1 December 1955

American Civil Rights Movement: In Montgomery, Alabama, seamstress Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man and is arrested for…

5 November 1955

After being destroyed in World War II, the rebuilt Vienna State Opera reopens with a performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio. The Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener…

12 April 1955

The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective. The development of the polio vaccine is a significant milestone in medical…

9 May 1955

Cold War: West Germany joins NATO. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is a military alliance formed by 30 North American and European countries with the…

12 April 1955

The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective. Jonas Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist who is best…

14 May 1955

Eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a mutual defense treaty called the Warsaw Pact.

15 April 1955

McDonald’s restaurant dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois.