1. The Berlin Conference of 1954 - was a meeting of the "Big Four" foreign ministers of the United States United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... (John Foster Dulles John Foster DullesJohn Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. He was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism around the world...), Britain United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands... (Anthony Eden Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Foreign Secretary for three periods between 1935 and 1955, including during World War II...), France FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean... (Georges Bidault Georges Bidault
Georges-Augustin Bidault was a French politician. During World War II, he was active in the French Resistance...), and the Soviet Union. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz... (Vyacheslav Molotov)
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was a Soviet politician and diplomat, a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s, when he rose to power as a protégé of Joseph Stalin, to 1957, when he was dismissed from Presidium of the Central Committee by Nikita Khrushchev...), on January 25-February 18, 1954.The ministers agreed to call a wider international conference to discuss a settlement to the recent Korean War Korean War. The Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953... and the ongoing Indochina War FirstIndochina WarThe First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union’s French Far East Expeditionary... between France and the Viet Minh Viet Minh
The Việt Minh was a national liberation movement founded in South China on May 19, 1941 . The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from France and later to oppose the Japanese occupation.-World War II:During World War II, Japan occupied French Indochina..., but failed to reach agreement on issues of European security and the international status of Germany GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,... and Austria AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west..., then under four-power occupation following World War II
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Berlin_Conference_of_1954w.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Berlin_Conference_of_1954
2. Geneva Conference (1954) - (May 8 – July 21, 1954) was a conference between many countries that agreed to end hostilities and restore peace
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Geneva_Conference_(1954bsoluteastronomy.com/topics/Geneva_Conference_(1954)
3. Brown vs. Board of Education - Supreme Court unanimously rules on Brown v Topeka Board of Education reversed 1896 "separate but equal" Plessy Vs Ferguson decision on May 17
http://www.hisdates.com/years/1954.html
4. Georgetown-IBM experiment, the first public demonstration of a machine translation system, is held in New York at the head office of IBM on January 7th
http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1954oryorb.com/events/date/1954
5. "South Pacific" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 1928 performances on January 16th
http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1954
6. Ground breaking begins on Disneyland
http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1954
7. Cost of Living 1954 - Yearly Inflation Rate USA 0.32%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 1.9%
Average Cost of new house $10.250.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 22 cents
Average Cost of a new car $1,700.00
Average Monthly Rent $85.00
Movie Ticket 70 cents
Life Magazine 20 cents
The Dow Jones recovers back to pre Wall Street Crash highs of 381.17
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1954.html
8. Hydrogen bomb test conducted on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1954.htmleoplehistory.com/1954.html
9. President Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act outlawing Communist Party in the US
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1954.htmlpeoplehistory.com/1954.html
10. The words "under God" are added to the United States Pledge of Allegiance .
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1954.html
Micro View
1. Ruby Bridges was born in Tylyertown, Mississippi in 1954. In 1960 Ruby had her first day in a all white school. She was one of the first black children to attend white schools.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_historical_events_that_happened_in_Mississippiwers.com/Q/What_are_some_historical_events_that_happened_in_Mississippi
2. Mississippi Valley State University founded in 1951
http://www.historyorb.com/countries/usa/mississippiww.historyorb.com/countries/usa/mississippi
3. 100,000 acres flooded from Mississippi R in Ks, Okla, Mo & Ill in 1951 http://www.historyorb.com/countries/usa/mississippi
4. F Durrenmatt's "Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi," premieres in Munich in 1952
http://www.historyorb.com/countries/usa/mississippi
5. Truman signs Executive Order 9981, which states, "It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html
6. Temperature -
Minimum Temperature
75.9 °F
Mean Temperature
87.1 °F
Maximum Temperature
93.9 °F
http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/zipcode/39762/1954-07-21
7. September 16, 1954 - Mississippi legislature completed passage of a state constitutional amendment intended to preclude forced integration of Negro students into white schools by permitting abolition of the state public school system.
http://www.britannica.com/facts/10/40906753/September-16-1954-Mississippi-legislature-completed-passage-of
8. Davis W. Houck is associate professor of communication at Florida State University. He is the author, with Matthew A. Grindy, of Emmett Till and the Mississippi Press (University Press of Mississippi), among other books. David E. Dixon is associate professor of political science at Saint Joseph's College (Indiana). With Houck he coedited Rhetoric, Religion, and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965.
9. Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935 and recorded first two songs in 1954.
10. 1954 -- Vaiden, Mississippi -- A car with several blacks pulled into the Nelms Cafe on U.S. Highway 51, about 2 miles north of Vaiden. An altercation ensued between the owners, Bryant Nelms and his wife, Mozell, and the driver of the car, Robert Lee Goldsby. Goldsby pulled a gun and fired at the Nelms', killing Mrs. Nelms, and injuring her husband. Goldsby, a former resident of Canton, MS, was apprehended and convicted for the murder of Mrs. Nelms. Goldsby received the death sentence. The following from Howard Smead's excellent book, "Blood Justice -- The Lynching of Mack Charles Parker," explains the connection between the Goldsby case and the Parker case. It is quoted verbatim from the book.
Statement
What is the importance and significance of the macro and micro information I found? Well, to begin with I will start with the macro information.
The first thing I found was The Berlin Conference of 1954. It was a meeting of the "Big Four" foreign ministries to the United States. The information is important to the script so that you, the reader, have an understanding of whats going on in the world. Moving along is the Geneva Conference in 1954. It began on May 8th and lasted til July 21st 1954. The reason behind the conference was to end tension between other countries and restore peace in the world. Once again, this information gives you a better understanding of how the U.S.A. is reacting to situations like this. Moving along to probably the most famous or most recognized is the case Brown vs. Board of Education. The verdict of the Supreme Court was unanimously ruled and reversed the 1896 "seperate but equal" Plessy vs. Ferguson. Next up is the IBM experiment in Georgetown. This experiment was the first public demostration of a machine translation system. It was held on January 7th and was successful! This information shows that even though Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is based in Mississippi along the Delta, up North great things are happening and people are trying new things. Speaking of plays, the next macro fact has to deal with a show. The show "South Pacific" closes on January 16th after have been performed over 1,928 performances. It was at the Majestic Theater in New York. Moving along to a very special piece of information, ground breaking began on Disneyland in 1954! As we all know, Disney has become a huge household name and the star, Mickey, is one of the most recognizable cartoons ever! Even though in the play there is alot of tension and uneasiness, a few states away magic is being made so that everyone can be a kid again and have fun and relax. Now then, as for the cost of living in 1954. The research I found was very helpful and helped me understand the value of the dollar back in the 50's. It cost an average $10,250.00 for a new house! Compare that to todays dollar and the price now would sky-rocket through the roof. Also for a new car, the cost was $1,700.00 and the car was new! Another very important macro fact that was going on in 1954 was the testing of the hydrogen bomb. The bomb was tested at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. While Brick and Maggie are on a Southern plantation, a very advanced and scary device had been built and tested. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, which outlawed the Communist Party from the United States. Finally, for the macro information, in 1954 the words "under God" are added to the United States Pledge of Allegiance.
As for the micro information, the important facts that happened in Mississippi. To begin with, in 1954 Ruby Bridges was born in Tylertown and 6 years later in 1960 became one of the first blacks to attend an all white school. Moving along, the Mississippi Valley State University was founded in 1951, providing great education. In 1951, more than 100,000 acres were flooded, stretching from the Mississippi River to Kansas to Oklahoma to Montana to Illionis. That is alot of land that was destroyed and it is very fortunate that Big Daddy and his vast acres of land are not real, otherwise it was more than likely that his land would have been whipped out. In 1952, F Durrenmatt's "Die Ech des Herren Mississippi" primiered in Munich. Moving along, President Truman signed the Exceutive Order 9981, which abolished segregation and everyone was treated equally in the armed forced no matter what their beliefs, race or gender. As for the temperature in Mississippi in 1954, i was able to find the mininum, mean and maximum temp from back then. The mininum temp was 75.9 degrees, the mean was 87.1 degrees and the maximum temp in Mississippi in 1954 was 93.9 degrees. On September 16, 1954, the Mississippi Legislature completed passage for blacks to attend all white schools and make the schools intergrated.
