in the Suez: The Suez Crisis boils as Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal on October 29.
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Sputnik becomes the first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, marking the start of the space race.
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Buddy Holly dies in a plane crash on February 3 with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, in a day that had a devastating impact on the country and youth culture
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Belgians in the Congo: The Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville) was declared independent of Belgium on June 30, with Joseph Kasavubu as President and Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister.
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John F. Kennedy beats Richard Nixon in the November 8 general election.
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Ernest Hemingway commits suicide on July 2 after a long battle with depression.
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Berlin: The Berlin Wall, which forcibly separated West Berlin from East Berlin and the rest of East Germany, was erected on August 13 to prevent citizens escaping to the West.
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John Glenn: Flew the first American manned orbital mission termed "Friendship 7" on February 20.
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Lawrence of Arabia: The Academy Award-winning film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence starring Peter O'Toole premieres in America on December 16.
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JFK blown away: President John F. Kennedy is assassinated on November 22 while riding in an open convertible through Dallas.
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On March 8, the first U.S. combat troops, 3,500 marines, land in South Vietnam.
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Bernie Goetz: On December 22, Mr. Goetz shot four young men who he said were threatening him on a New York City subway. Goetz was charged with attempted murder but was acquitted of the charges, though convicted of carrying an unlicensed gun.
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China's under martial law: On May 20, China declares martial law, enabling them to use force of arms against protesting students to end the Tiananmen Square protests.
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Liston beats Patterson: Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson fight for the world heavyweight championship on September 25, ending in a first-round knockout. This match marked the first time Patterson had ever been knocked out and one of only eight losses in his 20-year professional career.
