Title: 1954 Content: 1954 (MCMLIV) was . ==Events== *October 18 – Texas Instruments announces the worldwide first transistor radio. ==Births== *January 6 - Anthony Minghella, British movie director (d. 2008) *January 9 - Lance Hoppen, American singer- songwriter and musician (Orleans) *January 23 - Richard Finch, American bass guitarist (KC & the Sunshine Band) *January 29 – Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host *February 7 - Dieter Bohlen, German music mogul *February 15 - Matt Groening, American creator of The Simpsons and Futurama *February 16 - Iain Banks, Scottish writer *February 18 - John Travolta, American actor *February 20 - Patty Hearst, American heiress *February 21 - Ivo van Damme, Belgian athlete (d. 1976) *March 1 – Ron Howard, American actor, director *March 1 - Igor Kisch, Czech politician, Minister of Health and doctor *March 1 - Catherine Bach, American actress *March 16 - Nancy Wilson, American guitarist (Heart) *March 25 - Miran Anes, Albanian politician and judge (d. 2012) *April 1 - Jeff Porcaro, American drummer (Toto) (d. 1992) *April 11 - Abdullah Atalar, Turkish academic *April 19 - Trevor Francis, English footballer *April 23 – Michael Moore, documentary movie maker *April 23 – Tony Atlas, American professional wrestler *April 28 - Mary Jo Randle, British actress *May 8 - Clive Wood, British actor *May 13 - Johnny Logan, Irish singer *May 17 - David Zippel, American lyricist *May 20 - David Paterson, former Governor of New York *May 21 - Janice Karman, American voice actress *June 20 - Michael Anthony, American bass guitarist (Van Halen) *June 25 - David Paich, American keyboardist (Toto) *June 30 - Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia *July 17 - Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany *July 28 - Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela (d. 2013) *July 28 - Gerd Faltings, German mathematician *August 12 - Francois Hollande, President of France *August 15 - Stieg Larsson, Swedish writer (d. 2004) *August 16 - George Galloway, British politician *August 25 – Elvis Costello, British singer *September 21 - Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2022) *September 30 - Mitch Lewis, Canadian multi-instrumentalist *October 9 – Scott Bakula, actor *October 10 - David Lee Roth, American singer (Van Halen) *November 1 - László Kerekes, drijor and Hungarian composer *November 14 - Condoleezza Rice, former United States Secretary of State *November 24 - Susan Gilmore, British actress *December 15 - Zivko Jovanović, Serbian politician and judge *December 20 - László Levin, politician Hungarian (d. 2009) *December 25 - Annie Lennox, Scottish singer (Eurythmics) *December 28 - Denzel Washington, American actor *December 29 – Albrecht Böttcher, German mathematician *December 30 - Pnina Rosenblum, Israeli business woman and politician *December 31 - Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland *December 31 - Hermann Tilke, German racing circuit designer ==Deaths== *May 19 – Charles Ives, American composer *June 7 – Alan Turing, mathematician * June 9 - Alain LeRoy Locke, American writer *July 13 – Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter *August 6 – Emilie Dionne, one of the Dionne Quintuplets *November 3 – Henri Matisse, painter *November 29 – Enrico Fermi, physicist ==Movies released== *Devil Girl from Mars *On the Waterfront *Rear Window *The Seven Samurai *20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 movie) *Godzilla ==Hit songs== *Sh-Boom – Crew Cuts == New books == *The Acrobats – Mordecai Richler *Benton's Row – Frank Yerby *The Bridge on the River Kwai (Le pont de la rivière Kwai) – Pierre Boulle *The Caves of Steel – Isaac Asimov *The Egyptian – Mika Waltari *Explorers on the Moon- Hergé *Histoire d'O (Story of O) – Pauline Réage *The Horse and His Boy – C. S. Lewis *I Am Legend – Richard Matheson *Ideas and Opinions – Albert Einstein *Katherine – Anya Seton *Live and Let Die – Ian Fleming *Lord of the Flies – William G. Golding *The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring – J. R. R. Tolkien *The Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers – J. R. R. Tolkien *Love Is Eternal – Irving Stone *Lucky Jim – Kingsley Amis *Mandarins – Simone de Beauvoir *Mary Anne – Daphne du Maurier *Nectar in a Sieve – Kamala Markandaya *Never Victorious, Never Defeated – Taylor Caldwell *No Time for Sergeants – Mac Hyman *Not as a Stranger – Morton Thompson *The Royal Box – Frances Parkinson Keyes *Sayonara – James A. Michener *Sweet Thursday – John Steinbeck *Under Milk Wood (Poetry) – Dylan Thomas *Under the Net – Iris Murdoch *The View from Pompey's Head – Hamilton Basso ==Related pages== *1954 in association football