1950 – 1959 World History Atomic Bomb National Archives and Records Admin. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) National Archives and Records Admin. Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961) United Nations Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) N.A.R.A Fidel Castro (1926– ) United Nations 1950 Brink's robbery in Boston; almost $3 million stolen(Jan. 17). Trumanorders development of hydrogen bomb(Jan. 31).Robert Schuman proposes Schuman Plan to pool European coal and steel(May 9). Korean Warbegins when North Korean Communist forces invade South Korea(June 25).(For detailed chronology, see Korean War.) Assassination attempt on President Truman by Puerto Rican nationalists(Nov. 1). McCarthyismbegins. 1951 Julius and Ethel Rosenbergsentenced to death for passing atomic secrets to Russians(March).Spurred by Schuman Plan, six nations form European Coal and Steel Community(April);effective 1952. Japanese peace treaty signed in San Francisco by 49 nations(Sept. 8).Color television introduced in U.S. Libyagains independence(Dec. 24). 1952 George VI dies; his daughter becomes Elizabeth II(Feb. 6). AECannounces “satisfactory” experiments in hydrogen-weapons research; eyewitnesses tell of blasts near Enewetak(Nov.). Ralph Ellison'sThe Invisible Man. 1953 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhowerinaugurated president of United States(Jan. 20). Stalindies(March 5). Malenkovbecomes Soviet premier; Beria, minister of interior; Molotov, foreign minister(March 6). Dag Hammarskjöldbegins term as UN secretary-general(April 10).James Watsonand Francis Crickpublish their discovery of the molecular model of DNA(April–May).Edmund Hillaryof New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal reach top of Mt. Everest(May 29).East Berliners rise against Communist rule; quelled by tanks(June 17). Egyptbecomes republic ruled by military junta(June 18).Julius and Ethel Rosenbergexecuted in Sing Sing prison(June 19).Korean armistice signed(July 27).Moscow announces explosion of hydrogen bomb(Aug. 20). Titobecomes president of Yugoslavia. James Watson, Francis Crick, and Rosalind Franklin discover structure of DNA. Ernest Hemingwaywins Pulitzer forThe Old Man and the Sea. 1954 First atomic submarineNautiluslaunched(Jan. 21).Five U.S. congressmen shot on floor of House as Puerto Rican nationalists fire from spectators' gallery; all five recover(March 1).Soviet Union grants sovereignty to East Germany(March 23). Army v. McCarthyinquiry—Senate subcommittee report blames both sides(April 22–June 17). Dien Bien Phu, French military outpost in Vietnam, falls to Vietminh army(May 7).(For detailed chronology, see Vietnam War.) U.S. Supreme Court (in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka) unanimously bans racial segregation in public schools(May 17).Eisenhower launches world atomic pool without Soviet Union(Sept. 6).Eight-nation Southeast Asia defense treaty ( SEATO) signed at Manila(Sept. 8).Dr. Jonas Salkstarts inoculating children against polio. Algerian War of Independence against France begins(Nov.);France struggles to maintain colonial rule until 1962 when it agrees to Algeria's independence. William Faulkner'sA Fablewins Pulitzer. 1955 Nikolai A. Bulganinbecomes Soviet premier, replacing Malenkov(Feb. 8). Churchillresigns; Anthony Edensucceeds him(April 6).West Germany becomes a sovereign state(May 5).Western European Union (WEU) comes into being(May 6). Warsaw Pact, east European mutual defense agreement, signed(May 14). Argentinaousts Perón(Sept. 19).President Eisenhower suffers coronary thrombosis in Denver(Sept. 24). Rosa Parksrefuses to sit at the back of the bus. Martin Luther King, Jr., leads black boycott of Montgomery, Ala., bus system(Dec. 1);desegregated service beginsDec. 21, 1956.AFL and CIO become one organization— AFL-CIO(Dec. 5). Tennessee Williams'sCat on a Hot Tin Roofwins Pulitzer. 1956 Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of USSR Communist Party, denounces Stalin's excesses(Feb. 24).First aerial H-bomb tested over Namu islet, Bikini Atoll> 10 million tons TNT equivalent(May 21).Workers' uprising against Communist rule in Poznan, Poland, is crushed(June 28–30);rebellion inspires Hungarian students to stage a protest against Communism in Budapest(Oct. 23).Egypt takes control of Suez Canal(July 26).Hungarian rebellion forces Soviet troops to withdraw from Budapest(Oct.).Israel launches attack on Egypt's Sinai peninsula and drives toward Suez Canal(Oct. 29).Imre Nagy announces Hungary's withdrawal from Warsaw Pact(Nov. 1);Soviet troops enter and reclaim Budapest(Nov. 4).British and French invade Port Said on the Suez Canal(Nov. 5).Cease-fire forced by U.S. pressure stops British, French, and Israeli advance(Nov. 6). Moroccogains independence. Ingmar Bergman'sThe Seventh Seal. Allen Ginsberg'sHowl. 1957 Eisenhower Doctrine calls for aid to Mideast countries which resist armed aggression from Communist-controlled nations(Jan. 5).The “Little Rock Nine” integrate Arkansas high school.