1952

WORLD HISTORY · 1952 日本語

Events of 1952Showa 27 (Japan) · Year of the Dragon

64Events
Showa 27Japanese era
DragonChinese zodiac
74Age in 2026
Pages for every era, every decade and every year from 1910 to 2026

What happened in 1952?

In 1952, the peace treaty took effect, ending the Allied occupation and restoring Japan's sovereignty. Shirai Yoshio became the first Japanese professional boxing world champion, and in Britain, Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne.

  1. Elizabeth II accedes to the throneEurope
  2. Tokachi-oki earthquake strikes HokkaidoAsia
  3. Occupation ends as Japan regains sovereigntyAsia
  4. Shirai Yoshio becomes Japan's first world championAsia
  5. Helsinki Olympics heldEurope
  6. Free Officers seize power in Egyptian RevolutionMiddle East
  7. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation launchedAsia
  8. U.S. conducts first hydrogen bomb testNorth America

Tap an event to jump to it in the timeline below.

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1952 at a glance

Japanese eraShowa 27
Chinese zodiacYear of the Dragon
Age of people born in 1952Turn 74 in 2026
Previous / next year1951 (Showa 26) / 1953 (Showa 28)
Events64
AP World HistoryUnit 8 (Cold War and Decolonization)
AP U.S. HistoryPeriod 8

Famous people born in 1952

Our birthday pages list 730 people born in 1952. Here are some of them.

  • Liam NeesonBorn June 7 · turns 74 this year · Northern Irish actor known for Schindler's List, Star Wars: Episode I, and the…
  • Amy TanBorn February 19 · turns 74 this year · American novelist best known for The Joy Luck Club and her stories of Chinese A…
  • Douglas AdamsBorn March 11 · turns 74 this year · English writer best known for the comic science fiction series The Hitchhiker's…
  • Bill WaltonBorn November 5 · turns 74 this year · American basketball Hall of Famer who starred at UCLA, won NBA titles with Port…
  • Ryuichi SakamotoBorn January 17 · turns 74 this year
  • Imran KhanBorn October 5 · turns 74 this year
  • Vladimir PutinBorn October 7 · turns 74 this year
  • Annie PottsBorn October 28 · turns 74 this year
  • Patrick SwayzeBorn August 18 · turns 74 this year
  • Shaji N. KarunBorn January 1 · turns 74 this year
  • Indulis EmsisBorn January 2 · turns 74 this year
  • Wendy PhillipsBorn January 2 · turns 74 this year
Show 28 more

Events of 1952 (timeline · 64)

Tip: the PC view is best for studying

On a computer, each region has its own vertical line, so you can follow the flow of events and see what was happening in different parts of the world at the same time.

1952

Jan 14, 1952Showa 27

NBC's long-running morning news program Today debuts, with host Dave Garroway.

North America

Jan 26, 1952Showa 27

Black Saturday in Egypt: rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.

Middle EastEurope

Feb 6, 1952Showa 27

Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom and her other Realms and Territories and Head of the Commonwealth upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.

EuropeAfrica

Feb 15, 1952Showa 27

King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Europe

Feb 20, 1952Showa 27

Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.

North AmericaAfrica

Feb 21, 1952Showa 27

The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to "set the people free".

Europe

Feb 21, 1952Showa 27

The Bengali language movement protests occur at the University of Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

Asia

Feb 26, 1952Showa 27

Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada.

North America

Mar 10, 1952Showa 27

Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba.

Latin America

Mar 20, 1952Showa 27

The US Senate ratifies the Security Treaty between the United States and Japan.

AsiaNorth America

Mar 21, 1952Showa 27

Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio.

North America

Apr 9, 1952Showa 27

Hugo Ballivián's government is overthrown by the Bolivian National Revolution, starting a period of agrarian reform, universal suffrage and the nationalization of tin mines

Latin America

Apr 9, 1952Showa 27

Japan Air Lines Flight 301 crashes into Mount Mihara, Izu Ōshima, Japan, killing 37.

Asia

Apr 11, 1952Showa 27

Pan Am Flight 526A ditches near San Juan-Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after experiencing an engine failure, killing 52 people.

Latin America

Apr 11, 1952Showa 27

Bolivian National Revolution: Rebels take over Palacio Quemado.

Latin America

Apr 15, 1952Showa 27

First flight of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.

North America

Apr 21, 1952Showa 27

Secretary's Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) is first celebrated.

North America

Apr 28, 1952Showa 27

Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in order to campaign in the 1952 United States presidential election.

North AmericaEurope

Apr 28, 1952Showa 27

The Treaty of San Francisco comes into effect, restoring Japanese sovereignty and ending its state of war with most of the Allies of World War II.

AsiaNorth America

Apr 28, 1952Showa 27

The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (Treaty of Taipei) is signed in Taipei, Taiwan between Japan and the Republic of China to officially end the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Asia

Apr 29, 1952Showa 27

Pan Am Flight 202 crashes into the Amazon basin near Carolina, Maranhão, Brazil, killing 50 people.

Latin America

May 2, 1952Showa 27

A De Havilland Comet makes the first jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers, from London to Johannesburg.

EuropeAfrica

May 3, 1952Showa 27

The Kentucky Derby is televised nationally for the first time, on the CBS network.

North America

May 3, 1952Showa 27

Lieutenant Colonels Joseph O. Fletcher and William P. Benedict of the United States land a plane at the North Pole.

North America

May 7, 1952Showa 27

The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey Dummer.

Europe

May 13, 1952Showa 27

The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting.

Asia

Jun 13, 1952Showa 27

Catalina affair: A Swedish Douglas DC-3 is shot down by a Soviet MiG-15 fighter.

Europe

Jun 17, 1952Showa 27

Guatemala passes Decree 900, ordering the redistribution of uncultivated land.

Latin America

Jun 21, 1952Showa 27

The Philippine School of Commerce, through a republic act, is converted to Philippine College of Commerce, later to be the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Asia

Jun 26, 1952Showa 27

The Pan-Malayan Labour Party is founded in Malaya, as a union of statewide labour parties.

Asia

Jun 29, 1952Showa 27

The first Miss Universe pageant is held. Armi Kuusela from Finland wins the title of Miss Universe 1952.

Europe

Jul 3, 1952Showa 27

The Constitution of Puerto Rico is approved by the United States Congress.

North AmericaLatin America

Jul 3, 1952Showa 27

The SS United States sets sail on her maiden voyage to Southampton. During the voyage, the ship takes the Blue Riband away from the RMS Queen Mary.

North America

Jul 7, 1952Showa 27

The ocean liner SS United States passes Bishop Rock on her maiden voyage, breaking the transatlantic speed record to become the fastest passenger ship in the world.

North America

Jul 19, 1952Showa 27

Opening of the Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.

Europe

Jul 21, 1952Showa 27

The 7.3 Mw Kern County earthquake strikes Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 12 and injuring hundreds.

North America

Jul 23, 1952Showa 27

General Muhammad Naguib leads the Free Officers Movement (formed by Gamal Abdel Nasser, the real power behind the coup) in overthrowing King Farouk of Egypt.

Middle East

Jul 26, 1952Showa 27

King Farouk of Egypt abdicates in favor of his son Fuad.

Middle East

Aug 11, 1952Showa 27

Hussein bin Talal is proclaimed King of Jordan.

Middle East

Aug 12, 1952Showa 27

The Night of the Murdered Poets: Thirteen prominent Jewish intellectuals are murdered in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union.

Europe

Aug 15, 1952Showa 27

A flash flood devastates the town of Lynmouth, England, killing 34 people.

Europe

Aug 29, 1952Showa 27

American experimental composer John Cage's 4’33” premieres at Maverick Concert Hall, played by American pianist David Tudor.

North America

Sep 6, 1952Showa 27

A prototype aircraft crashes at the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, England, killing 29 spectators and the two on board.

Europe

Sep 8, 1952Showa 27

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation makes its first televised broadcast on the second escape of the Boyd Gang.

North America

Sep 15, 1952Showa 27

The United Nations cedes Eritrea to Ethiopia.

Africa

Sep 23, 1952Showa 27

After being accused of financial improprieties, Senator Richard Nixon delivers his "Checkers speech" nationwide on television and radio, defending his actions and successfully salvaging his nomination as the Republican candidate for Vice President.

North America

Oct 3, 1952Showa 27

The United Kingdom successfully tests a nuclear weapon in the Montebello Islands, Western Australia, to become the world's third nuclear power.

OceaniaEurope

Oct 8, 1952Showa 27

The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash in England kills 112 people.

Europe

Oct 14, 1952Showa 27

Korean War: The Battle of Triangle Hill is the biggest and bloodiest battle of 1952.

Asia

Oct 17, 1952Showa 27

Indonesian Army elements surrounded the Merdeka Palace demanding President Sukarno disband the Provisional People's Representative Council.

Asia

Oct 20, 1952Showa 27

The Governor of Kenya Evelyn Baring declares a state of emergency and begins arresting hundreds of suspected leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising.

Africa

Nov 1, 1952Showa 27

Nuclear weapons testing: The United States successfully detonates Ivy Mike, the first thermonuclear device, at the Eniwetok atoll. The explosion had a yield of ten megatons TNT equivalent.

North America

Nov 4, 1952Showa 27

The United States government establishes the National Security Agency, or NSA.

North America

Nov 14, 1952Showa 27

The New Musical Express publishes the first regular UK Singles Chart.

Europe

Nov 19, 1952Showa 27

Greek Field Marshal Alexander Papagos becomes the 152nd Prime Minister of Greece.

Europe

Nov 22, 1952Showa 27

A Douglas C-124 Globemaster II crashes into Mount Gannet, Alaska, killing all 52 aboard.

North America

Nov 25, 1952Showa 27

Korean War: After 42 days of fighting, the Battle of Triangle Hill ends in a Chinese victory. American and South Korean units abandon their attempt to capture the "Iron Triangle".

AsiaNorth America

Nov 25, 1952Showa 27

Agatha Christie's murder-mystery play The Mousetrap opens at the Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End after a premiere in Nottingham, UK. It will become the longest continuously running play in history.

Europe

Nov 29, 1952Showa 27

U.S. President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower fulfills a campaign promise by traveling to Korea to find out what can be done to end the conflict.

AsiaNorth America

Dec 1, 1952Showa 27

The New York Daily News reports the news of Christine Jorgensen, the first notable case of sex reassignment surgery.

North America

Dec 5, 1952Showa 27

Beginning of the Great Smog in London. A cold fog combines with air pollution and brings the city to a standstill for four days. Later, a Ministry of Health report estimates 4,000 fatalities as a result of it.

Europe

Dec 20, 1952Showa 27

A United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns in Moses Lake, Washington, killing 87 of the 115 people on board.

North America

Dec 24, 1952Showa 27

First flight of Britain's Handley Page Victor strategic bomber.

Europe

Dec 30, 1952Showa 27

An RAF Avro Lancaster bomber crashes in Luqa, Malta after an engine failure, killing three crew members and a civilian on the ground.

Europe

EventNameFamous birthEvent in more than one region

Source: Wikipedia date pages ("January 1" … "December 31") / CC BY-SA 4.0. Regions are assigned by the site editors.

FAQ

What year was 1952 in the Japanese calendar?

1952 was Showa 27 in the Japanese era system.

What Chinese zodiac animal is 1952?

1952 is the Year of the Dragon.

How old is someone born in 1952?

They turn 74 on their birthday in 2026.

What happened in 1952?

In 1952, the peace treaty took effect, ending the Allied occupation and restoring Japan's sovereignty. Shirai Yoshio became the first Japanese professional boxing world champion, and in Britain, Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne.

Born in 1952?See who shares your birthday and your birth year

Dates and events are based on Wikipedia and other references. Summaries and regions are written by the site editors.

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