The almanac
The 1952 Edition
Limited to about 97 million copies: the babies born worldwide in 1952. About 44 million are still in circulation.
Estimates from the UN World Population Prospects 2024. How we count
What happened in 1952
- Elizabeth II proclaimed QueenPrincess Elizabeth was formally proclaimed Queen and Head of the Commonwealth in London.February 8 · Source: BBC On This Day
- Singin' in the Rain openedGene Kelly's musical comedy about Hollywood's switch to talking pictures reached theaters.March 27 · Source: Box Office Mojo
- The first jet airliner serviceA BOAC de Havilland Comet carried paying passengers from London toward Johannesburg.May 2 · Source: BBC On This Day
- IBM announced its first computerThe IBM 701 announcement marked the company's move into electronic computers.May 21 · Source: Computer History Museum, This Day in History
- Zatopek won gold in HelsinkiCzechoslovakia's Emil Zatopek won the 10,000 meters a day after the Olympic Games opened.July 20 · Source: BBC On This Day
- The first Holiday Inn openedKemmons Wilson opened his first motel in Memphis, the start of a worldwide chain.August 1 · Source: EBSCO Research Starters
- Bandstand debuted on Philadelphia TVThe teen dance show that became American Bandstand started on local station WFIL-TV.September · Source: Television Academy Foundation, The Interviews
- Rocky Marciano won the heavyweight titleMarciano beat Jersey Joe Walcott in the thirteenth round to become world heavyweight champion.September 23 · Source: EBSCO Research Starters
Famous people born in 1952
- Orhan PamukTurkish novelist, academic and Nobel laureate · born June 7
- Steven SeagalAmerican actor, martial artist, and film producer · born April 10
- John GoodmanAmerican actor · born June 20
- Roberto BenigniItalian actor, comedian, screenwriter and film director · born October 27
- Robert ZemeckisAmerican screenwriter, film producer and director · born May 14
- Patrick SwayzeAmerican actor, producer, singer and dancer · born August 18
- Francis FukuyamaAmerican political scientist, political economist, and author · born October 27
- Christopher ReeveAmerican actor · born September 25
From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages write about them. Spotted a mistake?
If you were born in 1952
- Older than the DNA double helixWatson and Crick's paper describing the double-helix structure of DNA was published in Nature on April 25, 1953.
- Older than the first climb of EverestEdmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953.
- Older than the four-minute mileRoger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes, in Oxford on May 6, 1954.
- Older than DisneylandDisneyland opened in Anaheim, California on July 17, 1955.
- Younger than PeanutsThe Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz first appeared, in seven US newspapers on October 2, 1950.