The world in
What happened in 1957?
19 events across 8 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
Signing of the Treaty of RomeOn 25 March 1957, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany signed the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, known as the Treaty of Rome, in Rome. The treaty came into force on 1 January 1958, creating the European Economic Community.
Cold WarAfter World War II, the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union engaged in a nearly half-century-long political, economic, and military confrontation. Although the two superpowers never fought directly, they competed globally through proxy wars, an arms race, and the Space Race. The Cold War began in the late 1940s and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: U.S. Army photo Photo Credit: USAMHI / Public domain ↗
Signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSROn December 30, 1922, the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR was signed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, officially establishing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Plenipotentiary delegates from the Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian Soviet republics signed the treaty, along with a declaration serving as its preamble. The treaty legally formalized the political union of the Soviet republics that had existed since 1919, creating a new federal government with centralized functions in Moscow. Legislative power was vested in the Congress of Soviets and the Central Executive Committee, while executive power lay with the Council of People's Commissars.
Launch of the nuclear-powered icebreaker LeninIn 1957, the Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker Lenin was launched, becoming the world's first nuclear-powered icebreaker, surface ship, and civilian vessel. It was designed to clear Arctic routes for cargo ships, with nuclear power offering the advantage of eliminating frequent refueling in remote areas.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Palefire at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
- Phoney War
The Phoney War was a period of limited military activity at the start of World War II, lasting from September 1939 to May 1940. Following the Allied declaration of war on Germany, there were virtually no major land operations on the Western Front.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Completion of the Church of the Three CrossesA Lutheran church designed by Alvar Aalto was completed in Imatra, Finland, regarded as his most original church design.
North America
- Peak Phase of the African American Civil Rights Movement (1954–1968)
Between 1954 and 1968, the African American civil rights movement peaked, using nonviolent means to challenge racial segregation and discrimination in the United States. Originating in the Reconstruction era and influenced by Gandhi's nonviolent philosophy, it involved mass protests and civil disobedience. This led to new federal protections, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Signing of the U.S.-Japan Security TreatyOn September 8, 1951, the United States and Japan signed the Security Treaty in San Francisco, alongside the Treaty of San Francisco that ended World War II in Asia. Imposed by the U.S. as a condition for ending the Occupation and restoring Japan's sovereignty, it established a long-lasting military alliance and allowed the U.S. to maintain forces in the Far East.
George Mason University founded as a branch of the University of VirginiaIn 1957, the University of Virginia established a branch in Fairfax, which later became independent in 1972 as George Mason University. Its founding as a branch of UVA marked the beginning of what would grow into Virginia's largest public research university by enrollment.
Establishment of Writing-on-Stone Provincial ParkAround the mid-20th century, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park was established in southern Alberta, Canada. The park protects one of the largest concentrations of rock art in North America and is sacred to the Blackfoot and other Indigenous peoples.
SourcesUNESCO World Heritage listing ↗Wikipedia ↗Image: Bob rulz / Public domain ↗
North Africa
- Ifni War
The Ifni War was a series of armed conflicts between Moroccan insurgents and Spanish colonial forces in Spanish West Africa from 1957 to 1958, forming part of the African decolonization movements. It began with Moroccan armed incursions in November 1957 and culminated in the abortive siege of Sidi Ifni.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Algerian WarThe Algerian War was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front from 1954 to 1962, leading to Algeria's independence. Considered a major decolonization war, it involved guerrilla warfare and war crimes by both sides.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Madame Grinderche / Public domain ↗
- Establishment of the University of Tripoli
In 1957, the University of Tripoli was established as a branch of the University of Libya in the capital Tripoli, initially focusing on science. As the largest university in Libya, its founding marked the geographic expansion of higher education in the country.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
South Asia
Outbreak of the Vietnam WarIn 1955, armed conflict erupted between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), marking the start of the Vietnam War. This war was simultaneously a civil war, a Cold War proxy war, and a postcolonial independence conflict, with North Vietnam backed by the Soviet Union and China, and South Vietnam supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The fighting later spread to Laos and Cambodia, ending with all three countries under communist rule in 1975.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. U.S. Marine Corps. James K. F. Dung, SFC, Photographer Ronald L. Haeberle / Public domain ↗
Malayan EmergencyIn 1948, the British colonial government declared an emergency due to an armed struggle by the Malayan Communist Party. The guerrilla war against the independence-seeking Malayan National Liberation Army, with the involvement of Commonwealth forces, lasted until the lifting of the emergency in 1960.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Australian Government / Public domain ↗
West Asia
Establishment of King Saud UniversityKing Saud University was established in Riyadh in 1957 as the first secular-oriented university in Saudi Arabia to tackle the shortage of skilled workers.
Central & South America
Oscar Niemeyer Designs the Pampulha Art MuseumThe Pampulha Art Museum, formerly the Cassino da Pampulha, is part of the Pampulha Modern Ensemble in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It was designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer, commissioned by then-mayor Juscelino Kubitschek. In 2016, the museum and the ensemble were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exact year of establishment is not provided.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Rodrigo Denúbila from Belo Horizonte, Brasil / CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
Sub-Saharan Africa
Establishment of De Hoop Nature ReserveDe Hoop Nature Reserve is established in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, near the southernmost tip of Africa. Covering about 340 square kilometres, it is the largest reserve managed by the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board.
East Asia
Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge opens to trafficThe Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, the first permanent bridge across the Yangtze, opened to traffic in October 1957. Located in Wuhan, Hubei Province, it is a double-deck road and rail bridge connecting Hanyang and Wuchang. Construction began in September 1955 and was accelerated by a new engineering method, completing in two years.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: KongFu Wang from Beijing, China / CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
Around 1957
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Emergence of the Green Revolution
- Beginning of the Digital Revolution
- Completion of the Taipei Grand Mosque
- Establishment of Women's Suffrage Worldwide
- Establishment of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
- Construction of Grimeton Longwave Radio Station
- Construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway begins
- Construction of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Begins