-
Winston Churchill Became Prime Minister Again
Winston Churchill was the prime minister during WWII. He refused surrender, built up British morale, and was a central force of the Allies. It came as a shock to the people that he did not win the following election. Six years later, he did win the 1951 election and became the prime minister yet again.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Great Britain History: Winston Churchill's Second Term." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015. http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/pmchurchill.htm. -
Princess Elizabeth Becomes Queen at Age 25
On February 6th, 1952 King George VI died after suffering lung cancer for numerous years. Following his death, his eldest daughter, Elizabeth II, was announced as the new monarch. Over a year later on June 2nd, 1953 the coronation of Elizabeth II as the Queen of England was officially held. She is still the queen along with her husband King Phillip, former Duke of Edinburgh.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Princess Elizabeth Becomes Queen at Age 25." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015. <http://history1900s.ab -
Britain's first nuclear test
Operation Hurricane was the code name used for Britain’s first test of their nuclear bomb. They were the third nation to do so, just after the United States and the Soviet Union. They detonated it on a ship near the Montebello Islands, Australia. The radiation killed thousands of marine animals and went all the way to mainland Australia.
"3 October 1952 - First British Nuclear Test." : CTBTO Preparatory Commission. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2015. <http://www.ctbto.org/specials/testing-times/3-oct -
The Great Smog of 1952
From December 5th to 9th, 1952 a heavy smog settled over London, England. At first no one really seemed to care until the fog deemed deadly. In those 5 days, 4,000 people were killed by the fog. Within the following weeks another 8,000 died because of causes of the smog.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Great Smog of 1952." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015. http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/grsmog.htm. -
Hovercraft Invented
In 1952 Christopher Cockerell invented the hovercraft. He wanted to discover how to make boats go faster. His solution was to lift the device out of the water completely. “…he blasted air down a narrow channel around the outside of the craft that trapped high-pressure air underneath and stopped it escaping, forming a “momentum curtain””.
"The 50 Greatest British Inventions." RadioTimes. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015. http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-01-08/the-50-greatest-british-inventions. -
Joseph Stalin Died
"The heart of the comrade-in-arms and continuer of genius of Lenin's cause, of the wise leader and teacher of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union, has ceased to beat." The leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin, one of Britain’s allies during WWII, died from a cerebral hemorrhage on March 5th, 1953.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Body of Stalin Removed from Lenin's Tomb." About Educaton. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015. http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldleaders/a/stalinembalm.htm. -
Mount Everest's Summit Reached
The leader of the first successful climb of Mount Everest was Colonial John Hunt. He was a British man and chose British climbers to accompany him along with Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. They had problems that started out early on their final day, with boots being frozen and a tough rock to climb. Although they had issues, they finally made it at 11:30am and only stayed up there for 15 minutes before they had to leave.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "First to Climb Mount Everest: Edmund Hillary,Te -
Suez Crisis
The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The crisis happened when Egyptian nationalized the canal. The Israelis joined the conflict of the situation which then brought in French and British forces. Forces were not withdrawn until late 1956, late 1957.
"Suez Crisis." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015. http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/suez-crisis. -
Space Race Begins
It all began on October 4th, 1957 in the midst of the Cold War between Soviet Union and the US. When the Soviet Union sent Sputnik 1 up into Earth’s orbit, the first manmade object in space. The race was on, all major power nations wanted to be the next to send a space craft up to space.
"The Space Race." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 13 May 2015. http://www.history.com/topics/space-race. -
Sputnik 2 is launched. First animal in space.
About a month after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, they launched Sputnik 2. Sputnik 2 was the first craft to send up a living creature into space. Inside held a dog named Laika. It was a 4 meter high, cone shaped capsule that went around the Earth in an orbit of 4.576 miles/s.
"Sputnik 2." NASA. USA Gov, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1957-002A