Historical Events From 1950-1955
1950- On January 17, a bank robbery occurred on 165 Prince Street in Boston. $2.8 million was stolen in a matter of 17 minutes. The robbery was called the "Brinks Robbery". Eleven men were part of this heist and all of them wore pea coats, chauffeur hats, and Halloween masks to conceal their faces. They moved quickly and it was said that they it was a planned robbery. A witness called the police and they came to the scene and captured all of the suspects later on. It was said to be "the crime of the century". All eleven men were found guilty and they all faced a life sentence and another sentence with eight to ten years.
1951- On September 8, the San Francisco Peace Treaty between Japan and part of the the Allied Powers was officially signed by forty-eight nations. The purpose of the treaty is to end World War II. It was signed at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California. The treaty has seven chapters and a preamble. The treaty is said to signify the effects of Japan's relationship with the United States.
1952- President Richard Nixon has a speech called "Checkers". The purpose of the speech was to clear up any accusations and scandals about him. Nixon allegedly had a classified fund where he had accepted $18,000 and a Cocker Spaniel named Checkers. He said he only accepted the dog. Two months later, Nixon was selected to be General Dwight Eisenhower's running mate. The press became aware of his fund and it sparked some controversy weather he should stay in the running. In another speech he said he would only keep the dog and he was later voted back to be in the running in November.
1953- On May 29, Edmund Hilary and Tensing Norgay were marked in the history books by becoming the first humans to ever climb the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of a expedition of climbing the mountain but not to the top. They were both sent out with some help and they camped out for the night and they started the climbed to the top in the morning. They reached the summit at around 11:30 a.m.
1953- This was the year Marilyn Monroe became famous. When a film called "Niagara" came out, she became an instant star. She starred in the film alongside with Jean Peters, Joseph Cottens, and Casey Adams. In 1954, she married baseball star Joe DiMaggio but he didn't like the attention she was getting so he went for divorce after only nine months. After the divorce, she went for more serious roles. By her third marriage, she has been getting emotional breakdowns. She went to rehab but she was later found dead in her house from an overdose of drugs on August 5, 1962.
1954- In Topeka, Kansas Linda Brown was turned down when she enrolled in a "white school", just because she was African American. Other parents were dealing with the same situation so they filed lawsuits against the Topeka Board of Education. Linda's father Oliver Brown was turned down from the state court so the case was taken to the Supreme Court. After three years of arguing, the Supreme Court decided that both races should be taught the same things and be in the same school.
1954- The Vietnam War began in 1954 after the rise of the Ho Chi Minh leader of North Vietnam fighting against South Vietnam and the United States. More than 3 million died including 58,000 Americans. The United States was working on getting rid of communism but Ho Chi Minh was already spreading communism to Vietnam.
1955- On December 1, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This lead up to the Supreme Court decision of outlawing bus segregation. She said she was tired of racial inequality and she later gets arrested for violation of segregation rules. African American leaders start boycotting all city buses and Martin Luther King Jr. was chosen to lead the boycott. When the protests begin, Rosa Parks is found guilty and her lawyer said he would bring the case to the Supreme Court. On November 13, 1956 the Supreme Court rules that Montgomery's segregation laws are unconstitutional.