Born in 1951

What things cost in 1951

1951 figures are annual averages of the published monthly (or quarterly) values. “Today’s dollars” uses the Consumer Price Index for September 2026; “latest” is the most recent published price. Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, via FRED. Average retail prices are only published from 1976 on; 1951 has the CPI alone.

Who was in charge in 1951

United States

Harry S. Truman (President)

United Kingdom

George VI (King); Clement Attlee, then Winston Churchill (Prime minister)

Soviet Union

Nikolay Shvernik (Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet); Joseph Stalin (Chairman of the Council of Ministers)

People's Republic of China

Mao Zedong (Chairman; Paramount Leader); Mao Zedong (Chairman); Zhou Enlai (Premier)

French Fourth Republic

Vincent Auriol (President); René Pleven, then Henri Queuille (Prime minister)

Allied-occupied Germany

John J. McCloy, then André François-Poncet, then Ivone Kirkpatrick (High Commissioner)

East Germany

Wilhelm Pieck (President); Otto Grotewohl (Chairman)

West Germany

Theodor Heuss (President); Konrad Adenauer (Chancellor)

Japan

Hirohito (Emperor)

Republic of India

Rajendra Prasad (President); Jawaharlal Nehru (Prime minister)

From Wikipedia’s List of state leaders in the 20th century (1951–2000) (revision 1371751893), each name checked against Wikidata. Every country in 1951 →

Famous people born in 1951

• October 17 – Prabowo Subianto, Indonesian politician, businessman, retired honorary army general, 8th President of Indonesia. source
• October 8 – Bruce McArthur, serial killer source
• September 29 – Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile source
• April 29 – Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (died 2001) source
• January 12 – Rush Limbaugh, American conservative radio personality (died 2021) source
• 30 January – Phil Collins, musician and producer source
• September 15 – Pete Carroll, American football coach source
• September 12 – Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach of Ireland source
• 24 April – Enda Kenny, leader of Fine Gael, TD for Mayo. source
• February 20 – Gordon Brown, Scottish-born Prime Minister of the United Kingdom source
• January 3 – Charles W. Mills, British-born American philosopher (died 2021) source
• 14 February – Kevin Keegan, footballer and football manager (died 2026) source
• September 29 – Mike Enriquez, Filipino radio and television newscaster (died 2023) source
• March 24 – Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer source
• March 9 – Zakir Hussian, Indian tabla virtuoso, composer, percussionist, music producer and actor source

What happened in 1951

• February 1–2 – The 1951 Nepalese revolution leads to agreement for a democratic constitution. source
• January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). source
• March 3 or 5 – Jackie Brenston "and His Delta Cats" (actually Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm) record "Rocket 88" at Sam Phillips' Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, a candidate for the first rock and roll record (released in April). It is covered on June 14 by Bill Haley and His Saddlemen. source
• February 22 – President Quirino formally launches EDCOR (Economic Development Corps) projects, whose objective is establishing settlements for former Huks, with the opening of the country's first—the Arevalo ECDOR farm in Kapatagan Valley, Lanao. It will be inaugurated on March 6; and about two months later, the first batch of settlers will be brought to the site. source
• 5 April – Elias Corneliussen, naval officer (born 1881). source
• 22 January – 11 people die when a rail bus and a train collide in Kinstaby, Sweden. source
• 8 January – The club Deportes Quindío founded in Armenia. source
• 1 January – The restructuring of Taiwan Cement Limited Corporation to be Taiwan Cement Corporation. source