What Happened in December 1951

Historical Events

Dec 1 17th Heisman Trophy Award: Dick Kazmaier, Princeton (HB)

Billy Budd

Dec 1 Benjamin Britten's opera "Billy Budd" premieres in London

Dec 1 Golden Gate Bridge closes due to high winds

Ray Lindwall

Dec 1 Legendary Australian cricket fast bowler Ray Lindwall takes his 100th Test wicket when he bowls West Indian spinner Sonny Ramadhin in the 2nd Test in Sydney; Australia wins by 7 wickets

Dec 2 16th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 25-7 in Birmingham

Don Hutson

Dec 2 Future Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Don Hutson has his #14 jersey retired by the Green Bay Packers; first number retired in franchise history

Dec 2 Musical revue "Borscht Capades" closes at Royale Theater, NYC, after 90 performances
Dec 2 Philadelphia Eagles set NFL record of 25 1st-downs rushing in 35-21 win over Washington Redskins at Griffith Stadium

The Pied Piper

Dec 4 Aaron Copland's and Jerome Robbins' ballet "The Pied Piper" premieres in New York City

Choreographer, Director and Theater Producer Jerome Robbins

Dec 4 Mir Waiz Maulvi Muhammad Yusouf is appointed President of Azad Kashmir Government
Dec 4 Superheated gasses roll down Mount Catarman, Philippines, killing 500 people
Dec 8 AL alters its restrictions on night games, adopting NL's suspended game rule & lifting its ban on lights for Sunday games

Musical Finale

Dec 8 Arthur Schwartz and Dorothy Fields' musical "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" adapted from Betty Smith's novel, and starring Shirley Booth, closes at Alvin Theater, NYC, after 267 performances

Dec 9 West German voters approve merger of 3 states to form Baden-Wurttemberg
Dec 11 "The Wild Side of Life" single recorded by Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys (Billboard Song of the Year, 1952)

DiMaggio Retires

Dec 11 Joe DiMaggio announces his retirement from baseball

Dec 16 NBC premiere of "Dragnet" in black and white
Dec 17 Dutch Communist Party members forbidden to be civil servants
Dec 19 Nazi General Christiansen leaves Netherlands
Dec 20 Walter Zinn's Experimental Breeder Reactor I, the first nuclear reactor to produce electric power, goes live at the Argonne National Laboratory, USA
Dec 21 Pioneering telenovela "Sua Vida Me Pertence" premieres in Brazil
Dec 22 Australia cricket all out 82 v West Indies at Adelaide
Dec 23 Last Belgian communities get electricity
Dec 23 National Football League Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum: Los Angeles Rams beat Cleveland Browns, 24-17; first coast-to-coast televised NFL title game
Dec 24 1st opera commissioned for television - "Amahl and the Night Visitors" by Gian Carlo Menotti premieres on NBC with the NBC Opera Theater
Dec 24 United Kingdom of Libya gains independence from Italy via UN
Dec 25 West Indies wrap up 6 wicket defeat of Australia on first Christmas Day of Test cricket, the 3rd day of 3rd Test at the Adelaide Oval

"The African Queen"

Dec 26 "The African Queen", directed by John Huston and based on the 1935 novel of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, is released in LA, California (Academy Awards Best Actor 1952)

Australia Defeats US

Dec 28 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, White City, Sydney: Frank Sedgman outclasses Vic Seixas 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the deciding rubber as Australia beats US, 3-2 in Sydney to retain Cup

Dec 31 1st battery to convert radioactive energy to electricity announced

Events in 1951

Famous Birthdays

Dec 1 Alexander Panayotov Aleksandrov, Bulgarian astronaut (Soyuz TM-5), born in Omurtag, Bulgaria
Dec 1 Jaco Pastorius, American jazz musician and bass guitarist (Weather Report; Word of Mouth), born in Norristown, Pennsylvania (d. 1987)
Dec 1 Treat Williams, American actor (Flashpoint; Hair; Everwood), born in Rowayton, Connecticut (d. 2023)
Dec 2 József Tóth, Hungarian soccer left-back (56 caps; Újpesti FC 268 games), born in Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary (d. 2022)
Dec 3 Chris Kimsey, British sound engineer and producer (Rolling Stones; Peter Frampton; Peter Tosh; Marillion), born in Battersea, London, England
Dec 3 John and Greg Rice, American twin actors, born in West Palm Beach, Florida
Dec 3 Kimberley Rew, British rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (Katrina and the Waves - "Walking on Sunshine"), born in Bristol, England
Dec 3 Mike Stock, British songwriter and producer (Stock, Aitken & Waterman; Rick Astley; Bananarama; Kylie Minogue), born in Margate, Kent, England
Dec 3 Nicky Stevens [Helen Maria Thomas], Welsh pop singer (Brotherhood of Man - "Save Your Kisses For Me"), born in Carmarthen, Wales, U.K.
Dec 3 Rick Mears, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1979, 84, 88, 91; Indycar series/World Series champion 1979, 81-82), born in Wichita, Kansas
Dec 3 Riki Choshu [Mitsuo Yoshida], Japanese pro wrestler (NJPW/All-Japan), born in Tokuyama, Yamaguchi, Japan
Dec 4 Gary Rossington, American rock guitarist, slide-guitar player, and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd; Rossington-Collins Band), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2023)
Dec 4 Patricia Wettig, American actress (Nancy Weston-30 Something), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
Dec 5 Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven, Belgian artist, born in Antwerp
Dec 5 Morgan Brittany [Suzanne Cupito], American actress (Katherine-Dallas), born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 5 Tom Purtzer, American golfer (5 PGA Tour titles), born in Des Moines, Iowa

Dec 6 Gerry Francis, English footballer and manager, born in Chiswick, London
Dec 7 Henk Temming, Dutch vocalist and keyboardist (Good Cause), born in Utrecht, Netherlands
Dec 8 Bill Bryson, American British author (Notes From a Small Island), born in Des Moines, Iowa
Dec 8 Jan Eggum, Norwegian pop-rock singer-songwriter, born in Bergen, Norway
Dec 9 Dragan Pantelić, Serbian soccer goalkeeper (19 caps Yugoslavia; Radnički Niš, Bordeaux), born in Loznica, Serbia (d. 2021)
Dec 10 Ellen Nikolaysen, Norwegian singer (You Made Me Feel I Could Fly), born in Oslo, Norway
Dec 10 Johnny Rodriguez, American actor (Nashville Girl, La Bamba Party), born in Sabinal, Texas
Dec 10 Lary Fast, American keyboard and synthesizer player, and composer (Synergy; Peter Gabriel), born in Livingston, New Jersey
Dec 11 Robert Cochran, American skier (Olympics 1972), born in Claremont, New Hampshire
Dec 12 Anatoly Alyabyev, Russian biathlete (Olympic gold USSR 20km individual, 4 × 7.5km relay 1980), born in Danilkovo, Russia (d. 2022)
Dec 12 Caren Kaye, American actress (My Tutor, Blansky's Beauties), born in New York City
Dec 12 Richard Davidson, American psychologist, born in Brooklyn, New York
Dec 12 Steven Alan Hawley, American NASA astronaut (STS 41-D, 61-C, 31, 82), born in Ottawa, Kansas
Dec 14 Jan Timman, Dutch chess player, born in Amsterdam
Dec 15 Joe Jordan, Scottish soccer forward (52 caps; Leeds, Manchester United) and manager (Bristol City, Hearts, Stoke City), born in Cleland, Scotland

Dec 15 Ken Knox, American singer-songwriter (Chairmen of the Board - "Give Me Just a Little More Time"), born in Charleston, West Virginia
Dec 16 Robben Ford, American jazz, rock, and blues guitarist (L.A. Express; Yellowjackets), born in Woodlake, California
Dec 17 Ken Hitchcock, Canadian NHL hockey coach, 1995-2019 (Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues), born in Edmonton, Alberta
Dec 17 Tatyana Kazankina, USSR, middle distance runner (Olympic gold 1976)
Dec 17 Wanda Hutchinson, American pop-R&B singer (The Emotions - "So I Can Love You"; "Best Of My Love"), born in Chicago, Illinois
Dec 18 Andy Thomas, Australian American astronaut (STS 77, STS 89/91), born in Adelaide, Australia
Dec 18 Candice Rialson, American actress (Chatterbox), born in Santa Monica, California
Dec 18 Pape Diouf, Senegalese journalist and football agent (president Olympique de Marseille 2005-09; first black president in Europe's top 6 leagues), born in Abéché, Chad (d. 2020)
Dec 18 Radia Perlman 'Mother of the Internet', American computer programmer, invented Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), born in Portsmouth, Virginia
Dec 19 Fred W Leslie, Ancon Panama, PhD/astronaut (STS 73)
Dec 20 Gilbert Montagné, French pop piano player and singer ("The Fool"), born in Paris, France
Dec 20 Peter May, Scottish novelist and scriptwriter, born in Glasgow, United Kingdom
Dec 21 Midori Takada, Japanese ambient composer and percussionist, born in Tokyo, Japan
Dec 21 Nick Gilder, English singer (Hot Child in the City), born in London
Dec 22 Charles de Lint, Canadian sci-fi author (Moonhear, Mulengro, Yarrow), born in Bussum, Netherlands

Dec 22 Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, British peer and its 3rd richest person, born in Omagh, Northern Ireland (d. 2016)
Dec 22 Jan Stephenson, Australian golfer (3-time LPGA major winner; US Open 1983), born in Sydney, New South Wales
Dec 23 Anthony Phillips, English rock guitarist (Genesis, 1967-70), born in London, England
Dec 23 Doug Stegmeyer, American rock bassist (Billy Joel Band, 1976-87), born in Flushing, Queens, New York (d. 1995)
Dec 23 Johnny Contardo, American doo-wop singer (Sha Na Na, 1971-83), born in Boston, Massachusetts
Dec 24 John D'Acquisto, American baseball player, born in San Diego, California
Dec 24 Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, American rock bassist (Hall & Oates), born in Yonkers, New York (d. 2010)
Dec 26 Richard Skinner, British DJ
Dec 27 Ernesto Zedillo, President of Mexico
Dec 27 Karla Bonoff, American rock singer-songwriter (Restless Nights; "Someone To Lay Down Beside Me"), born in Santa Monica, California
Dec 28 Ian Buruma, Anglo-Dutch scholar and writer on Japan and the Far East.
Dec 28 Jacques Zimako, French soccer forward (13 caps; Saint-Étienne, Sochaux, Bastia), born in Lifou, New Caledonia (d. 2021)
Dec 28 Ken Pope, American NFL player, born in Galverton, Texas
Dec 29 Georges Thurston, Canadian R&B and reggae musician and singer (Boule Noire), born in Bedford, Quebec (d. 2007)
Dec 29 Laurel Massé, American jazz and Celtic singer (The Manhattan Transfer, 1972-79 - "Operator"), born in Holland, Michigan
Dec 29 Nancy Darsch, American women's basketball coach (Ohio State Uni; assistant coach US Olympic gold 1984, 96; NY Liberty, Washington Mystics), born in Plymouth, Massachusetts (d. 2020)
Dec 29 Yvonne Elliman, American singer-songwriter and actress (Jesus Christ Superstar - "I Don't Know How to Love Him"), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
Dec 30 Doug Allder, English footballer
Dec 30 Nancy LaMott, American jazz and cabaret singer, born in Midland, Michigan (d. 1995)
Dec 31 Fermin Goytisolo, Cuban-American percussionist (KC & Sunshine Band - "Give It"), born in Havana, Cuba
Dec 31 Jimmy Haslip, American jazz-fusion electric five-string bass player and record producer (The Yellowjackets, 1977-2012), born in The Bronx, NYC
Dec 31 Tom Hamilton, American rock bassist (Aerosmith - "Dream On"), born in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Born in 1951

Famous Weddings

Margaret Thatcher

Dec 13 Future British PM Margaret Roberts (26) weds businessman Denis Thatcher (36) at Wesley's Chapel in City Road, London

Mickey Mantle

Dec 23 MLB centerfielder Mickey Mantle (20) weds author Merlyn Mantle (19) in Commerce, Oklahoma

Famous Deaths

Dec 1 Felix Petyrek, Austrian composer, dies at 59
Dec 2 Manuel Ugarte, Argentine diplomat, politician, newspaper owner, and author, dies at 79
Dec 4 Pedro Salinas, Spanish writer (Generation of 1927), dies at 61
Dec 5 "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, American baseball outfielder, 1908-20 (Chicago White Sox, and two other teams; 1919 World Series "Black Sox" Scandal), dies from a heart attack at 64
Dec 5 Abanindranath Tagore, Indian writer (b. 1871)
Dec 6 Harold Ross, American magazine editor and co-founded The New Yorker, dies at 59
Dec 6 J Edward Bromberg, Hungarian actor (The Mark of Zorro, Under 2 Flags), dies from a heart attack at 47
Dec 8 Bobby Lowe, American baseball second baseman (first player to hit 4 HRs in one MLB game, 1894 Boston Beaneaters), dies at 86
Dec 10 Algernon Blackwood, English novelist (The Willows), dies at 82

Mildred Bailey (1907-1951)

Dec 12 American jazz singer known as "The Queen of Swing" ("Rockin' Chair"; "Please Be Kind"; "Darn That Dream"), dies of heart failure at 44

Dec 13 Selim Palmgren, Finnish concert pianist, composer (Hakkapeliittojen marssi), conductor, and pedagogue, dies at 73
Dec 14 Coretté Alefred [Hardy], American-Russian-Soviet jazz, spiritual and pop lyrical and dramatic soprano, dancer, and actress, dies at 70
Dec 15 Eric Drummond, British 1st Secretary-General of the League of Nations (1919-33), dies at 75
Dec 15 María Grever, Mexican-American composer ("What A Difference A Day Makes" / "Cuando vuelva a tu lado"), dies at 66
Dec 16 Dorothy Dix [Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer], American journalist and columnist, dies at 81
Dec 19 Barton Yarborough, American radio and screen actor (One Man's Family; Dragnet), dies of a heart attack at 51
Dec 22 Powell Weaver, American composer, dies at 61
Dec 23 Alfrēds Kalniņš, Latvian organist, composer (Baņuta), conductor, and pedagogue, dies at 72
Dec 23 Benito Lynch, Irish-Argentine writer (Palo Verde), dies at 66
Dec 25 Harry T Moore, American educator, civil rights activist and Florida NAACP official, assassinated by a bombing of his home at 46
Dec 31 H. Guy Bedwell, American thoroughbred trainer (North American champion in wins x 7; earnings 1918-19; first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton), dies at 76
Dec 31 Maxim Litvinov [Meir Genoch Moiseyevich Wallach] Russian statesman, revolutionary and diplomat (People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs.1930-39, Soviet Ambassador to the US 1940-43), dies at 75
Dec 31 Philipp Abraham Kohnstamm, Dutch philosopher and physicist, dies at 76