Explore 3255 historical events from 1950–1959.
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian…
Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power in Egypt
McCarthyism is a political practice defined by the political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of communist and Soviet influence on …
Red Scare: Witnesses begin testifying and live television coverage of the Army–McCarthy hearings begins
A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by using the photovoltaic effect. It is a type …
The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories
Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda was a Paraguayan politician, army general, and military dictator who ruled as the 42nd president of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow in …
Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay.
Sports Illustrated (SI) is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million …
The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.
The Cruise of the Kings was a royal cruise around the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 1954, organised by Queen Frederica and King Paul of Greece.
The Cruise of the Kings, a royal cruise organised by the Queen Consort of Greece, Frederica of Hanover, departs from…
The Geneva Conference was intended to settle outstanding issues resulting from the Korean War and the First Indochina War and involved several nations. It took place in Geneva, Swi…
The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins
The First Indochina War, known alternatively internationally as the French Indochina War, was fought in French Indochina between France and the Viet Minh and their respective allie…
Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat and a Viet Minh victory (the battle began on March 13
In December 1953, the British colonial government in Singapore passed the National Service Ordinance, requiring all male British subjects and Federal citizens between the ages of 1…
The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal cou…
The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v
Joseph Nye Welch was an American lawyer who served as the chief counsel for the United States Army while it was under investigation for Communist activities by Senator Joseph McCar…
Joseph N
João Fernandes Campos Café Filho was a Brazilian politician who served as the 18th president of Brazil, taking office upon the suicide of President Getúlio Vargas. He was the first…
Vice president João Café Filho takes office as president of Brazil, following the suicide of Getúlio Vargas.
Ellen Rona Barkin is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was in the 1982 film Diner, and in the following years, she had starring roles in films such as Tender Mercies (1983…
Ellen Barkin, American actress
John Philip Bowe is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a BMW M4 in the GT4 Australia series.
John Bowe, Australian racing driver
Michael Zuke is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centreman who played eight seasons in the NHL, between 1978 and 1986.
Mike Zuke, Canadian ice hockey player
Riccardo Gabriele Patrese is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1977 to 1993. Patrese was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in…
Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver
Pope Pius XII was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958.
Pope Pius XII canonises Dominic Savio, who was 14 years old at the time of his death, as a saint, making him at the time
Carlos Castillo Armas was a Guatemalan military officer and politician who was the 28th president of Guatemala, serving from 1954 to 1957 after taking power in a coup d'état. A mem…
Carlos Castillo Armas leads an invasion force across the Guatemalan border, setting in motion the 1954 Guatemalan coup d
The First Indochina War, known alternatively internationally as the French Indochina War, was fought in French Indochina between France and the Viet Minh and their respective allie…
First Indochina War: Battle of Mang Yang Pass: Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment ambush G
Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant was built in the "Science City" of Obninsk, Kaluga Oblast, about 110 km (68 mi) southwest of Moscow, Soviet Union. Connected to the power grid in June 1…
The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, the Soviet Union's first nuclear power station, opens in Obninsk, near Moscow
The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament for senior men's national teams of the nations affiliated to …
The FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match between Hungary and Brazil, highly anticipated to be exciting, instead turns viole
Roderick George Toombs, known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor.
Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor (died 2015)
Michael Andrew Sembello is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer.
Michael Sembello, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Robert M. Greenberg is an American composer, pianist, and musicologist who was born in Brooklyn, New York. He has composed more than 50 works for a variety of instruments and voice…
Robert Greenberg, American pianist and composer