What Happened in January 1953

Historical Events

  • Jan 1 19th Orange Bowl: #9 Alabama beats #14 Syracuse, 61-6
  • Jan 1 19th Sugar Bowl: #2 Georgia Tech beats #7 Mississippi, 24-7
  • Jan 1 39th Rose Bowl: #5 Southern California beats #11 Wisconsin, 7-0

"Suite Hebraique"

Jan 1 Ernest Blochs's work for viola and piano "Suite Hebraique,", part of his "Jewish Cycle", premieres in Chicago

  • Jan 1 The Bantu Education Act (later renamed the Black Education Act) commenced, providing the legal underpinning of several aspects of the apartheid system, most importantly in education
  • Jan 1 The first TV detector van, used to track down users of unlicensed television sets, begins operation in the UK
  • Jan 1 WBRE TV channel 28 in Wilkes-Barre Scranton, PA (NBC) 1st broadcast
  • Jan 2 NBA Baltimore Bullets begin a record 32 game road losing streak (12 games in 1952-53; 20 games in 1953-54) with a 73-66 defeat at the Indianapolis Olympians
  • Jan 3 Frances Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.
  • Jan 4 KTSM TV channel 9 in El Paso, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting
  • Jan 5 -6] Passenger ships Willem Ruys & Orange collide in the Red Sea

"Waiting for Godot"

Jan 5 Samuel Beckett's French-language play "En Attendant Godot (Waiting for Godot)" premieres in Paris

  • Jan 6 The first Asian Socialist Conference opens in Burma
  • Jan 6 WKBN TV channel 27 in Youngstown, Ohio (CBS) begins broadcasting - without sound, until January 11 [1]

Truman Announces Hydrogen Bomb

Jan 7 US President Harry Truman announces American development of the hydrogen bomb

  • Jan 8 Indians bar night games with Browns (who refuse to share TV receipts)
  • Jan 8 René Mayer forms French government
  • Jan 9 Korean ferryboat "Chang Tyong-Ho" sank off Pusan killing 249
  • Jan 10 "My Darlin' Aida" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 89 performances
  • Jan 10 3rd NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: National Conference beats American Conference, 27-7; MVP: Don Doll, Detroit Lions, DB

MacLeish Wins Bollingen Prize

Jan 10 Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Archibald MacLeish

My Darlin' Aida

Jan 10 Charles Friedman and Giuseppe Verdi's musical '"My Darlin' Aida", an adaptation of Verdi's opera "Aida" closes at Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after for 89 performances

Hoover Declines Offer

Jan 11 J. Edgar Hoover declines 6 figure offer to become president of International Boxing Club

  • Jan 12 9 "Jewish" physicians arrested for "terrorist activities" in Moscow

3rd NBA All-Star Game

Jan 13 3rd NBA All-Star Game, Allen County Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana: West beats East, 79-75; MVP: George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers, C

  • Jan 13 Gas explosion in Belgium coal mine kills 14
  • Jan 13 KOLD TV channel 13 in Tucson, AZ (CBS) begins broadcasting

President Tito

Jan 13 Marshal Josip Tito chosen president of Yugoslavia

  • Jan 14 Vaughan William's "Sinfonia Antartica" premieres in Manchester
  • Jan 14 WALA TV channel 10 in Mobile, AL (NBC) begins broadcasting
  • Jan 14 Yugoslavia elects its 1st president, Marshal Tito
  • Jan 15 16 car Federal Express train loses brakes & crashes in Washington, D.C. station
  • Jan 15 East Germany's first Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georg Dertingen arrested for "espionage", beginning a purge of senior officials, accused of spying for 'imperialistic powers' and plotting against the state
  • Jan 16 Egyptian Premier General Naguib disbands all political parties
  • Jan 16 KXLY TV channel 4 in Spokane, Washington (ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting

Rosewall Defeats Rose

Jan 17 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Ken Rosewall wins his first Grand Slam title; beats Mervyn Rose 6-0, 6-3, 6-4

Connolly Defeats Sampson

Jan 17 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-American final Maureen Connolly wins 1st leg of her Grand Slam; beats Julia Sampson 6-3, 6-2

Owens Athletic Commission Secretary

Jan 19 American track and field olympian Jesse Owens named Illinois Athletic Commission secretary

1st Live Inauguration

Jan 20 1st live US coast-to-coast inauguration address (Eisenhower)

  • Jan 20 1st US telecast transmitted to Canada from Buffalo, New York

Dulles US Secretary of State

Jan 21 John Foster Dulles appointed as US Secretary of State

  • Jan 22 1953 NFL Draft: Harry Babcock from University of Georgia first pick by San Francisco 49ers

The Crucible

Jan 22 Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" premieres at the Martin Beck Theater on Broadway in NYC (1953 Tony for Best Play)

  • Jan 23 Future Australian cricket captain and coach Bobby Simpson makes his 1st-class debut for NSW at 16 years and 357 days
  • Jan 23 NFL Dallas Texans become Baltimore Colts (now Indianapolis Colts)
  • Jan 23 NFL's National & American conference become Eastern & Western conference
  • Jan 25 WABI TV channel 5 in Bangor, ME (CBS) begins broadcasting
  • Jan 25 Yuri Sergejev skates world record 500m in 40.9 sec
  • Jan 27 Netherlands end Marshall aid
  • Jan 28 19-year old Derek Bentley is hanged in Wandsworth Prison, London, controversially convicted of the murder of a police officer. He was pardoned on 30th July 1998.
  • Jan 28 WJTV TV channel 12 in Jackson, MS (CBS) begins broadcasting
  • Jan 31 "Princess Victoria" capsized off Stanraer Scotland; 133 die
  • Jan 31 Hurricane-like winds flood Netherlands, drowning 1,835

Retaliation Against Veeck

Jan 31 MLB New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, & Boston Red Sox retaliate against St. Louis Browns Bill Veeck for trying to relocate the team, scheduling the Browns to play afternoon games to avoid sharing TV revenues


1953 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jan 1 Alpha Blondy [Seydou Koné], Ivorian reggae singer-songwriter ("Jerusalem"; "Journalistes en danger"), born in Dimbokro, N'Zi Region, Ivory Coast
  • Jan 1 Gary Johnson, American businessman, politician and Libertarian Party nominee for President in 2016, born in Minot, North Dakota
  • Jan 1 Zenon Plech, Polish motorcycle speedway rider (World C'ship individual 1979, pairs 1980 runner-up), born in Zwierzyn, Poland (d. 2020)
  • Jan 3 Angelo Parisi, French judoka (Olympic gold heavyweight 1980), born in Arpino, Italy
  • Jan 3 Peter Taylor, English soccer winger (4 caps; Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur) and manager (Leicester City, Hull, Crystal Palace), born in Rochford, England
  • Jan 4 Norberto Alonso, Argentine soccer midfielder (19 caps; River Plate), born in Vicente López, Argentina
  • Jan 5 George Tenet, American CIA director, born in New York City
  • Jan 5 Mike Rann, Australian politician, born in Sidcup, United Kingdom
  • Jan 5 Pamela Sue Martin, American actress (Nancy Drew: Dynasty - "Fallon"), born in Westport, Connecticut
  • Jan 5 Steve Archer, American singer (The Archers), born in Mojave, California
  • Jan 6 Malcolm Young, Scottish guitarist (AC/DC - "Highway to Hell"), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2017)
  • Jan 7 Agha Zahid, Pakistani cricketer (open batting for Pak v WI 1975, scored 14 & 1), born in Lahore, Pakistan
  • Jan 7 Earl Lindo, Jamaican reggae keyboardist (Bob Marley & the Wailers), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2017)
  • Jan 8 Bruce Sutter, American Baseball HOF relief pitcher (NL Cy Young Award 1979; 6 x MLB All-Star; 5 x NL saves leader; Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals; Atlanta Braves), born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (d. 2022)
  • Jan 9 Morris Gleitzman, British-Australian children's author, born in Sleaford, United Kingdom
  • Jan 10 Bobby Rahal, American racing car driver and team owner (over 15 wins), born in Medina, Ohio
  • Jan 10 Pat Benatar [Andrezejewski], American rock singer ("Hit Me with Your Best Shot"; "Love Is A Battlefield"; "We Belong"), born in Brooklyn, New York
  • Jan 11 Anna Marchesini, Italian voice actress and entertainer (Il Trio), born in Orvieto, Italy (d. 2016)
  • Jan 11 John Sessions, Scottish actor and comedian (Whose Line Is It Anyway), born in Largs, Scotland (d. 2020)
  • Jan 11 Rigoberto Riasco, Panamanian boxer (Lineal & WBC Super bantamweight champion 1976), born in Panama City, Panama (d. 2022)
  • Jan 13 Bob Baffert, American Racing Hall of Fame trainer (Triple Crown 2015, 18), born in Nogales, Arizona
  • Jan 13 Luann Ryon, American archer (Olympic gold women's individual 1976), born in Long Beach, California (d. 2022)
  • Jan 15 Bob Clearmountain, American Grammy Award-winning sound engineer (Bruce Springsteen; Crowded House), and record producer (Bryan Adams; Bon Jovi), born in Connecticut
  • Jan 15 Chris D. [Desjardins], American punk rock singer, and poet (The Flesh Eaters), born in Riverside, California
  • Jan 15 Kent Hovind, American evangelist
  • Jan 15 Randy White, American College/Pro Football HOF tackle (Super Bowl 1977 [MVP]; 7 × First-team All-Pro; 9 × Pro Bowl; Dallas Cowboys), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Jan 15 Ta-Tanisha, American actress, born in The Bronx, New York
  • Jan 16 Mike Henderson, American country, blues, and bluegrass singer-songwriter, and slide guitarist (The Bluebloods; The SteelDrivers), born in Independence, Missouri (d. 2023)
  • Jan 16 Robert Jay Mathews, American neo-Nazi, born in Marfa, Texas (d. 1984)
  • Jan 17 Mark Littell, American MLB pitcher, 1973-82 (Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals), writer, and inventor, born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri (d. 2022)
  • Jan 17 Ted Thompson, American NFL linebacker (Houston Oilers) and executive (GM Green Bay Packers 2005-17), born in Atlanta, Texas (d. 2021)
  • Jan 18 Brett Hudson, American comedian (Bonkers, Hudson Brothers Show), born in Portland, Oregon
  • Jan 19 Desi Arnaz Jr., American actor (Here's Lucy - "Craig"; Fakeout; Joyride), and musician, born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jan 19 Linda Hayden, British actress (The Blood on Satan's Claw; The Boys from Brazil), born in Stanmore, England
  • Jan 19 Michael Boddicker, American session synthesizer player (Michael Jackson; Lionel Richie; Chicago), and film composer (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension), born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • Jan 19 Richard Legendre, Canadian tennis player and politician, born in Montreal, Quebec
  • Jan 19 Stanley Grill, American composer (Afterwards, there were no more wars; Dreaming of a Better World), born in New York City

Paul Allen (1953-2018)

Jan 21 American business magnate (co-founder Microsoft, owner Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Seahawks), born in Seattle, Washington

  • Jan 22 Jim Jarmusch, American director (Only Lovers Left Alive), born in Akron, Ohio
  • Jan 22 Karen Moe, American swimmer (Olympic gold 200m butterfly 1972), born in Del Monte, Philippines
  • Jan 22 Myung-Whun Chung, South Korean pianist and conductor (Chung Trio), born in Seoul, South Korea
  • Jan 23 Antonio Villaraigosa [Villar], Hispanic-American politician (Mayor of Los Angeles, 2005-13; California Assemblyman, 1994-2000), born in East Los Angeles, California
  • Jan 23 John Luther Adams, American composer ("Become Ocean" Pulitzer Prize for Music 2014), born in Meridian, Mississippi [1]
  • Jan 23 Pat Haden, American NFL quarterback (LA Rams), born in Westbury, New York

Pavlo Lazarenko (71 years old)

Jan 23 Prime Minister of Ukraine (1996-97), born in Karpivka, Ukraine

  • Jan 23 Robin Zander, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Cheap Trick - "Dream Police"; "I Want You To Want Me"), born in Beloit, Wisconsin
  • Jan 24 Brian Matthews, American actor (Burning), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Jan 24 James Hutchinson, American session and touring bassist Bonnie Raitt, Ivan Neville, Boz Scaggs), born in Lynn, Massachusetts

Moon Jae-in (71 years old)

Jan 24 South Korean politician, President of South Korea (2017-), born in Geoje, South Korea

  • Jan 24 Nigel Glockler, British heavy metal drummer (Saxon), born in Hove, East Sussex, England
  • Jan 25 Malcolm Green, English-born drummer (Split Enz, 1976-81 - "I Got You"), born in United Kingdom
  • Jan 25 Mark Weil, Uzbekistani theatre director, born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (d. 2007)
  • Jan 25 The Honky Tonk Man [Wayne Farris], American professional wrestler, born in Bolivar, Tennessee
  • Jan 26 Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark, born in Ginnerup, Denmark
  • Jan 26 Andrée van Es [Andrée Christine of Es], Dutch politician (PSP), born in the Hague, Netherlands
  • Jan 26 Bert Heerink, Dutch rock vocalist, born in Utrecht, Netherlands
  • Jan 26 Lucinda Williams, American roots singer-songwriter ("Passionate Kisses"; "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"), born in Lake Charles, Louisiana
  • Jan 27 Bob Mintzer, American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band bandleader (Yellowjackets), born in New Rochelle, New York
  • Jan 29 Dalila di Lazzaro, Italian, covergirl/model (Vogue), born in Udine, Italy
  • Jan 29 Hwang Woo-Suk, South Korean biomedical scientist and stem cell researcher, born in Buyeo-gun, South Korea
  • Jan 29 Louie F. Pérez, Jr., American lyricist, percussionist, guitarist, and jarana player (Los Lobos - "Will The Wolf Survive?"), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jan 29 Lynne McGranger, Australian actress (Home and Away), born in Sydney, New South Wales
  • Jan 29 Teresa Teng [Li-chun], Taiwanese pop singer("Aijin"; The Power Of Love"; "Airport"), and actress, born in Baozhong Township, Yunlin, Taiwan
  • Jan 30 Fred Hembeck, American cartoonist, born in Yaphank, New York
  • Jan 31 "Big Time" Sarah [Streeter], American blues singer, born in Coldwater, Mississippi (d. 2015)
Born in 1953

Famous Weddings

Richie Benaud

Jan 15 Cricketer Richie Benaud (22) weds Marcia Lavender at the Wesley Church in Sydney, Australia

Famous Deaths

Hank Williams (1923-1953)

Jan 1 American country singer-songwriter ("Cold Cold Heart"; "Hey, Good Lookin'"; "Your Cheatin' Heart"), dies of an alcohol and painkiller fueled heart attack at 29

  • Jan 1 Ludomir Różycki, Polish composer and conductor (Eros i Psyche; Pan Twardowski), dies at 69
  • Jan 2 Guccio Gucci, Italian founder of Gucci fashion house, dies at 71
  • Jan 4 Arthur Hoyt, American actor and director (Gold Dust Gertie, Goldie Get Along), dies at 79
  • Jan 4 Prince Yasuhito Chichibu, brother of Emperor Showa, dies at 50
  • Jan 7 Osa Johnson, American adventurer and filmmaker, dies at 58
  • Jan 8 Admiral Sir Hugh Binney, British naval commander and Governor of Tasmania (b. 1883)
  • Jan 8 Heinrich Kaspar Schmid, German composer, dies at 78
  • Jan 10 Theo Mackeben, German pianist/composer (Golden Cage), dies at 56
  • Jan 11 Ernst Herman van Rappard, Dutch Nazi founder (NSNAP), dies at 53
  • Jan 11 Hans Aanrud, Norwegian author (Storken), dies at 89
  • Jan 11 Marcel Canneel, Flemish painter (Reuzenstoet), dies at 58
  • Jan 11 Noe Zhordania, Georgian journalist and politician (Prime Minister, 1918-21; government-in-exile leader, 1921-53), dies at 84
  • Jan 12 Simeon Roncal, Bolivian composer, dies at 82
  • Jan 13 Paul Niggli, Swiss mineralogist (crystal structures), dies at 64
  • Jan 15 Patrick Vretblad, Swedish composer, dies at 76
  • Jan 24 Ben Taylor, American Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman (Indianapolis ABCs) and manager (Washington Potomacs, Baltimore Black Sox), dies of pneumonia at 64
  • Jan 24 Mike Jacobs, American boxing promoter (Twentieth Century Sporting Club - Joe Louis' promoter; 3 x $1m fights), dies at 72

Gerd von Rundstedt (1875-1953)

Jan 24 German field marshal during World War II (Commander-in-Chief in the West), dies of heart failure at 77

  • Jan 26 Athanase David, French Canadian politician and businessman (b. 1882)
  • Jan 26 Martinus Nijhoff, Dutch poet and linguistic (spelling), dies at 58
  • Jan 28 Derek Bentley, Englishman controversially convicted for murder of a police officer (pardoned 1998), executed at 19
  • Jan 28 James Scullin, Australian Labour Party politician and 9th Prime Minister of Australia, dies at 76