Explore 2487 historical events from 1950–1959.
Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was an English neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran the first sub-4-minute mile.
Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes
The Kengir uprising was a prisoner rebellion that occurred in Kengir (Steplag), a Soviet MVD special camp for political prisoners, during May and June 1954. Its duration and intens…
Beginning of the Kengir uprising in the Gulag
Dwight David Eisenhower, also known as Ike, was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. A General of the Army, Eisenhower was the supreme commander of t…
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Rationing was introduced temporarily by the British government several times during the 20th century, during and immediately after a war.
Food rationing in Great Britain ends, with the lifting of restrictions on sale and purchase of meat, 14 years after it…
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
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster that serves as the primary national public broadcasting company of the United Kingdom, headquarte…
The BBC broadcasts its first daily television news bulletin.
The Boeing 367-80, also known as the Dash 80, is a retired American four-engined prototype jet aircraft by Boeing to demonstrate the advantages of jet propulsion for commercial avi…
The Boeing 367-80, the prototype for both the Boeing 707 and C-135 series, takes its first flight.
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: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
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
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
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
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)
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
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