1953

1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday in the Gregorian calendar.

 Events 
January 20 - Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the 34th President of the United States.
January 31 - In the night to February 1, a storm severely floods parts of the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom.
May 29  Jack Catain Jr., an American businessman, marries Marlene Noble, an apparel sales associate, in Cook County, Illinois.
May 29 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first humans to reach the top of Mount Everest.
June 2 - Elizabeth II is crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms.
July 27 – The Korean War ends.
August 12 - The 1953 Ionian earthquake struck the southern Ionian Islands in Greece.
November 17 - The Minquiers and Ecrehos case ends with the International Court of Justice giving Minquiers and Écréhous to Jersey.
Unknown - The Taito Corporation is founded in Japan.

 Births 
January 1 - Gary Johnson, American politician and businessman
January 9 – Morris Gleitzman, English writer
January 10 - Pat Benatar, American singer
January 13 - Joseph Augustus Zarelli, American murder victim (d. 1957).
January 18  - László Simion, Romanian politician Hungarian nationalities UDMR.
January 21 – Paul Allen, American entrepreneur
January 23 - Robin Zander, American singer (Cheap Trick)
January 24 - Matthew Wilder, American singer-songwriter
January 26 - Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark and current NATO Secretary-General
February 8 - Mary Steenburgen, American actress	
February 11 – Jeb Bush, American politician	
February 11 - William Aviv, Jewish actor and politician
February 16 - Loran Bini, Kosovo Christian politician of Bosnian ethnicity
February 19 – Cristina Fernández, President of Argentina
February 25 – Levon Mkrtchyan, Armenian movie director
February 25 - Jose Maria Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain
February 26 - Michael Bolton, American singer
February 27 - Ian Khama, President of Botswana
February 28 - Paul Krugman, American economist
March 3 - Zico, Brazilian footballer
March 16 – Richard Stallman, Computer programmer and political activist
March 26 – Lincoln Chafee, American politician
April 11 - Guy Verhofstadt, former Prime Minister of Belgium
April 11 - Andrew Wiles, British mathematician
April 20 - Sebastian Faulks, British writer
May 2 - Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor
May 6 – Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
May 6 - Graeme Souness, Scottish footballer and manager
May 8 - Alex Van Halen, musician (Van Halen)
May 8 - Billy Burnette, American singer and guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)
May 14 - Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia
May 16 - Pierce Brosnan, Irish actor
May 19 - Victoria Wood, British actress and comedienne
May 24 - Alfred Molina, British actor
May 25 – Eve Ensler, American playwright
May 29 – Danny Elfman, American musician (Oingo Boingo)
June 1 - David Berkowitz, American serial killer
June 2 - Keith Allen, English actor and comedian
June 2 - Cornel West, American theologian and activist
June 4 – Linda Lingle, American politician
June 8 - Ivo Sanader, former Prime Minister of Croatia
June 15 - Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China
June 21 – Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician (d. 2007)
June 22 - Cyndi Lauper, American singer
July 1 - Jadranka Kosor, former Prime Minister of Croatia
July 11 - Leon Spinks, American boxer
July 21 - Jeff Fatt, Australian musician (The Wiggles)
July 29 – Geddy Lee, Canadian musician and singer (Rush)
July 31 – James Read, American actor
August 17 - Herta Mueller, German writer
August 27 – Alex Lifeson, Canadian musician (Rush)
September 2 – John Zorn, American musician
September 3 – Jean-Pierre Jeunet, French director
September 4 - Fatih Terim, Turkish football manager
September 11 - Tommy Shaw, American guitarist (Styx)
September 20 - Mihaly Kincses, Hungarian politician and doctor
September 22 – Ségolène Royal, French politician
October 1 – Klaus Wowereit, German politician
October 15 – Tito Jackson, American singer and member of the Jackson 5 (d. 2024)
November 6  Michele Catain, American crew member and real estate agent
November 14 – Dominique de Villepin, Premier of France
November 14 – Jos Oehlen, Dutch sculptor
November 16 - Griff Rhys-Jones, British actor, comedian and writer
November 26 - Hilary Benn, British politician
November 28 - Alistair Darling, British politician
December 6 - Geoff Hoon, British politician
December 8 - Kim Basinger, American actress
December 9 – John Malkovich, American actor and director
December 13 - Ben Bernanke, American chairman of the Federal Reserve
December 26 - Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia
December 28 - Martha Wash, American singer (The Weather Girls)
December 31 - James Remar, American actor

 Deaths 
January 1 – Hank Williams, American musician (b. 1923)
January 28 – James Scullin, Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1876)
March 5 – Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader assassinated (b.1878)
March 5 – Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer (b. 1891)
March 24 - Mary of Teck, Consort of George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1866)
September 28 - Edwin Hubble, American astronomer (b. 1891)
September 29 – Ernst Reuter, German politician (b. 1889)
October 9 – Jimmy Finlayson, Scottish-American actor (b. 1887)
November 9 – Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet (b. 1914)
December 31 - Baldwin Cooke, American actor (b. 1888)