Births on January 24

Yuri Bashmet, Russian violinist, viola player, and conductor

Yuri Abramovich Bashmet (Russian: Юрий Абрамович Башмет; born 24 January 1953) is a Russian conductor, violinist, and violist.

28 Feb

Francis Crick
James Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; the formal announcement takes place on April 25 following publication in April's Nature (pub. April 2).
6 Mar

Joseph Stalin
Georgy Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin as Premier of the Soviet Union and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
8 Apr

Jomo Kenyatta
Mau Mau leader Jomo Kenyatta is convicted by British Kenya's rulers.
19 Aug

1953 Iranian coup d'état
Cold War: The CIA and MI6 help to overthrow the government of Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran and reinstate the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
30 Oct

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Cold War: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally approves the top secret document National Security Council Paper No. 162/2, which states that the United States' arsenal of nuclear weapons must be maintained and expanded to counter the communist threat.