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The Korean War begins its three year conflict when troops of North Korea invade South Korea.
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The inauguration of trans-continental television occurs with the broadcast of President Truman's speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco.
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At Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, the first hydrogen bomb, named Mike, is exploded.
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The first color televisions go on sale.
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The first large scale vaccination of children against polio begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, refuses to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, prompting a boycott that would lead to the declaration that bus segregation laws were unconstitutional by a federal court.
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Interstate highway system begins with the signing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act.
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower is inaugurated for his second term in office.
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The first attempt by the United States to launch a satellite into space fails when it explodes on the launchpad.
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Alaska is admitted to the United States as the 49th state to be followed on August 21 by Hawaii.
