What Happened in December 1954

Historical Events

Prayers of Kierkegaard

Dec 3 Samuel Barber's cantata "Prayers of Kierkegaard" premieres

Dec 3 William Walton's opera "Troilus & Cressida" premieres in London
Dec 4 Frederico Valerio and Elizabeth Miele's musical "Hit the Trail" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC, after 4 performances
Dec 4 Revival of George Abbott, Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart's musical "On Your Toes" closes at 46th St Theater, NYC, after 64 performances
Dec 4 The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, USA
Dec 5 KTEW (now KJRH) TV channel 2 in Tulsa, OK (NBC) begins broadcasting

Beauvoir Receives Prix Goncourt

Dec 6 Simone de Beauvoir receives the Prix Goncourt prize in French literature

Dec 7 Japanese government of Joshida resigns
Dec 7 KCTS TV channel 9 in Seattle, WA (PBS) begins broadcasting

Bad Seed

Dec 8 Maxwell Anderson's play "Bad Seed", based on the book by William March, premieres in NYC

Dec 8 WPTZ TV channel 5 in Plattsburgh, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting

Shostakovich In Sweden

Dec 9 Dmitri Shostakovich appointed honored guest of Royal Swedish Academy of Music

Pauling Nobel Chemistry Prize

Dec 10 Linus Pauling wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its applications

Chemist and Peace Activist Linus Pauling

Dec 10 Philadelphia Phillies purchase Connie Mack Stadium
Dec 10 USAF Lt Col John Stapp travels at 632 mph in a rocket sled at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico
Dec 11 Philadelphia Phillies owners reluctantly purchase Connie Mack Stadium (Shibe Park) from the A's
Dec 11 USS Forrestal aircraft carrier christened in Newport News, Virginia

House of Schiaparelli Closes

Dec 13 Elsa Schiaparelli's House of Schiaparelli at Place Vendôme in Paris closes

Dec 14 WOAY TV channel 4 in Oak Hill-Beckley, WV (ABC) begins broadcasting
Dec 15 Fordham University scraps football team for financial reasons
Dec 15 Netherlands Antilles becomes co-equal part of Kingdom of Netherlands
Dec 15 US Scientists involved in secret Project Superpressure at GE Research Labs realized they have synthesized diamonds for the first time [1]
Dec 17 1st fully automated railroad freight yard (Gary, Indiana)
Dec 17 WEAU TV channel 13 in Eau Claire, WI (NBC) begins broadcasting
Dec 23 The first human kidney transplant is performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts
Dec 24 Council for the Protection of Children forms in Netherlands
Dec 24 Laos gains its independence from France
Dec 25 WSFA TV channel 12 in Montgomery, AL (NBC) begins broadcasting
Dec 26 "The Shadow" airs for last time on radio
Dec 26 National Football League Championship, Cleveland Municipal Stadium: Cleveland Browns thrash Detroit Lions, 56-10; Browns' placekicker Lou Groza makes 8 extra points, a new title game record
Dec 27 Gian Carlo Menotti's Pulitzer Prize winning opera "The Saint of Bleecker Street" opens at Broadway Theater in ,NYC; runs for 92 performances
Dec 28 43rd Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Sydney (3-2)
Dec 28 KEPR TV channel 19 in Pasco-Kennewick-Richl, WA (CBS) 1st broadcast
Dec 29 Kingdom of Netherlands, with Netherlands & Netherlands Antilles as autonomous parts, comes into being

House of Flowers

Dec 30 Harold Arlen and Truman Capote's musical "House of Flowers" premieres at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 165 performances

Events in 1954

Famous Birthdays

Dec 1 Bob Goen, American TV host (Wheel of Fortune, Entertainment Tonight), born in Long Beach, California
Dec 1 François Van der Elst, Belgian soccer winger (44 caps; Anderlecht, West Ham Utd), born in Opwijk, Belgium (d. 2017)
Dec 2 Dan Butler, American actor (Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe-Frasier), born in Huntington, Indiana
Dec 2 Danielle Alexander, American country music pianist, born in Fort Worth, Texas
Dec 2 Huub Stapel, Dutch actor (Amsterdamned, Attic: Hiding of Anne Frank), born in Tegelen, Netherlands
Dec 2 Stone Phillips, American news host (NBC Dateline), born in Texas City, Texas
Dec 3 Grace Andreacchi, American author
Dec 3 Paul Gregg, American country bassist (Restless Heart - "Big Dreams In A Small Town"; "The Bluest Eyes In Texas"), born in Altus, Oklahoma
Dec 4 Tony Todd, American actor and producer (Platoon), born in Washington, D.C.
Dec 6 Chris Stamey, American musician, born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Dec 6 Miles Chapin, American actor (French Postcards, Get Crazy, Funhouse), born in New York City
Dec 7 Bertín Osborne, Italian entertainer, born in Madrid, Spain
Dec 7 Gianfranco Jannuzzo, Italian entertainer, born in Agrigento, Italy
Dec 7 Julie Halston, American actress (Juror, Drunks, Addams Family Values), born in Suffolk County, New York
Dec 7 Mark Hofmann, American forger, bomber and convicted murderer, born in Salt Lake City, Utah
Dec 7 Mike Nolan, Irish singer (Bucks Fizz-My Camera Never Lies), born in Dublin, Ireland

Dec 8 Harold Hongju Koh, Korean-American Dean of Yale Law School
Dec 9 Herman Finkers, Dutch comedian, born in Almelo, Overijssel, Netherlands
Dec 9 Jack Sonni, American guitarist (Dire Straits, 1985-88), born in Indiana, Pennsylvania (d. 2023)
Dec 9 Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg politician, President of the European Commission (2014-), born in Redange, Luxembourg
Dec 9 Kip Hanrahan, American jazz producer (American Clavé), born in the Bronx, New York
Dec 10 Geoff Deane, British pop singer (Modern Romance), born in London
Dec 10 Jack Hues [Jeremy Ryder], British new-wave singer-songwriter (Wang Chung - "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"), born in Gillingham, Kent, England
Dec 11 Brad Bryant, American golfer (US Senior Open 2007), born in Amarillo, Texas
Dec 11 Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson, Icelandic rock guitarist (Dense Time), and electronic engineer, born in Reykjavík, Iceland
Dec 11 Jermaine Jackson, American singer (Jackson 5 - "ABC"; solo - "Let's Get Serious"), born in Gary, Indiana
Dec 11 Santiago Creel, Mexican politician (Secretary of the Interior), born in Mexico City
Dec 11 Sylvester Clarke, West Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 42 wickets), born in Christ Church, Barbados (d. 1999)
Dec 11 Vicki Randle, American singer-songwriter, born in San Francisco, California
Dec 12 Liz Claman, American television anchor (Countdown to the Closing Bell), born in Beverly Hills, California
Dec 13 John Anderson, American country singer and actor ("I've Got a Feelin'";"Money in the Bank"), born in Apopka, Florida

Dec 13 Steve Forbert, American singer-songwriter ("Romeo's Tune"; "Going Down To Laurel"), born in Meridian, Mississippi
Dec 13 Tamora Pierce, American author of fantasy fiction (The Song of the Lioness), born in South Connellsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Dec 14 Alan Kulwicki, American auto racer and owner (NASCAR Winston Cup drivers' and owners' champion 1992), born in Greenfield, Wisconsin (d. 1993)
Dec 14 Eva Mattes, Austrian-German actress (Celeste, Man Like Eva), born in Tegernsee, Germany
Dec 14 Ib Andersen, Danish ballet dancer, born in Copenhagen
Dec 14 James Horan, American actor (General Hospital, Transformers Prime), born in Louisville, Kentucky
Dec 14 Steve MacLean, Canadian astronaut (STS 52), born in Ottawa, Ontario
Dec 15 Alex Cox, English director (Repo Man), born in Bebington, England
Dec 15 Justin Ross, American actor (Sinatra, Chorus Line, Fan, Quick Change), born in Brooklyn, New York
Dec 15 Mark Warner, American politician (Senator-D-Virginia 2009-), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
Dec 16 Joslyn Y Hoyte-Smith, Barbados, 4X400m hurdler (Olympic bronze 1980)
Dec 17 Kenneth Frazier, American executive (1st African American to head major pharmaceutical company - Merck), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ray Liotta (1954-2022)

Dec 18 American actor (Goodfellas; Field of Dreams: Cop Land), born in Newark, New Jersey

Dec 20 Michael Badalucco, American actor, born in Brooklyn, New York
Dec 20 Sandra Cisneros, American writer, born in Chicago, Illinois

Chris Evert (69 years old)

Dec 21 American tennis player (18 Gram Slam singles titles), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Dec 22 Derick Parry, cricketer (WI off-spinner early 80's), born in Cotton Ground, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Dec 22 Hideshi Matsuda, Japanese racing driver, born in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan
Dec 22 Jayaseelan Naidoo, South African worker's union leader, born in Durban, South Africa
Dec 23 Brian Teacher, American tennis player (Australian Open 1980), born in San Diego, California
Dec 24 Cynthia Folio, American composer (Touch the Angel's Hand), flutist, music theorist, and professor (Temple University), born in Belvoir, Virginia

Annie Lennox (69 years old)

Dec 25 Scottish vocalist (Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams"; solo - "Why"), born in Aberdeen, Scotland

Dec 25 Robin Campbell, British reggae vocalist andguitarist (UB40 - "Red Red Wine"), born in Birmingham, England
Dec 25 Steve Wariner, American country singer (Small Town Girl), born in Noblesville, Indiana
Dec 26 David Armstrong, English soccer midfielder (3 caps; Middlesbrough 359 games, Southampton 222 games), born in Durham, England (d. 2022)

Dec 26 American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder (15 x MLB All-Star; 13 x Gold Glove Award; World Series 1982; NL Silver Slugger Award 1987; NLCS MVP 1985; SD Padres, St Louis Cardinals), born in Mobile, Alabama

Dec 26 Palmolive [Paloma Romero McLardy] Spanish-British punk rock drummer and songwriter (The Slits, The Raincoats), born in Melilla, Spain
Dec 26 Peter Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer, philanthropist and son of Sir Edmund Hillary, born in Auckland, New Zealand
Dec 26 Peter Woods, American rock guitarist (Romeo Void - '"Never Say Never"; A Girl in Trouble"), born in the USA
Dec 26 Susan Butcher, American dog musher and 4 x winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2006)
Dec 26 Ullrich Diessner, German DR, 4 man cox (Olympic gold 1976)
Dec 26 Walter Diessner, German DR, 4 man cox (Olympic gold 1976)

Denzel Washington (69 years old)

Dec 28 American actor (Dr Chandler-St Elsewhere), born in Mount Vernon, New York

Dec 28 Tony Rosato, Canadian comedian (SCTV, Saturday Night Live), born in Naples, Italy (d. 2017)
Dec 29 Alan Myers, American rock drummer (Devo, 1976-86 - "Whip It!"), born in Akron, Ohio (d. 2013)
Dec 29 Glenn Myernick, American soccer player and coach (Olympic gold 1996), born in Trenton, New Jersey
Dec 29 John "JR" Robinson, American session drummer appearing on over 50 Grammy winning recordings, born in Creston, Iowa
Dec 29 Prince Takamado of Japan, born in Tokyo, Japan (d. 2002)
Dec 29 Roger Voudouris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Get Used To It"), born in Sacramento, California (d. 2003)

Rodney Brooks (69 years old)

Dec 30 Australian roboticist (MIT, Roomba, Baxter), born in Adelaide, Australia

Dec 31 Alex Salmond, Scottish politician (Scottish National Party) First Minister of Scotland (2007-14), born in Linlithgow, Scotland
Dec 31 Hermann Tilke, German racing circuit architect, born in Olpe, Germany
Dec 31 Sylvie Bodorová, Czech contemporary classical composer (Dignitas homini; Ventimiglia), born in České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic)

Born in 1954

Famous Weddings

Larry Hagman

Dec 18 Actor Larry Hagman marries Maj Hagman

Buzz Aldrin

Dec 29 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin (24) weds Joan Archer

Famous Deaths

Dec 1 Fred Rose, American songwriter and music publishing executive (Nashville's Acuff-Rose Music), dies of a heart attack at 57
Dec 3 Enrique Soro, Chilean composer, dies at 70
Dec 4 Nina Varzar, wife of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, dies at 46
Dec 8 Gladys George, American actress (Roaring Twenties), dies at 50
Dec 9 Bill McGowan, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1925-54; 8 x World Series; 4 x MLB All-Star Games), dies from a heart attack at 58
Dec 13 John Raymond Hubbell, American writer (b. 1879)
Dec 20 Emilis Melngailis, Latvian choral composer, folklorist, and conductor (Latvian Song and Dance Festival), dies at 80
Dec 20 James Hilton, English novelist and screenwriter (Goodbye Mr Chips, Lost Horizon), dies at 54
Dec 23 René Iché, French sculptor (b. 1897)
Dec 25 Johnny Ace, American rhythm and blues singer, accidentally shoots himself in the head at 25
Dec 25 Liberty Hyde Bailey, American botanist, horticulturalist and writer (Hortus), dies at 96
Dec 25 Rosario Scalero, composer, dies at 84
Dec 31 Peter Van Anrooy, Dutch conductor and composer (Piet Hein Rhapsodie), dies at 75

On This Day