At A Glance
2 January 1953 at a glance
- Day of the week
- 2 January 1953 was a Friday.
- Top Film of 1953
- The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1953 was Peter Pan.
- Bestselling Novel of 1953
- “The Robe” by Lloyd C. Douglas was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1953.
- Top-Rated TV Show
- “I Love Lucy” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1953–54 season.
- Star sign
- The star sign for 2 January is Capricorn.
- Chinese zodiac
- In the Chinese zodiac, 2 January 1953 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
- Birthstone
- The birthstone for January is Garnet.
- Moon phase
- The moon phase on 2 January 1953 was Waning Gibbous.
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.
- 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.
- 1963 Vietnam War: The Viet Cong wins its first major victory, at the Battle of Ap Bac.
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 1953 in the United States
A selection from Wikipedia's '1953 in the United States'. Not a complete list.
- January 22 – The Crucible, a historical drama by Arthur Miller written as an allegory of McCarthyism, opens on Broadway.
- February 5 – Walt Disney's 14th animated film, Peter Pan, premieres in Chicago. It is Disney's final film to be distributed by RKO.
- April 11 – The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare begins operations, the first new Cabinet-level department since the Department of Labor's formation in 1913.
Life in the US in 1953
President
Harry S. Truman
Gas (per gallon)
$0.29
Loaf of Bread
$0.17
Average House
$8,450
Weekly Wage
$65
Or
Browse by Year
Famous Faces Born in the 1950s
Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.
Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
About The Day You Were Born
Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.
About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →
