1953

Major Events and People in 1953

Joseph Stalin
Georgy Malenkov
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev
Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller
Roy Campanella
Communist Bloc

Josef Stalin

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Josef Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union. He was a very harsh leader who had millions of people executed or sent to labor camps in Siberia. He was born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili on December 18, 1878 in Gori, Georgia. During his rise to power he changed his name to Josef Vissarionovich Stalin. Stalin mean "steel" in Russian. He followed Vladimir Lenin in control of the Soviet Union. Stalin eventually died from high blood pressure on March 5, 1953.

Georgy Malenkov

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Georgy Malenkov was a Soviet politician and Communist Party leader. Eventually he was the leader of the USSR, after Joseph Stalin's death. He was born on January 13, 1902 in Orenburg, Russia. In 1925 he became Josef Stalin's personal secretary. By the year 1946, Josef Stalin appointed Malenkov his deputy prime minister. After Stalin's death in 1953 he became the head of Soviet Union in March. In February 1955 he was forced to resign after Nikita Khrushchev described him as a revisionist. After he resigned, he became the manager of a hydroelectric plant in Kazakhstan. He died on January 14, 1988.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

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Gamal Abdel Nasser led Egypt to secular independence in the 1950s. He held the office of President from 1956 until his death in 1970. He was considered one of the most influential Arab leaders in history.

Sergi Sergeyevich Prokofiev

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Sergi Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer. He was born on April 23, 1891. Prokofiev died on March 5, 1930 from a cerebral hemorrhage. He died on the same day as Joseph Stalin. His most famous work is Peter and the Wolf.

Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller

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Nelson (center) and Winthrop (right) Rockefeller
Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller were grandsons of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller. Nelson was born on July 8, 1908 and died on January 26, 1979. Winthrop was born on May 1, 1912 and died on February 22, 1973. They were both politicians.
In 1953, Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Nelson as chair of the President's Advisory Committee on Government Organization. He served as Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973. He was the 41st Vice President of the United States of America, under Gerald ford, from December 19, 1974 to January 20, 1977. Also in 1953, Winthrop Rockefeller moved from Florida and New York to Arkansas. Winthrop became Governor of Arkansas in 1966 and was said to be a great influence on future Arkansas Governor and U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Roy Campanella

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Roy Campanella was born on November 19, 1921. He died on June 26, 1993. He was an all-star catcher on the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1951, 1953, and 1955 he was the National League's Most Valuable Player. He was also the first black catcher in Major League Baseball History. His career was cut short by a paralyzing car accident.  In 1969, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Communist Bloc

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The Communist Bloc was created in 1953 when the Soviet Union allied with its satellite countries. The Communist Bloc was also referred to as the Eastern Bloc or the Soviet Bloc. These countries include The Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia,and Albania.