- February 1
- -50 degrees F (-46 degrees C), Gavilan, New Mexico, USA (state record). [1]
- February 2
- -35 degrees F (-37 degrees C), Greenburg, Indiana, USA (state record until 1994). [1]
- US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. [1]
- February 6
- "Broker Special" train crashes in Woodbridge, New Jersey, USA, killing 84. [1]
- Radio commentator Paul Harvey arrested for trying to sneak into the Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, Illinois, to demonstrate lax security. [1]
- US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. [1]
- February 16
- New York City passes bill prohibiting racism in city-assisted housing. [1]
- February 27
- The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting presidents to two terms, is ratified. [1] [5]
- February 28
- US Senate committee reports of at least two major US crime syndicates. [1]
- March 6
- Beginning of high-profile trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in the USA, on charges of spying for the Soviet Union. [129]
- March 14
- During Korean War, US/UN forces recapture Seoul. [1]
- March 25
- 5th Tony Awards: Guys and Dolls and Rose Tattoo win. [1]
- E Purcell and EM Ewen detect 21-cm radiation at Harvard physics lab. [1]
- March 26
- US Air Force flag approved. [1]
- March 29
- The King and I play opens at the Saint James Theater in New York City for 1246 performances. [1]
- 23rd Academy Awards: All About Eve, Jose Ferrer and Judy Holliday win. [1]
- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg convicted of espionage. [1]
- March 31
- US tanks cross 38 degrees of latitude in Korea. [1]
- April 5
- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg sentenced to death for espionage in the USA. [1] [129]
- April 7
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak. [1]
- April 11
- American President Harry Truman fires General Douglas McArthur. [1]
- April 19
- US General Douglas MacArthur ends his military career. [1]
- April 20
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak Atoll. [1]
- April 22
- Ticker-tape parade for General Douglas MacArthur in New York City, New York, USA. [1]
- May 8
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak. [1]
- May 11
- Jay Forrester patents computer core memory. [1]
- May 12
- First hydrogen bomb test, on Enewetak Atoll. [1]
- May 16
- El Al Israel Airlines begins the first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights between New York and London. [5]
- May 18
- United Nations moves headquarters to New York City. [1]
- US General Collins predicts use of atom bomb in Korea. [1]
- May 24
- Racial segregation in Washington DC restaurants ruled illegal. [1]
- US performs nuclear test at Enwetak (atmospheric tests). [1]
- June 1
- First self-contained titanium plant opened Henderson, Nevada, USA. [1]
- June 14
- First commercial computer, Reminton Rand UNIVAC 1, enters service at US Census Bureau in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [1] [55.44]
- June 23
- Most expensive US hailstorm (US$1.5 million crop damage and US$14 million property - Kansas). [1]
- June 25
- First color TV broadcast-CBS' Arthur Godfrey from New York City to four cities. [1]
- June 30
- In the USA, NAACP begins attack on school segregation and discrimination. [1]
- July 5
- Junction transistor invention announced, Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA. [1]
- July 9
- US President Harry Truman asks US Congress to formally end state of war with Germany. [1]
- July 14
- First color telecast of a sporting event (CBS-horse race). [1]
- July 16
- Congress grants US Secret Service permanent authority. [419.58]
- July 28
- RKO Radio Pictures releases Disney's animated feature film Alice in Wonderland to theaters in the USA. [6]
- August 7
- Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket reaches 1,992 kph. [1]
- September 1
- US, Australia and New Zealand sign ANZUS treaty. [1]
- September 4
- The first live transcontinental television broadcast takes place in San Francisco, California, from the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference. [1] [5]
- NBC extends to become a 61-station coast-to-coast network. [1]
- September 8
- Japan signs the San Francisco Peace Treaty with 48 nations, regaining its independence. [1] [10]
- October 1
- 24th Infantry Regiment, last American all-black military unit, deactivated. [1]
- October 19
- President Harry S Truman formally ends state of war with Germany. [1]
- November 1
- First atomic explosion witnessed by troops, New Mexico, USA. [1]
- Jet magazine founded by John H Johnson. [1]
- November 25
- Two passenger trains collide in CTC territory at Woodstock, Alabama, USA, killing 15 passengers and two employees. [1]
- November 27
- First rocket to intercept an airplane, White Sands, New Mexico, USA. [1]
- November 29
- First underground atomic explosion, Frenchman Flat, Nevada. [1]
- December 25
- Harry T Moore, Florida NAACP official, is killed by a bomb. [1]
1952
- January 14
- Snow storm in Sierra Nevada kills 26. [1]
- February 18
- In Los Angeles, California, the 4th Annual Emmy Awards are presented, hosted by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
- Best Actor: Sid Caesar
- Best Actress: Imogene Coca
- Best Comedian or Comedienne: Red Skelton
- Best Comedy Show: The Red Skelton Show
- Best Dramatic Show: Robert Montgomery Presents
- Best Variety Show: Your Show of Shows
- Most Outstanding Personality: Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.
[1] [167]
- March 3
- Puerto Rico approves their first self-written constitution. [1]
- March 18
- First plastic lens for cataract patients fitted (Philadelphia). [1]
- March 20
- 24th Academy Awards: American in Paris, Humphrey Bogart and Vivian Leigh win. [1]
- US Senate's final ratification of peace treaty restoring sovereignty to Japan. [1]
- March 21
- Alan Freed presents Moondog Coronation Ball at old Cleveland Arena, 25,000 attend first rock and roll concert ever. [1]
- Tornadoes in Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama and Kentucky cause 343 deaths. [1]
- March 30
- 6th Tony Awards: Fourposter and King and I win. [1]
- April 1
- US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. [1]
- April 3
- Dutch Queen Juliana speaks to US Congress. [1]
- April 8
- US President Harry Truman seizes the steel mills to prevent a strike. [1]
- April 15
- First B-52 bomber prototype test flight. [1]
- Franklin National Bank issues first bank credit card. [1]
- US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. [1]
- April 22
- First atomic explosion on network news, Nob Nevada. [1]
- April 26
- US minesweeper Hobson rams aircraft carrier Wasp, killing 176. [1]
- April 28
- Japan and the United States sign a formal peace treaty. [1] [10]
- May 1
- US Marines take part in an atomic explosion training in Nevada. [1]
- "Mr Potato Head" toy is introduced; first toy advertised on television. [1]
- May 8
- June 2
- General Motors executives are formally presented with Harley Earl's proposal for a two-seater sports car. General Motors president Charles Wilson and Chevrolet general manager Thomas Keating approve completing a prototype for the 1953 Motorama. The project is code-named "Opel Sports Car". (One year later, the Corvette rolls off a production line.) [8]
- June 14
- Keel laid for first nuclear powered submarine the USS Nautilus. [1]
- June 29
- First aircraft carrier to sail around Cape Horn - USS Oriskany. [1]
- July
- The United States Lines' United States ocean liner (53,000 gross tons, 990-foot hull) captures the Blue Ribbon with the fastest crossing of the Atlantic. [260.75] [274.201]
- July 24
- 112 degrees F (44 degrees C), Louisville, Georgia (state record). [1]
- US President Harry Truman settles 53-day steel strike. [1]
- July 25
- Puerto Rico officially becomes a U.S commonwealth. [1] [486.94]
- August 26
- Fluoridation of San Francisco water begins. [1]
- September 17
- In the USA, "I am an American Day" and "Constitution Day" renamed "Citizenship Day". [1]
- October 1
- First ultra-high frequency (UHF) television station, Portland, Oregon, USA. [1]
- October 3
- First video recording on magnetic tape, Los Angeles, California. [1]
- November 1
- First hydrogen device exploded by US at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific. [1]
- November 4
- A 9.0-magnitude earthquake strikes Kamchatka off the east coast of Russia, causing 30-foot waves in Hawaii. [383.A8]
- Dwight Eisenhower (Republican) elected 34th US President beating Adlai Stevenson (Democrat). [1]
- November 21
- First US postage stamp in two colors (rotary process) introduced. [1]
- November 29
- US President-elect Dwight Eisenhower visits Korea to assess the war. [1]
- December 2
- First human birth televised to public (KOA-TV Denver, Colorado, USA). [1]
- December 3
- First TV broadcast in Hawaii. [1]
- December
- The Sands hotel and casino opens in Las Vegas. [80.304] [187.400] [386.290]
- December 21
- Broadway Tunnel opens in San Francisco, California, USA. [1]
- December 29
- First transistorized hearing aid offered for sale (Elmsford, New York). [1]
- December 30
- Tuskegee Institute reports 1952 as first year in 71 years with no lynchings in USA. [1]
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