1952

Jonas Salk

First Mad magazine
Mad magazine

Revolution in Egypt; King Farouk overthrown by Naguib
Mau Mau uprising in Kenya
George V1 of England dies; Elizabeth 11 becomes Queen
Dwight D. Eisenhower elected President of US (Richard Nixon becomes Vice-President)
First hydrogen bomb (US)
First British atomic bomb test (at Monte Bello Island, later tests at Woomera)
First jet airliner (de Havilland Comet)
First polio immunisation developed by Jonas Salk
First Mad magazine
Teabags introduced into Britain
Helsinki Olympics
Mr Potato Head becomes the first toy advertised on (US) TV
Scrabble craze (Scrabble was invented in 1931)
First atomic absorption spectrophotometer developed Alan Walsh (at the CSIRO)
First 2-stroke lawn mower with rotary blades invented by Mervyn Victor Richardson
Rate of inflation in Australia reaches 22%
First main-line diesel trains in Victoria and Queensland
"Kiss Me, Kate" plays in Australia

de Havolland Comet
A year after entering commercial service, Comet airframes began suffering catastrophic metal fatigue, with three of them tearing apart during mid-flight. The Comet was withdrawn from service and extensively tested to discover the cause. Design flaws including window shape and installation methodology were ultimately identified. The Comet was extensively redesigned with oval windows, structural reinforcement and other changes.

de Havilland Comet

View the events of any day:

Ike for President Eisenhower's campaign jingle.

Korean War Casualties continue during cease fire talks.

The Music of 1952

Blue Tango (Leroy Anderson)
Cry/The Little White Cloud that Cried (Johnny Ray)
Auf'Wiedershen (Sweetheart) (Vera Lynn)
Unforgettable (Nat "King" Cole)
There's Always Room at Our House (Guy Mitchell)
Half as Much (Rosemary Clooney)
High Noon (Frankie Laine)
Delicado (Percy Faith)

Australian Radio in 1952

Australia's Amateur Hour (1940-60)
The Children's Hour - Argonauts' Club (1941-69)
Tarzan (1940s & 50s)
The Quiz Kids (1942-early 60s)
The Air Adventures of Biggles(1945-60s)
When a Girl Marries (1946-65)
Pick-a-Box (1948-71)
Blue Hills (1948-76)
Dr Paul (!949-71)
Superman (late 1940s-late 50s)
The Goons (1951-60)
Portia Faces Life (1952-70)

Television in 1952

Television was not introduced into Australia until 1956. However, shows that later became popular in Australia were already being broadcast elsewhere. These included:

The Lone Ranger	1949-61	cast
Dragnet	1952-58 & 1967-69	cast
I Love Lucy	1952-55	cast
The Cisco Kid (First TV series made in colour)	1952-55
Victory at Sea	1952
Our Miss Brooks	1952-57	cast
The Nelsons	1952-66	cast

Movies in 1952

Title	Cast	Academy Awards	Buy
The Greatest Show on Earth directed by Cecil B. de Mille	Charlton Heston Betty Hutton James Stewart Cornell Wilde Dorothy Lamour Gloria Grahame	Best Picture Best Story
High Noon directed by Fred Zinnemann	Gary Cooper Grace Kelly Otto Kruger Lloyd Bridges Thomas Mitchell Katy Jurado	Best Actor Best Editing Best Song ("High Noon") Best Score
Ivanhoe directed by Richard Thorpe	Robert Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Joan Fontaine
Singin' in the Rain directed by Gene Kelly Stanley Donen	Gene Kelly Debbie Reynolds Donald O'Connor Jean Hagan Millard Mitchell Rita Moreno

Watch a free movie from 1952 now:

The Snows of Kilimanjaro Based on Hemingway’s classic novel set in Africa. Stars Gregory Peck.
The Green Glove A World War II veteran in France, played by Glen Ford, gets mixed up in murder while investigating a stolen treasure. Directed by Rudolph Maté.
Neighbours Norman McLaren animates live actors with techniques normally used to put drawings/puppets into motion. Oscar winner.

Books of 1952

Title	Author	Buy
The Invisible Man	Ralph Ellison
East of Eden	John Steinbeck
The Old Man & the Sea	Ernest Hemmingway
Foundation & Empire	Isaac Asimov
The Illustrated Man	Ray Bradbury
Reach for the Sky	Paul Brickhill
Bridge on the River Kwai	Pierre Boule
The Second Sex	Simone de Beauvoir

1952 Memorabilia now available (at eBay):

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