Year 1952 in Review: Fun Facts, Trivia, and Historic Highlights

This quick read is a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1952. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, U.S. economic trends, historic firsts, entertainment news, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. In 1952, Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, and Alben W. Barkley was the nation’s vice president.
2. Throughout the year, Americans were buying houses in the suburbs and were also purchasing new cars, televisions, and refrigerators. Consumerism was on the rise, and Americans were enjoying “a standard of living that no other country could approach.”
3. Unemployment had dropped to 2.6%, inflation was a modest 1.92%, and the average annual household income was $3,400.
4. The average cost of a new home was $9,050, the average price for a new car was $1,700, and a gallon of gas averaged 20 cents.
5. Three out of five American families owned a car, two out of three families had a telephone, and one in three families had a television. The average American woman would be married by the age of 20, and relatively few women would continue with a career once their children were born.
6. In 1952, fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC were growing in popularity, but the scourge of polio affected thousands of American families as well.
7. American companies and brands established in 1952 included the Holiday Inn, Allegheny Airlines (the forerunner of US Airways), Mrs. T's Pierogies, Sheetz, Inc., St. Martin's Press, the Stony Hill Vineyard, and the Timberland Company.
8. Consumer products launched during the year included the Brownie camera, Kellogg’s frosted flakes, Gleem toothpaste, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), Lipton’s dry onion soup, Mr. Potato Head, Mrs. Paul’s frozen fish sticks, Olay skin care, the treadmill, and the videotape recorder (VTR).
9. In 1952, the best-selling American cars were Chevrolet (818,142), Ford (671,733), Plymouth (396,000), Buick (303,745), and Pontiac (271,373).
10. In the 1950s, polio was one of the most feared diseases in the U.S. and "had become one of the most serious communicable diseases among children." NPR tells us that in 1952 alone, "nearly 60,000 children were infected with the virus; thousands were paralyzed, and more than 3,000 died. Hospitals set up special units with iron lung machines to keep polio victims alive. Rich kids as well as poor were left paralyzed."
11. On January 3, the USPS issued a three-cent commemorative stamp to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 4-H club movement.
12. On February 4, MLB player Jackie Robinson became the first African American executive at a major television station (WNBC in New York).
13. On February 6, George VI—King of the UK—passed away after a long illness.
14. On February 6, Elizabeth II succeeded King George VI to the British throne and became the Queen of the United Kingdom.
15. On February 18, at the 4th Primetime Emmy Awards, Sid Caesar won an Emmy for Best Actor, and Imogene Coca won an Emmy for Best Actress. The Red Skelton Show (NBC) won an Emmy for Best Comedy Show, and Studio One (CBS) won an Emmy for Best Dramatic Show.
16. On March 20, at the 24th Academy Awards—which honored the best films of 1951—An American in Paris won an Oscar for Best Picture, and George Stevens (A Place in the Sun) won an Oscar for Best Director. Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen) won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Vivien Leigh (A Streetcar Named Desire) won an Oscar for Best Actress.
17. On March 27, producer Sam Phillips founded Sun Records, an independent American record label, in Memphis, Tennessee. Sun was the first record label to feature Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash.
18. Between April 9 and June 2, the 1952 steel strike unfolded. It “was a walkout by the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) against U.S. Steel (USS) and nine other steelmakers.” The strike was scheduled to begin on April 9, 1952, but U.S. President Harry Truman “intervened by seizing control of the nation's steel mills to prevent a strike that he feared would cripple national defense during the Korean War.” The steel companies “sued to regain control of their facilities. On June 2, 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer . . . that the President lacked the authority to seize the steel mills."
19. On April 30, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy to be advertised on television.
20. On June 2, General Motors engineer Maurice Olley began to design the Corvette sports car.
21. On June 15, The Diary of Anne Frank was published. Frank kept the diary “while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.”
22. On July 21, fourteen people died when a 7.8 earthquake rattled Kern County, California.
23. On July 24, the thermometer reached 112°F in Louisville, Georgia, setting a state record.
24. On September 24, the American fast-food restaurant chain "KFC" (Kentucky Fried Chicken) opened its first franchise in Salt Lake City, Utah.
25. On October 7, Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver received the first patents for optical bar codes.
26. On October 14, construction began on the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
27. On November 1, the U.S. successfully detonated its first hydrogen bomb.
28. On November 4, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower became the 34th U.S. president by defeating Democrat Adlai Stevenson. Eisenhower received 442 electoral votes and 33,778,693 popular votes to Stevenson’s 89 electoral votes and 27,314,992 popular votes.
29. Between December 5 and 9, the Great Smog of London smothered the city, wreaking havoc and killing nearly 12,000 people.
30. On December 29, the first transistorized hearing aid went on sale in Elmsford, New York.
31. In 1952, only 6.5 million Americans—or 4.2% of the U.S. population—owned common stock.
32. The Today Show, television’s first magazine-format program, premiered on NBC. Other shows that debuted in 1952 were Dragnet, I’ve Got a Secret, and The Jackie Gleason Show (aka The Honeymooners).
33. Best-selling fiction book: The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain
34. Popular films: Angel Face, The Bad and the Beautiful, and The Big Sky
35. Most popular TV shows: I Love Lucy (CBS), Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (CBS), and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends (CBS)
36. In 1952, beloved music artists and groups included Al Martino, B.B. King, the Clovers, the Dominoes, Doris Day, and Eddie Fisher.
37. Popular songs: Blue Tango (Leroy Anderson), Wheel of Fortune (Kay Starr), and Cry (Johnnie Ray)
38. Here are some sports facts from 1952: The Detroit Lions were the NFL champions, the Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup champs, and the New York Yankees won the World Series. In addition, the Boston Braves played their last game at Braves Field before moving to Milwaukee.

References:

1. https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/if-you-grew-50s-you-ll-definitely-remember-these-foods-slideshow/
2. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/yearonlytimeline-1951-1975.html
3. https://www.lovefood.com/gallerylist/51957/foods-we-fell-in-love-with-in-the-1950s
4. https://popculturemadness.com/1952-fun-facts-trivia-history/
5. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/1950s-food/
6. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/g26899440/50s-60s-nostalgia-foods/
7. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1952
8. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1952
9. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices
10. https://www.the-numbers.com/market/1952/top-grossing-movies
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952_in_the_United_States
12. https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1952.htm

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor