At A Glance

21 July 1953 at a glance

Day of the week
21 July 1953 was a Tuesday.
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 21 July is Cancer.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 21 July 1953 fell in the Year of the Snake.
Birthstone
The birthstone for July is Ruby.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 21 July 1953 was Waxing Gibbous.

On this day: 21 July

  • 1949 The United States Senate ratifies the North Atlantic Treaty.
  • 1954 First Indochina War: The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
  • 1959 NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship, is launched as a showcase for Dwight D. Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" initiative.
  • 1959 Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green becomes the first African-American to play for the Boston Red Sox, the last team to integrate. He came in as a pinch runner for Vic Wertz and stayed in as shortstop in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
  • 1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike is sworn in as prime minister of Ceylon, becoming the world's first democratically elected female head of government.

Famous people born on July 21

  • Robin Williams, American actor and comedian (1951–2014)
  • Erling Haaland, Norwegian footballer (born 2000)
  • Juno Temple, English actress (born 1989)
  • Josh Hartnett, American actor (born 1978)

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

Dwight D. Eisenhower

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 →