1951 Newspapers

1951 headlines provide fascinating insights into what it was like to live during the year 1951. There were many exciting things happening in the world. The decade that followed World War II brought with it hard times as the world recuperated from the devastation, but also a new hope. Capitalism was booming, and consumerism was becoming ingrained as a major part of American culture.

For women, the 50’s was a confusing time, as they battled against losing the liberties they had gained throughout the war decades, and the “a woman’s place is in the home” concept that had resurfaced as the world returned to a pre-war mentality. Read about all the historical events that characterized the 50’s with our unrivaled collection of 1950s newspapers from the collection at Historic Newspapers.

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1951 Newspapers

1951 Newspaper Headlines Summary

Our collection of 1951 newspaper articles tell fascinating stories of life in 1951. Learn about what happened in 1951 that was worthy of a story in the paper, and discover the reactions of the press and the public. 1951 newspaper stories tell of how color television was first broadcast from the Empire State Building, the term “Rock and Roll” was coined, and the contraceptive pill was first invented. Unemployment was at an all time low after the terrible depression that had gripped the country, and Disney’s Alice in Wonderland made its debut on the big screen. Read about all this and much more in one of our 1951 newspapers.

January 9, 1951
The new United Nations headquarters officially opens in New York City.

20th January 1951
Avalanches in the Alps kill 240 people in Switzerland, Austria and Italy during the ‘Winter of Terror‘.

February 6, 1951 
A Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derails near Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, killing 85 people and injuring over 5000 in one of the worst rail disasters in American history.

February 21, 1951 
The fast-food chain restaurant Jack in the Box is founded by Robert O. Peterson in San Diego, California.

February 27, 1951 
The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting presidents to two terms, is ratified.

March 2, 1951 
The first NBA All-Star Game of basketball is played in the Boston Garden.

12th March 1951
The comic strip “Dennis the Menace” appears in newspapers across the United States for the first time.

21st April 1951
The National Olympic Committee of the Soviet Union is formed. The USSR first participates in the Olympic Games at Helsinki in 1952.

1st July 1951
Judy Garland opens the first of fourteen concerts in Dublin, at the Theater Royal.

July 16, 1951
J. D. Salinger’s story The Catcher in the Rye is published by Little, Brown and Company in New York City.

July 26, 1951 
Walt Disney’s 13th animated film, Alice in Wonderland, premieres in London, United Kingdom.

September 8, 1951 
The Treaty of San Francisco, a peace treaty, is signed by 48 nations with Japan in San Francisco to formally end the Pacific War.

24th October 1951
President Harry Truman declares an official end to the war with Germany.

26th October 1951
Winston Churchill is re-elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; his foreign minister is Anthony Eden.

23rd December 1951
The film The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, premieres in Hollywood.

31st December 1951 
The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.

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