What happened in 1952? - UK
We look at events, new products, films and music from 1952.
In the news
- 16 January - Harry Corbett's Sooty glove puppet appeared on TV for the first time
- 6 February - King George VI died from lung cancer
- 1 February - TV detector vans first began snooping on unlicensed viewers
- 4 February - The Royal Yacht Britannia was ordered from John Brown & Co in Clydebank
- 21 February - Identity cards used in the Second World War were no longer needed in the UK
- 17 March - The Utility Clothing Scheme introduced in the Second World War ended
- 2 May - BOAC launched the world's first jet airline service with the British-made de Havilland Comet
- 6 July - The last London tram ran
- 15-16 August - Flash flooding at Lynmouth, Devon killed 34 people
- 30 August - The Avro Vulcan bomber flew for the first time
- 3 October - Britain tests her first atom bomb
- 3 October - Tea rationing ended
- 14 November - The first music chart was published in the UK - the best-selling record was 'Here in my Heart' by Al Martino
- 25 November - The world's longest-running play, Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap', opened in London at the Ambassadors Theatre. The play ran continuously until 1974, when it moved to St Martin's Theatre
Facts
- The population of the UK in 1952 was 50,601,935
- Britain's Prime Minister was Sir Winston Churchill (Conservative)
- The best-selling cigarette was Wills Wild Woodbine
- Most popular foreign holiday destination was France
- In 1952 9% of households had a television set
- Britain's most common birds were the Chaffinch and Blackbird
For more information see How much did things cost in 1952?
Films
Some of the most popular films in 1952 were:
- The Quiet Man
- The African Queen
- Because You're Mine
- The Sound Barrier
- Ivanhoe
- The Crimson Pirate
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- On Moonlight Bay
- Lovely to Look At
- A Streetcar Named Desire
Source: 'Ten highest-grossing films at the Ritz, 7 April 1952 to 28 March 1953', taken from 'Cinemas and Cinema-Going in the United Kingdom: Decades of Decline, 1945-65', by Sam Manning, published by Royal Historical Society, Institute of Historical Research, University of London Press in 2020, page 144
Television
Children's TV
Children's TV programmes included:
- Watch with Mother (adapted from the radio show 'Listen with Mother' in 1952)
- Flower Pot Men (started in 1952)
- Andy Pandy (started in 1950)
Sport
Newcastle United beat Arsenal 1-0 to win the 1952 FA Cup
Manchester United topped the Football League for the 1951-2 season
After a false start, Teal won the Grand National at Aintree ridden by Arthur Thompson
Tulyar, ridden by Charles Smirke, won the Derby at Epsom
Oxford won the 1952 Boat Race. It was a close-fought race with Cambridge taking an early lead. Oxford won by a canvas (about 9 feet). It was the closet margin since 1877
Britain only won one gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Harry Llewellyn, Duggie Stewart and Wilf White won gold for the show jumping
Toys
Toys and games launched in 1952 included:
- Airfix Model of Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind
- Lesney (makers of Matchbox toys) scale model of the Royal State Coach to be used in the 1953 Coronation
Cars
New models launched for the UK market in 1952 were:
- Austin Somerset
- MG YB Saloon
- Morgan Plus Four Tourer
- Morris Oxford MO Traveller (Estate car)
Source: British Cars of the Early Fifties, published in the Auto Library Series by the Olyslager Organisation 1975
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By Steven Braggs, May 2022
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