Flies to England to attend Queen Elizabeth's Coronation on 2nd June, followed by the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference. Travels home via South Africa where he spends 10 days, the first Australian Prime Minister to visit South Africa for 43 years.

Australia celebrates as the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II takes place in London on 2 June.

War in Korea ends in July when a truce is signed by the UN and the leader of the Communist delegation. Australian casualties during the 3 years of fighting were: 258 killed in action, 977 wounded and four missing, believed killed.

Contraceptive pill is introduced.

British nuclear tests begin in Australia and last until 1957.

The 100,000th Holden car is manufactured.

Teenager Ken Rosewall wins both the Australian and French tennis championships and Lew Hoad is the youngest Australian to play Davis Cup tennis.

"The coronation of a new sovereign is a ceremony of great pageantry and celebration that has remained essentially the same for over a thousand years."
Extract from the Royal website

Death of Josef Stalin, Premier of the Soviet Union.

The Korean War ends after 3 years of fighting and nearly 2 million casualties. The truce signed by the UN and the leader of the Communist delegation is not a peace settlement and the 38th parallel is established as a boundary between North and South Korea.

Bonn Convention: Britain, France and the USA end their occupation of West Germany.

French forces occupy Dien Bien Phu in North Vietnam.

Watson, Crick and Wilkins discover the structure of DNA to be a double helix.

Hilary and Tensing are first to reach the summit of Mt Everest in the Himalayas.

Lung cancer is linked to cigarette smoking.