Explore 5191 historical events from 1950–1959.
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
Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. was a United States Air Force (USAF) general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen.
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the United States Air Force.
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
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
Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 20t…
Elvis Presley records his first single, "That's All Right", at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee.
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 troops successfully ambush the armoured French column 'G.M. 42' in the Battle of Chu…
Otto John was a German lawyer and intelligence official. During World War II, he was a conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Following the war, he became the…
Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany's secret service, defects to East Germany.
The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation ; also known as Radio Pakistan, serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its foun…
Radio Pakistan broadcasts the "Qaumī Tarāna", the national anthem of Pakistan for the first time.
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
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
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American, four-engined, turboprop, military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs an…
The first flight of the Lockheed C-130 multi-role aircraft takes place.
The Communist Control Act of 1954 is an American law signed by President Dwight Eisenhower on August 24, 1954, that outlawed the Communist Party USA and criminalized membership in …
The Communist Control Act goes into effect, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the primary armed forces of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of fo…
The People's Liberation Army begins shelling the Republic of China-controlled islands of Quemoy, starting the First…
KLM Flight 633 was a passenger flight from Amsterdam to New York City. On 5 September 1954, immediately after takeoff from Shannon Airport, the Super Constellation Triton ditched o…
KLM Flight 633 crashes into the River Shannon in Shannon, County Clare, Ireland, killing 28.
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty si…
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established.
Abid Ghoffar bin Aboe Dja’far, better known as Ebiet G. Ade, is an Indonesian singer-songwriter and guitarist of Javanese descent.
Ebiet G
James Paige Morrison is an American actor best known for his portrayal of CTU Director Bill Buchanan on 24.
James Morrison, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Gary George Dalton, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Air Force and former Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey.
Stephen Dalton, English air marshal