NEWS AT HOME IN 1951

• Time Person Of The Year: Mohammed Mossadegh

• Truman Signs Peace Treaty With Japan, officially Ending WWII. The treaty was signed in San Francisco by 49 nations.  

• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted and sentenced to death for passing atomic secrets to Russians.

• General Douglas MacArthur, relieved of his duties by President Truman, bade farewell to Congress.

• The U.S. Congress ratifies the Twenty-second Amendment, limiting presidents to two terms in office.

• The Temple Beth Israel of Meridian, Mississippi becomes the first Jewish congregation to allow women to perform the functions of a rabbi.

• The first section of the New Jersey Turnpike opens.

• There are now 8.2 million trucks in the U.S.

• There were 36,996 motor vehicle related deaths. While in the air, there were 11 accidents resulting in 185 fatalities.

• In Cincinnati, Ohio, a Crosley automobile with a steering wheel on the right side became the first such vehicle placed in service for mail delivery.

• There are 900 fewer inmates in prison than the previous year although that still leaves 164,896 in jail.

• The U.S. produced 400,000 lbs. of penicillin 

• UNIVAC 1 is the first commercial computer. 

• A.E.C. produces electricity from atomic energy.

• Direct-dial, coast-to-coast telephone service began as Mayor M. Leslie Denning of Englewood, New Jersey called his counterpart Mayor Frank Osborn in Alameda, California. 

• Spurred by Schuman Plan, six nations form European Coal and Steel Community effective 1952. This is a major step toward the European Common Market.

• Winston Churchill again becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain.

• American casualties in Korea by the end of 1951 are 15,000 dead and 75,000 wounded.

• South Africans forced to carry ID Cards identifying their race.

• Florence Chadwick swims the English Channel from England to France in 16 hours.

• J. Andre-Thomas invents the first heart-lung machine, which allows advanced life-support during open-heart surgery.

• Libya gains independence. 

COMMERCE IN 1951

• US GNP (Gross National Product) is $329.6 billion.

• Unemployment: 3.3%.

• There was a 30.7% business failure rate. 

• The U.S. produced 100 million tons of steel.

• American automobile manufacturer Chrysler Corporation introduces power steering, which they called Hydraguide.

• The still camera gets built-in flash units.

• Tupperware introduced.

• The first Jack-in-the-Box opens in San Diego.   

• S&H Green Stampsget their start at the Denver store chain King Sooper.

• Topps Company started its first baseball card series, consisting of two individual sets of 52 cards each.

• Gerber Products starts using MSG (monsodium glutamate) in its baby foods to make them taste better. 

• Swanson introduces beef, chicken, turkey pot pies. 

• Tom Fears, Otto Graham, Johnny Lujack, (football) and George Kell, Bob Lemon and Ralph Kiner (baseball) get their own Wheaties boxes! 

• Duncan Hines introduced a cake mix. 

• Tropicana Orange and Grapefruit juices introduced.

ENTERTAINMENT IN 1951

• 11,000 new books will debut this year including: From Here to Eternity by James Jones; Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger’s; Look Younger, Live Longer by Gayelord Hauser; Kon- Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl; and The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson's.

• Herman Wouk's Caine Mutiny, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize, is also published this year.

• A cult classic debuts: The Day the Earth Stood Still.An alien (Klaatu) with his mighty robot (Gort) land their spacecraft on Cold War-era Earth just after the end of World War II. They bring an important message to the planet that Klaatu wishes to tell to representatives of all nations. However, communication turns out to be difficult.

• Walt Disney's Alice In Wonderland released.

• Color television introduced in U.S.

• 17 million Americans now own TV sets.

ACADEMY AWARDS OF 1951

• PICTURE: An American in Paris,

  Arthur Freed, Producer

• ACTOR: Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen

• ACTRESS: Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire

• SONG: In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening from Here Comes the Groom; Music by Hoagy Carmichael; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

MOST POPULAR FILMS 0F 1951

1. Alice in Wonderland
Alice stumbles into the world of Wonderland. Will she get home? Not if the Queen of Hearts has her way.
Dir: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson; With: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn 

2. A Streetcar Named Desire
Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.
Dir: Elia Kazan; With: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunt

3. Strangers on a Train
A psychotic socialite confronts a pro tennis star with a theory on how two complete strangers can get away with murder, a theory that he plans to implement.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock; With: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman

5. A Place in the Sun
Young up-and-comer George Eastman is thrust into the blue collar life of a rich uncle's family business.
Dir: George Stevens; With: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters

8. Royal Wedding
Tom and Ellen Bowen are a brother and sister dance act whose show closes in New York.
Dir: Stanley Donen; With: Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford

9. An American in Paris
Jerry Mulligan, a struggling American painter in Paris, is "discovered" by an influential heiress with an interest in more than Jerry's art.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli; With: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant

10. Quo Vadis
Returning to Rome after 3 years in the field, General Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia and falls in love.Dir: Mervyn LeRoy; With: Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn

• Texaco Star Theatre

• Philco TV Playhouse

TOP 10 SONGS OF 1951
(Songs listed are from rock and roll and related genres. These songs are ranked based on their initial and lasting popularity, as well as their influence and impact on the evolution of rock and related genres. Songs are listed strictly in the year that they were originally released in.)

• How High the Moon, Les Paul & Mary Ford

• My Truly, Truly Fair, Guy Mitchell

• In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman

• Too Young, Nat King Cole

• Detour, Patti Page

• Be My Love, Mario Lanza

• Come On-A My House, Rosemary Clooney

• I Get Ideas, Tony Martin

• Jezebel, Frankie Laine

• Because of You, Tony Bennett

• Down Yonder, Del Wood

• Cry, Johnnie Ray

• Undecided, The Ames Brothers

• Mister and Mississippi, Patti Page

• The Loveliest Night of the Year, Mario Lanza

• My Heart Cries for You, Guy Mitchell

• Mockin' Bird Hill, Les Paul & Mary Ford

• (It's No) Sin, Eddy Howard

• Shrimp Boats, Jo Stafford

• If, Perry Como

• On Top of Old Smokey, The Weavers

• Cold, Cold Heart, Hank Williams

• (Why Did I Tell You I Was Going To) Shanghai, Doris Day

• Charmaine, Mantovani

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL OF 1951

1951 MLB AWARDS AND HONORS

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD:

• Yogi Berra, New York Yankees, C

• Roy Campanella, Brooklyn Dodgers, C

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD: 

• Gil McDougald, New York Yankees, 3B

• Willie Mays, New York Giants, OF

THE SPORTING NEWS PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD: Stan Musial, St. Louis Cardinals

THE SPORTING NEWS MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD: Leo Durocher, New York Giants

1951 MLB STATISTICAL LEADERS
AMERICAN LEAGUE        

• AVG:  Ferris Fain, PHA, .344         

• HR:  Gus Zernial, PHA, 33              

• RBI:  Gus Zernial, PHA, 129     

• WINS:  Bob Feller, CLE,  22       

• ERA:  Saul Rogovin, CHW, 2.78      

• Ks:  Vic Raschi, NYY, 164    

NATIONAL LEAGUE

• AVG:  Stan Musial, STL, .355

• HR:  Ralph Kiner, PIT, 42

• RBI:  Monte Irvin, NYG, 121

• WINS: Larry Jansen, NYG, 23
            & Sal Maglie, NYG, 23
   

• ERA:  Chet Nichols, BSB, 2.88

• Ks:  Don Newcombe, BRK, 164
         & Warren Spahn, BSB,164
   

1951 MLB WORD SERIES: New York Yankees over the New York Giants, (4-2)
The 1951 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the New York Giants. The Giants had won the National League pennant in a thrilling three-game playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers on the legendary home run by Bobby Thomson (the Shot Heard 'Round the World).

In the Series, the Yankees showed some power of their own, including Gil McDougald's grand slam home run in Game 5, at the Polo Grounds. The Yankees won the Series in six games, for their third straight title and fourteenth overall. This would be the last World Series for Joe DiMaggio, who retired afterward, and the first for rookies Willie Mays and  Mickey Mantle.

1951 MLB ALL-STAR GAME:  National League wins, 8–3.

OTHER 1951 MLB NEWS:

• 20 year old outfielder Willie Mays joins N.Y. Giants Baseball team.

• Joe DiMaggio retires from baseball.  

IMPORTANT FOOTBALL OF 1951

1951 CHICAGO PREP BOWL: Mount Carmel 19,
Lindbloom 6   

1951 NFL STATISTICAL LEADER

• PASSING YARDS: Bobby Layne, 2,403 , DET

• PASSES COMPLETED: Bobby Layne, 152, DET

• RUSHING YARDS: Eddie Price, 971, NYG

• TOUCHDOWNS: Elroy Hirsch, 17, RAM

• RECEIVING YARDS: Elroy Hirsch, 1,495, RAM

1951 NFL MVP: Otto Graham, Cleveland, QB 

1951 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP: Cleveland over Los Angeles, (24-17)
The NFL Championship Game was televised coast-to-coast for the first time on December 23. The DuMont Network paid $75,000 for the rights to the game, in which the Rams defeated the Browns 24-17.

OTHER 1951 NFL NEWS

• The Pro Bowl game, dormant since 1942, was revived under a new format matching the all-stars of each conference at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

• A rule was passed that no tackle, guard, or center would be eligible to catch a forward pass.

• The Rams reversed their television policy and televised only road games.

 
1951 NFL PRO BOWL

• RESULTS: National Conference 30, American Conference 13        

• MVP: Dan Towler, Los Angeles Rams, Running back

• COACHES: Paul Brown, Cleveland, (AC) and Joe Stydahar, Los Angeles, (NC)  

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
OF 1951

1951 NBA CHAMPIONSHIPSERIES: Minneapolis Lakers defeat the New York Knicks, 4-3.
For the second straight season New York overcame a third-place finish to reach the Finals, while Minneapolis reasserted itself by defeating Rochester in the West. Another seven-game NBA Finals resulted, and the Lakers put the home-court advantage to good use and easily won Game 7, 82-65. 

1951 NBA ALL STAR GAME

• SCORE: East 111, West 94        

• MVP: Ed Macauley, Boston

OTHER 1951 NBA NEWS

• The jump shot was becoming more prevalent in the game, and its effectiveness was underlined as young Philadelphian Paul Arizin wrested the league scoring title from George Mikan.

• The lane was widened from six to 12 feet in an attempt to cut down the big man's dominance.

• The absence of a shot clock led to stalling tactics once a team gained a comfortable lead; and relief, in the form of a shot clock, was still three years away.

ADDITIONAL SPORTS' NEWS OF 1951

1951 AUTO RACING

• NASCAR: Herb Thomas
   
• INDIANAPOLIS 500: Lee Wallard

1951 BOXING

• Randy Turpin becomes the middleweight boxing champion after defeating Sugar Ray Robinson
   
• Jersey Joe Walcott knowcks out Ezzard Charles in round 7 in Pittsburgh, PA
   

1951 WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONS

• MEN'S: Dick Button, United States
   
• WOMEN'S: Jeanette Altwegg, Great Britain
   
• PAIRS: Ria Baran & Paul Falk, Germany

1951 MEN'S GOLD

• THE MASTERS: Ben Hogan
   
• US OPEN: Ben Hogan
   
• BRITISH OPEN: Max Faulkner
   
• PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: San Snead
   
• PGA TOURS' LEADING MONEY WINNER FOR THE YEAR: Lloyd Mangrum, $26, 089

1951 WOMEN'S GOLF: US Women's Open, Betsy Rawls

1951 U.S. TRIPLE CROWN THOROUGHBRED HORSE RACING

• KENTUCKY DERBY: Count Turf
   
• PREAKNESS STAKES: Bold
   
• BELMONT STAKES: Counterpoint

1951 THOROUGHBRED HIGHLIGHT: Citation becomes the first race horse to earn more than one million dollars.  

1951 ICE HOCKEY

• ART ROSS MEMORIAL TROPHY (Leading scorer during the regular seaason): Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings
   
• HART MEMMORIAL TROPHY (Most Valuable Player)
   
• Milt Schmidt, Boston Bruins
   
• STANLEY CUP: Toronto Maple Leafs win 4 games to 1 over the Montreal Canadiens

1951 MEN'S GRAND SLAM TENNIS

• AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Dick Savitt
   
• FRENCH OPEN: Jaroslav Drobny
   
• WIMBLEDON: Dick Savitt
   
• US OPEN: Frank Sedgman
   
• DAVIS CUP: Australia wins 3-2 over the United States

1951 WOMEN'S GRAND SLAM TENNIS

• AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Nancy Wynne Bolton
   
• FRENCH OPEN: Shirley Fry
   
• WIMBLEDON: Doris Hart
   
• US OPEN: Maureen Connolly

1951 TENNIS HIGHLIGHT: Maureen Connolly becomes the youngest woman to win the tennis U.S. Open.