- January 13
- Military rule in Egypt; 318 Mohammedan Brotherhood arrested. [1]
- January 18
- Fanfani forms Italian government. [1]
- January 20
- The General Motors' Motorama show goes on display at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Chevrolet shows the Corvette Nomad prototype, with Corvette front and station wagon back. Chevrolet also shows a cherry red Corvair prototype, a two-seat fastback coupe with a Corvette front end. The name is a combination of "Corvette" and "Bel Air". Oldsmobile shows the F-88 two-seater convertible with fiberglass body. Pontiac shows the Bonneville Special, a two-seater with fiberglass body, straight 8-cylinder engine, mostly clear roof, similar headlights to Corvette. (The Corvair idea is dropped, and the style is not related to the later production Corvair. The Nomad becomes a production car, but with styling that departs from the Corvette. The Oldsmobile F-88 is not put into production due to poor sales of the Corvette. In 2005, the Oldsmobile F-88 is sold at auction for US$3 million. In 2006, the Pontiac Bonneville is sold at auction for US$2.6 million.) [8]
- January 21
- First atomic submarine, USS Nautilus, launched on Thames River, christened by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. [1]
- First gas turbine automobile exhibited (New York City, New York). [1]
- January 23
- Harry van Thorn chosen chairman of Dutch KVP. [1]
- January 30
- Belgium ends trade agreement with USSR. [1]
- Italy's Fanfani government resigns. [1]
- February 2
- US President Dwight Eisenhower reports detonation of first Hydrogen bomb (done in 1952). [1]
vvv advertisement vvv
^^^ advertisement ^^^
- February 9
- Mario Scelba forms new government in Italy. [1]
- February 10
- US President Dwight Eisenhower warns against US intervention in Vietnam. [1]
- February 15
- First bevatron in operation-Berkeley, California, USA. [1]
- February 20
- General Zahedi wins election in Persia. [1]
- February 23
- First mass inoculation with Salk vaccine (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). [1]
- Syrian army drives out President Adib el-Shishakli. [1]
- February 25
- Abdul Nasser is appointed Egyptian premier. [1]
- February 26
- First typesetting machine (photo engraving) is used, in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA. [1] [5]
- February 28
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island. [1]
- March 1
- Four Puerto Ricans open fire in US House of Representatives injuring five Representatives. [1]
- Rebellion during visit of President Naguib in Khartoum, Sudan, 30 die. [1]
- US explodes 15 megaton hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll. [1]
- March 4
- Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, announces the first successful kidney transplant. [5]
- March 9
- First local color TV commercial, on WNBT-TV (WNBC-TV) New York City, New York (Castro Decorators). [1]
- March 13
- Viet Minh General Giap opens assault on That Bien Phu. [1]
- March 25
- Pope Pius XII encyclical Sacra virginitas (On consecrated virginity). [1]
- Radio Corporation of America (RCA) begins commercial production of TV sets equipped to receive programs in color (12.5-inch diagonal screen, cost US$1000). [1] [457]
- March 26
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island. [1]
- March 31
- USSR offers to join NATO. [1]
- April 1
- First Dutch motorway, Amsterdam-Utrecht, opens. [1]
- First army helicopter battalion is formed, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA. [1]
- Earthquake/tsunami ravages Aleutians, 200 killed. [1]
- April 6
- Frozen TV Dinner is first put on sale by Swanson and Sons. [1] [457] [457]
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island. [1]
- April 7
- Federal Republic of Germany government refuses to recognize German Democratic Republic. [1]
- US President Dwight Eisenhower fears "domino-effect" in Indo-China. [1]
- April 8
- A Comet plane disintegrates in mid-air 30 minutes after leaving Rome, Italy, airport, killing all on board. [720.130]
- April 12
- Belgian Van Houtte government resigns. [1]
- April 14
- Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov asks for political asylum in Canberra, Australia. [1]
- April 18
- Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power and becomes Prime Minister of Egypt. [1]
- April 21
- Gregori Malenkov becomes premier of USSR. [1]
- US Air Force flies French battalion to Vietnam. [1]
- In the Foley Square U.S. Courthouse in New York, a congressional subcommittee begins a three-day televised investigation of the causes of juvenile delinquency. The comic-book industry is vilified, leading to laws in several states restricting comic sales, and industry self-censorship. [132.124]
- April 22
- Achiel van Acker forms Belgian government. [1]
- USSR joins UNESCO. [1]
- April 24
- First American, civilian pilot, P R Holden, wounded in Indochina. [1]
- Australia and USSR break diplomatic relations. [1]
- April 25
- Bell labs announces first solar battery (New York City, New York). [1]
- British raid Nairobi, Kenya (25,000 Mau Mau suspects are arrested). [1]
- US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island. [1]
- April 26
- Far Eastern Affairs conference opens in Geneva, Switzerland. [1]
- Polio vaccine trials begin at the Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. [1] [129]
|