And here we go again! One of my infamous bad ideas is still continuing to pay dividends, with the 7th entry detailing the historical references in We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel. Yes, I know the song is 35 years old, and other people have already done this before, but they haven’t done it this badly.

For the uninitiated, here are the previous entries:

• We Didn’t Start the Fire: The Beginning 
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1948-1949.
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1950
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1951
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1952
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1953
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1954

Because you’re clever and eat carrots, you will realise we are up to the glorious year of 1955. And just like last time, strap yourself in because I’m going to be firing some facts at you! Good luck!

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1955

Albert Einstein 

Arguably, the most famous scientist of the 20th century, if not for the last 3,000 years, was Albert Einstein. Born in 1879, Einstein was a theoretical physicist who researched and published work on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion and the Einstein relation, special relativity, the principle of mass-energy equivalence (E=mc2), statistical mechanics, and many more outstanding contributions to science.

I would be as mad as a guest at one of the Mad Hatter’s tea parties if I didn’t mention his work on general relativity, which changed the world. Einstein’s theory of general relativity was once described as, “…the highest intellectual achievement in the history of humanity.” In my poor opinion, I believe it’s an accurate statement.

Einstein died on 18th April 1955, at Princeton, New Jersey, USA. In scientific and academic circles, Einstein was a rock-star scientist, and he crossed over to become a pop culture icon. For the death of a modern famous scientist, I’m going to offer the late great British theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, who died in 2018.

James Dean

1955 was a difficult year for science lovers and movie fans because just five months after Einstein died, James Dean died on 30th September 1955, aged only 24 years old.

Dean was a Hollywood heartthrob, who had a bad boy image. He became a professional actor in 1951, and his acting experience covered theatre, television, and film. In saying that, the two films, East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause, helped to boost his rising star into the stratosphere, both being released in 1955.

Dean was driving his new Porsche 550 Spyder on U.S. Route 466, when he crashed at the junction of SR 46 and SR 41 near Cholame, California. His passenger, Rolf Wütherich, survived and sustained multiple injuries, but Dean was killed instantaneously.

A contemporary example would be the actor, Paul Walker, who died in a car accident on 30th November 2013.

Brooklyn’s got a winning team 

We’re going to break free of celebrities dying and focus on a sports team. A baseball team to be precise. In the 1950s, the Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team operating out of, you guessed it, Brooklyn, in New York City.

They were in the National League, where they had won the pennant 10 times previously. However, 1955 was a big year for the Dodgers, because they won the National League again, but this time over the Milwaukee Braves. In the World Series, they met the New York Yankees, which was the fifth time in nine years that the Dodgers and the Yankees met in that format.

The 1955 World Series was special for the Dodgers, since they defeated their rivals 4-3, winning the trophy for the first time. If you remember Roy Campanella from the 1953 post, you’ll also remember that Campanella played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In 1957, the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to California, becoming the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I’ve said this before, but baseball is not in my wheelhouse of expertise, so I’ll leave it up to a baseball fan to give us a modern equivalent for the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, because I have no idea. However, I do know that the Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series, beating the New York Yankees again, 4-1.

Davy Crockett

This is an odd one, but I’m sure we’ll bumble our way through it. The great Davy (David) Crockett was a folk hero in American culture, being a politician, militia officer and frontiersman, from 1786-1836. He became famous for his hunting, coonskin cap, politics, military service, and his death, at the Battle of the Alamo.

In 1954, a television mini-series named Davy Crockett was released, and it became extremely popular as Davy Crockett-mania swept the United States, with Davy Crockett merchandise exploding everywhere. The show had five episodes, with Fess Parker starring as the “King of the Wild Frontier.”

In 1955, Walt Disney Productions edited and recut the original first three episodes into a theatrical film named Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier. The film made $2.15 million at the box office, which would be $25.3 million today, adjusted for inflation.

In contemporary times, turning a television programme into a movie, via means of a reboot, is commonplace now. Just look at 21 Jump Street, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Baywatch, Charlie’s Angels, and so many more.

But even though Hollywood of 2024 can be guilty of rehashing and rebooting movies, as well as pumping out sequels, editing episodes of a television show and repackaging them as a theatrical film, is a line that Hollywood of 2024 would not cross. Maybe.

Peter Pan

The character of Peter Pan, the leader of the Lost Boys, and eternal foe of Captain Hook, has been translated into many mediums over the years, such as plays, literature, animated and live-action films, and television programmes, since his creation in 1902.

On 7th March 1955, NBC Television did something quite radical. The Peter Pan Broadway Show was ending soon, so the studio decided to broadcast a television adaption of Peter Pan, using the original Broadway cast.

What makes this production so special, was that it was broadcast live and in colour. It amassed 65 million viewers, even though colour television sets were still developing in popularity. It was such a success, that NBC did it again in 1956 for a second live broadcast.

Comparing this reference to a modern one is difficult because live colour broadcasts are the standard for television viewing in 2024, however the ability to stream your favourite television programmes via devices like tablets, computers, or phones, has changed the way people interact with the world, but also how we consume our entertainment, for good or for ill.

Elvis Presley

It’s taken us until 1955, but we are ready to talk about the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Like James Dean, Presley’s star power was developing, so on either 20th or 21st November 1955, aged only 20 years old, Presley signed a record contract with RCA Records. Although he was legally a minor, technically, his father signed the contract.

His previous contract with Sun Records was purchased for $40,000, which was audacious for the time. During this period, Presley also signed a contract to create two new music businesses to showcase his musical talents and to expand his growing stardom.

I’m not down with the kids today, but some contemporary equivalents would be Justin Bieber, Adele, or Rihanna.

Disneyland 

Disneyland opened on 17th July 1955, in Anaheim, California, USA. It was the first theme park created by the Walt Disney Company and the only one that Walt Disney personally designed and constructed.

It took only a year to build for $17 million, which adjusted for inflation, works out to be around $153 million. 28,000 people attended the opening, but things didn’t go exactly to plan, with several mistakes happening, which drew negative attention and press.

Walt Disney went on to refer to the opening day as Black Sunday. In 2024, there are six Disney theme parks located in California, Florida, (United States) Hong Kong, Tokyo (Japan), Paris (France), and Shanghai (China).

So for 1955, we covered the deaths of a theoretical physicist and an actor, a baseball team, a movie, a television broadcast, a music contract, and a theme park. This took longer than I had anticipated, so 1956 isn’t going to be any easier. Cool.

And that’s it for another week. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m still haunting Twitter and Mastodon, so please drop by for some useless daily information.

Before I go, keep your eyes on Syria, because after ruling and brutalising the country for 24 years, Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown and fled to Russia. Having survived 13 years of civil war, will Syria be able to keep moving forward with progress, justice, and democracy, or will Assad’s absence cause more conflict? I have no idea, but I hope it’s the former and not the latter.

Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, go and tell a Nazi to fuck off, and I’ll see you next week. Christmas is coming!

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Because of various reasons, I got distracted last month, which to be fair, was the constant statement throughout my school reports. This distraction meant we didn’t have a We Didn’t Start the Fire blog post, which will soon be fixed. I’m not sure if Billy Joel would approve.

Just like an ejection seat in a helicopter, my We Didn’t Start the Fire references are a bad idea. Nevertheless, it’s back for another month. Previous chapters in this ongoing mess include:

• We Didn’t Start the Fire: The Beginning 
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1948-1949.
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1950
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1951
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1952
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1953

If you’ve been keeping score, we looked at 1953 last time, so we’re moving on to 1954. So, strap yourself in because it’s going to be a bumpy ride! And away we go!

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1954

Roy Cohn:

We’re going to kick 1954’s references off with Roy Cohn, who was an American prosecutor and lawyer. To me, Cohn is famous for a few odd things. Hopefully you remember Joseph McCarthy, the communist-hunting senator from the 1950 list. It may not come as a surprise, but not only did Cohn and McCarthy know each other, Cohn worked as chief counsel for McCarthy in the 1954 Army–McCarthy hearings.

The hearings were a political embarrassment for McCarthy and his anti-communism policies, so after the hearings had finished, Cohn fell on his sword and resigned from McCarthy’s staff. This caused a minor scandal across the country, which led Cohn to work as an attorney in New York City.

Do you remember the Rosenbergs (Julius and Ethel Rosenberg) from the 1951 list? Take three guesses to name one of the prosecutors involved in their case. That’s right, it was Cohn.

For a modern context, I previously referred to Joseph McCarthy as everybody’s favourite convicted felony and ex-president, Donald Trump. So, if Trump is McCarthy, then Cohn would be Michael Cohen; if you follow my logic.

Juan Perón:

Juan Perón served as President of Argentina from 1946 to 1955 and then again from 1973 to 1974. He is a significant figure in the history of Argentina and Latin America, with a complex legacy. His policies, known as Peronism, evolved, and he eventually became a dictator. Additionally, he provided refuge to wanted Nazi war criminals, contributing to the ongoing crisis.

During his second term in 1954, Perón was becoming less popular, while Argentina faced economic problems like high inflation, huge debt, and a decrease in productivity. Perón was also having trouble with the Roman Catholic Church. He pushed for the decriminalisation of divorce and prostitution; deported two Catholic priests; promoted a constitutional amendment to separate State and Church; publicly accused bishops and priests of sabotaging his government; and suppressed religious education in schools. He was a busy guy.

Perón was finally deposed in a coup d’état in 1955, mainly because of the bombing of Plaza de Mayo by Argentine military aircraft, which killed over 300 people.

A modern equivalent is somewhat difficult because sadly, we have many choices to select from, like Alexander Lukashenko, Bashar al-Assad, Kim Jong Un, Slobodan Milošević, Vladimir Putin, Augusto Pinochet, Pol Pot, Francisco Franco, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Muammar Gaddafi, or Idi Amin. Take your pick, because they all suck.

Arturo Toscanini:

The beloved Arturo Toscanini was one of the most famous conductors on the planet. After years of working around the world, Toscanini moved to the United States. He worked with several symphony orchestras before securing a position with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, which was a radio orchestra.

This job lasted from 1937 to 1954 when Toscanini stepped down from the position of conductor and retired at 87 years old. That was his last live public performance.

For a modern conductor, I don’t want to start a fight about which conductor is the best in the world. This is outside of my lane, but some examples could be Sir Simon Rattle, Marin Alsop, Gustavo Dudamel, Seiji Ozawa, Nathalie Stutzmann, Sir Neville Marriner, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Antonio Pappano, Susanna Mälkki, Carlos Kleiber, or maybe Bernard Haitink.

Dacron:

This is the first non-human entry on the list, and it is very useful. In 1954, Polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET, PETE, and Dacron, was released to the public. Dacron is an artificial fibre that changed the way people live and interact with the world.

It’s recyclable plastic number 1 and was mainly trademarked as a synthetic polyester fabric, but it expanded to all facets of modern life. The demand for this product is insane. The annual production of PET was 56 million tons in 2016, with 30% being made up of bottle production worldwide.

I would give you a modern version, but Dacron is still being used today.

Dien Bien Phu falls:

We are continuing with another non-human entry because this one is a city or rather a battle. Dien Bien Phu, or Điện Biên Phủ, is a city located in Vietnam. Back in 1946, Vietnam was known as French Indochina, and it was supported and controlled by…wait for it…the French.

This resulted in the First Indochina War, with the French fighting the Viet Minh, aka the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the newly minted nation.

In 1954, the French Far East Expeditionary Corps fought the Viet Minh, at the French encampment in Dien Bien Phu, between 13th March and 7th May. History remembers this as the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. The size of the armies, along with the casualties, vary to different records, but whatever the case, the Viet Minh claimed victory.

This was a humiliating defeat for the French, as it was the decisive battle of the war. The legacy of this battle resulted in the creation of North Vietnam (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (the Republic of Vietnam). Eventually, the Second Indochina War started a year later, though it’s known by another name; The Vietnam War.

Rock Around the Clock:

One, two, three o’clock, four o’clock, rock
Five, six, seven o’clock, eight o’clock, rock
Nine, ten, eleven o’clock, twelve o’clock, rock
We’re gonna rock around the clock tonight

Dubbed as the first rock-and-roll song, Rock Around the Clock was a smash hit. Released in May 1954 by Bill Haley & His Comets, Rock Around the Clock only lasted 2:08 minutes, but it changed music history.

The single sold 25 million copies and became the unofficial anthem for the growing rebellious youth around the world, and brought this developing sound of music to mainstream audiences.

It defined a generation, much like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”

So for 1954, we covered a prosecutor, a dictator, a conductor, an artificial fabric, a battle, and a song. This was a strange and mixed list, but we will have seven entries for 1955, so I need to start planning for next month. I mean, maybe the writing will get better.

And that’s it for another week. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, and if you’re a US citizen, please vote to send a certain 78-year-old into retirement. Take care and I’ll see you next week.

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That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, one of the world’s worst ideas is back for another month. No, it’s not Some Geek Told Me’s The Tour of the Solar System. That hurt by the way. It’s Some Geek Told Me‘s We Didn’t Start the Fire’s historical references.

If you missed the previous entries of this colossal mistake, they include:

• We Didn’t Start the Fire: The Beginning 
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1948-1949.
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1950
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1951
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1952

I’ve been behind with writing the 1953 references to Billy Joel’s song, because the weather here has been terrible, and I’ve been trying to stay dry and warm in winter, so I’m fighting a losing battle.

Anyway, without any more time wasting; because that’s a striker’s or centre forward’s job, let’s dissect the We Didn’t Start the Fire’s historical references for 1953.

Can’t wait.

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1953

Joseph Stalin:

This entry on the list is not one of the most well-liked people who have ever lived. Born Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, though known to the world as Stalin, was the brutal ruler of the Soviet Union from 1924-1953.

Stalin is a contentious figure in world history. He helped bring about the end of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, with the Soviet Union accounting for between 20-27 million people killed during the Second World War, the greatest death toll from any country. The bulk of these deaths came from fighting Nazi Germany.

However, before the war started, Stalin signed a non-aggression pact known as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with Hitler. The pact was a plan for Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to carve up Europe for themselves. And just like every villain team-up ever, there was betrayal when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, breaking the pact.

Viewed and regarded in the same shitty category as Hitler, Stalin seemed to look at Hitler’s crimes against humanity and said, “Hold my vodka.”

Through his leadership and regime known as Stalinism, some of Stalin’s crimes include, but not all: creating the Gulag system; the Great Famine; Collectivization, Dekulakization and Special Settlements; the Great Purge; Order No. 227; punishing Soviet prisoners of war; and refusing to punish Soviet soldiers’ war crimes.

Stalin’s direct actions like imprisonment and executions, but also his negligence, paranoia, and incompetency, caused the deaths of between 7-20 million Soviet citizens. When he died on 5th March 1953, people worldwide celebrated, after he was in power for 29 years.

Malenkov:

After Stalin died, there was a power vacuum that many people were trying to fill. The (un)lucky winner of that contest was Georgy Malenkov. Things did not go easily for Malenkov, because only after one week as leader, he was forced to give up control of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

After some time, Malenkov and Nikita Khrushchev, the party’s First Secretary, entered a power struggle over the leadership of the Soviet Union. History tells us that Malenkov lost and was removed from power, with Khrushchev becoming the new leader. Malenkov lasted only 186 days in power.

A modern equivalent would be Ex-British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, who only lasted 50 days as leader and failed to outlast a lettuce.

Nasser:

Nasser refers to Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, otherwise known as Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser was an Egyptian army officer, who along with Mohamed Naguib, led the 1952 Egyptian revolution, against the United Kingdom, and deposed the monarch, King Farouk I.

In 1953, Egypt was declared a republic, with Naguib becoming Egypt’s first president. Eventually, Nasser placed Naguib under house arrest and became the de facto leader of Egypt, until his election in 1956. He served as Egypt’s second president until he died in 1970.

In contemporary times, we only need to look at Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Cuba’s Raúl Castro, or Eritrea’s Isaias Afwerki.

Prokofiev:

On 5th March 1953, (the same day Stalin died) Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev died at the age of 61. He had composed seven operas, seven symphonies, eight ballets, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a symphony concerto for cello and orchestra, and nine completed piano sonatas.

Some of his most beloved works were The Love for Three Oranges, the suite Lieutenant Kijé, the ballet Romeo and Juliet, and the eternal favourite, Peter and the Wolf.

For a modern composer, well, I don’t want to start a fight with anybody. If you want to choose someone for yourself, be my guest because we are blessed to live in a world full of amazing composers, and to choose one over another seems criminal, at least to me.

However, my wife added that John Williams is the cat’s pyjamas.

Rockefeller:

Winthrop and Barbara Rockefeller were married on 14th February 1948. Winthrop was part of the wealthy and famous Rockefeller dynasty, being John D. Rockefeller’s grandson, and John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s son. Not to be outdone, Barbara was also a successful Hollywood actress. Barbara gave birth to their son, Winthrop Paul “Win” Rockefeller, on 17th September 1948.

Fast forward to two years later, the happy couple were estranged. By 1953, divorce proceedings had started, with both parties haggling over a settlement. This was a very publicised celebrity divorce and was a constant story in the news cycle. By 1954, they had finally divorced, with Barbara receiving a $5.5 million settlement, which was a record for the time.

Three of the biggest publicised celebrity divorces in recent times would be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie; Ye (Kanye West) and Kim Kardashian; and Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. There are others, but come on, I need to sleep.

Campanella: 

Making the 1953 list is our first and only sportsperson, Roy Campanella. Campanella was a baseball player, who mainly played as a catcher. He started his Major League Baseball career in 1948, when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, until his early retirement in 1957 from a car accident.

In 1953, Campanella won the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award for the second time, after winning it in 1951, and for a third time in 1955. Campanella won the World Series in 1955 and was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

Selecting a contemporary equivalent is difficult for me because even though I follow baseball to a certain extent, I don’t know it well enough to choose a player. I’m a rugby, cricket, football, and rugby league supporter, so baseball is not really in my wheelhouse. However, any followers and subscribers of New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website, who are also baseball fans, please let me know your opinions on the matter.

Communist Bloc:  

You may recall that during the 1950s, the Cold War had started, and 1953 was a flashpoint for Europe. “The Communist Bloc” refers to the Eastern Bloc, or the Soviet Bloc; which was a term given to the countries that were Communist states.

In the case of the song, we are looking at the 1953 East German uprising. This happened when construction workers rose in protest against government demands to increase productivity. The protests soon spread across East Germany, with people starting to demand better living standards and resisting the Sovietization way of life in East Germany.

At the height of the protests, one million people were on the streets, demanding more from the ruling government and the Socialist Unity Party. The main protest lasted only about two days before The Kasernierte Volkspolizei (a militarised police force) and Soviet forces rolled in and violently crushed the protests with tank support.

This was only three months after Stalin’s death, so the government wanted to stop the protests as quickly as possible. At least 125 people were killed during the crackdown.

A modern example of the 1953 East German Uprising; even though it’s not that modern, would be the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.

So for 1953, we covered a dictator’s death and his successor’s removal, an Egyptian political icon, a composer’s death, a celebrity divorce, a baseball player, and a failed uprising. 1953 was busy, but wait until we discuss 1954! Wow!

So, that’s it for another week. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the Paralympics Games¹ and I’ll see you next week, when we check in on the Coalition of Chaos.

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¹ Seriously, go and watch the Paralympics Games. They deserve all the attention and support.

We are deep into winter at the moment, so what better way to bring some light into the world than to revisit events from 72 years ago, inspired by a 35-year-old song? Yes, it’s that time again for Some Geek Told Me to take a look at We Didn’t Start the Fire.

Previous entries on this terrible series have been:

• We Didn’t Start the Fire: The Beginning 
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1948-1949.
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1950
• We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1951

Surprisingly, Beetroot Awareness Aotearoa issued no statement about last month’s post, concerning 1951. Maybe they were too busy being knee-deep in beetroot to notice; though honestly, that sounds like a nightmare to me.

Before we start, 1952 is another special year for me, because that’s when my mother was born. So, without further fanfare, let’s give the non-ticket-paying audience what they want, and dive into We Didn’t Start the Fire’s historic references for 1952.

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1952

Eisenhower:

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, during the Second World War, but that’s not why he’s on the list. In 1952, Eisenhower ran as the Republican nominee in the US Presidential election, against Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson II.

In a landslide victory, Eisenhower won the presidency with 442 electoral votes to 89, becoming the 34th President of the United States of America. Some other recent landslide victories include Ronald Reagan, who won in 1980 with 489 electoral votes, and in 1984 with 525 electoral votes, as well as George H. W. Bush in 1988 with 426 electoral votes.

Vaccine:

This particular case highlights the incredible potential of humanity. Polio is a highly contagious infectious disease that can cause paralysis and even death, especially in children worldwide. In the 20th century, polio killed millions of people each year and became one of the most feared diseases.

A polio vaccine had been in development for several years, but it wasn’t until virologist and biomedical scientist, Jonas Salk and a team of researchers, developed the first effective one in 1952. By the end of the decade, the Salk vaccine had reached about 90 countries.

The legacy of Salk’s vaccine is that it has helped to eliminate polio from the majority of the world, saving millions of lives each year. Unlike smallpox, polio is not eradicated yet, but both IPV and OPV vaccines are helping to achieve that goal.

England’s got a new Queen: 

Some of the references in We Didn’t Start the Fire need some explanation and context. Others, like our next one, don’t.

England’s got a new Queen, is exactly what you think it’s about. On 6th February 1952, 56-year-old King George VI of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth died, leaving his 25-year-old daughter, Elizabeth as the monarch. Although Elizabeth was coronated in 1953, she became Queen Elizabeth II when her father died.

The obvious equivalent for this was when on 8th September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died at 96 years old, having reigned for 70 years. Her son, Charles, Prince of Wales, became King Charles III, with his coronation in 2023.

Marciano:

Rocco Francis Marchegiano, otherwise known as Rocky Marciano, was a professional boxer in the heavyweight division. On 23rd September 1952, Marciano fought a title match against World Heavyweight Champion, Jersey Joe Walcott. Marciano knocked Walcott out, to become the new heavyweight champion of the world.

Marciano went on to hold the title from 1952 until 1956 when he retired from boxing at 32 years old. Marciano had 49 fights, with 49 wins, and 43 by knockouts; which included six title defence fights. He remains the only heavyweight champion to finish his career undefeated. Marciano died in a plane crash in 1969.

For modern times, there is a collection of boxers that we could compare to Marciano, but ultimately I won’t. I mean, why would you?

Liberace:

One of the great American TV entertainers was born Władziu Valentino Liberace, though he became known as just Liberace. He was a pianist, singer, actor and showman. In 1952, he was given a 15-minute network television programme, called The Liberace Show. The show displayed his many different abilities, and it quickly grew in popularity, along with Liberace.

The show ran from 1952-1969 and was made famous for the costumes, productions, performances, and Liberace’s flamboyance. The legacy of The Liberace Show was the promotion of musical variety shows, but also the creation an international cultural icon.

Santayana goodbye:

On 26th September 1952, Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, died aged 88. George Santayana, as he became known in English, was a famous essayist, novelist, philosopher, and poet. In academic circles, Santayana was a pillar of 20th-century thinking and coined the immortal phrase:

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Santayana was beloved around the world for his work and helped usher in a new understanding of the human condition. For a modern equivalent, I’m going out on a limb, but I would name Carl Sagan, but to each their own.

So for 1952, we covered a US President, the polio vaccine, a British queen, a boxer, a music variety show, and a philosopher. That’s not bad at all, so I’ll be covering 1953 next time if you didn’t guess.

So, that’s it for another week. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, pat a goose, and I’ll see you next week. Look after yourself until I return.

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