What Happened in January 1952

Historical Events

  • Jan 1 18th Orange Bowl: #6 Georgia Tech beats #9 Baylor, 17-14
  • Jan 1 18th Sugar Bowl: #3 Maryland beats #1 Tennessee, 28-13
  • Jan 1 38th Rose Bowl: #4 Illinois beats #7 Stanford, 40-7

Shostakovich's 5th String Quartet

Jan 1 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 5th string quartet - premieres Leningrad 1953

  • Jan 1 Norman McLaren's anti-war film "Neighbours" is released (Academy Award Best Documentary Short Subject) [1]

Pal Joey

Jan 2 Revival of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's musical "Pal Joey", starring Harold Lang and Vivienne Segal, opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC; runs for 540 performances, and wins 3 Tony Awards

West Point Suite

Jan 5 Darius Milhaud's orchestral composition "West Point Suite", marking the US Military Academy's sesquicentennial, premieres at Carnegie Hall, NYC

  • Jan 5 Flying Enterprise sinks
  • Jan 8 Jordan adopts constitution
  • Jan 9 Belgian Pholien government resigns
  • Jan 9 Karel Sys wins European heavyweight boxing title

Marines to Recall Williams

Jan 9 Marines give notice that they will recall Ted Williams to active duty

The Greatest Show on Earth

Jan 10 "The Greatest Show on Earth", directed and produced by Cecil B. DeMille, starring James Stewart and Charlton Heston, premieres in New York (Best Picture 1953)

La valse des toréadors

Jan 10 Jean Anouilh's play "La valse des toréadors" (The Waltz of the Toreadors) premieres at the Comédie des Champs-Elysées in Paris

  • Jan 11 Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Marianne Moore
  • Jan 12 2nd NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: National Conference beats American Conference, 30-13; MVP: Dan Towler, LA Rams, FB
  • Jan 12 University of Tennessee admits its 1st black student, Gene Mitchell Gray, as a graduate student in chemistry
  • Jan 14 "Today Show" premieres with Dave Garroway & Jack Lescoulie on NBC-TV
  • Jan 14 Rationing of coffee in Netherlands ends
  • Jan 14 Snowstorm in Sierra Nevada kills 26
  • Jan 16 New Dutch bible translation finished

Stan Musial's Salary

Jan 16 US Standard Board clears Stan Musial to get an $85,000 salary

  • Jan 17 1952 NFL Draft: Bill Wade QB University of Vanderbilt #1 pick by Los Angeles Rams
  • Jan 19 NFL purchases struggling football franchise, New York Yanks from owner Ted Collins; moves club to Dallas, Texas
  • Jan 19 PGA approves allowing black participants
  • Jan 20 British army occupies Ismailiya, Suez Canal Zone

Mikan's 61 Points

Jan 20 The NBA's first superstar George Mikan scores a career high 61 points leading the Minneapolis Lakers to a 91-81 double-overtime victory over the Rochester Royals

Nehru's Congress Party Wins

Jan 21 Jawaharlal Nehru's Congress party wins general election in India

  • Jan 21 William Shawn succeeds Harold Ross as editor of "The New Yorker"
  • Jan 24 Fire in main building of French Port Martin Antarctic base
  • Jan 24 First NFL team in Texas; Dallas Texans, formerly NY Yanks; loses 11 of 12 games

Benaud Debuts

Jan 25 Test debut of great Australian cricket captain (62 Tests) and broadcaster Richie Benaud, v West Indies at the SCG

  • Jan 26 At least 20 people have been killed and 100s injured during riots in Cairo against the British

McGregor Defeats Sedgman

Jan 28 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Ken McGregor wins his first and only Grand Slam event; upsets fellow Australian Frank Sedgman 7-5, 12-10, 2-6, 6-2

  • Jan 28 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Thelma Coyne Long beats Helen Angwin 6-2, 6-3 for 1st of her 2 Australian singles titles
  • Jan 30 American mathematician D.H. Lehmer and computer programmer R. M. Robinson verify 2^521-1 and 2^607-1 as Mersenne-prime numbers, using U.S. National Bureau of Standards Western Automatic Computer (SWAC) at the Institute for Numerical Analysis at the University of California, Los Angeles
  • Jan 30 Korean War truce talks deadlock
  • Jan 30 Paul Creston's 4th Symphony premieres by the National Symphony Orchestra
  • Jan 31 Detroit Tigers Harry Heilmann & Pittsburgh Pirates Paul Waner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Jan 31 Dutch Lutheran Church reunites after 1½ centuries
1952 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jan 2 (Graeme) "Shirley" Strachan, Australian singer (Skyhooks - "Ego Is Not A Dirty Word"; "Jukebox in Siberia"), TV host (Shirl's Neighbourhood), and carpenter (Our House), born in Malvern, Victoria, Australia (d. 2001)
  • Jan 2 Man-Tat Ng, Hong Kong actor (The Final Combat), born in Xiamen, China
  • Jan 2 Wendy Phillips, American actress (Executive Suite, Promised Land), born in Brooklyn, New York
  • Jan 3 Jim Ross, American pro wrestling announcer (WWE), born in Fort Bragg, California
  • Jan 6 Armelia McQueen, American actress, born in Montgomery County, North Carolina
  • Jan 6 Frank Sivero, Italian-born American actor, born in Siculiana, Italy
  • Jan 6 Larry Booker (Moondog Spot), American pro wrestler (WWF Tag Team champion 1981), born in Louisiana, United States (d. 2003)
  • Jan 7 Giuliano Ferrara, Italian politician, journalist and founding editor (Il Foglio), born in Rome, Italy
  • Jan 7 Sammo Hung, Hong Kong actor, director and martial artist (Winners and Sinners), born in Hong Kong
  • Jan 8 Lauri Walters, American actress (8 is Enough, Harrad Experiment), born in San Francisco, California
  • Jan 8 Vladimir Feltsman, Russian-American pianist, born in Moscow, Russia
  • Jan 9 Eva Leonie "Eveline" Herfkens, Dutch civil servant, diplomat, and politician (PvdA), born in The Hague, Netherlands
  • Jan 9 Hugh Bayley, British politician, born in Maidenhead, United Kingdom
  • Jan 10 Scott Thurston, American session and touring guitarist, keyboardist and songwriter (Iggy Pop, 1973-79; Motels, 1982-84; Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, 1989-2017), born in Medford, Oregon

Ben Crenshaw (72 years old)

Jan 11 American golfer (US Masters 1984, 95), born in Austin, Texas

  • Jan 11 Bille Brown, Australian actor and playwright
  • Jan 11 Kim Hartman, British screen, stage, and radio actress (Allo Allo! - "Helga"), born in Hammersmith, London, England
  • Jan 11 Lee Ritenour, American jazz-fusion guitarist, born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jan 11 Massimo Lopez, Italian comedian
  • Jan 11 Michael Forshaw, Australian politician
  • Jan 12 Charles Faulkner, American motivational speaker and author, born in St. Clair Shores, Michigan
  • Jan 12 Ricky Van Shelton, American country singer ("Wild-Eyed Dream"), born in Danville, Virginia
  • Jan 12 Walter Mosley, American novelist, born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jan 13 Pekka Pohjola, Finnish rock and jazz-fusion bassist, and composer, born in Helsinki (d. 2008)
  • Jan 13 Sharon Gabet, actress (Edge of Night, Another World), born in Fort Wayne, Indiana
  • Jan 14 Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, Prime Minister of Romania, born in Bucharest, Romania
  • Jan 14 Maureen Dowd, American writer, born in Washington, D.C.
  • Jan 14 Sydney Biddle Barrows, American madam and author (Mayflower Madam), born in Hopewell, New Jersey
  • Jan 15 Boris Blank, Swiss artist and musician (Yello, Tranceonic), born in Zurich, Switzerland
  • Jan 15 Melvyn Gale, English cellist (Electric Light Orchestra, 1975-79 - "Livin' Thing"), born in London
  • Jan 16 Fuad II of Egypt, last King of Egypt and Sudan (1952-53), born in Abdeen Palace, Cairo, Egypt
  • Jan 16 Lloyd Blaine Hammond Jr., Major USAF/astr (STS 39, 64), born in Savannah, Georgia
  • Jan 16 Roberta Baskin, American correspondent (48 Hours), born in New York City
  • Jan 17 Charlie Johnson, American football defensive tackle (Pro Bowl 1979-81; All Pro 1980; Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings), born in West Columbia, Texas (d. 2021)
  • Jan 17 Darrell Porter, American baseball catcher (MLB All Star 1974, 78-80; World Series MVP 1982), born in Joplin, Missouri (d. 2002)
  • Jan 17 Larry Fortensky, American construction worker and 8th husband of actress Elizabeth Taylor (1991-96), born in Stanton, California (d. 2016)
  • Jan 17 Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese musician (Yellow Magic Orchestra) and Academy Award-winning film composer (The Last Emperor), born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 2023) [1]
  • Jan 18 Michael Behe, American biochemist and advocate of intelligent design, born in Altoona, Pennsylvania
  • Jan 18 R. Stevie Moore, American singer, songwriter, and home recording pioneer, born in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Jan 19 Dewey Bunell, British-American musician (America - "Daisy Jane"), born in Borough of Harrogate, England
  • Jan 20 Ian Hill, English rock bassist (Judas Priest - "Breakin the Law"), born in West Bromwich, United Kingdom
  • Jan 20 John Campbell, American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 1993)
  • Jan 20 Patrick Smith, Australian sports journalist (The Age, The Australian, SEN; Walkley Award 1997, 2002, 04), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2023)
  • Jan 20 Paul Stanley [Stanley Eisen], American rock guitarist, songwriter, and singer (KISS - "Rock and Roll All Nite"), born in Manhattan, New York City
  • Jan 21 Fausto Bara, Mexican-American actor (The Renegades - "Gaucho"), born in Mexicali, Mexico (d. 1994)
  • Jan 21 Louis Menand, American writer and critic
  • Jan 21 Marco Camenisch, Swiss environmental activist
  • Jan 21 Mike Krukow, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1986 SF Giants; Chicago Cubs) and broadcaster (KNBR [with Duane Kuiper] SF Giants), born in Long Beach, California
  • Jan 22 Ace Vergel, Filipino actor (d. 2007)
  • Jan 22 Teddy Gentry, American country music bassist (Alabama - "Mountain Music"), born in Fort Payne, Alabama
  • Jan 22 Teresa Kaban, Polish classical pianist and co-director of the International Festival of Rediscovered and Forgotten Music, born in Gliwice, Poland
  • Jan 23 Omar Henry, South African cricketer (1st colored player for South Africa 1992), born in Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • Jan 24 William F. Readdy, American astronaut (STS 42, 51, 79), born in Quonset Point, Rhode Island
  • Jan 25 Peter Garland, American composer, and musicologist, born in Portland, Maine
  • Jan 25 Peter Tatchell, Australian-born British politician, journalist and human rights campaigner (Peter Tatchell Foundation), born in Melbourne, Australia
  • Jan 25 Sara Mandiano [Françoise Castellani], French singer-songwriter, born in France
  • Jan 25 Timothy White, American journalist (d. 2002)
  • Jan 26 Mario Runco Jr., American astronaut (STS 44, 54, 77), born in the Bronx, New York
  • Jan 27 Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, American football receiver and return specialist, 3X Pro Bowl (Houston Oilers, 1974-80; 3 other teams, 1981-88), born in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania
  • Jan 27 Brian Gottfried, American tennis player (Wimbledon doubles, 1976; French Open doubles, 1975, 77), born in Baltimore, Maryland
  • Jan 28 George Green, American songwriter ("Hurts So Good", "Rain On The Scarecrow"), born in Seymour, Indiana (d. 2011)
  • Jan 29 Kenn Kweder, American rock and folk singer-songwriter ("Diablo"; "Suzy Said So"; "Mommy And Daddy"), born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania [1]
  • Jan 29 Tim Healy, English actor (Auf Wiedersehen, Pet), born in Benwell, England
  • Jan 30 Doug Falconer, Canadian football player, born in Calgary, Alberta
  • Jan 30 Valery Khalilov, Russian military conductor and composer, born in Termez, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union (d. 2016)
  • Jan 31 Nadya Rusheva, Russian painter, born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (d. 1969)
  • Jan 31 Rosanne Musgrave, English headmistress (Blackheath HS, 1989-2000)
  • Jan 31 Thomas Lawrence Toscano, American conductor (Opera OGGI NY), composer, and broadcaster, born in The Bronx, New York
Born in 1952

Famous Deaths

  • Jan 4 Constantl Permeke, Flemish painter (Boerin), dies at 65
  • Jan 5 I. A. K. Pataudi, Indian cricket batsman (3 Tests England, 3 India; 1 x 100; Oxford University CC, Worcestershire CCC, Southern Punjab), dies from a heart attack at 41
  • Jan 5 Victor Alexander John Hope, Viceroy of India (1936-43), dies at 64
  • Jan 8 Antonia Maury, American astronomer (created own stellar classification, one of the Harvard Observatory human computers), dies at 85
  • Jan 8 Joseph Arendt, Belgian worker's union leader, dies at 66
  • Jan 11 Aureliano Pertile, Italian tenor, dies at 66
  • Jan 11 Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (WWII, Indo-China), dies of cancer at 61
  • Jan 14 Artur Kapp, Estonian composer (Peace Symphony; Paradise and Peri), and educator, dies at 73
  • Jan 15 Ned Hanlon, Premier of Queensland (b. 1887)
  • Jan 17 Walter O Briggs, American entrepreneur and sports team owner (Detroit Tigers 1935-52), dies at 74
  • Jan 18 Curly Howard [Jerome Lester Horwitz], American vaudevillian actor and comedian (The Three Stooges), dies from a stroke at 48
  • Jan 20 Arthur Farwell, American composer, dies at 74
  • Jan 21 Katie Sandwina [Katie Brumbach], Austrian-American weight-lifter (Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus), dies at 67
  • Jan 22 Roger Vitrac, French poet and dramatist (Mysteries of Love), dies at 52
  • Jan 23 Natalia Brassova, Russian noblewoman, wife of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, dies at 71
  • Jan 25 Sveinn Bjornsson, Danish-Icelandic politician (1st President of Iceland 1944-52) and poet, dies at 70
  • Jan 26 André Cheron [Duval], French-American silent and sound screen character actor (The King of Kings; Anna Karenina; Wife vs. Secretary), dies at 71
  • Jan 26 Khorloogiin Choibalsan, leader of Mongolia (b. 1895)
  • Jan 26 Louis van Deyssel, Dutch writer (Diary of Franc Rozelaar), dies at 87
  • Jan 28 Thomas Hicks, English athlete (Olympic gold marathon 1904), dies at 76