Henkels & McCoy Timeline: 1951

1951

Henkels & McCoy completes the construction of approach light lane and apron grounding project at Philadelphia International Airport. The two-year project was awarded by the City of Philadelphia. Other recent airfield lighting projects included high intensity runway lighting in Syracuse, N.Y., plus runway and taxiway lighting systems at both Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey and for Harrisburg State Airport in south-central Pennsylvania, all constructed between 1948 through 1949. Hazard lighting was installed at Wilkes-Barre and Scranton Airport in northeastern Pennsylvania.

January 4
Chinese communists and North Korean communist forces capture Seoul.

February 27
The Twenty-second amendment to the Constitution is ratified. This amendment states the no US president can serve more than two terms.

March 6
Trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg commences in an America suddenly nervous over The Bomb, the Red Menace in Asia and Europe, and rumors and mostly baseless accusations of secret enemy agents and spies hiding "everywhere," including the US State Department, in universities, in the studios of Hollywood, and, a few years later -- within the higher ranks of the US Army itself.

March 12
Dennis the Menace comic strip debuts -- not to be confused with the Red Menace, above.

March 14
Allied forces recapture Seoul.

March 29
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted on espionage charges and subsequently receive the death penalty.

March 30
The first UNIVAC 1 computer is deployed.

July 10
Armistice negotiations for the Korean War commence.

July 20
King Abdullah of Jordan assassinated.

September 4
President Truman addresses the nation in the first coast to coast live television broadcast.

September 8
Treaty of San Francisco formally marks the end of the Pacific War.

November 5
The first 44-mile-long stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike is opened. The final nine-mile long section will open on January 15, 1952. The entire 118-mile length of the New Jersey Turnpike takes 25 months to construct, at a total cost of $255 million.

November 10
Direct dial telephone service available across the Long-distance dialing introduced in the US.

Also in 1951:

Hail Hail Rock and Roll
"Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats is released, considered by many to be the first rock and roll recording. It is later rumored that Beethoven begins to roll over and tells Tchaikovsky the news, although it will not be official until Chuck Berry releases a hit song to that effect in 1957... Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed uses term "rock 'n' roll" to promote rhythm and blues to white audiences.

Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn star in John Huston's memorable film The African Queen. Bogie wins an Oscar for Best Actor the following year for his performance as Charlie Allnut, the gin swilling riverman. Hepburn, Huston and James Agee (co-writer) all receive nominations for Best Actress, Best Picture and Best Writer.

What's On TV?
A hard hitting police drama, Dragnet makes its television debut, along with I Love Lucy, featuring America's favorite scatterbrain, Lucille Ball. Among the top ranked TV shows of the year are Texaco Theatre, Fireside Theatre, and Sid Caesar's comedy-variety hour, Your Show of Shows. Amos and Andy also premiers this year. The program is the first television series featuring an all black cast. The show became controversial years after its run, with charges of racial bias and perpetuation of negative stereotypes... Initial commercial color TV telecast by CBS... The Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves play the first baseball game televised in color... Initial coast to coast TV broadcast in US (President Truman).

Births
Clothes designer Tommy Hilfiger
Media personality Rush Limbaugh
Astronaut Sally Ride
Anatoly Karpov, world chess master

Deaths
Author Sinclair Lewis

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