The UK's health minister, R. H. Turton, rejected a proposed government campaign against smoking, on the grounds that the theory that smoking caused lung cancer "has not been proved".[12]
British coaster Fred Everard collided with another British ship, SS Walstream, off Margate, Kent. Fred Everard sank with the loss of one crew member.[19]
The U.S. steam schoonerHoward Olson collided with another U.S. ship, SS Marine Leopard, 175 nautical miles (324 km) south of San Francisco, California. The Howard Olson sank, with the loss of six members of her 28 crew.[26][27]
Harry Pollitt resigned as General Secretary of the British Communist Party; Pollitt was suffering from poor health and was replaced by John Gollan.[28]
Six business executives from a firm in Chicago, United States, were killed, along with two crew members, when their company plane crashed near Jeffersonville, Indiana.[31]
Fighting broke out between French troops and Algerian independence fighters, continuing until 22 May. At the end of the encounter, 24 French soldiers and 67 Algerian rebels were dead.[33]
In the United States, the NBC television network used its peacock logo for the first time, to indicate the quality of its colour television broadcasting.[41]
Swedish teacher Gunnel Gummeson and her American boyfriend Peter Winant were reportedly seen for the last time in Shibarghan, Afghanistan, before going missing. In 1977, Gummeson would be declared presumed dead, probably murdered.[42]
The first Eurovision Song Contest was broadcast from Lugano, Switzerland, and was won by the host country. The winning song was "Refrain" by Géo Voumard and Émile Gardaz, sung by Lys Assia.[43]
A Gloster Meteor NF.Mk 11 overshot the runway while taking off from RAF Wahn, West Germany. The two-man crew were unhurt, but the plane was damaged beyond repair.[48]
The Dutch coaster Prins Bernhard collided with the West German ship SS Tanger off Folkestone, Kent, and sank. All on board were rescued by the Dover lifeboat.[51]
The Hong Kong-registered tanker Lucky Carrier, on a voyage from Chalna to Akyab, ran aground at Fakir Point, Burma. The ship was later towed to Singapore where she would be declared a constructive total loss and scrapped.[52]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Grimwood, James M. "Part 1 (A) Major Events Leading to Project Mercury March 1944 through December 1957". Project Mercury - A Chronology. NASA Special Publication-4001. NASA. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
