| 1954 Four Power meeting Berlin A meeting of the foreign ministers of the US, the Soviet Union, France and Great Britain was held in Berlin. The conference lasted for three weeks, but ended in a deadlock. No substantial progress could be made on any subject separating the Eastern and Western powers. |
| 1954 Dien Bien Puh Falls French forces, under the command of General Navarre, decided that holding Dien Bien Phu, a valley post in Western Vietnam, was a major strategic objective. The French fortified the position with over 30,000 soldiers. On March 15, the Viet Minh began their assault. On May 7, Dien Bien Phu fell, and with it so did French hopes of victory in Vietnam. |
| 1954 Geneva Accords The Geneva Accords ended the war in Vietnam, for the time being. Under the terms of the Accords, the country was divided into a Communist North and Non-Communist South. Elections under international supervision were to be held in both the North and South two years after the signing of the Accords. |
| 1954 SEATO Formed In an additional collective security alliance, modeled on N.A.T.O., eight nations formed the South East Asia Treaty Organization. The nations were: the United States, Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Pakistan and Thailand. Members of S.E.A.T.O. are pledged to their mutual defense. |
| 1954 Revolt breaks Out in Algeria The National Liberation Front (FLN) began a revolt against French rule. The FLN wished to establish an independent Algerian state. |
| 1954 Nautilus Submarine Launched Before a crowd of 12,000, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christened the nation's first atomic-powered submarine, the "Nautilus." Atomic powered submarines would revolutionize the Navy and warfare. |
| 1954 Army McCarthy Hearing Senator Joe McCarthy finally went too far in his Communist witch–hunt, when his investigating committee attempted to investigate the US Army. The hearings, which were televised, showed to the American people the true nature of McCarthy's investigation. McCarthy soon went into decline. |
| 1954 Gunfire in Capital On March 1, three men and a women, all Puerto Rican nationalists, fired gunshots from the gallery of the House of Representatives, wounding five Congressmen. |
| 1954 Segregation Ruled Illegal The US Supreme Court, in the case of Brown v. the Board of Education, ruled that segregation was unconstitutional. The opinion was written by Chief Justice Earl Warren. The decision was a landmark case, and eventually resulted in the desegregation of all public institutions.
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| 1954 US Backed Coup In Guatemala The Guatemalan Government of Jacobo Arbenz Guzman was overthrown by military forces led by Col Carlos Castillo Armas. Armas received direct support from the United States Central Intelligence Agency. The Guzman government supported a Communist-authored land reform bill that expropriated most of the land holdings of United Fruit Company. The Guatemalan action led to a U.S. arms embargo. The Guatemalans then purchased arms from Czechoslovakia thereby providing the excuse for the coup. |
| 1954 F- 104 Makes Debut Lockheed unveiled its new fighter, the "F–104 Starfighter." The F–104 represents a new level of air performance, capable of reaching Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. |
| 1954 Boeing Unveils the 707 On July 15, Boeing unveiled the "707." It was taken on a maiden flight of 90 minutes. The 707 was the first jet aircraft to be commercially successful. It heralded the true entry of the jet age in commercial aviation. Over 3,000 707s were sold by Boeing. |
| 1954 Lockheed intriduces the YC-130 " Hercules"On August 23, Lockheed tested its first "Hercules" turbo prop aircraft. The Hercules is a highly agile transport craft that can carry 90 troops over 2,000 miles. Its ability to land and take off from short runways made it a favorite of airforces the world over. More than 1,900 Hercules planes have been produced, making it one of the most successful transport planes of all time. |
| 1954 First kidney Transplant A team from Harvard Medical School successfully completed the first kidney transplant operation. |
| 1954 Soviets Introduce the MIG- 19 The Soviets introduced the MIG–19. The MIG–19 was the first Soviet fighter that could fly at supersonic speeds. It was a simple, but highly maneuverable plane. |
