1953
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s - 1950s - 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Years: 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 - 1953 - 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958
Events
- January 20 - Change of US presidency from Harry S Truman (1945-1953) to Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
- January 31, February 1 - North Sea flood kills 1,835 people in the southwestern Netherlands
- February 11 - President Eisenhower refuses clemency appeal for Rosenberg couple.
- February 11 - USSR breaks diplomatic relations with Israel.
- December 30 - The first color television sets go on sale for about $1,175 (American dollars) .
- Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing perform the first successful ascent to the summit of Mount Everest.
Births
- February 11 - Philip Anglim, actor.
- February 11 - Stephen D Thorne, astronaut.
- February 11 - Alan Rubin music figure.
- Richard Stallman, Free software proponent
- Tony Blair, United Kingdom Prime Minister
- October 16 - Terrence John Mason, American violinist
- November 8 - John van Melle, South African author
Deaths
- March 5 - Sergei Prokofiev, Soviet composer
- March 5 - Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader
- September 2 - US General Jonathan Wainwright, Medal of Honor recipient
- October 3 - Arnold Bax, composer
- November 8 - John van Melle, South African author
- November 9 - Dylan Thomas, poet and author
- Physics - Frits (Frederik) Zernike
- Chemistry - Hermann Staudinger
- Medicine - Hans Adolf Krebs, Fritz Albert Lipmann
- Literature - Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
- Peace - George Catlett Marshall
Art, Culture & Fashion
- December 24 - NBC's Dragnet becomes the first network-sponsored television program.
- 1950s movies
- 1953 in music
Books