At A Glance

2 January 1951 at a glance

Day of the week
2 January 1951 was a Tuesday.
Top Film of 1951
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1951 was Quo Vadis.
Bestselling Novel of 1951
“From Here to Eternity” by James Jones was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1951.
Top-Rated TV Show
“Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1951–52 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 2 January is Capricorn.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 2 January 1951 fell in the Year of the Tiger.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 2 January 1951 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 2 January

  • 1942 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtains the conviction of 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history; Also known as the Duquesne Spy Ring.
  • 1942 World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces, enabling them to control the Philippines.
  • 1949 Luis Muñoz Marín is inaugurated as the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
  • 1954 India establishes its highest civilian awards, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan.
  • 1959 Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, is launched by the Soviet Union.

Famous people born on January 2

  • Jim Bakker, American televangelist (1940–2026)
  • Kemi Badenoch, English politician (born 1980)
  • Dax Shepard, American actor (born 1975)
  • Kate Bosworth, American actress (born 1983)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1951 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1951 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • February 21 – The Jack in the Box fast-food restaurant chain is founded by Robert O. Peterson in San Diego, California.
  • March 29 – The 23rd Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Fred Astaire, is held at RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Joseph L. Mankiewicz's All About Eve wins six awards, including Best Motion Picture and Mankiewicz's second consecutive Best Director win.
  • April 27 – RKO releases the Howard Hawks sci-fi film The Thing from Another World.
More events of 1951 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 1951

President

Harry S. Truman

Gas (per gallon)

$0.27

Loaf of Bread

$0.16

Average House

$7,800

Weekly Wage

$58

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Famous Faces Born in the 1950s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Michael Jackson29 August 1958Singer & songwriterView their day →Anthony Bourdain25 June 1956Chef & television personalityView their day →Bruce Willis19 March 1955ActorView their day →Madonna16 August 1958SingerView their day →Annette Bening29 May 1958ActressView their day →Robin Williams21 July 1951Actor & comedianView their day →Steve Jobs24 February 1955Entrepreneur & co-founder of Apple Inc.View their day →Prince7 June 1958MusicianView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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