1. WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE By: Billy Joel

2. HARRY TRUMAN: US President elected to own term in 1948 DORIS DAY: Actress and singer; movies includes My Dream is Yours 1940s

3. JOHNNIE RAY: Signed recording contract, including “Cry” and “Just Walkin in the Rain” SOUTH PACIFIC: award winning musical opened on Broadway RED CHINA: Communist Party in China wins civil war and creates the People’s Republic of China

4. JOE DIMAGGIO: with the New York Yankees went to the World Series 5 times and won 4 of them WALTER WINCHELL: radio and newspaper journalist who created the gossip column

5. JOE MCCARTHY: US Senator for Wisconsin; led anti-communist crusade RICHARD NIXON: Elected to the Senate for California 1950 STUDEBAKER: Popular car company that began its financial downfall

6. NORTH KOREA, SOUTH KOREA: Beginning of Korean War on July 25 MARILYN MONROE: five new movies and in the celebrity spotlight TELEVISION: becoming the most popular means of advertising, though in black and white

7. ROSENBERGS: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg convicted of espionage (recruiter and courier for Soviets) H-BOMB: First h-bomb tested 1951

8. BRANDO: Marlon Brando is nominated for Best Actor for role in A Streetcar Named Desire PANMUNJOM: Border village were location of truce talks for the Korean War SUGAR RAY: Sugar Ray Robinson wins the world’s lightweight title in boxing

9. THE CATHER IN THE RYE: Controversial novel by J.D. Salinger THE KING AND I: musical opens on Broadway

10. EISENHOWER: Dwight D Eisenhower elected president (1953-1961) VACCINE: Vaccine for polio privately 1952 ENGLAND’S GOT A NEW QUEEN: Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom

11. LIBERACE: Popular musical entertainment show SANTAYANA: Carlos Santayana – philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist died on September 26 MARCIANO: Rock Marciano defeated Jersey Joe Walcott to become world heavyweight champion

12. JOSEPH STALIN: died MALENKOV: Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov takes over the Soviet Union for 6 months 1953

13. ROCKEFELLER: Winthrop Rockefeller and wife Barbara settle a highly publicized divorce in a $5.5 million arrangement PROKOFIEV: Composer, Sergei Prokofiev, died the same day as Stalin NASSER: Gamal Abdel Nasser, true power of Egypt

14. COMMUNIST BLOC: Communist nations dominated by the Soviet Union CAPANELLA: Roy Campenella, African American baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers who received the National League MVP for 2 nd year

15. ROY COHN: With the fall of McCarthy, he resigns as McCarthy’s chief counsel and enters private practice JUAN PERON: Last full year as President of Argentina before a coup 1954 TOSCANINI: Conductor Arturo Toscanini performs with NBC Symphony Orchestra on national radio

16. “ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK”: hit single by Bill Haley & His Comets; start of Rock ‘n Roll DIEN BIEN PHU FALLS: Village in North Vietnam falls to Viet Minh leading to creation of North and South Vietnam DACRON: Artificial fiber made from the same plastic as polyester