1954

Vietnam gains independence
North Vietnamese take Dien Bien Phu
West Germany admitted to NATO
Construction begins on the St. Lawrence Seaway
US Air Force Academy established

First flights of the Boeing 707 and B-52
"Brown v. Board of Education" decision mandates U.S. school desegregation
1st flights of the Boeing 707 and B-52
Roger Bannister breaks the "4 minute mile"
Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe married
Alan Freed coins the phrase "Rock and Roll"
1st Newport Jazz Festival
William Golding's The Lord of the Flies
1st nuclear submarine, the Nautilus, launched
1st nuclear power plant built
1st use of the polio vaccine
1st nonstick pan
Legos
1st Elvis Presley hit, "That's All Right"
Broadway - "Peter Pan"
"Re-birth" of Davy Crockett
Films - "Rear Window", "White Christmas", "The Seven Samurai"
TV shows - "Lassie", "Father Knows Best", "The Tonight Show", "Disneyland", "Make Room for Daddy", "Sky King", "What's My Line"
Ron Howard, Oprah Winfrey born
Henri Matisse dies