Events in History
- Jan 7 US President Harry Truman announces American development of the hydrogen bomb
- Feb 28 Francis Crick and James Watson discover the chemical structure of DNA-molecule (double-helix polymer) using studies of x-ray diffraction developed by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins
- Mar 26 Dr. Jonas Salk announces that he has successfully tested a vaccine to prevent Polio, clinical trials began the next year
- Apr 25 Francis Crick and James Watson's discovery of the double helix structure of DNA is published in "Nature" magazine
- May 29 Edmund Hillary (NZ) and Tenzing Norgay (Nepal) are first to reach the summit of Mount Everest as part of a British Expedition
- Jun 2 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey, London, England
- Jul 26 Fidel Castro leads a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks, intended to spark a revolution in Cuba
- More Events in History
Historical Marriages
- Apr 9 Biologist Alexander Fleming (71) weds doctor Amalia Koutsouri-Vourekas (41)
- May 23 John F. Kennedy's sister Eunice Kennedy (31) weds activist and attorney Sargent Shriver at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City
- Jun 15 Sci-Fi author Arthur C. Clarke (35) weds Marilyn Torgenson in New York
More Weddings & Divorces in History
1953 in History Pictures
Mass Murderer Stalin Goes to His Grave
Countless millions of Russians were killed by the hand of Joseph Stalin, one of the most feared and brutal dictators of all time. He himself died on this day.March 5Tenzing Norgay on the Summit of Mount Everest
Tenzing Norgay brandishes his ice axe on the summit of Mount EverestMay 29The King is Dead; Long Live the Queen
Princess Elizabeth was in Africa when her father died and she became Queen. Her coronation, on this day in history, could be described as a magnificent washout.June 2Korean War Ends
Signing of the armistice which ended the active fighting phase of the Korean WarJuly 27Bare Bones of the Great Ape-Man Hoax
On this day the Piltdown Man skull, which had been hailed as the missing link proving an evolutionary relationship between man and apes, was revealed as a hoax.November 21