December 1953

1953

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December 25, 1953: Aftermath of the Tangiwai disaster

The following events occurred in December 1953:

December 1, 1953 (Tuesday)

• Born: Victor Ambros, American developmental biologist and Nobel Laureate, in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States

December 2, 1953 (Wednesday)

• The United Kingdom and Iran reformed diplomatic relations.
• Died: Tran Trong Kim, 70, Vietnamese historian and Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam

December 3, 1953 (Thursday)

• 2 miles (3.2 km) off Miami Beach, Florida, 52-year-old American attorney Hope Root died in an attempt to set a new deep diving record of 410 feet (120 m). Root descended to 500 feet (150 m) and did not resurface. ^[1]

December 5, 1953 (Saturday)

• A violent F5 tornado devastated parts of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

December 6, 1953 (Sunday)

• With the NBC Symphony Orchestra, conductor Arturo Toscanini performed what he claimed to be his favorite Beethoven symphony, the Eroica , for the last time. The live performance was broadcast nationwide on radio, and later released on records and CD.

December 7, 1953 (Monday)

• A visit to Iran by U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon sparked several days of riots, as a reaction to the August 19 overthrow of the government of Mohammad Mosaddegh by the U.S.-backed Shah. Three students were shot dead by police in Tehran. This event would become an annual commemoration, Student Day.

December 8, 1953 (Tuesday)

• U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his Atoms for Peace address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
• Born: Kim Basinger, American film actress, in Athens, Georgia

December 9, 1953 (Wednesday)

• Born:
  • John Malkovich, American actor, in Christopher, Illinois
  • Hiromitsu Ochiai, Japanese baseball player and manager^{[ citation needed ]}

December 10, 1953 (Thursday)

• The Nobel Prizes were awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. Frits Zernike of the Netherlands won for Physics, Hermann Staudinger of West Germany for Chemistry, Hans Adolf Krebs of England and Fritz Albert Lipmann of the United States for Physiology or Medicine, and Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill of England for Literature. In Oslo, Norway, Albert Schweitzer of France was awarded the Peace Prize.

December 13, 1953 (Sunday)

• Born: Ben Bernanke, American economist, in Augusta, Georgia, United States

December 15, 1953 (Tuesday)

• Born: Nawaf Salam, Lebanese politician and judge, Prime Minister of Lebanon (2025-present), in Beirut ^[2]

December 17, 1953 (Thursday)

• The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved color television (using the NTSC standard).

December 23, 1953 (Wednesday)

• Former Soviet politician and NKVD chief Lavrentiy Beria was “tried by special session” by the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union, convicted of treason, terrorism, and counter revolutionary activity, and executed by firing squad.
• Born: John Callahan, American soap opera actor, in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2020) ^[3]
• Died: Lavrentiy Beria, Soviet politician and NKVD chief, executed by firing squad

December 24, 1953 (Thursday)

• Tangiwai disaster: A railway bridge collapsed at Tangiwai, New Zealand, sending a fully loaded passenger train into the Whangaehu River; 151 were killed.

December 25, 1953 (Friday)

• The Amami Islands were returned to Japan after 8 years of United States military occupation.
• Died:
  • William Haselden, 81, Spanish cartoonist
  • Lee Shubert, 82, Polish-born theater owner and operator

December 30, 1953 (Wednesday)

• The first color television sets went on sale for about US$1,175 – RCA Model 5 Prototype, which became CT-100, and Admiral C1617A. ^[4]

December 31, 1953 (Thursday)

• Born: James Remar, American actor

References

1. "Diver Lost After 500 Ft. Descent". Decatur Daily Review . AP. 4 December 1953. Page 1, columns 3-5. Retrieved 19 July 2023– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Lebanon appoints Nawaf Salam as new PM - what it means for Middle East | the Jerusalem Post". 14 January 2025.
3. "John Callahan (1953–2020), "All My Children" star". Legacy.com . 30 March 2020.
4. "December 30, 1953…The First Color TV Sets Go On Sale". eyesofageneration.com. 30 December 2016.