Also Within this year in history
In 1954, a year of breakthroughs, the first successful polio vaccine rolled out and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional. In England, Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. Two pop-culture titans, movie star Marilyn Monroe and baseball slugger Joe DiMaggio, tied the knot. And Bill Haley and His Comets released “Rock Around the Clock,” one of the earliest and most successful rock ‘n’ roll records.
The polio vaccine by Jonas Salk begins human testing, Captain John Smith lands in Jamestown, Lucy from I Love Lucy dies, and the Treasury unveils a new $50 bill in This Day in History video. The date is April 26th. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz known as Ricky Ricardo became famous in I Love Lucy.
Portrait of the children involved in the landmark Civil Rights lawsuit 'Brown V. Board of Education,' which challenged the legality of American public school segregation, Topeka, Kansas, 1953. From front, Vicki Henderson, Donald Henderson, Linda Brown (the 'Brown' of the case's name), James Emanuel, Nancy Todd, and Katherine Carper. (Photo by Carl Iwasaki/Getty Images)
People look through the premiere issue of Sports Illustrated magazine on a Manhattan sidewalk, New York, New York, August 16, 1954. (Photo by Susan Wood/Getty Images)
Launching of the USS Nautilus (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
U.S. Immigration Service employee who has worked there for 30 years finally waves goodbye to Ellis Island after the Immigration Service is closed for good after 62 years, New York, United States, 12th November 1954. (Photo by CORBIS/Bettmann-UPI/Getty Images)
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