The 1950s

Explore 3918 historical events from 1950–1959.

Year by year

1950 425 1951 416 1952 390 1953 371 1954 407 1955 352 1956 404 1957 393 1958 384 1959 376

Notable Events

1956 actress grace kelly marries prince rainier of monaco

1956 70 years ago

American actress Grace Kelly (pictured) became the princess consort of Monaco upon her marriage to Rainier III

Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. Prior to her m…

American actress Grace Kelly (pictured) became the princess consort of Monaco upon her marriage to Rainier III

1957

At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple

Malden Island, sometimes called Independence Island in the 19th century, is a low, arid, uninhabited atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, about 39 km2 (15 sq mi) in area. It is one …

At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple

1950

Richard Chase, American serial killer (died 1980)

Richard Trenton Chase was an American serial killer, cannibal and necrophile known as the Vampire of Sacramento, the Dracula Killer and the Vampire Killer, who killed six people be…

Richard Chase, American serial killer (died 1980)

1952

Ari Vatanen, Finnish race car driver and politician

Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish former rally driver and politician and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 to 2009. He won the World Rally Championship driver…

Ari Vatanen, Finnish race car driver and politician

1950

The Tollund Man was discovered in a peat bog near Silkeborg, Denmark

The Tollund Man is a naturally mummified corpse of a man who lived during the 5th century BC, during the period characterised in Scandinavia as the Pre-Roman Iron Age. He was found…

The Tollund Man was discovered in a peat bog near Silkeborg, Denmark

1952

First Indochina War: Viet Minh forces overran a French and Laotian garrison at Muong Khoua, leaving only four survivors

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: Viet Minh forces overran a French and Laotian garrison at Muong Khoua, leaving only four survivors

1956 70 years ago

Catherine Corsini, French director and screenwriter

Catherine Corsini is a French film director, screenwriter, and actress. Her film Replay was entered into the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Her 2012 film Three Worlds competed in the U…

Catherine Corsini, French director and screenwriter

1950

Donnell Deeny, Northern Irish lawyer and judge

Sir Donnell Justin Patrick Deeny, KC, SC, styled as the Rt Hon Sir Donnell Deeny, is a mediator and arbitrator (ACIArb) and a former member of the Court of Appeal of Northern Irela…

Donnell Deeny, Northern Irish lawyer and judge

1953

Arielle Dombasle, French-American actress and model

Arielle Dombasle is an American-born French singer, actress, director and model. Her breakthrough roles were in Éric Rohmer's Pauline at the Beach (1983) and Alain Robbe-Grillet's …

Arielle Dombasle, French-American actress and model

1951 the peak district becomes the united kingdoms first nationa 04 17

1951 75 years ago

The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park

The Peak District is an upland area in central-northern England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordsh…

The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park

All Events

1959

The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held

The 1st Annual Grammy Awards, which began as The Gramophone Awards, were held on May 4, 1959. They recognized musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Two separate …

The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held

1959

The Tritons' Fountain in Valletta, Malta is turned on for the first time

The Tritons’ Fountain is a fountain located in Floriana, Malta. It consists of three bronze Tritons holding up a large basin, balanced on a concentric base built out of concrete an…

The Tritons' Fountain in Valletta, Malta is turned on for the first time

1959

USS Barbero and the United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail

USS Barbero (SS/SSA/SSG-317) was a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy, named for a family of fishes commonly called surgeon fish.

USS Barbero and the United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail

1959

Disneyland Monorail System, the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, opens to the public in

The Disneyland Monorail is an attraction and transportation line at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It was the first daily operating monorail in the co…

Disneyland Monorail System, the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, opens to the public in

1959

First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union.

The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Repres…

First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union.

1959

The Saint Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping

The St. Lawrence Seaway is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and the Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlant…

The Saint Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping

1959

Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.2 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana.

Quake Lake is a lake in the western United States, on the Madison River in southwestern Montana. It was created after an earthquake struck on August 17, 1959, with 28 fatalities. …

Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.2 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana.

1959

Alison Ramsay, English-Scottish field hockey player and lawyer

Alison Gail Ramsay MBE is a former Scottish field hockey player, who was a member of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad that won the bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olymp…

Alison Ramsay, English-Scottish field hockey player and lawyer

1959

In Cuba, the First Agrarian Reform Law – a cornerstone of the Cuban Revolution – was signed by Fidel Castro, aiming to

The agrarian reforms in Cuba sought to break up large landholdings and redistribute land to those peasants who worked it, to cooperatives, and the state. Laws relating to land refo…

In Cuba, the First Agrarian Reform Law – a cornerstone of the Cuban Revolution – was signed by Fidel Castro, aiming to

1959

The North Vietnamese Army establishes Group 559, whose responsibility is to determine how to maintain supply lines to So

The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) is the national military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed wing of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). The PAVN …

The North Vietnamese Army establishes Group 559, whose responsibility is to determine how to maintain supply lines to So

1959

The Auckland Harbour Bridge, crossing the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, is officially opened by Governor-G

The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote on the …

The Auckland Harbour Bridge, crossing the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, is officially opened by Governor-G

2016 the government of singapore authorised the controversial exe 05 20

1959

The first government of Singapore is sworn in

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. Its territory comprises a main island, over 60 satellite islands and islets,…

The first government of Singapore is sworn in

1959

The USS George Washington is launched

USS George Washington (SSBN-598) was the United States's first operational ballistic missile submarine. She was the lead ship of her class of nuclear ballistic missile submarines, …

The USS George Washington is launched

1959

Sean Bean, English actor

Sean Bean is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his professional debut in a production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983 at The Watermill …

Sean Bean, English actor

1959

Jimmy Mann, Canadian ice hockey player

James Edward Mann is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 293 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques and the …

Jimmy Mann, Canadian ice hockey player

1959

Li Meisu, Chinese shot putter

Li Meisu is a retired Chinese shot putter who won the bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Li Meisu, Chinese shot putter

1959

Susan Faludi, American journalist, author and feminist

Susan Charlotte Faludi is an American feminist, journalist, and author. She won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1991, for a report on the leveraged buyout of Safeway…

Susan Faludi, American journalist, author and feminist

1959

Perry Haddock, Australian rugby league player

Perry Haddock is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s.

Perry Haddock, Australian rugby league player

1959

A rare June hurricane strikes Canada's Gulf of St

The 1959 Escuminac disaster, also known as the Escuminac hurricane, was considered the worst fishing-related disaster in the Canadian province of New Brunswick in 100 years. It occ…

A rare June hurricane strikes Canada's Gulf of St

1959

Convicted Manhattan Project spy Klaus Fuchs is released after only nine years in prison and allowed to emigrate to Dresd

The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration w…

Convicted Manhattan Project spy Klaus Fuchs is released after only nine years in prison and allowed to emigrate to Dresd

1959

Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson becomes world champion of heavy weight boxing, by defeating American Floyd Patterson on

Jens Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson was a Swedish professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1963. He held the world heavyweight title from 1959 to 1960 and was the fifth heavyweight c…

Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson becomes world champion of heavy weight boxing, by defeating American Floyd Patterson on

1959

A United States Air Force F-100 Super Sabre from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, crashes into a nearby elementary school, kill

The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. The first of the Cen…

A United States Air Force F-100 Super Sabre from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, crashes into a nearby elementary school, kill

1959

Specific values for the international yard, avoirdupois pound and derived units (e.g. inch, mile and ounce) are…

The yard is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international ag…

Specific values for the international yard, avoirdupois pound and derived units (e.g. inch, mile and ounce) are…

1959

Tim Jacobus, American illustrator and painter

Tim Jacobus is an American artist best known for illustrating the covers for nearly one hundred books in R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series. He has done over three hundred book covers…

Tim Jacobus, American illustrator and painter