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January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb.

January 12 - Estonian émigrés find a government in exile in Oslo

January 13 - Marshal Josip Broz Tito chosen President of Yugoslavia

January 14 - CIA-sponsored Robertson Panel first meets to discuss the UFO phenomenon. Official results are to publicly "debunk" them and use the media to ridicule people

January 15 - Georg Dertinger, foreign minister of East Germany, is arrested for spying

January 20 - Change of US presidency from Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) to Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961).

January 22 - The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, opens on Broadway

January 24 – Mau Mau rebels in Kenya kill Ruck family – father, mother and a 6-year-old son

January 26 - Walter Ulbricht announces that the agriculture will be collectivized in East Germany

January 28 - Derek Bentley is executed for murder in Wandsworth Prison

January 31-February 1 - North Sea flood of 1953 kills 1,835 people in the southwestern Netherlands (especially Zeeland), 307 in the United Kingdom and several hundred at sea, including 132 on the ferry ''Princess Victoria'' in the Irish Sea

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February 1 - Surge of North Sea Flood of 1953 continues from the previous day.

February 5 - The movie Peter Pan premieres (Roxy Theatre, New York City).

February 11 - President Eisenhower refuses clemency appeal for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.

February 11 - The Soviet Union breaks diplomatic relations with Israel.

February 13 - Transsexual Christine Jorgenson returns to New York after successful sexual reassignment surgery in Denmark

February 18 - The first 3D film, Bwana Devil opens.

February 19 - Censorship: Georgia approves the first literature censorship board in the United States

February 28 - James D. Watson and Francis Crick announce that they have discovered the structure of the DNA molecule.

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March 1 - After an all-night dinner with Soviet Union interior minister Lavrenty Beria and future premiers Georgi Malenkov, Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev, Joseph Stalin collapses, having suffered a stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body.

March 1 - Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg made the deputy constable and lieutenant governor of Windsor Castle

March 5 - After 29 years of ruling the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin dies. Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev also dies on this day.

March 6 - Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov succeeds Josef Stalin as Premier and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

March 13 - United Nations Security Council nominates Dag Hammarskjöld as United Nations Secretary General

March 14 - Nikita Khruschev selected general secretary of the Soviet communist party

March 17 - Nuclear test in Nevada - with 1620 spectators at 3.4 km

March 18 - An earthquake hits western Turkey killing 250.

March 25-26 – Lari Massacre in Kenya – Mau Mau rebels kill up to 150 kikuyu

March 26 - Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine.

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April 7 - Dag Hammarskjöld is elected United Nations Secretary General.

April 8 – Jomo Kenyatta is sentenced for seven years in prison for alleged organization of Mau Mau Rebellion

April 13 - Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale in the United Kingdom

April 25 - Francis Crick and James D. Watson publish their description of the double helix structure of DNA.(:

Watson, J. D. and Crick, F. H. C. (1953). Molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid. Nature 171, 737-738.)

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May 2 - Hussein is crowned King of Jordan.

May 2 - 38-year-old Stanley Matthews finally wins the FA Cup at his third attempt, in the famous 'Matthews Final'

May 6 - Current British Labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair born.

May 9 – France agrees to the provisional independence of Cambodia with the king Norodom Sihanouk

May 10 - Town of Chemnitz in East Germany becomes Karl Marx Stadt

May 11 - The Waco Tornado: A F5 tornado hits in the downtown section of Waco, Texas killing 114.

May 18 - At Rogers Dry Lake, California Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier (she flew in a F-86 Sabrejet at an average speed of 652.337 miles-per-hour).

May 25 - Nuclear testing: At the Nevada Test Site, the United States conducts its first and only nuclear artillery test.

May 29 - Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay perform the first successful ascent to the summit of Mount Everest.

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June 2 - Coronation of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey.

June 7 - General election in Italy

June 8 - Flint-Worcester Tornadoes: A tornado hits in Flint, Michigan and kills 115. This is the last tornado to claim more than 100 lives.

June 8 - Austria and Soviet Union form diplomatic relations

June 9 - CIA Technical Services Staff head Sidney Gottlieb approves of the use of LSD in a MKULTRA subproject.

June 9 - Flint-Worcester Tornadoes: A tornado spawned from the same storm system as the Flint tornado hits in Worcester, Massachusetts killing 94.

June 12 - Currency reform causes riots in Czechoslovakia

June 13 - Hungarian Prime Minister Mátyás Rákosi is replaced by Imre Nagy.

June 16 - Soviet Union and Yugoslavia form diplomatic relations

June 17 - Workers Uprising: In East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a Division (military) of troops into East Berlin to quell a rebellion.

June 18 - Egypt declares a republic

June 19 - Execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

June 30 - The first Chevrolet Corvette is built at Flint (Michigan)

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July 4 - Strikes and riots in coal mining regions in Poland

July 5 - First meeting of the assembly of the European Economic Community in Strasbourg, France

July 10 – Soviet official paper Pravda announces that Lavrenti Beria has been deposed from his positions as a head of NKVD

July 18 - Flood in the Hondo island in Japan - 1700 dead, 7000 injured

July 26 - Fidel Castro and his brother lead a disastrous assault on the Moncada Barracks - preliminary to the Cuban Revolution.

July 27 - Korean War ends: The United States, People's Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea sign an armistice agreement.

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August 5 - Operation Big Switch, operation to repatriate prisoners of war after the Korean War

August 7 - Ohio admitted as a U. S. state, retroactive to 1803.

August 8 - Soviet prime minister Georgi Malenkov announces that Soviet Union has a hydrogen bomb

August 11 - Earthquake devastates islands of the Ionian Sea

August 13 - 4 million workers go on strike in France to protest austerity measures

August 17 - Addiction: First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous in Southern California, see October 5.

August 18 - Kinsey report

August 19 - Cold War: The CIA helps to overthrow the government of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran and retain Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on the throne (see: Operation Ajax).

August 20 - French government oust the sultan of Morocco and exiles him to Corsica

August 20 - The United States gives West Germany 382 ships it captured during World War Two

August 25 - General strike ends in France

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September 5 - United Nations does not accept Soviet Union's suggestion to accept China as a member

September 7 - Nikita Khrushchev becomes head of the Soviet Central Committee.

September 25 - Hurricane in South-East Asia - over 1000 dead

September 25 - First German prisoners of war return from Soviet Union to West Germany

September 26 - Rationing of sugar ends in the United Kingdom

October - The UNIVAC 1103 is the first commercial computer to use random access memory.

October 5 - First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous (first planning session was held August 17)

October 9 - Konrad Adenauer is re-elected as a German chancellor

October 12 - "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial" opens at Plymouth Theatre, New York.

October 23 - Philippines' DZAQ-TV3 made its initial telecast, becoming Asia's first commercial television broadcaster.

October 30 - Cold War: US President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally approves the top secret document National Security Council Paper No. 162/2, which states that the United States' arsenal of nuclear weapons must be maintained and expanded to counter the communist threat.

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November 5 - David Ben Gurion resigns as a prime minister of Israel

November 9 - Cambodia becomes independent from France.

November 9 - King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia dies

November 21 - Authorities at the British Natural History Museum announce that the skull of the "Piltdown Man", one of the most famous fossil skulls in the world, is a hoax.

November 25 - England lose 6-3 to Hungary at Wembley Stadium, their first ever loss to a continental team at home

November 29 - French paratroopers take Dien Bien Phu

November 30 - Edward Mutesa II, the kabaka (king) of Buganda is deposed and exiled to London by Sir Andrew Cohen, Governor of Uganda.

December 2 - United Kingdom and Iran reform diplomatic relations

December 8 - US president Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his Atoms for Peace address to the UN General Assembly in New York City

December 10 - Albert Schweitzer was given the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize.

December 17 - The FCC approves color television

December 23 - Soviet Union announces officially that Lavrenti Beria has been executed

December 24 - 153 people die as a result of the Tangiwai disaster when the railway bridge collapses at Tangiwai, New Zealand sending a fully loaded passenger train into the Whangaehu River

December 30 - The first color television sets go on sale for about $1,175 (American dollars).

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The Japanese 10 yen coin was issued with serrated edges for a five year period beginning in 1953. All 10 yen coins since and before had smooth edges.

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? - Ikue Mori, drummer, composer, and graphic designer

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January 4 - George Tenet, American Central Intelligence Agency director

January 6 - Malcolm Young, Australian musician

January 8 - Bruce Sutter, baseball player

January 10 - Pat Benatar, American singer

January 10 - Bobby Rahal, American race car driver

January 19 - Desi Arnaz Jr., American actor

January 21 - Paul Allen, American entrepreneur

January 22 - Jim Jarmusch, American director

January 26 - Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark

January 29 - Teresa Teng, Chinese singer

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February 2 - Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter

February 7 - Dan Quisenberry, baseball player (d. 1998)

February 8 - Mary Steenburgen, American actress

February 9 - Ciarán Hinds, Irish actor

February 9 - Rick Wagoner, American automotive executive

February 11 - Philip Anglim, American actor

February 11 - Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida

February 11 - Alan Rubin, American musician

February 17 - Janice Dickinson, American model

February 17 - Norman Pace, British actor and comedian

February 21 - William Petersen, American actor

February 25 - José María Aznar, Spanish politician

February 25 - Martin Kippenberger, German artist

February 26 - Michael Bolton, American singer

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March 1 - Richard Bruton, Irish politician and economist

March 6 - Jan Kjærstad, Norwegian author

March 6 - Jacklyn Zeman, American actress

March 12 - Carl Hiaasen, American author

March 12 - Ron Jeremy, American actor

March 16 - Isabelle Huppert, French actress

March 16 - Richard Stallman, American free software proponent

March 17 - Filemon Lagman, Filipino revolutionary (d. 2001)

March 23 - Chaka Khan, American singer

March 24 - Alfred Molina, English actor

March 26 - Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor

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April 1 - Barry Sonnenfeld, American film producer and director

April 2 - Jim Allister, Irish politician

April 4 - Robert Bertrand, Canadian politician

April 6 - Andy Hertzfeld, American computer programmer

April 11 - Andrew Wiles, British-born mathematician

April 16 - J. Neil Schulman, American writer and activist

April 19 - Ruby Wax, American British based comedian

April 20 - Sebastian Faulks, English novelist

April 22 - Juhani Komulainen, Finnish composer

April 30 - Rebecca Fransway, American author

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May 6 - Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

May 15 - George Brett, baseball player

May 15 - Mike Oldfield, English composer

May 16 - Pierce Brosnan, Irish actor

May 19 - Victoria Wood, British actress

May 20 - Robert Doyle, Australian politician

May 26 - Michael Portillo, English politician

May 29 - Danny Elfman, American composer

May 30 - Colm Meaney, Irish actor

May 31 - Kathie Sullivan, American singer

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June 1 - David Berkowitz, American serial killer

June 4 - Susumu Ojima, Japanese entrepreneur

June 13 - Tim Allen, American actor

June 21 - Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan

June 22 - Cyndi Lauper, American singer

June 24 - Ivo Lill, Estonian artist

July 14 - Bebe Buell, American model and singer

July 15 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide, President of Haiti

July 15 - Mila Pivnicki, wife of Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney

July 26 - Robert Phillips, American guitarist

July 27 - Yahoo Serious, Australian filmmaker

July 29 - Geddy Lee, Canadian musician (Rush)

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August 5 - Rick Mahler, baseball player (d. 2005)

August 7 - Anne Fadiman, American writer, daughter of Clifton Fadiman

August 9 - Robert Cray, American musician

August 11 - Hulk Hogan, American professional wrestler

August 14 - Cliff Johnson, American game designer

August 18 - Louie Gohmert, American politician

August 19 - Benoît Régent, French actor (d. 1994)

August 26 - Pat Sharkey, Irish footballer

August 29 - James Quesada, Nicaraguan-born anthropologist

August 31 - György Károly, Hungarian author

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September 4 - Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, American actor

September 8 - Stu Unger, American poker player (d. 1998)

September 10 - Amy Irving, American actress

September 11 - Lesley Visser, American sportscaster and journalist

September 12 - Stephen Sprouse, Fashion designer, artist, and photographer (d. 2004)

September 18 - Betsy Vogel Boze, American academic

September 30 - Deborah Allen, American singer

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October 2 - Brandon Wilson, American author and explorer

October 7 - Christopher Norris, British critical theorist

October 7 - Tico Torres, American musician (Bon Jovi)

October 9 - Tony Shalhoub, American actor

October 12 - Serge Lepeltier, French politician

October 12 - Les Dennis, British comedian and television presenter

October 22 - Jeff Goldblum, American actor

October 27 - Robert Picardo, American actor

October 27 - Peter Firth, British actor

October 31 - Michael J. Anderson, American actor

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November 4 - Carlos Gutierrez, American politician

November 11 - Harley Venton, American actor

November 14 - Dominique de Villepin, Prime Minister of France

November 18 - Alan Moore, English writer and magician

November 19 - Robert Beltran, American actor

November 19 - Tom Villard, American actor (d. 1994)

November 23 - Francis Cabrel, French singer

November 25 - Graham Eadie, Australian rugby player

November 28 - Ben Bolt, American guitarist

November 29 - Alex Grey, American artist

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December 6 - Gary Ward, baseball player

December 8 - Kim Basinger, American actress

December 13 - Ben Bernanke, American economist

December 13 - Bob Gainey, Canadian hockey player

December 29 - Stanley Williams, American gang member (d. 2005)

December 30 - Harald Schmautz, German journalist

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January 1 - Hank Williams, American musician (b. 1923)

January 28 - James Scullin, ninth Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1876)

February 5 - Iuliu Maniu, Romanian politician (b. 1873)

February 25 - Sergei Winogradsky, Russian scientist (b. 1856)

March 2 - Jim Lightbody, American runner (b. 1882)

March 5 - Herman J. Mankiewicz, American writer and producer (b. 1897)

March 5 - Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer (b. 1891)

March 5 - Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader (b. 1879)

March 24 - Mary of Teck, consort of George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)

March 28 - Jim Thorpe, American athlete (b. 1887)

May 29 - Man Mountain Dean, American professional wrestler (b. 1891)

July 26 - Nikolaos Plastiras, Greek general and politician (b. 1883)

July 29 - Richard William Pearse, New Zealand airplane pioneer (b. 1877)

August 15 - Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (b. 1875)

August 22 - Jim Tabor, baseball player (b. 1916)

September 2 - General Jonathan Wainwright, U.S. Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1883)

September 8 - Fred M. Vinson, Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1890)

September 12 - Hugo Schmeisser, German weapons designer (b. 1884)

September 28 - Edwin Hubble, American astronomer (b. 1889)

October 3 - Arnold Bax, English composer (b. 1887)

October 8 - Kathleen Ferrier, British contralto (b. 1912)

October 25 - Holger Pedersen, Dutch linguist (b. 1867)

October 27 - Thomas Wass, English cricketer (b. 1873)

November 8 - Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)

November 8 - John van Melle, Dutch-born author (b. 1883)

November 9 - Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet and author (b. 1914)

November 21 - Larry Shields, American musician (b. 1893)

November 27 - Eugene O'Neill, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)

November 29 - Sam De Grasse, Canadian actor (b. 1875)

November 29 - Milt Gross, American comic book illustrator and animator (b. 1895)

November 30 - Francis Picabia, French painter and poet (b. 1879)

December 18 - Robert Millikan, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)

December 27 - Julian Tuwim, Polish poet (b. 1894)

December 31 - Albert Plesman, Dutch aviation pioneer (b. 1889)

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Physics - Frits (Frederik) Zernike

Chemistry - Hermann Staudinger

Medicine - Hans Adolf Krebs, Fritz Albert Lipmann

Literature - Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

Peace - George Catlett Marshall

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List of ship launches in 1953

List of ship commissionings in 1953