Events from the year 1952 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government President: Harry S. Truman (D-Missouri) Vice President: Alben W. Barkley (D-Kentucky) Chief Justice: Fred M. Vinson (Kentucky) Speaker of the House of Representatives: Sam Rayburn (D-Texas) Senate Majority Leader: Ernest McFarland (D-Arizona) Congress: 82nd
State governments Governors and lieutenant governors Governors
Lieutenant governors
Events
January January 14 – The Today Show premieres on NBC, becoming one of the longest-running television series in America.
February February 2 – Groundhog Day tropical storm forms just north of Cuba, moving northeast. The storm makes landfall in southern Florida the next day as a gale-force storm and transitions to a tropical storm over the Atlantic (only Atlantic tropical storm on record in February). February 6 – A mechanical heart is used for the first time in a human patient. February 20 – Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball, by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.
March March 20 The United States Senate ratifies a peace treaty with Japan. The 24th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Danny Kaye, is held at RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Vincente Minnelli's An American in Paris and George Stevens' A Place in the Sun both win a respective six awards each, the former winning Best Motion Picture and the latter winning Best Director for Stevens. Elia Kazan's A Streetcar Named Desire receives the most nominations with 12. March 21 – Tornadoes ravage the lower Mississippi River Valley, leaving 208 dead, through March 22. March 22 – Wernher von Braun publishes the first in his series of articles entitled Man Will Conquer Space Soon!, including ideas for crewed flights to Mars and the Moon. March 26 - Operation Dew I takes place in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and continues until April 21st, 1952. March 29 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman announces that he will not seek reelection.
April April 8 – Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer: The U.S. Supreme Court limits the power of the president to seize private business, after President Harry S. Truman nationalizes all steel mills in the United States, just before the 1952 steel strike begins. April 15 – The United States B-52 Stratofortress flies for the first time. April 23 – A nuclear test is held in the Nevada desert. April 28 – The Treaty of San Francisco goes into effect, formally ending the occupation of Japan. April 29 – Lever House officially opens in New York City, heralding a new age of commercial architecture in the United States.
May May 3 – U.S. lieutenant colonels Joseph O. Fletcher and William P. Benedict land a plane at the geographic North Pole.
June June 14 – The keel is laid for the U.S. nuclear submarine USS Nautilus. June 19 – The United States Army Special Forces is created.
July July 3 – The ocean liner SS United States makes her maiden crossing of the Atlantic. July 19–26 – Washington D.C. UFO incident. Several alleged UFOs tracked on multiple radars. Jets scramble on several occasions and the objects take evasive action, only to return after the jets leave the area. July 21 – The 7.3 Kern County earthquake strikes Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 12 and injuring hundreds. July 25 – Puerto Rico becomes a self-governing commonwealth of the United States.
August August 22 – A 5.8 aftershock affects Bakersfield with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), killing two and causing an additional $10 million in damage. August 23 – Kitty Wells becomes the first woman to score a number 1 hit on the American country charts, with the song "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels". August 29 – John Cage's 4' 33" premieres in Woodstock, New York.
September
September 2 – Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and Dr. F. John Lewis perform the first open-heart surgery at the University of Minnesota. September 19 – The United States bars Charlie Chaplin from re-entering the country, after a trip to the UK. September 23 – Republican vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon gives his Checkers speech.
October October 7 – The New York Yankees defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4 games to 3, to win their 15th World Series Title. October 12 – The Gamma Sigma Sigma National Service Sorority is founded in New York City at Panhellenic Tower. October 14 – The United Nations begins work in the new headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. October 16 – Limelight opens in London; writer/actor/director/producer Charlie Chaplin arrives by ocean liner; in transit his re-entry permit to the USA is revoked by J. Edgar Hoover. October 1 to 31 – With an average coast-to-coast precipitation of ,Contiguous U.S. Precipitation – October this is easily the driest month over the contiguous United States since reliable records began in 1895Winston, Jay S.; 'The Weather and Circulation of October 1952: The Driest Month on Record in the United States'; Monthly Weather Review; 80(10); pp. 190–194 (The second-driest, November 1917, averaged as much as .)
November
November 1 – Nuclear testing: Operation Ivy: The United States successfully detonates the first hydrogen bomb, codenamed "Mike", at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, with a yield of 10.4 megatons. November 4 1952 United States presidential election: Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower defeats Democratic Governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson (correctly predicted by the UNIVAC computer). The Constitution Party nominates candidates. The U.S. National Security Agency is founded. November 20 – The first official passenger flight over the North Pole is made from Los Angeles to Copenhagen. November 29 – Korean War: U.S. President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower fulfills a political campaign promise, by traveling to Korea to find out what can be done to end the conflict. November – Publication of Web of Evil comic book begins.
December December 1 – The New York Daily News carries a front-page story announcing that Christine Jorgensen, a transsexual woman in Denmark, has become the recipient of the first successful sexual reassignment operation. December 14 – The first successful surgical separation of Siamese twins is conducted in Mount Sinai Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio. December 20 – The crash of a U.S. Air Force C-124 Globemaster at Moses Lake, Washington kills 86 servicemen.
Undated Nearly 58,000 cases of polio are reported in the U.S.; 3,145 die and 21,269 are left with mild to disabling paralysis. The National Prohibition Foundation is incorporated in Indiana. The American Embassy School of New Delhi is founded. 13-year-old Jimmy Boyd's record of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is released, selling 3 million records.
Ongoing Cold War (1947–1991) Second Red Scare (1947–1957) Korean War (1950–1953)
Births January January 2 Shirley Fulton, African-American prosecutor and judge (died 2023)Remembering Meck Co. first Black female prosecutor and superior judge, Shirley Fulton Wendy Phillips, actress January 3 – Jim Ross, wrestling announcer January 6 – Moondog Spot, wrestler (died 2003) January 8 – Mel Reynolds, academic and politician January 9 – Mike Capuano, lawyer and politician January 12 Charles Faulkner, life coach, motivational speaker, trader and author Walter Mosley, author January 14 – Maureen Dowd, journalist January 16 L. Blaine Hammond, colonel, pilot and astronaut Julie Anne Peters, engineer and author (died 2023) January 19 Beau Weaver, voice actor Bruce Jay Nelson, computer scientist (died 1999) January 20 Dave Fennoy, African-American voice actor Paul Stanley, co-founder of hard rock band KIϟϟ January 21 – Louis Menand, writer and critic January 22 – Dan Dorazio, American football coach (died 2024)Ex-Husky Offensive Line Coach Dan Dorazio Dies at 72 January 23 – Shelby Jordan, American football player (died 2022)Shelby Jordan dead: College football Hall of Famer and NFL star dies at 70 January 27 – Brian Gottfried, tennis player January 28 – Bruce Helford, television writer and producer January 30 – Steve Bartek, guitarist and composer
February February 1 – Stan Kasten, baseball executive, president of the Los Angeles Dodgers February 2 – John Cornyn, U.S. Senator from Texas from 2002 February 3 – Fred Lynn, baseball player February 5 – Mark Fuhrman, police detective, author and radio host (died 2026) February 14 – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL February 16 – James Ingram, R&B singer-songwriter, record producer and instrumentalist (died 2019) February 22 Robert Bauer, attorney Albert Bryant, Jr., general Cyrinda Foxe, model and actress (died 2002) Bill Frist, U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1995 to 2007 Wayne Levi, golfer February 24 – Maxine Chernoff, poet, novelist and editor February 29 Gary the Retard, member of The Wack Pack (The Howard Stern Show) Sharon Dahlonega Bush, first female African-American primetime weather anchor
March
March 1 – Janice Burgess, screenwriter (died 2024)Janice Burgess, ‘The Backyardigans’ Creator, Dies at 72 March 2 – Laraine Newman, actress and comedian March 4 – Ronn Moss, actor March 5 – Robin Hobb, writer March 8 – George Allen, U.S. Senator from Virginia from 2001 to 2007 March 11 – Frank LeMaster, American football player (died 2023)Frank LeMaster, Former Eagles Pro Bowl LB, Dies at 71 March 14 – Martin Dempsey, United States Army general March 22 – Bob Costas, sportscaster March 23 – Rex Tillerson, 69th United States Secretary of State, CEO of ExxonMobil March 25 – Billy "Harp" Hamilton, singer, songwriter, harmonica-guitar playerThe Hamburg Express Magazine March 27 – Jim Bolla, basketball coach (died 2022)Jim Bolla, winningest coach in Lady Rebels history, dies March 31 Vanessa del Rio, actress Frank De Martini, architect (died 2001)
April
April 1 Annette O'Toole, actress Rey Robinson, sprinter and coach April 5 – Mitch Pileggi, actor April 12 – Ralph Wiley, sports journalist (died 2004) April 15 Glenn Shadix, actor (died 2010) Sam McMurray, actor April 16 Bill Belichick, American football coach David Hann, politician Billy West, voice actor April 20 – David Currier, alpine skier April 22 – Marilyn Chambers, porn actress (Behind the Green Door) (died 2009) April 24 – Pat Zachry, baseball player (died 2024)Former Mets pitcher Pat Zachry dead at 71 April 25 – Lane Caudell, actor April 26 – Spice Williams-Crosby, actress and stunt performer April 27 – Larry Elder, radio personality April 28 – Mary McDonnell, actress April 29 – Dave Valentin, Latin jazz flautist (died 2017)
May May 2 – Christine Baranski, actress May 6 Gregg Henry, actor and musician Michael O'Hare, actor (died 2012) May 8 – Ronnie Dapo, child actor May 11 Warren Littlefield, businessman Mike Lupica, sports journalist May 13 – John Kasich, Governor of Ohio May 14 – Robert Zemeckis, film director, producer and screenwriter May 15 – Chazz Palminteri, actor May 18 Diane Duane, writer George Strait, country musician May 21 Carl Carlton, singer-songwriter (died 2025) Mr. T, actor May 25 – Gordon H. Smith, U.S. Senator from Oregon from 1997 to 2009 May 26 –David Meece, singer-songwriter and pianist May 28 – Victoria Cunningham, actress, Playboy Playmate
June June 3 – Billy Powell, keyboard player and songwriter (died 2009) June 4 – Scott Wesley Brown, Christian musician June 6 – Marsha Blackburn, politician June 8 – Dave Jennings, American football player and sportscaster (died 2013) June 12 – Spencer Abraham, U.S. Senator from Michigan from 1995 to 2001 June 14 Pat Summitt, basketball player and coach (died 2016) Leon Wieseltier, philosopher, journalist, and critic June 17 – Mike Milbury, ice hockey player, coach and executive June 18 Carol Kane, actress