Famous birthdays, deaths and events of 1954
Birthdays January 2 - Dawn Silva, American singer January 3 - Dean Hart, Canadian wrestler (d. 1990) January 3 - Ross the Boss, American guitarist January 4 - Eugene Chadbourne, American composer and musician January 5 - Alex English, American basketball player January 6 - Anthony Minghella, British film director (d. 2008) January 6 - Karen Moras, Australian Olympic swimmer January 6 - Trudie Styler, English actress January 12 - Howard Stern , American radio personality January 13 - Trevor Rabin, South African guitarist (Yes) January 14 - Jim Duggan, American professional wrestler January 14 - Masanobu Fuchi, Japanese professional wrestler January 15 - Nikos Sarganis, Greek footballer January 15 - Jose Dalisay, Jr. January 17 - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. January 18 - Ted DiBiase, Retired Professional Wrestler January 19 - Katey Sagal , American actress January 19 - Katharina Thalbach, German actress and film director January 22 - Tully Blanchard, American professional wrestler January 22 - Chris Lemmon, American actor January 23 - Franco De Vita, Venezuelan singer and songwriter January 23 - Edward Ka-Spel, English musician (Legendary Pink Dots) January 24 - Jo Gartner, Austrian racing driver (d. 1986) January 25 - Ricardo Bochini, Argentinian footballer January 25 - Richard Finch, American bass player (KC and the Sunshine Band) January 25 - Kim Gandy, American feminist January 26 - Kim Hughes, Australian cricketer January 27 - Ed Schultz, Radio talk show host January 28 - Rick Warren, American pastor and author January 29 - Richard Manitoba, American singer (The Dictators and MC5) January 29 - Terry Kinney, American actor January 29 - Oprah Winfrey , American talk show host and actress January 29 - Doug Risebrough, Canadian ice hockey player January 31 - Adrian Vandenberg, Dutch musician (Whitesnake) February 1 - Chuck Dukowski, American musician (Black Flag) February 1 - Bill Mumy, American actor and musician February 2 - Christie Brinkley , American model February 2 - Ina Garten, American author and TV personality February 2 - Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian singer and actor February 2 - John Tudor, American baseball player February 3 - Tiger Williams, Canadian ice hockey player February 5 - Cliff Martinez, American musician February 7 - Dieter Bohlen German composer, February 7 - Brian Morton, Scottish writer February 10 - Larry McWilliams, baseball player February 11 - Noriyuki Asakura, Japanese composer February 11 - Wesley Strick, American screenwriter February 12 - Tzimis Panousis, Greek musician and stand-up comedian February 12 - Philip Zimmermann, American cryptographer February 13 - Donnie Moore, American baseball player (d. 1989) February 15 - Armand Parmentier, Belgian athlete February 16 - Michael Holding, West Indian fast bowler cricket February 16 - Iain Banks, Scottish author February 16 - Margaux Hemingway, American actress and model (d. 1996) February 17 - Rene Russo , American actress February 18 - John Travolta , American actor February 19 - Socrates, Brazilian footballer February 20 - Jon Brant, American musician (Cheap Trick) February 20 - Anthony Stewart Head, English actor February 20 - Patty Hearst, American socialite February 21 - Mike Pickering, English disc jockey and musician February 21 - Ivo Van Damme, Belgian athlete (d. 1976) February 25 - John Doe, American musician February 27 - Neal Schon, American musician (Journey) March 1 - Catherine Bach , American actress March 1 - Ron Howard , American actor and director March 3 - Édouard Lock, Canadian dance choreographer (La La La Human Steps) March 4 - Peter Jacobsen, American professional golfer March 4 - Catherine O'Hara , Canadian actress March 4 - Irina Ratushinskaya, Russian writer and dissident March 4 - Willie Thorne, English snooker player March 4 - Adrian Zmed, American actor March 5 - Marsha Warfield, American actress March 8 - Cheryl Baker, British singer (Bucks Fizz) March 8 - David Wilkie, Scottish swimmer March 15 - Craig Wasson, American actor March 16 - Jimmy Nail, British actor and singer March 16 - Nancy Wilson , American guitarist March 17 - Lesley-Anne Down , English actress March 19 - Indu Shahani, Indian educationist and Sheriff of Mumbai March 20 - Mike Francesa, American sports talk show host March 24 - Robert Carradine, American actor March 24 - Donna Pescow, American actress March 25 - Thom Loverro, American sportswriter March 26 - Kazuhiko Inoue, Japanese seiyu (voice actor) March 29 - Dianne Kay, American actress March 29 - Karen Ann Quinlan, American right-to-die cause célèbre (d. 1985) April 1 - Jeff Porcaro, American drummer (d. 1992) April 2 - Susumu Hirasawa, Japanese electropop musician April 3 - Elisabetta Brusa, Italian composer April 5 - Stan Ridgway, American musician (Wall of Voodoo) April 7 - Jackie Chan , Chinese actor April 7 - Tony Dorsett, American football player April 8 - G.V. Loganathan, American professor (d. 2007) April 8 - Gary Carter, American baseball player April 9 - Dennis Quaid , American actor April 10 - Peter MacNicol , American actor April 12 - Pat Travers, Canadian musician April 12 - John Krakauer, American author April 13 - Niels Olsen, Danish singer April 14 - Bruce Sterling, American science fiction author April 15 - Seka, American pornographic actress April 16 - Ellen Barkin , American actress April 16 - John Bowe, Australian racing driver April 17 - Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver April 17 - Rowdy Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler April 17 - Michael Sembello, American musician April 19 - Trevor Francis, English footballer April 19 - Bob Rock, Canadian record producer & musician (The Payolas) April 20 - Gilles Lupien, French-Canadian ice hockey player April 21 - James Morrison , American actor April 21 - Ebiet G. Ade, Indonesian singer April 23 - Michael Moore , American filmmaker April 24 - Mumia Abu-Jamal, American death-row inmate April 24 - Captain Sensible, British guitarist April 29 - Jake Burton Carpenter, American snowboarder April 29 - Jerry Seinfeld , American comedian April 30 - Jane Campion, New Zealand film director May 1 - Ray Parker Jr. , American singer and songwriter May 1 - Joel Rosenberg, science fiction author May 2 - Roberta Pedon, American glamour model (d. 1982) May 3 - Gary Young, American drummer (Pavement) May 4 - Pia Zadora , American actress May 7 - Amy Heckerling, American director May 8 - Stephen Furst, American actor May 8 - David Keith , American actor May 10 - F. Charles Brunicardi Surgeon, May 13 - Johnny Logan, Irish singer and songwriter May 14 - Jens Sparschuh, German writer May 15 - Robert P. Harrison, American thinker May 18 - Reinhold Heil, German composer May 19 - Phil Rudd, Australian drummer (AC/DC) May 20 - Guy Hoffman, American musician (Violent Femmes) May 20 - Robert Van de Walle, Belgian judoka May 21 - Marc Ribot, American musician May 26 - Alan Hollinghurst, British novelist May 27 - Jackie Slater, American football player May 28 - Youri Egorov, Soviet classical pianist (d.1988) May 31 - Vicki Sue Robinson, American singer (d. 2000) May 31 - Thomas Mavros, Greek footballer June 2 - Dennis Haysbert , American actor June 3 - Dan Hill, Canadian singer and songwriter June 3 - Wally Weir, Quebec ice hockey player June 5 - Haluk Bilginer, Turkish actor June 5 - Nicko McBrain, English musician (Iron Maiden) June 6 - Cynthia Rylant, American author June 7 - Louise Erdrich, American author June 9 - Gregory Maguire, American fantasy writer June 13 - Rita Cadillac , Brazilian dancer June 14 - Will Patton , American actor June 15 - James Belushi , American actor June 15 - Beverley Whitfield, Australian swimmer (d. 1996) June 19 - Kathleen Turner , American actress June 20 - Michael Anthony, American musician (Van Halen) June 20 - Ilan Ramon, Israeli combat pilot and astronaut (d. 2003) June 20 - Allan Lamb, South African born English cricketer June 21 - Müjde Ar, Turkish actress June 21 - Anne Kirkbride, English actress June 21 - Robert Menasse, Austrian writer June 21 - Robert Pastorelli, American actor (d. 2004) June 22 - Freddie Prinze , American actor and comedian (d. 1977) June 25 - David Paich, composer (Toto) June 25 - Daryush Shokof, Iranian filmmaker June 26 - Steve Barton, American actor (d. 2001) June 28 - Alice Krige , South African actress June 29 - Rick Honeycutt, American baseball player July 2 - Pete Briquette, Irish musician (Boomtown Rats) July 4 - Jim Beattie, American baseball player July 5 - John Wright, New Zealand cricketer July 5 - Jimmy Crespo, American guitarist (Aerosmith) July 6 - Allyce Beasley, American actress July 10 - Neil Tennant, British musician (Pet Shop Boys) July 10 - Andre Dawson, American baseball player July 11 - Butch Reed, American professional wrestler July 12 - Wolfgang Dremmler, German footballer July 13 - Sezen Aksu, Turkish singer July 13 - Rick Chartraw, American ice hockey player July 13 - Louise Mandrell, American musician July 13 - David Thompson, American basketball player July 15 - Mario Kempes, Argentine football player July 17 - Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany July 17 - J. Michael Straczynski, American author July 18 - Ricky Skaggs, American country/bluegrass musician July 20 - Moira Harris, American actress July 22 - Pierre Lebeau, Canadian actor July 22 - Lonette McKee, American actress July 22 - Al Di Meola, American guitarist July 25 - Walter Payton , American football player (d. 1999) July 26 - Vitas Gerulaitis, American tennis player (d. 1994) July 27 - Philippe Alliot, French racecar driver July 28 - Bruce Abbott, American actor July 28 - Steve Morse , American guitarist July 28 - Mikey Sheehy, Gaelic footballer July 30 - Ken Olin, American actor July 31 - Derek Smith, Canadian ice hockey player August 2 - James Charles Kopp, American citizen who murdered Barnett Slepian August 3 - Gary Peters, English footballer August 4 - François Valéry, French singer-songwriter and composer August 6 - Paul Steigerwald, American sports announcer August 7 - Jonathan Pollard, Israeli spy August 11 - Joe Jackson, English singer August 11 - Juan Maria Solare, Argentine composer August 11 - Yashpal Sharma , Indian cricketer August 11 - M. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian cricketer August 12 - Sam J. Jones, American actor August 12 - Pat Metheny, American guitarist August 13 - Nico Assumpção, Brazilian bass player (d. 2001) August 14 - Mark Fidrych, American baseball player August 15 - Mary Jo Salter, American poet August 16 - James Cameron , Canadian film director August 17 - Eric Johnson, American guitarist August 19 - Oscar Larrauri, Argentine racing driver August 20 - Tawn Mastrey, American disc jockey (d. 2007) August 20 - Al Roker, American television personality August 20 - Don Stark, American actor August 21 - Archie Griffin, former American football player and only two-time Heisman Trophy winner. August 23 - Charles Busch, American director August 24 - Philippe Cataldo, French singer August 24 - Alain Daigle, French Canadian ice hockey player August 25 - Elvis Costello , English musician August 26 - Efren Reyes, Filipino pool player August 27 - John Lloyd, British tennis player August 27 - Derek Warwick, British race car driver August 29 - Michael P. Kube-McDowell, American science fiction novelist August 30 - David Paymer, American actor August 31 - Julie Brown, American actress August 31 - Caroline Cossey, English model September 1 - Dave Lumley, Canadian ice hockey player September 4 - José Castro, Swedish actor. September 5 - Frederick Kempe, American author September 5 - Richard Austin, West Indian cricketer September 7 - Corbin Bernsen, American actor September 7 - Michael Emerson, American actor September 8 - Anne Diamond, English television presenter September 8 - Michael Shermer, American science writer September 9 - Jeffrey Combs, American actor September 12 - Adrian Adonis, American professional wrestler (d. 1988) September 12 - Peter Scolari, American actor September 16 - Earl Klugh, American jazz guitarist September 16 - Colin Newman, English musician (Wire) September 16 - Frank Reed, American singer (Chi-Lites) September 17 - Joël-François Durand, French composer September 18 - Takao Doi, Japanese astronaut September 18 - Dennis Johnson, American basketball player (d. 2007) September 20 - Henry Samueli, American NHL team owner September 21 - Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, British musician (Motörhead) September 22 - Shari Belafonte, American singer September 22 - Randy Lanier, American racing driver September 23 - Charlie Barnett, American actor (d. 1996) September 27 - Ray Hadley, Australian radio broadcaster September 28 - Steve Largent, American football player and U.S. Congressman September 28 - George Lynch, American musician (Dokken) September 30 - Basia Trzetrzelewska, Polish-born singer and songwriter September 30 - Barry Williams , American actor September 30 - Patrice Rushen, American musician October 1 - Martin Strel, Slovenian swimmer October 2 - Lorraine Bracco, American actress October 3 - Dennis Eckersley, American baseball player October 3 - Stevie Ray Vaughan , American musician (d. 1990) October 6 - David Hidalgo, American musician (Los Lobos October 7 - Kenneth Atchley, American composer October 8 - Michael Dudikoff , American actor October 8 - Huub Rothengatter, Dutch racecar driver October 9 - Scott Bakula , American actor October 9 - James Fearnley, English musician (The Pogues) October 9 - John O'Hurley, American actor and game show host October 10 - Rekha, Bollywood actress October 10 - David Lee Roth , American singer (Van Halen) October 10 - Mohamed Mounir, Egyptian singer and actor October 13 - George Frazier, American baseball player October 13 - Mordechai Vanunu, Israeli nuclear technician October 14 - Carole Malone, English newspaper columnist October 15 - Peter Bakowski, Australian poet October 16 - Stephen Mellor, American actor October 17 - Carlos Buhler, American high altitude moutaineer October 18 - Liz Burch, Australian actress October 18 - Arliss Howard , American actor October 19 - Joe Bryant, American basketball player October 19 - Deborah Blum, American writer October 20 - Steve Orich, orchestrator October 23 - Ang Lee, Taiwanese-born director October 24 - Jozef Ráž, Slovak musician October 25 - Mike Eruzione, American hockey player October 26 - Vassilis Hatzipanagis, Greek footballer October 31 - Ken Wahl, American actor November 3 - Adam Ant , English singer November 4 - Chris Difford, English musician and songwriter (Squeeze) November 6 - Catherine Crier, American television personality November 7 - Kamal Haasan , Indian actor November 8 - Michael D. Brown, U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency director November 8 - Kazuo Ishiguro, British author November 8 - Rickie Lee Jones, American singer November 8 - Jeanette McGruder, American musician (P Funk) November 9 - Dennis Stratton, British musician November 9 - Sue Upton, English actress and dancer November 11 - Mary Gaitskill, American novelist November 13 - Chris Noth , American actor November 14 - Bernard Hinault, French cyclist November 14 - Yanni, Greek musician & composer November 16 - Andrea Barrett, American author November 16 - Bruce Edwards, American golf caddy (d. 2004) November 18 - John Parr, British pop singer November 18 - Evan Gray, New Zealand cricketer November 19 - Kathleen Quinlan , American actress November 20 - Frank Marino , Canadian guitarist November 20 - Steve Dahl, American radio personality November 23 - Bruce Hornsby , American musician November 23 - Glenn Brummer, American baseball player November 23 - Ross Brawn, British Honda Racing F1 team principal November 24 - Emir Kusturica, Serbian filmmaker November 27 - Patricia McPherson, American actress November 27 - Kimmy Robertson, American actress best known for her role as Lucy Moran in the TV series Twin Peaks November 29 - Joel Coen, American film director November 29 - Steve Rogers, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 2006) November 30 - Simonetta Stefanelli, Italian Actress (The Godfather) December 1 - Bob Goen, American television host December 1 - Annette Haven, American pornographic actress December 2 - Dan Butler, American actor December 3 - Grace Andreacchi, American author December 4 - Tony Todd , American actor and producer December 7 - Mark Hofmann, American forger and bomber December 7 - Mike Nolan, Irish singer (Bucks Fizz) December 8 - Harold Hongju Koh, Korean-American Dean of Yale Law School December 9 - Herman Finkers, Dutch comedian December 10 - Jack Hues, English musician December 11 - Jermaine Jackson, American singer December 12 - Liz Claman , American television anchor December 13 - John Anderson , American country music singer-songwriter December 13 - Tamora Pierce, American author December 14 - James Horan, American actor December 14 - Alan Kulwicki, American NASCAR driver (d. 1993) December 14 - Steven MacLean, Canadian astronaut December 20 - Michael Badalucco, American actor December 20 - Sandra Cisneros, American writer December 21 - Chris Evert , American tennis player December 22 - Hideshi Matsuda, Japanese racing driver December 25 - Annie Lennox , Scottish singer December 25 - Steve Wariner , American country music singer December 26 - Ozzie Smith, American baseball player December 26 - Steve Steen, English actor December 28 - Denzel Washington , American actor December 28 - Lanny Poffo, American professional wrestler December 29 - Roger Voudouris, American singer
Deaths January 5 - Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player (b. 1891) January 11 - Oscar Straus, Austrian composer (b. 1870) January 18 - Sydney Greenstreet, English actor (b. 1879) January 20 - Fred Root, English cricketer (b. 1890) February 11 - Adolph M. Christianson, justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court (b. 1877) February 12 - Dziga Vertov, Russian filmmaker (b. 1896) March 4 - Noel Gay, English composer March 7 - Otto Diels, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876) March 9 - V. Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer (b. 1874) April 10 - Oscar Mathisen, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1888) May 15 - William March, American writer (b. 1893) May 19 - Charles Ives, American composer (b. 1874) May 26 - Lionel Conacher, Canadian athlete (b. 1900) June 1 - Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish writer (b. 1869) July 10 - Calogero Vizzini, Sicilian mafioso (b. 1877) July 14 - Jacinto Benavente, Spanish writer July 14 - Jackie Saunders, American silent screen actress (b. 1892) July 18 - Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster (b. 1895) July 29 - Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (b. 1879) July 31 - Onofre Marimón, Argentine racing driver (b. 1923) August 3 - Colette, French writer (b. 1873) August 11 - Santo Trafficante, Sr. September 24 - Edward Pilgrim, British suicide hastened by bureaucracy (b. 1904) September 26 - Ellen Roosevelt, American tennis player (b. 1868) October 12 - George Welch, American pilot (b. 1918) October 22 - Jibanananda Das, Bengali poet (b. 1899) November 15 - Lionel Barrymore, American actor (b. 1878) November 22 - Roderick McMahon, Professional Wrestling/Boxing Booker (b. 1882) November 26 - Bill Doak, former Major League Baseball pitcher (b. 1891) November 29 - Dink Johnson, American musician (b. 1892) December 13 - John Raymond Hubbell, American writer (b. 1879) December 20 - James Hilton, British author (b. 1900) December 25 - Johnny Ace, American singer (b. 1929)
Events January 7 - Georgetown-IBM experiment, the first public demonstration of a machine translation system, is held in New York at the head office of IBM. January 14 - The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation forming the American Motors Corporation. January 20 - The National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations. January 21 - The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, then the First Lady of the United States. February 10 - President Dwight Eisenhower warns against United States intervention in Vietnam. February 18 - The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles, California. February 23 - The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh. February 25 - Gamal Abdul Nasser is made premier of Egypt. March 1 - Nuclear testing: The Castle Bravo, a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb, is detonated on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the worst radioactive contamination ever caused by the United States. March 1 - Puerto Rican nationalists attack the United States Capitol building, injuring five Representatives. (See U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954).) March 4 - Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, announces the first successful kidney transplant. March 9 - McCarthyism: CBS television broadcasts the See It Now episode, "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy," produced by Fred Friendly. March 13 - Battle of Điện Biên Phủ: Viet Minh forces attack the French. March 19 - Joey Giardello knocks out Willie Tory in round seven at Madison Square Garden in the first televised prize boxing fight shown in color. March 22 - Closed since 1939, the London bullion market reopens. March 30 - Yonge Street subway line opens in Toronto. It is the first subway in Canada. April 1 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. April 7 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his "domino theory" speech during a news conference. April 18 - Gamal Abdal Nasser seizes power in Egypt. April 19 - Constituent Assembly of Pakistan decides Urdu and Bengali to be national languages of Pakistan. April 22 - Red Scare: Army-McCarthy Hearings begin. April 26 - The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in Indochina and Korea, begins. May 6 - Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes. May 7 - Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat (the battle began on March 13). May 10 - Bill Haley & His Comets release "Rock Around the Clock", the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the Billboard charts. May 13 - The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese Middle School students in Singapore, take place. May 17 - The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. May 20 - Chiang Kai-shek is selected for another term as President of the Republic of China by the National Assembly. May 29 - First of the annual Bilderberg conferences. June 9 - McCarthyism: Joseph Welch, special counsel for the United States Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during hearings on whether Communism has infiltrated the Army June 14 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill into law that places the words "under God" into the United States' Pledge of Allegiance. June 15 - UEFA (Union des Associations Européennes de Football) is formed in Basle, Switzerland. June 18 - Pierre Mendès-France becomes Prime Minister of France. June 27 - The world's first nuclear power station opens in Obninsk, near Moscow. July 5 - The BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin. July 5 - Andhra Pradesh High Court is established. July 7 - Formation of the TANU in Tanzania July 15 - First flight of the Boeing 367-80, prototype for both the Boeing 707 and C-135 series. July 20 - Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany's secret service, defects to East Germany. July 20 - At Geneva, Switzerland, an armistice is signed that ends fighting in Vietnam and divides the country along the 17th parallel. July 21 - First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. July 30 - Elvis Presley makes his debut as a public performer. July 31 - First ascent of K2, by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio. August 4 - The Government of Pakistan approves the National Anthem, written by Hafeez Jullundhry and composed by Ahmed G. Chagla. August 10 - At Massena, New York, the groundbreaking ceremony for the St. Lawrence Seaway is held. August 13 - Radio Pakistan broadcasts the National Anthem of Pakistan for the first time. August 23 - First flight of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. August 24 - The Communist Control Act goes into effect. The American Communist Party is outlawed. August 24 - Getúlio Dornelles Vargas, president of Brazil, commits suicide and is succeeded by João Café Filho. September 3 - The People's Liberation Army begin shelling the ROC-controlled islands of Quemoy. September 3 - The German U-Boat U-505 began its move from a specially constructed dock to its final site at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. September 8 - The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established. September 20 - New Zealand's Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents reports just ten days after concluding hearings. September 26 - Japanese rail ferry Toya Maru sinks during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait, Japan killing 1,172. September 27 - The nationwide debut of Tonight! (The Tonight Show) hosted by Steve Allen on NBC. September 29 - The convention establishing CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) is signed. September 29 - Major League Baseball: Willie Mays of the then New York Giants makes "The Catch" at The Polo Grounds in Game 1 of the World Series. September 30 - The U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus is commissioned as the world's first nuclear reactor powered vessel. October 10 - The Communist Party of Honduras is founded. October 11 - First Indochina War: The Viet Minh take control of North Vietnam. October 18 - Texas Instruments announces the first Transistor radio. October 19 - First ascent of Cho Oyu October 24 - Dwight D. Eisenhower pledges United States support to South Vietnam October 26 - Trieste return to Italy. October 27 - Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the United States Air Force. October 28 - The modern Kingdom of the Netherlands is re-founded as a federal monarchy. October 31 - Algerian War of Independence: The Algerian National Liberation Front begins a revolt against French rule. November 1 - The Front de Libération Nationale fires the first shots of the Algerian War of Independence. November 10 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicates the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima memorial) in Arlington National Cemetery. November 13 - Great Britain defeats France to capture the first ever Rugby League World Cup in Paris in front of around 30,000 spectators. November 23 - For the first time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the peak it reached just before the 1929 crash. November 27 - Alger Hiss is released from prison after serving 44 months for perjury. November 30 - In Sylacauga, Alabama, United States, the Hodges Meteorite crashes through a roof and hits a woman taking an afternoon nap in the only documented case of a human being hit by a rock from space. December 2 - Red Scare: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to condemn Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute." December 2 - The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and the Republic of China, is signed in Washington, DC. December 4 - The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, United States December 23 - The first human kidney transplant is performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
