Remembering 1953

On January 20, 1953, the 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn into office, and the American people could see the entire ceremony on television. A great many of them did, in fact, tune in to watch this historical event, but not nearly as many would watch as did the night before for an even more important historical event when America's favorite redhead gave birth to "Little Ricky" on the sitcom I Love Lucy.

The program was a very public attempt to save the marriage of Lucille Ball and Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz. Lucille Ball had starred in a popular radio series called My Favorite Husband, and the network wanted to bring some of that profitable magic to the small screen but she refused to begin a TV project unless her husband was the costar. The result was one of the biggest TV hits of all time, and the marriage flourished to the point that by the time the second season began, Lucy was pregnant with the couple's second child. A pregnant main character was almost unheard of in family TV (there was never a line about Lucy being pregnant, she was always "expecting"). The episode "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" was filmed several weeks earlier and scheduled to be shown coinciding with Lucy's scheduled caesarean delivery (the TV pregnancy only lasted seven episodes, from December 8 to January 19). On that night, 71.1% of all televisions in the US were tuned into I Love Lucy, a record which still stands.

Life in this atomic age was hardly a sitcom for new President Eisenhower. Just before the inauguration, out-going President Truman announced that American scientists had developed a hydrogen bomb, had been tested at Eniwetok Atoll in the South Pacific in November. Atomic testing in Operation Upshot-Knothole begins in March at the Nevada Test Site, which will involve 20,100 military personnel at Camp Desert Rock. Earlier in the month, Soviet boss Joseph Stalin suffered a stroke and died in Moscow. New Soviet Prime Minister Georgi Malenkov announces that the USSR has developed a hydrogen bomb in August and conducts a successful test a few days later. Nikita Khrushchev will become chairman of the Soviet Party.

An appeal for clemency toward convicted spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg is made to the new President in February, which he refuses, and the couple is executed in the electric chair at New York's Sing Sing Prison on June 19. Although Eisenhower was arguably one of America's most effective warriors during WWII, he delivered his "A Chance for Peace" speech to a group of journalists in Chicago on April 16. The long and bloody Korean War comes to an end when an armistice is signed at Panmunjom on July 27, and a few days later prisoners of war are exchanged during Operation Big Switch. Eisenhower delivers an address to the United Nations General Assembly on December 8 titled "Atoms for Peace", focusing on peaceful uses for atomic energy.

In many ways, 1953 was a year of discovery. The Robertson Panel, a scientific committee sponsored by listed in the Air Force's "Project Blue Book", reported that, "The Panel concluded unanimously that there was no evidence of a direct threat to national security in the objects sighted", however, the public's interest in the subject could overwhelm standard military communications.

Scientists at Cambridge University reported discovering the double-helix structure of the DNA molecule in all living cells. Dr. Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine on March 21. Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, in April. Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound at Rogers Dry Lake in an RCAF F-86 Sabrejet with the encouragement of friend Chuck Yeager.

The summit of Mt. Everest if conquered for the first time by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The first Chevy Corvette rolls off the assembly line. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starring Marilyn Monroe debuts on July 23. Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, the second of the Kinsey Reports, is published in August. Researchers at the University of Chicago announce the discovery of REM sleep. Scott Crossfield becomes the first man to fly past Mach 2 in November. The first color television sets go on sale for $1,175, and a year of discovery ends with Hugh Hefner publishing the first issue of Playboy magazine featuring a nude centerfold photograph of Marilyn Monroe and fascinating articles.

• Less than two week before leaving office, President Harry Truman announces that American scientists have developed the hydrogen bomb. A week later, the Robertson Panel begins formal meetings on January 7, the panel, formed under the direction of the CIA, publishes a report classified as SECRET (later declassified) which determines that reports of Unidentified Flying Objects pose no significant threat to national security. The CIA Technical Services Staff headed by Sidney Gottlieb approves the use of the drug LSD for the Project MKUltra mind control experiments. New Soviet Premier Georgi Malenkov announces on August 8 that the USSR has developed a hydrogen bomb, "Joe 4" is test detonated in Kazahkstan on August 12.
• Discovery of the DNA molecule at the University of Cambridge by James Watson and Francis Crick is announced on February 28, an article describing the double-helical structure of the molecule, which is a building block of all known life, is published in the journal Nature on April 25. The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is announced on March 26, and testing of the vaccine commences. University of Chicago researchers announce the discovery of REM sleep on September 4.
• Soviet state newspaper Pravda publishes a report on January 13 that several of the most prominant physicians in Moscow (mostly Jewish doctors) are involved in a plot to assassinate Soviet leadership using poison, the "Doctors' Plot" is eventuallyrefuted as anit-Semitic propaganda and leadership distances itself from the report after the death of Stalin on March 5. A bomb is detonated in the Soviet Embassy in Israel on February 11.in reaction to the Doctors' Plot report, the Soviet Union breaks diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.
• The 16th episode of the second season of the hit TV show I Love Lucy on January 19 is titled "Lucy Goes to the Hospital", the episode airs just hours after star Lucille Ball gave birth to her son Desi Arnaz Jr. in real life.  The show gets much greater viewership than the inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower the following day.
• Disney's 14th animated feature film, Peter Pan, is released on February 5.
• Casino Royale, the first novel featuring super-spy James Bond, is published in London by Ian Fleming on April 13.
• Frank Sinatra goes into the studio at Capitol Records with arranger Nelson Riddle on April 20, creating the recording which will define Sinatra's reputation for years.
• The first issue of Playboy goes on sale in December for fifty cents and features a nude centerfold photograph of Marilyn Monroe, although many will claim to have only purchased the magazine for the articles.
• The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of England takes place at Westminster Abbey on June 2.
• Yankee centerfielder Mickey Mantel knocks a 565 foot home run at Washington's Griffith Stadium, believed to be the longest home run hit of all time.
• Flying an RCAF F-86 Sabrejet at Rogers Dry Lake in California, Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier on May 18.
• Mountaineer Edmund Hillary with sherpa Tnzing Norgay reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, becoming the first men to ascent the world's highest mountian.
• In October, the UNIVAC 1103 becomes the first computer to use random access memory.
• Scott Crossfield becomes the first man to fly twice the speed of sound on November 20 when hos Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket reaches Mach 2.
• New President Eisenhower denies a clemency appeal for convictd spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg on February 11, the couple is executed in the electric chair at New York's Sing Sing Prison on June 19.
• The Korean War come to an uneasy end on July 27 when the Korean Armistice Agreement is signed in Panmunjom by representitives of the United Nations Command (Korea), the United States, the Peoples Republic of China, and North Korea; the Armistice is a ceasefire, the belligerants are technically still at war. A prisoner exchange, "Operation Big Switch" is arranged for August 5.
• The CIA sponsors Operation Ajax which overthrows Iranian Prime Minister Mosaddegh on August 19 in response to his nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the coup solidifies th rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
• Nikita Khrushchev assumes leadership of th Soviet Central Committee on September 7.
• The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, becomes a permanent agency on October 6.
• Riots break out in Iran on December 7 during a visit by Vice President Richard Nixon, the incident will be commenorated annually. The next day, President Eisenhower delivers an address titled "Atoms for Peace" the the United Nations General Assembly.
• General Motors introduces several top-of-the-line models, including the Cadillac Eldorado, the Chevrolet Corvette, and the Buick Roadmaster Skylark, Chevy also introduces the "economy" 150 line as no frills fleet transportation and the mid-range 210. Ford celebrats its fiftieth anniversary by adding poweer-assisted brakes and steering which had only been available on Lincoln and Mercury models.
• NBC Radio debuts The Six Shooter starring James Stewart, but Your Hit Parade, This Is Your FBI, The Aldrich Family, Life With Luigi, The First Nighter, and Father Knows Best all go off the air.