The Year 1951 From The People History

1951 Unemployment dipped to 3.3% in the US and new roads were built to take the ever increasing numbers of cars including the New Jersey Turnpike. Children were given more than any other time in previous history with guitar lessons and sets of Encyclopedias to improve their minds . The average family income was $3,700 per year and people had money to spend so cars became more luxurious and had more powerful engines with options for two tone paint, during this time things like turn signals were still an extra and most drivers still used hand signals to tell other drivers which way they were turning. Television continued to grow with popular programmes like "I Love Lucy" and the first tests for Color Television Pictures were broadcast from Empire State Building . Europe continued to export many cars to the US including Volkswagon's and Austin's.

Technology 1951

• First oral contraceptive ( the Pill )invented by Luis E. Miramontes



• Direct dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the United States.



• First Color Television Pictures broadcast from Empire State Building




Inventions Invented by Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use )


Breeder Reactor USA converted Uranium to Plutonium

What Events Happened in 1951

• Libya Gains Independence from Italy

• 22nd Amendment is ratified which limits US presidential term of office to 8 yrs ( 2 terms ) Available as a downloadable image on our Public Domain Images Page

• First nuclear bomb tests at Nevada test site

• King Abdullah of Jordan assassinated on July20th in Jerusalem

• Iran Nationalizes it's Oil Fields

• China Marches Into Tibet taking control of the Dalai Lama's Realm forcing him to live in India

• The Broker Commuter Train Crashes in Woodbridge, New Jersey

• President Harry S Truman fires General Douglas MacArthur as commander of United Nations Forces

• United Nations forces recapture Seoul during the Korean War

• The Festival of Britain opens at the Royal Festival Hall

• Largest oil refinery in Europe opens at Fawley in Southampton, UK

• The Great Flood of 1951 in Midwest United States

Popular Culture

• The term Rock N Roll is coined by Cleveland Disc Jockey Alan Freed



• The Dennis the Menace comic strip appears in newspapers across the U.S. for the first time.

Popular Films

• An American in Paris
• The African Queen
• A Streetcar Named Desire
• The Day the Earth Stood Still

Popular Music

• Perry Como
• Mario Lanza
• Nat King Cole
• Tony Bennett

Popular TV

• I Love Lucy
• What's My Line? debuts on BBC Television.

What do you remember ? was this the year you graduated ?, what music was being played the year you were born?

Major World Political Leaders 1951

Australia Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies

Brazil President Gaspar Dutra Till 31 January
Brazil President Getúlio Vargas From 31 January

Canada Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent

China Chairman of the People's Republic of China Mao Zedong

France President Vincent Auriol

Germany Chancellor Konrad Adenauer

India Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru

Italy Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi

Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida

Mexico President Miguel Alemán Valdés

Russia / Soviet Union
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Joseph Stalin

South Africa Prime Minister Daniel François Malan

United States President Harry S. Truman

United Kingdom Prime Minister Clement Attlee Till 26 October
United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill From 26 October

Political Elections 1951

British General Election 1951 Winston Churchill ( Conservative ) defeats Clement Attlee ( Labour ) and Clement Davies ( Liberal )


The Information above is taken from our new page that gives world leaders from 1920 to current.
WorldLeaders