WHAT ALL HAPPENED MAY TO DECEMBER 1954
Find out what all happened May to December 1954

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the United States Air Force. (27. October 1954)

The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. (17. May 1954)

Hurricane Hazel devastates the eastern seaboard, killing 95 and causing massive floods as far north as Toronto. As a Category 4 upon landfall, it is the strongest storm on record to strike as far north as North Carolina. (15. October 1954)

McCarthyism: Joseph Welch, special counsel for the United States Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during hearings on whether Communism has infiltrated the Army giving McCarthy the famous rebuke, "You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?" (9. June 1954)

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established. (8. September 1954)

The original Broadway production of The Pajama Game opens and runs for another 1,063 performances. Later received three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, and Best Choreography. (13. May 1954)

The 1954 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match between Hungary and Brazil, highly anticipated to be exciting, instead turns violent, with three players ejected and further fighting continuing after the game. (27. June 1954)

The Humane Society of the United States is founded. (22. November 1954)

Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat and a Vietnamese victory (the battle began on March 13). (7. May 1954)

In a top secret nuclear test, a Soviet Tu-4 bomber drops a 40 kiloton atomic weapon just north of Totskoye village. (14. September 1954)

Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany's secret service, defects to East Germany. (20. July 1954)

Télé Monte Carlo, Europe's oldest private television channel, is launched by Prince Rainier III. (19. November 1954)

Bill Haley & His Comets release "Rock Around the Clock", the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the Billboard charts. (10. May 1954)

Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes. (6. May 1954)

The People's Liberation Army begins shelling the Republic of China-controlled islands of Quemoy, starting the First Taiwan Strait Crisis. (3. September 1954)

The convention establishing CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is signed. (29. September 1954)

Alger Hiss is released from prison after serving 44 months for perjury. (27. November 1954)

Great Britain defeats France to capture the first ever Rugby League World Cup in Paris in front of around 30,000 spectators. (13. November 1954)

Cold War: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to censure Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute". (2. December 1954)

Getúlio Dornelles Vargas, president of Brazil, commits suicide and is succeeded by João Café Filho. (24. August 1954)