1952-1953

World History 1952-1953

Czechoslovakia's Slansky executed for High Treason, King George VI Dies, Elizabeth crowned Queen, Mau Mau Begin Terrorists Actions , King Farouk Adbicates, Truman Seizure of Steel Illegal, Revolt in Bolivia, Polio Vaccine, New immigration Quotas, Korean Armistice, Stalin Dies, France grants Laos independence, Rosenbergs Executed, Comet Crashes, Super Sabre Introduced, DC-7 Introduced

1952 Czechoslovakia's Slansky executed for High Treason A trial on charges of treason was held in Prague, in which Rudolf Slansky, former Secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party, and ten other prominent party members (most of whom were Jewish) were all convicted and hung.

1952 King George VI Dies, Elizabeth crowned Queen King George of England died on February 6. He had come to the throne following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII. George was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth.

1952 Mau Mau Begin Terrorists Actions A state of emergency was declared by the British Governor of Kenya as the Mau Mau began an open uprising against British rule. The British arrested hundreds of Kikuyu tribesman -- among them Jomo Kenyatta, who went on to become the first Prime Minister of Kenya.

1952 King Farouk Adbicates Young army officers, disgusted by widespread corruption in Egypt, staged a revolt against King Farouk. The revolt was led by General Mohammed Neguib and Colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser. Neguib became leader of Egypt. He remained in control until 1954, when Nasser – the real power behind the revolt – took power.

1952 High Court Rules Truman Seizure of Steel Illegal The Supreme Court ruled that the seizure of the steel mills by Truman was illegal. Truman had seized the mills on April 8, after the companies had refused to give the workers the wage increase proposed by the Wage Stabilization Act. He acted under his war powers. The Supreme Court decision on June 2 stated that he had exceeded his power.

1952 Revolt in Bolivia A revolt took place in Bolivia when the Movimento Nacional Revolucionario was deprived of the election of its leader as President. Over the course of the revolution, 3,000 were killed but the MNR succeeded and their leader Vixtgor Paz became President.

1952 Polio Vaccine Invented A vaccine that prevented polio was developed in 1952 by Jonas Salk.

1952 New immigration Quotas The Congress overrode a Presidential veto and vetoed to restrict immigration into the United States to 154,657 immigrants per year. This was the most restrictive policy in American history to date. Foreigners with technical training and high education would receive priority under the law.

1953

1953 Korean Armistice On July 27, after three years, one month, and two days of fighting, the Korean War officially ended. The United States suffered 33,327 deaths and 102,000 wounded. The cost of the war was over $18 billion.

Under the terms of the cease-fire, Korea would be divided at the 38th parallel, as it was the day the Communists attacked. The first truce talks had begun on July 10, 1951. A cease-fire agreement was quickly reached in almost all areas, with the exception of a prisoner-exchange. The United Nations forces refused to return prisoners who did not want to be repatriated. Two more years of fighting ensued and only a threat by President Eisenhower to use nuclear weapons finally brought about an armistice.

1953 Stalin Dies Josef Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, died of a stroke at the age of 73. Stalin was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev. The new government eliminated some of the most repressive activities of the Stalin regime, including the execution of Laurentia Beria, the head of the Secret Police.

1953 France grants Laos independence France granted Laos independence in all but foreign affairs. A communist national movement called Pathet Lao gained control of northern Laos and set up a separate government.

1953 Rosenbergs Executed Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed on June 19, after being convicted of espionage for selling the formula for the atomic bomb to the Soviets. They were the first civilians put to death under the Espionage Act of 1917.

1953 Comet Crashes On May 2, a "Comet" aircraft crashed outside of New Delhi. This was the third crash in the first year of the Comet's service.

1953 Super Sabre Introduced On May 25, North American aviation test pilot George Welsh flew the "YF Super Sabre" for its maiden voyage. In its first flight, the "Sabre" broke the sound barrier. The F-100 entered Airforce service in 1954 and remained in service until 1972. A total of 2,247 were acquired by the Airforce.

1953 DC-7 Introduced Douglas Aircraft introduced the DC-7 on May 18, 1953. The DC-7 was a derivative of the DC-6. It had a longer fuselage, with new and stronger engines. There were three versions of DC-7 built: A,B, and C variants. The C version was the first plane that could fly non-stop across the Atlantic without difficulty.