This page offers an insight into life in 1952 and includes World news, political leaders, prices, population statistics and information about the popular culture of 1952.
The year 1952 began on a Tuesday and was a leap year.
1952 In The News
6th February – Elizabeth II became Queen of Britain after her father died.
1st November – The United States detonated a hydrogen bomb in the Marshall Islands.
4th November – Dwight Eisenhower won the Presidential election.
Life in 1952 – Prices
Average house:
UK – £1,891; USA – $9,050
Petrol per gallon:
UK – £0.20; USA – $0.20
Loaf of Bread:
UK – £0.03; USA – $0.16
Gold per ounce:
UK – $34.60, USA – $40.0
Life in 1952 – Population
World: – 2,635,733,923
Australia: – 8,691,212
Canada: – 14,785,584
China: – 574,536,256
India: – 382,791,328
Soviet Union: 105,385,088
United States: – 156,392,992
United Kingdom: – 50,430,000
Life in 1952 – Music
Best Selling Single:
UK – Here in My Heart – Al Martino
USA – Blue Tango – Leroy Anderson
AUS – Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart – Vera Lynn
CAN – No data – Charts began 1964
Best Selling Album:
UK – No data – Charts began 1956
USA – With a Song in my Heart – Jane Froman
AUS – No data – Charts began 1966
CAN – No data – Charts began 1968
Popular Artists:
Bing Crosby, Bill Haley and his Comets, Doris Day, Frankie Lane, Dean Martin, Al Martino, Frank Sinatra, Hank Williams
On the Bookshelves
Books Published in 1952:
The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
East of Eden – John Steinbeck
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – CS Lewis
Invisible Man – Ralph Emerson
Waiting for Godot – Samuel Beckett
At the Movies
1952 Top Movies:
1. The Greatest Show on Earth – $12.8 million
2. The Snows of Kilimanjaro – $6.5 million
3. Hans Christian Anderson – $6 million
4. Ivanhoe – $5.8 million
5. Sailor Beware – $4.3 million
Life in 1952 – World Leaders
Australia Prime Minister – Robert Menzies
Canada Prime Minister – Louis St Laurent
China President – Mao Zedong
India Prime Minister – Jawaharlal Nehru
Soviet Union Leader – Joseph Stalin
United States President – Harry S Truman
United Kingdom Prime Minister – Winston Churchill
Born in 1952
11th March – Douglas Adams (Author)
10th April – Stevven Seagal (Actor)
24th April – Jean-Paul Gaultier (Designer)
7th June – Liam Neeson (Actor)
4th August – Ossie Ardiles (Footballer)
2nd September – Jimmy Connors (Tennis Player)
Died in 1952
6th February – George VI (King of Britain)
26th February – Theodoros Pangalos (President of Greece)
15th April – Viktor Chernov (Russian Politician)
26th July – Eva Peron (Argentine First Lady)
8th December – Charles Lightoller (Titanic Officer)
1952 Sport Highlights
Football – Newcastle United won the FA Cup
Tennis – Maureen Connolly won Wimbledon for the second year
Winter Olympics –Held in Oslo – Norway came first with 16 medals
Summer Olympics –Held in Helsinki – United States came first with 84 medals
Cycling – Fausto Coppi (ITA) won the Tour de France
Golf – Julius Boros won the US Open, and Bobby Locke won the British Open
Baseball – New York Yankees won the World Series
Horse Racing –Mont Tremblant won the Cheltenham Gold Cup; Hill Gail won the Kentucky Derby
Christmas Wishlist
Mr Potato Head
Pull along toys
Dinky Cars
Junior tool kit
Dolls and Dolls House
What Was New?
Polio vaccine was developed
The first diet soft drink was sold
Optical fibres were developed
The bar code was invented
Airbag was invented
First published 2020; updated and republished Mar 23 2022 @ 8:23 pm – Updated –
