1953 Corangamite by-election
The by-election was won by Liberal candidate Dan Mackinnon, who had previously served as the member for Wannon from 1949 to 1951.


1953 Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship
The 1953 Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship was the 44th staging of the Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Cork County Board in 1909.


1953 Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship
Newtownshandrum won the championship following a 0-05 to 0-04 defeat of Glen Rovers in the final. This was their first ever championship title in the grade.


1953 Cork Senior Football Championship
The 1953 Cork Senior Football Championship was the 65th staging of the Cork Senior Football Championship since its establishment by the Cork County Board in 1887.


1953 Cork Senior Football Championship
On 8 November 1953, Collins won the championship following a 1-08 to 1-04 defeat of University College Cork in a replay of the final at the Cork Athletic Grounds. This was their fourth championship title overall and their first title since 1951. It remains their last championship title.


1953 Cork Senior Hurling Championship
The 1953 Cork Senior Hurling Championship was the 65th staging of the Cork Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Cork County Board in 1887. The championship ended on 25 October 1953.


1953 Cork Senior Hurling Championship
On 25 October 1953, Glen Rovers won the championship following an 8-5 to 4-3 defeat of Sarsfields in the final. This was their 14th championship title overall and their first title in three championship seasons.


1953 Cornell Big Red football team
The 1953 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University as an independent during the 1953 college football season. In its seventh season under head coach George K. James, the team compiled a 4–3–2 record but was outscored 152 to 128. Bill George was the team captain.


1953 Cornell Big Red football team
Cornell played its home games at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, New York.


1953 Coronation Honours
The 1953 Coronation Honours were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours on the occasion of her coronation on 2 June 1953. The honours were published in The London Gazette on 1 June 1953.


1953 Coronation Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour. They are arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1953 Coronation Honours, United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, Privy Counsellors
The Queen appointed the following to Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council:


1953 Coronation Honours, United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Members (MBE)
Enid Frances Jones, Secretary of the Church of England Advisory Council of Empire Settlement


1953 Coronation Honours (Ceylon)
The 1953 Coronation Honours in Ceylon, celebrating the coronation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Ceylon, were appointments made by the Queen on the advice of the Ceylon government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by Ceylonese. The honours were announced on 1 June 1953.


1953 Coronation Honours (Ceylon)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1953 Coronation Honours (New Zealand)
The 1953 Coronation Honours in New Zealand, celebrating the coronation of Elizabeth II, were appointments made by the Queen on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. Also included were a number of special awards to New Zealand military personnel for operational service in Korea. The honours were announced on 1 June 1953.


1953 Coronation Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1953 Coronation Honours (Pakistan)
The 1953 Coronation Honours in Pakistan, celebrating the coronation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Pakistan, were appointments made by the Queen on the advice of the Government of Pakistan to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by Pakistanis. The honours were announced on 1 June 1953.


1953 Coronation Honours (Pakistan)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1953 Costa Rican general election
General elections were held in Costa Rica on 26 July 1953. José Figueres Ferrer of the National Liberation Party won the presidential election, whilst his party also won the parliamentary election. Voter turnout was 67.2 percent in the presidential election and 67.5 percent in the parliamentary election.


1953 Costa Rican general election
This was Costa Rica's first election since the end of the 1948 Civil War, and democratic guarantees were not fully restored.


1953 Costa Rican general election
José Figueres, the caudillo of the victorious National Liberation Army faction in the Civil War, was the candidate of the newly founded National Liberation Party (PLN). Liberal Mario Echandi tried to be the candidate from then-ruling National Union Party (PUN), but his candidacy was denied by the Electoral Tribunal due to purported irregularities in the adherents' signatures. This move was highly criticized by Figueres' opponents as an action in favor of Figueres' candidacy.


1953 Costa Rican general election
As PUN was unable to participate, the only other candidacy alternate to Figueres was made by the Democratic Party, which nominated wealthy industrial magnate Fernando Castro Cervantes. The three parties—PLN, PUN and Democratic—were all formerly united in opposition against the 1940s governments of Rafael Angel Calderón and his allies, who were viewed as having caused the civil war. Yet, after the war, such unification ceased.


1953 Costa Rican general election
The losing sides in the civil war, mostly the Republicans (Calderón supporters) and the Communists, were unable to participate as the Republicans' party was disbanded and the Communist Party was constitutionally outlawed. The Republicans were nonetheless allowed to participate in the legislative ballot with a provincial party in San José called the "Independent" Republican Party, and thereby gained some seats. As expected, Figueres won by a landslide victory.


1953 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 1953 Cotton Bowl Classic featured the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas Longhorns. This was the first Cotton Bowl Classic to be broadcast on television.


1953 Cotton Bowl Classic, Background
The Longhorns were in their first Bowl appearance under Price, in his second season with the team. They had won the Southwest Conference for the first time since 1950. The Volunteers finished 2nd in the Southeastern Conference in Neyland's final season.


1953 Cotton Bowl Classic, Game summary
Midway through the first quarter, Dave Griffith was tackled by Carlton Massey for a safety after trying to do a fake punt...on first down. After a fumble by Ray Byrd was recovered by Clifford Polk early in the second quarter, Gib Dawson scored on a 4-yard touchdown run 7 plays later to give Texas a 9-0 lead at halftime. Midway through the fourth quarter, Jim Rosser recovered a Vols fumble and seven plays later, Billy Quinn scored on a touchdown run seal Tennessee's fate as the Longhorns got revenge on what happened two Cotton Bowls earlier. Despite both teams losing three fumbles, Tennessee cost them more dearly and led to 14 points for Texas.


1953 Cotton Bowl Classic, Aftermath
Price would win the SWC again, but a 1-9 season in 1956 led to Price's resignation, leading the way for Darrell Royal to be hired. Harvey Robinson took over for the Vols after Neyland's retirement, but it would take him being fired before the Vols returned to a bowl game under his replacement.


1953 County Championship
The 1953 County Championship was the 54th officially organised running of the County Championship. Surrey won the Championship title.


1953 County Championship
On 16 May 1953, the match between Surrey and Warwickshire finished within the first day, with Surrey winning by an innings and 49 runs.


1953 County Championship, Table
The match between Northamptonshire and Middlesex at Peterborough ended in a tie, and both sides were awarded six points.


1953 Coupe de France Final
The 1953 Coupe de France Final was a football match held at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes on May 31, 1953, that saw Lille OSC defeat FC Nancy 2–1 thanks to goals by Jean Vincent and Bernard Lefèvre.


1953 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
The 1953 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré was the 7th edition of the cycle race and was held from 7 June to 14 June 1953. The race started and finished in Grenoble. The race was won by Lucien Teisseire.


1953 Crosby by-election
The Crosby by-election was held on 12 November 1953. It was held due to the incumbent Conservative MP, Malcolm Bullock resigning his seat. The by-election was won by the Conservative candidate Graham Page.


1953 Cuba census
The 1953 Cuba census was the fourteenth national population census held in the Republic of Cuba. The day used for the census, was 28 January 1953. The census revealed a total population of 5,829,029, - an overall increase of 1,050,446 (2.01%) per year over the 1943 census figure.


1953 Cuba census, Population, Birthplace
The number of people living in Cuba who were foreign-born continued to decrease in absolute numbers and percentage from the previous census. In 1953, 230,431 people (3.95 percent) were born outside of Cuba.


1953 Cup of the Ukrainian SSR
The 1953 Ukrainian Cup was a football knockout competition conducting by the Football Federation of the Ukrainian SSR and was known as the Ukrainian Cup.


1953 Cup of the Ukrainian SSR, Teams, Non-participating teams
The Ukrainian teams of masters did not take part in the competition.


1953 Cupa României
The 1953 Cupa României was the 16th edition of Romania's most prestigious football cup competition.


1953 Cupa României
The title was won by Flamura Roşie Arad against CCA București.


1953 Cupa României, Format
In the first round proper, two pots were made, first pot with Divizia A teams and other teams till 16 and the second pot with the rest of teams qualified in this phase. First pot teams will play away. Each tie is played as a single leg.


1953 Cupa României, Format
If a match is drawn after 90 minutes, the game goes in extra time, and if the scored is still tight after 120 minutes, the team who plays away will qualify.


1953 Cupa României, Format
In case the teams are from same city, there a replay will be played.


1953 Cupa României, Format
In case the teams play in the final, there a replay will be played.


1953 Cupa României, Format
From the first edition, the teams from Divizia A entered in competition in sixteen finals, rule which remained till today.


1953 Cupa României Final
The 1953 Cupa României Final was the 16th final of Romania's most prestigious football cup competition. It was disputed between CCA București and Flamura Roşie Arad, and was won by Flamura Roşie Arad after a game with 1 goal, in extra time. It was the second cup for Flamura Roşie Arad after the one from 1947–48 season.


1953 Czechoslovak First League, Overview
It was contested by 14 teams, and ÚDA Praha won the championship. Josef Majer was the league's top scorer with 13 goals.


1953 Czechoslovak presidential election
The 1948 Czechoslovak presidential election took place on 14 June 1953. It was held due to the death of Klement Gottwald. Prime Minister Antonín Zápotocký was elected the new president.


1953 Czechoslovak presidential election, Voting
Klement Gottwald died on 14 March 1953. At the 14 June election, Zápotocký received all 271 votes in the Parliament. He had already been carrying out most presidential duties since Gottwald's death, as per the Constitution.


1953 DFB-Pokal Final
The 1953 DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the 1952–53 DFB-Pokal, the 10th season of Germany's knockout football cup competition. It was played on 1 May 1953 at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf. Rot -Weiss Essen won the match 2–1 against Alemannia Aachen, to claim their 1st cup title.


1953 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final
The DFB-Pokal began with 32 teams in a single-elimination knockout cup competition. There were a total of four rounds leading up to the final. Teams were drawn against each other, and the winner after 90 minutes would advance. If still tied, 30 minutes of extra time was played. If the score was still level, a replay would take place at the original away team's stadium. If still level after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time was played. If the score was still level, a drawing of lots would decide who would advance to the next round.


1953 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away; N: neutral).


1953 Dalley by-election
A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Dalley on 9 May 1953. This was triggered by the death of Labor MP and former Speaker Sol Rosevear.


1953 Danish Folketing election
Folketing elections were held alongside Landsting elections in Denmark on 21 April 1953, except in the Faroe Islands where they were held on 7 May. The Social Democratic Party remained the largest in the Folketing, with 61 of the 151 seats. Voter turnout was 80.8% in Denmark proper but just 20% in the Faroes.


1953 Danish Folketing election
They were the last elections under the bicameral system, as the Landsting was abolished later in the year.


1953 Danish constitutional and electoral age referendum
A constitutional and electoral age referendum was held in Denmark on 28 May 1953. Both proposals were approved by voters, leading to both a new constitution taking effect on 5 June, and the electoral age being lowered from 25 to 23 years, also starting on 5 June. Voter turnout was 59.1% for the constitution question and 57.1% for the voting age question.


1953 Danish constitutional and electoral age referendum, Constitution
According to the previous constitution of 1915, with changes from 1920, in order for a new constitution to pass, it must first be passed in one Rigsdag, which must then be disbanded, a new parliamentary election called, and the new parliament must then also pass the constitution, in unchanged form; and finally, a majority of voters in a referendum, with a requirement of at least 45% turnout, must also pass the proposed constitution. When the referendum took place on May 28, 1953, it concluded the last of these three steps, and the constitution could take effect on June 5.


1953 Danish constitutional and electoral age referendum, Constitution, Changes from the previous constitution
The Ministry of Education of Denmark lists the changes from the previous constitution as follows:


1953 Danish constitutional and electoral age referendum, Voting age
One of the proposed changes in the new constitution was that the electoral age would now be decided by laws that required a binding referendum. Prior to the 1953 referendum, the electoral age was 25 years. The electoral age portion of the referendum asked whether the new electoral age should be 23 or 21 years, with 30.0% voting for 23 years and 25.0% for 21 years, thus passing the former of the two.


1953 Danish general election
General elections were held in the Kingdom of Denmark on 22 September 1953, the first under the new constitution. The Social Democratic Party remained the largest in the Folketing, with 74 of the 179 seats. Voter turnout was 80.6% in Denmark proper and 68.6% in Greenland. The electoral threshold was 60,000 votes.


1953 Danish general election, Electoral system changes
This election was held as a result of the passing of the 1953 Danish constitution. The new election law of 1953 increased the size of the Folketing from 151 to 179 members. The number of district seats was increased from 105 to 135, while the number of levelling seats was decreased to 40. This was the first election in which Greenland elected members.


1953 Danish general election, Results, Faroe Islands
Only two candidates ran in the two-seat Faroes constituency, one from the Union Party and one from the Social Democratic Party. Both were re-elected unopposed.


1953 Danish parliamentary election
The 1953 Danish parliamentary election can refer to one of three Danish parliamentary elections held in 1953:


1953 Dartmouth Indians football team
The 1953 Dartmouth Indians football team was an American football team that represented Dartmouth College as an independent during the 1953 college football season. In their 11th season under head coach Tuss McLaughry, the Indians compiled a 2–7 record, and were outscored 219 to 152. Bayard Johnson was the team captain.


1953 Dartmouth Indians football team
Dartmouth played its home games at Memorial Field on the college campus in Hanover, New Hampshire.


1953 Davis Cup
The 1953 Davis Cup was the 42nd edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 24 teams entered the Europe Zone, 6 teams entered the America Zone, and India was the sole competitor in the Eastern Zone. This year saw the first appearances in the competition of both Ceylon and a team representing the West Indies. For the first time play took place on the African continent, when the first-round Europe Zone tie between Egypt and Austria was held in Cairo.


1953 Davis Cup
The United States defeated Canada in the America Zone final, and Belgium defeated Denmark in the Europe Zone final. In the Inter-Zonal Zone, Belgium defeated India in the semifinal, and then lost to the United States in the final. In the Challenge Round the United States were defeated by the defending champions Australia. The final was played at Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on 28–31 December.


1953 Davis Cup America Zone
The America Zone was one of the three regional zones of the 1953 Davis Cup.


1953 Davis Cup America Zone
6 teams entered the America Zone, with the winner going on to compete in the Inter-Zonal Zone against the winners of the Eastern Zone and Europe Zone. The United States defeated Canada in the final and progressed to the Inter-Zonal Zone.


1953 Davis Cup Europe Zone
The Europe Zone was one of the three regional zones of the 1953 Davis Cup.


1953 Davis Cup Europe Zone
24 teams entered the Europe Zone, with the winner going on to compete in the Inter-Zonal Zone against the winners of the America Zone and Eastern Zone. Belgium defeated Denmark in the final and progressed to the Inter-Zonal Zone.


1953 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team
The 1953 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team was an American football team that represented the University of Delaware as an independent during the 1953 college football season. In its third season under head coach David M. Nelson, the team compiled a 7–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 201 to 80. Johnny Borreson was the team captain. The team played its home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.


1953 Delaware State Hornets football team
The 1953 Delaware State Hornets football team represented Delaware State College—now known as Delaware State University—as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in the 1953 college football season. 1930s coach Edward Jackson returned, bringing the team back from a 1–7 record in 1952, to a 4–4 record in 1953. In the last game of the season, the 1934 championship team, who Jackson coached, watched the Hornets win, 19–12.


1953 Denver Pioneers football team
The 1953 Denver Pioneers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Denver in the Mountain States Conference (MSC) during the 1953 college football season. In its first season under head coach Bob Blackman, the team compiled a 3–5–2 record (1–5–1 against MSC opponents), tied for last place in the conference, and was outscored by a total of 195 to 159.


1953 Detroit Lions season
The 1953 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League. The Lions won their second consecutive and third overall National Football League (NFL) championship. In their fourth year under head coach Buddy Parker, the Lions compiled a 10–2 record during the regular season, outscored opponents 271 to 205, finished in first place in the NFL's Western Division, and defeated the Cleveland Browns 17–16 in the NFL Championship Game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.


1953 Detroit Lions season
The 1953 Lions ranked fifth in the NFL in scoring offense. The offense was led by quarterback Bobby Layne who compiled 2,431 yards of total offense (2,088 passing, 343 rushing) and 16 passing touchdowns. Halfback Doak Walker totaled 839 yards from scrimmage, (337 rushing, 502 receiving) and was the team's leading scorer with 93 points on five touchdowns, 12 field goals, and 27 extra points. For the fourth year in a row, Bob Hoernschemeyer was the team's leading rusher, contributed 764 yards from scrimmage (482 rushing, 282 receiving) and scored nine touchdowns.


1953 Detroit Lions season
The team also ranked second in the NFL in scoring defense. Defensive back Jack Christiansen led the NFL with 12 interceptions and 238 interception return yards. Eight members of the 1953 Lions were selected as first-team All-NFL players for the 1953 season: middle guard Les Bingaman, Christiansen, offensive guard Lou Creekmur, Hoernschemeyer, Layne, defensive tackle Thurman McGraw, guard Dick Stanfel, and Walker. Seven members of the team, Christiansen, Creekmur, safety Yale Lary, Layne, linebacker Joe Schmidt, guard Dick Stanfel, and Walker, were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Regular season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 1: Pittsburgh
On September 27, 1953, the Lions defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 38–21, before a crowd of 44,587 at Briggs Stadium. Lew Carpenter intercepted a Jim Finks pass and returned it 73 yards for the Lions' first touchdown in the first quarter. The Lions scored 17 points in the second quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Gene Gedman, a 40-yard field goal by Doak Walker, and a 49-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Layne to Leon Hart.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 1: Pittsburgh
Walker returned a kickoff 60 yards and scored 14 points on a third-quarter touchdown pass from Layne, the second-quarter field goal, and five extra point kicks. Bob Hoernschemeyer scored Detroit's final touchdown on a 29-yard pass from Layne. Layne passed for 364 yards in the game. In his first regular season NFL game, rookie linebacker Joe Schmidt was, according to the Detroit Free Press, "making tackles all over the field" and a key in holding the Steelers to 96 rushing yards.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 2: at Baltimore
On October 3, 1953, the Lions won, 27–17, in a close game with the Baltimore Colts in a Saturday night game in front of 25,159 spectators at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Lions' passing attack had an off night as the Colts intercepted six of Detroit's 17 passes. Bob Hoernschemeyer scored a touchdown in the first quarter on a 49-yard run that the Detroit Free Press called "one of the best runs in Lion history".


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 2: at Baltimore
Doak Walker kicked a field goal in the second quarter to give the Lions a 10–7 lead, but the Colts responded with a touchdown and field goal to take a 17–10 lead at halftime. The Lions responded with 17 points in the third quarter. Yale Lary returned a punt 74 yards for another touchdown, and backup quarterback Tom Dublinski, taking over with the score tied at 17, ran for a touchdown and kicked a field goal.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 3: San Francisco
On October 11, 1953, the Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 24–21, in front of a record crowd of 58,079 at Briggs Stadium. The victory broke a five-game losing streak against the 49ers. On the third play from scrimmage, the Lions scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Doak Walker to Cloyce Box. Walker also kicked a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter, and Bob Hoernschemeyer ran for a touchdown in the third quarter.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 3: San Francisco
Bobby Layne threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Leon Hart in the third quarter, but the 49ers closed the Lions' lead to three points on a short run by Y. A. Tittle. Jim David and Jack Christiansen hit Tittle as he scored, resulting in a triple fracture of Tittle's cheekbone. Les Bingaman also blocked a San Francisco field goal attempt in the game.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 4: Los Angeles
On October 18, 1953, the Lions lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 31–19, in front of a crowd of 55,772 at Briggs Stadium. The defeat broke a six-game winning streak for the Lions, dating back to November 1952. The 31 points allowed was the highest allowed by the Lions since the 1951 season. Woodley Lewis was the star for the Rams, returning punts for 22, 45, and 78 yards (the latter for a touchdown), and kickoffs for 30, 69, 25, and 16 yards. Detroit scored on two touchdown passes from Bobby Layne to Leon Hart (16 yards in the second quarter) and Dorne Dibble (36 yards in the third quarter) and two Doak Walker field goals of 40 and 35 yards.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 5: at San Francisco
On October 25, 1953, the Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 14–10, in front of 54,862 spectators at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. The victory was the first by a Lions team in San Francisco. The 49ers took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a short run by Joe Perry and extended their lead on a field goal in the second quarter, but were held scoreless for the remainder of the game. Late in the second quarter, the Lions cut the 49ers lead to three points on 47-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Layne to Dorne Dibble.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 5: at San Francisco
The Lions scored the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard pass from Layne to Ollie Cline. The winning touchdown was set up by a fake punt on fourth down, with Yale Lary carrying the ball 21 yards to the San Francisco 24-yard line. Y. A. Tittle, who fractured his cheekbone two weeks earlier against the Lions, appeared briefly in the game and was intercepted on both of his passes. The 49ers outgained the Lions, 351 yards to 239 yards.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 6: a Los Angeles
On November 1, 1953, the Lions lost for the second time to the Los Angeles Rams, 37–24, in front of 97,751 spectators at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Lions took a 10–0 lead in the first quarter on 38-yard field goal by Doak Walker and a 92-yard interception return by Jack Christiansen. Bobby Layne threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Leon Hart in the second quarter, and the Lions led, 17–9, at halftime. The Rams scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter on a 74-yard run by Skeets Quinlan and two interception returns for touchdown. Norm Van Brocklin extended the Rams' lead to 37–17 with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Vitamin Smith early in the fourth quarter. Bob Hoernschemeyer scored a late touchdown on a one-yard run.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 7: Baltimore
On Saturday, November 7, 1953, the Lions defeated the Baltimore Colts, 17–7, in front of a crowd of 46,508 at Briggs Stadium. The Colts took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a run by Carl Taseff but were held scoreless in the final three quarters. The Lions tied the game in the second quarter on a 10-yard pass from Bobby Layne to Bob Hoernschemeyer but missed an opportunity to tie when Layne fumbled at Baltimore's one-yard line.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 7: Baltimore
The Lions took the lead in the third quarter on a 14-yard field goal by Doak Walker and extended their lead in the fourth quarter as Layne threw an eight-yard pass to Leon Hart. The Detroit defense forced six turnovers, five interceptions of quarterback Fred Enke's passes (including three by Jack Christiansen) and a recovery of a John Huzvar fumble by Jim Cain. Enke completed only four of 15 passes for 69 yards.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 8: at Green Bay
On November 15, 1953, the Lions defeated the Green Bay Packers, 14–7, in front of 20,834 spectators at City Stadium in Green Bay. The Packers outgained the Lions, 394 yards to 303, but the Lions intercepted four passes (three by Yale Lary in the second half) to halt Green Bay's drives. Detroit's touchdowns came on passes by Bobby Layne – an 83-yard completion to Doak Walker in the second quarter and a 22-yard completion to Leon Hart in the fourth quarter. The second touchdown deflected off a defensive back's hands and was caught by Hart at knee level. Harley Sewell and Bob Forte were ejected from the game in the fourth quarter for fighting.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 9: at Chicago
On November 22, 1953, the Lions defeated the Chicago Bears, 20–16, in front of a crowd of 36,165 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Doak Walker scored all 20 Detroit points, and the Lions intercepted four of George Blanda's passes. The teams traded field goals by Blanda and Walker in the first quarter, and each scored touchdowns in the second quarter, though the Bears missed their extra point. Bob Hoernschemeyer scored for the Lions on a one-yard run. In the third period, the Bears took a 16–10 lead on a 55-yard touchdown pass from Blanda to Bill McColl.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 9: at Chicago
Walker kicked his second field goal late in the third quarter, and the Lions took the lead in the fourth quarter after a long field goal attempt by Walker fell short, and Detroit center Vince Banonis downed the ball at the one-yard line. Blanda threw a pass from deep in Chicago territory, and Bob Smith recovered the ball and returned it to the six-yard line. Walker then scored the winning touchdown on a two-yard run. The Lions gained a season-high 447 yards in the game.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 10: Green Bay
On Thursday, November 26, 1953, in the annual Thanksgiving Day game at Briggs Stadium, the Lions defeated the Green Bay Packers, 34–15, before a crowd of 52,607. The game was played under the lights in snow squalls in what the Detroit Free Press dubbed the game a "comedy of errors". The teams combined for 13 turnovers – seven by the Lions (five on interceptions, two on fumbles) and six by the Packers (three on interceptions, three on fumbles). At one point, Tom Dublinski and Babe Parilli threw interceptions on three consecutive plays.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 10: Green Bay
After Joe Schmidt intercepted a Parilli pass early in the first quarter, Bob Hoernschemeyer scored on a short run, but the Packers then scored 15 unanswered points to take a 15–7 half time lead. The Lions responded with 27 unanswered points in the second half. The Lions' comeback began with the longest touchdown pass in team history – a 97-yard pass (65 yards in the air) from Bobby Layne to Cloyce Box early in the third quarter. Hoernschemeyer ran 41 yards for a touchdown later in the third quarter, and Gene Gedman ran four yards for the Lions final touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Jim Martin completed the scoring with two fourth-quarter field goals.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 11: Chicago
On December 6, 1953, the Lions defeated the Bears, 13–7, in front of a crowd of 58,056, the second largest of the season, at Briggs Stadium. It was the first time the Lions had beaten the Bears twice in the same season since. The Lions took a 13–0 lead in the first half as Doak Walker kicked field goals of 41 and 36 yards, and Bobby Layne threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Dorne Dibble. Walker's second field goal gave him a Lions' club record with 12 field goals for the season. Layne, playing with a sore arm, completed six of 17 passes for 137 yards. The Detroit Free Press credited the "sparkling play" of Lions' defensive halfbacks with the victory, as they intercepted five of George Blanda's passes. The defense also held the Bears to 54 rushing yards.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 12: at New York
On December 13, 1953, the Lions clinched the NFL Western Division championship with a 27–16 victory over the New York Giants in front of 28,390 spectators at the Polo Grounds in New York. Bobby Layne threw two touchdown passes in the first half – a 25-yard completion to Leon Hart and a 34-yard completion to Doak Walker. Walker also ran 50 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The Giants mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter with a touchdown and a safety, closing the score to 20–16.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, Week 12: at New York
The Giants threatened three more times in the fourth quarter, but the defense intercepted two passes and stopped Frank Gifford on a fourth-down play at the one-yard line. After a Bob Smith interception, Gene Gedman sealed the Lions' victory with a four-yard run touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. With five interceptions in the game, the Lions totaled 38 for the season – four behind the NFL record of 42.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, NFL Championship Game
On December 27, 1953, the Lions played the Cleveland Browns in the 1953 NFL Championship Game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Playing before a crowd of 54,577, the Lions defeated the Browns, 17–16. The Lions took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Doak Walker. Walker and Lou Groza both kicked field goals in the second quarter, and the Lions led, 10–3, at halftime. In the second half, the Browns scored 13 unanswered points and led, 16–10, with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Season summary, NFL Championship Game
The Lions drove 80 yards for a touchdown, capped by a 33-yard pass from Bobby Layne to Jim Doran with two minutes left in the game. On the ensuing drive, Carl Karilivacz intercepted an Otto Graham pass to clinch the victory. The Lions' defensive backfield as a whole contributed to the victory, limiting Graham, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, to two completions (and an equal number of interceptions) on 15 passes for a total of four passing yards. The Detroit Free Press called it Graham's "darkest day in eight years of pro ball."


1953 Detroit Lions season, Awards, honors and league leaders, Team awards
At the end of the regular season, the Lions players voted offensive guard Dick Stanfel as the team's most valuable player.


1953 Detroit Lions season, Awards, honors and league leaders, All-NFL honors
The following eight Lions players won All-Pro honors from the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI) and/or the New York Daily News:


1953 Detroit Lions season, Awards, honors and league leaders, Pro Bowl
In addition, seven Lions players were selected 1954 Pro Bowl:


1953 Detroit Lions season, Awards, honors and league leaders, NFL leaders
Several Lions players were also among the NFL leaders in various statistical categories, including the following:


1953 Detroit Lions season, Awards, honors and league leaders, Pro Football Hall of Fame
Six members of the team were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They are:


1953 Detroit Tigers season
The 1953 Detroit Tigers season was a season in American baseball. The team finished sixth in the American League with a record of 60–94, 40½ games behind the New York Yankees.


1953 Detroit Tigers season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1953 Detroit Tigers season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1953 Detroit Tigers season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1953 Detroit Tigers season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1953 Detroit Tigers season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1953 Detroit Titans football team
The 1953 Detroit Titans football team represented the University of Detroit in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1953 college football season. In its third year under head coach Dutch Clark, Detroit compiled a 6–4 record (3–1 against conference opponents), tied for the MVC championship, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 231 to 124.


1953 Detroit Titans football team
The team's assistant coaches were Wally Fromhart (backfield coach, third year), Kenneth L. Stilley (line coach, first year), Edmund J. Barbour (freshman coach since 1931), and Dr. Raymond D. Forsyth (team physician). The team co-captains were guard Denny McCotter and tackle Dick Martwick.


1953 Divizia A
The 1953 Divizia A was the thirty-sixth season of Divizia A, the top-level football league of Romania.


1953 Divizia A, Champion squad
Goalkeepers: Costică Toma (7 / 0); Ion Voinescu (8 / 0); Liviu Coman (7 / 0). Defenders: Vasile Zavoda (10 / 0); Alexandru Apolzan (13 / 1); Traian Ivănescu (20 / 1); Nicolae Topșa (3 / 0); Victor Dumitrescu (8 / 0); Nicolae Dodeanu (7 / 0); Alexandru Karikaș (6 / 0). Midfielders: Ștefan Balint (13 / 0); Tiberiu Bone (20 / 4); Ștefan Onisie (2 / 0).


1953 Divizia A, Champion squad
Forwards: Victor Moldovan (17 / 7); Francisc Zavoda (11 / 2); József Pecsovszky (10 / 3); Nicolae Drăgan (14 / 2); Mihai Flamaropol (8 / 1); Nicolae Tătaru (10 / 0); Petre Moldoveanu (12 / 0); Petre Bădeanțu (8 / 0); Constantin Titi Popescu (2 / 0); Iosif Kajlik (4 / 0); Iosif Meszaros (3 / 0); Mihai Smărăndescu (1 / 0); Ion Alecsandrescu (8 / 2); Ladislau Vlad (5 / 0). (league appearances and goals listed in brackets)


1953 Divizia A, Champion squad
Manager: Gheorghe Popescu I / Ferenc Rónay / Ilie Savu.


1953 Divizia B
The 1953 Divizia B was the 14th season of the second tier of the Romanian football league system.


1953 Divizia B
The format with two series has been maintained, but each of them being expanded from 12 to 16. At the end of the season the winners of the series and one second place promoted to Divizia A and only the teams which had organizational problems relegated to District Championship, because the series would be expanded from the next season. This was the fourth season played in the spring-autumn system, a system imposed by the new leadership of the country which were in close ties with the Soviet Union.


1953 Drexel Dragons football team
The 1953 Drexel Dragons football team represented the Drexel Institute of Technology (renamed Drexel University in 1970) as an independent during the 1953 college football season. Eddie Allen was the team's head coach.


1953 Duke Blue Devils baseball team
The 1953 Duke Blue Devils baseball team represented Duke University in the 1953 NCAA baseball season. The Blue Devils played their home games at Jack Coombs Field. The team was coached by Ace Parker in his 1st year at Duke.


1953 Duke Blue Devils baseball team
The Blue Devils won the District III playoff to advanced to the College World Series, where they were defeated by the Boston College Eagles.


1953 Duke Blue Devils football team
The 1953 Duke Blue Devils football team represented the Duke Blue Devils of Duke University during the 1953 college football season.


1953 Duke Blue Devils football team
Duke won a share of the 1953 ACC Championship, and finished the season ranked 18th in the final AP poll.


1953 Dulwich Hill state by-election
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Dulwich Hill on 20 June 1953 because of the resignation of George Weir (Labor) to accept an appointment as a judge of the New South Wales Industrial Commission.


1953 Dunedin mayoral election
The 1953 Dunedin mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1953, elections were held for the Mayor of Dunedin plus other local government positions including twelve city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.


1953 Dunedin mayoral election, Campaign
Len Wright, the incumbent Mayor, was re-elected for a second term. He defeated a spirited challenge from Phil Connolly the sitting Labour MP for Dunedin Central, who despite losing the mayoralty was elected to the Otago Harbour Board, where he became deputy-chairman.


1953 Dunedin mayoral election, Campaign
A major talking point in the lead up to the election was the potential of a clash with the 1953 Royal Tour. There were proposals to postpone local elections until early 1954 over fears of reduced turnout due to a conflicted schedule. The proposals were considered by the Minister of Internal Affairs William Bodkin, who ultimately decided against it.


1953 Dutch Grand Prix
The 1953 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 7 June 1953 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was race 3 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 90-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. His teammate Nino Farina finished second and Maserati drivers José Froilán González and Felice Bonetto came in third


1953 Dutch Grand Prix, Race report
The Dutch Grand Prix, which had been held in August the previous year, moved to an earlier June calendar slot in 1953. Ferrari retained the same four drivers who had competed at Buenos Aires—Alberto Ascari, Luigi Villoresi, Nino Farina and Mike Hawthorn—while there was also a privateer Ferrari for Frenchman Louis Rosier. The Scuderia's most significant competition came from the Maserati team, who came to Zandvoort with three of their four drivers from the Argentine Grand Prix: Juan Manuel Fangio, José Froilán González and Felice Bonetto. Swiss driver Toulo de Graffenried raced in a privateer Maserati for Enrico Platé's team.


1953 Dutch Grand Prix, Race report
Gordini also entered three cars for this event, with Maurice Trintignant and Harry Schell (who had shared Trintignant's car at Buenos Aires) being retained from their lineup for Argentina. Roberto Mieres made his Grand Prix debut in the team's third car. The Connaught works team retained Kenneth McAlpine and Stirling Moss from their lineup for the previous European race, the Italian Grand Prix, while fellow British driver Roy Salvadori also drove for the team, and Johnny Claes entered a privateer Connaught. HWM also stuck with the drivers who had competed for them in Monza—Peter Collins and Lance Macklin—while Ken Wharton completed the field in his privateer Cooper-Bristol.


1953 Dutch Grand Prix, Race report
Ascari took his fifth consecutive pole position (excluding the Indy 500, in which none of the European teams competed), and he was joined on the front row by Fangio in his Maserati and the second Ferrari of Farina. Villoresi in the third Ferrari started from the second row, alongside the Maserati of González, while the third row consisted of Hawthorn in the remaining works Ferrari and a pair of privateers—de Graffenried in a Maserati and Rosier in his Ferrari. The final works Maserati of Bonetto could only manage to qualify on the fifth row of the grid, starting from thirteenth.


1953 Dutch Grand Prix, Race report
The race was held in very difficult conditions – the track was made slippery by loose grit. The Ferraris had better road holding and once again Alberto Ascari led from start to finish, while the main competition for second place was between his teammates Farina and Villoresi. Farina ultimately finished second, while Villoresi, who took the point for fastest lap, was forced to retire with a throttle issue. A problem with his suspension forced González to retire.


1953 Dutch Grand Prix, Race report
Three laps later, however, he took over his teammate Felice Bonetto's car and ran out the winner of an exciting duel with Mike Hawthorn, once again depriving Ferrari of a 1-2-3. González and Bonetto shared the four points for third place. Fangio retired with a broken back axle, having been in fourth behind the leading Ferrari trio at the time. Toulo de Graffenried took the final points position in fifth, his first points since the 1951 Swiss Grand Prix.


1953 Dutch Grand Prix, Race report
Ascari's eight consecutive World Championship race victory (ignoring the Indianapolis 500) gave him a clear lead in the points standings. He was eight points clear of Bill Vukovich, the winner at Indianapolis, while his nearest genuine rivals for the Drivers' Championship were his teammates Villoresi and Farina, who were in third and fourth, respectively. González and Hawthorn were level on points with Farina, eleven points adrift of Ascari.


1953 East Carolina Pirates football team
The 1953 East Carolina Pirates football team was an American football team that represented represented East Carolina College (now known as East Carolina University) as a member of the North State Conference during the 1953 college football season. In their second season under head coach Jack Boone, the team compiled a 8–2 record and as conference champions.


1953 Edmonton municipal election
The 1953 municipal election was held October 14, 1953 to elect six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the separate school board, while the mayor and four trustees for the public school board were acclaimed. The electorate also decided five plebiscite questions.


1953 Edmonton municipal election
There were ten aldermen on city council, but four of the positions were already filled:Edwin Clarke, James MacDonald, Frederick John Mitchell, and Ethel Wilson were all elected to two-year terms in 1952 and were still in office. Richmond Francis Hanna (SS) had also been elected to a two-year term in 1952, but had been elected to the House of Commons of Canada and had resigned; consequently, Hu Harries (SS) was elected alderman for a one-year term to complete his term.


1953 Edmonton municipal election
There were seven trustees on the public school board, but three of the positions were already filled: Charles Cummins, Robert Rae, and Harry Fowler had been acclaimed to two-year terms in 1952 and were still in office. The same was true on the separate board, where Francis Killeen, James O'Hara, and Adrian Crowe (SS) were continuing.


1953 Edmonton municipal election, Voter turnout
There were 12,146 ballots cast out of 107,687 eligible voters, for a voter turnout of 11.2%.


1953 Edmonton municipal election, Results, Plebiscites, Paving
Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $1,250,000 for the City share of paving arterial and residential streets?


1953 Edmonton municipal election, Results, Plebiscites, Engineering Equipment
Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $200,000 for the purpose of buying Engineers Department Equipment, consisting of scavenging equipment, oil distributor, front end loaders, oil and gas tenders, sweepers and other construction equipment?


1953 Edmonton municipal election, Results, Plebiscites, Swimming Pool Renovations
Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $75,000 for providing new filtration system and reconstructing dressing rooms and sun deck area in Borden Park Swimming Pool?


1953 Edmonton municipal election, Results, Plebiscites, Playgrounds
Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $50,000 to develop public playgrounds, playground shelters, wading pools and to provide other public recreation facilities?


1953 Edmonton municipal election, Results, Plebiscites, New Building at the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $355,000 being part of the cost of construction of a building to contain kitchen and dining room, storage and other facilities, at the Royal Alexandra Hospital?


1953 Ekstraklasa, Overview
12 teams competed in the 1953 season. Ruch Chorzów won the championship.


1953 Emperor's Cup, Overview
It was contested by 16 teams. All Kwangaku won the final and the championship.


1953 Emperor's Cup Final
1953 Emperor's Cup Final was the 33rd final of the Emperor's Cup  football competition. The final was played at Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium in Kyoto on May 5, 1953. All Kwangaku won the championship.


1953 Emperor's Cup Final, Overview
All Kwangaku won the championship, by defeating Osaka Club 5–4. All Kwangaku was featured a squad consisting of Ryuzo Hiraki, Shigeo Sugimoto, Masanori Tokita, Arawa Kimura and Takashi Tokuhiro. Osaka Club was featured a squad consisting of Taizo Kawamoto, Toshio Iwatani, Taro Kagawa and Osamu Yamaji.


1953 English Greyhound Derby
The 1953 Greyhound Derby Final took place during June with the final being held on 27 June 1953 at White City Stadium. The winner was Daws Dancer and the winning owner Mr D J Fitzgerald received £1,250.


1953 English Greyhound Derby, Final result, Distances
½, 2¼, 2¼, 1¼, ½ (lengths)The distances between the greyhounds are in finishing order and shown in lengths. From 1950 one length was equal to 0.08 of one second.


1953 English Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Endless Gossip returned to defend his Derby title that he won in 1952 and was quoted 8-1 joint second ante-post favourite by the bookmakers for the event along with Pall Mall Stakes champion Marsh Harrier. The market leader at 7-1 was Ollys Pal. On the eve of the first round Marsh Harrier and another leading runner Bargain Hunter were both withdrawn lame. The first round brought some surprises, Dublin Darkie won at 20-1 and then a puppy called Daws Dancer beat Endless Gossip, but the latter still progressed and remained favourite for the competition. Ollys Pal encountered a large amount of trouble but impressed by still qualifying.


1953 English Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
The second round resulted with many favourites being eliminated. A four way battle between Glittering Look, Small Town, Daws Dancer and Endless Gossip ended with a photo finish that showed Daws Dancer holding on for third place by a short head from the defending champion. Polonius claimed the heat that saw the elimination of Ollys Pal, whilst Galtee Cleo had posted 28.76 in the same round and was installed as the new favourite.


1953 English Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Glittering Look won the first semi-final holding off the challenge of Daws Dancer and Small Town but Galtee Cleo remained the favourite after winning the second semi-final to remain unbeaten in the competition.


1953 English Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
The draw for the final (which did not carry seeding*) resulted in the wide running Galtee Cleo drawing trap one. Daws Dancer a 10-1 shot, had made it through to the final with two third place finishes and made a good break in the decider leading Galtee Cleo to the first bend; Galtee Cleo swung wide as expected and was baulked and also interfered with others including Glittering Look who was going well at this stage. Galtee Cleo recovered well but could not make up the ground lost to Daws Dancer.


1953 English Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Note*Seeding (the allocation of greyhounds and trap numbers based on their running style)


1953 English cricket season
1953 was the 54th season of County Championship cricket in England. There was a tight Test series between England and Australia that was settled, after four drawn matches, in the final Test at The Oval, where England won to reclaim The Ashes for the first time since the Bodyline series of 1932–33. The County Championship was won by Surrey for the second consecutive season.


1953 Estonian SSR Football Championship
The 1953 Estonian SSR Football Championship was won by Tallinna Dünamo.


1953 European Amateur Boxing Championships
The 1953 European Amateur Boxing Championships  were held in Warsaw, Poland from May 17 to May 24. The tenth edition of the bi-annual competition was organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, EABA. There were 117 fighters from 19 countries participating.


1953 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1953 European Figure Skating Championships were held in Dortmund, West Germany from January 22 to 25. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU member nations competed for the title of European Champion in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and pair skating.


1953 European Rowing Championships
The 1953 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on Lake Bagsværd near the Danish capital Copenhagen. Men competed in all seven Olympic boat classes (M1x, M2x, M2-, M2+, M4-, M4+, M8+). The regatta was also the third test event for international women's rowing organised by the International Rowing Federation (FISA), with nine countries competing in four boat classes (W1x, W2x, W4+, W8+) over the shorter race distance of 1,000 m (men competed over 2,000 m). The purpose of the test event was to see whether women's rowing should formally become part of the FISA-organised European Rowing Championships.


1953 European Rowing Championships, Women's test event
The women’s test event was the third regatta organised to check whether international women's rowing was viable. Four countries had competed at the previous test events (Mâcon in 1951 and Amsterdam in 1952): France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Denmark. In 1953, the four initial countries were joined by Norway, Finland, Austria, West Germany and Poland. The same four boat classes (W1x, W2x, W4+, W8+) as in the two previous years were contested.


1953 European Rowing Championships, Women's test event
There were only three boats entered for the eight event and a single race decided the medals: the Netherlands won gold, silver went to Great Britain, and the Danish crew was awarded bronze.


1953 European Rowing Championships, Women's test event
As part of the 1953 European Championships, FISA held a congress in Copenhagen. It was decided for women's rowing to become an official part of the European Championships, with the first full event to be held as part of the 1954 European Rowing Championships in Amsterdam. In addition, a fifth boat class was added to the regatta from 1954: coxed quad scull.


1953 FA Charity Shield
The 1953 Football Association Charity Shield was the 29th FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Football League First Division and FA Cup competitions. It was held at Highbury Stadium on 12 October 1953. The game was played between Arsenal, champions of the 1952–53 Football League and Blackpool, who had beaten Bolton Wanderers to win the 1953 FA Cup Final. This was Blackpool's first FA Charity Shield appearance to Arsenal's ninth.


1953 FA Charity Shield
In the match, Blackpool started strongly and scored first with Stan Mortensen's goal in the 30th minute. Against the run of play, however, Arsenal equalised through Tommy Lawton and in the second half they went ahead when Doug Lishman reacted first to a rebounded shot. Lishman scored his second of the match in the 80th minute, which sealed a seventh Charity Shield honour for Arsenal.


1953 FA Charity Shield, Background
The FA Charity Shield was founded in 1908 as a successor to the Sheriff of London Charity Shield. It was a contest between the respective champions of the Football League and Southern League, and then by 1913 teams of amateur and professional players. In 1921, it was played by the Football League champions and FA Cup winners for the first time.


1953 FA Charity Shield, Background
Arsenal qualified for the 1953 FA Charity Shield as champions of the 1952–53 Football League First Division. The other Charity Shield place went to Blackpool who won the 1952–53 FA Cup. The final of the competition, which pitted Blackpool against Bolton Wanderers, was best remembered for Stanley Matthews' performance, and later associated by his name. The 1953 Shield marked Blackpool's first appearance in the annual contest. By contrast, this was Arsenal's ninth Charity Shield appearance; prior to the game they had won six Shields (1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938 and 1948), and lost two (1935 and 1936).


1953 FA Charity Shield, Background
Arsenal announced their team two days before the match, recalling Cliff Holton who had recovered from injury. Blackpool refused to reveal their team until the evening of 12 October, but manager Joe Smith did confirm to the press that Matthews would start.


1953 FA Charity Shield, Match, Summary
On a foggy, floodlit night at Highbury, it was the visitors who dominated the early proceedings; The Times football correspondent assessing that Blackpool's forward line had "…flowed sweetly, the ball on the ground in the most lovely [sic], sweeping movements." Matthews was at the heart of their best moves and, in particular, one pass through the Arsenal defence sent Bill Perry clear on goal. He tripped over the incoming Arsenal goalkeeper Jack Kelsey, but quickly managed to get up. With Kelsey out of his line, Perry was presented with the chance to score, but his shot hit the post. Blackpool continued to create chances and went ahead after 30 minutes of play. Breaking forward with the ball from the half-way line, Matthews combined with his team-mate Ernie Taylor, which culminated in Stan Mortensen getting the better of his marker and shooting past Kelsey.


1953 FA Charity Shield, Match, Summary
Despite Blackpool's dominance, Arsenal managed to equalise seconds before half-time. From the left wing, Holton got the better of his opponent Eddie Shimwell by taking the ball off him, and proceeded to cross; the ball found Tommy Lawton who scored from the byline. Once play resumed in the second half, Blackpool struggled to reproduce the same kind of intensity that had merited their earlier lead. Arsenal dictated play the longer the match went on, and looked more assured in defence – The Times singled out Mercer’s growing influence, adding "…one noticed the improvement of [Bill] Dodgin at centre-half, and the high promise of young [Len] Wills, playing only his second game at right back."


1953 FA Charity Shield, Match, Summary
Arsenal took the lead in the 65th minute when Jimmy Logie's pass was collected by Holton. His shot at goal rebounded into the path of Doug Lishman, who was following up, and he scored. Ten minutes before the end, a cross by Don Roper into Blackpool’s penalty area was headed down by Lawton; the ball reached Lishman who scored again to make sure of Arsenal's win.


1953 FA Charity Shield, Match, Summary
The Shield was presented to Arsenal by Lord Alexander of Tunis, the Minister of Defence. Gate receipts for the match totalled £6,589. In his assessment of the game, The Manchester Guardian's football correspondent John Woodcock wrote: "The football was not the only thing that had been of a high order. The sportsmanship and spirit in which it was played had been in every way as fine." Arsenal ended the season 12th in the First Division, and reached the fourth round of the FA Cup. Blackpool finished six positions higher in the league, but progressed no further than the fifth round of the cup competition.


1953 FA Cup Final
The 1953 FA Cup Final, also known as the Matthews Final, was the eighth to be held at Wembley Stadium after the Second World War. The football match was contested between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers, with Blackpool winning 4–3, equalling the record for the highest scoring FA Cup Final which had been set in the final of 1890. The match became famous for the performance of Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews, after whom it was nicknamed. It was the third FA Cup Final (after those in 1890 and 1894) to feature a hat-trick, scored by Blackpool's Stan Mortensen. Blackpool were making their third FA Cup final appearance in six years having been losing finalists twice, in 1948 and 1951.


1953 FA Cup Final
In February 2010, the boots worn by Matthews in the match were auctioned at Bonhams in Chester for £38,400, to an undisclosed buyer and in November 2014 Matthews' winning medal was sold for £220,000. The match ball fetched £5,250 in 2018.


1953 FA Cup Final, Match summary
Matthews inspired his team to come from 3–1 down against Bolton Wanderers, to win 4–3, and on a personal note, he claimed the trophy that had eluded him in two previous finals. Despite the final being more famous for the heroics of Matthews, Stan Mortensen scored three goals for Blackpool on the day, becoming the first and only player to have scored an FA Cup Final hat-trick at the original Wembley Stadium. Bill Perry scored the winning goal, following another Matthews' assist. Nat Lofthouse, who scored Bolton's first goal, scored in every round of that year's FA Cup.


1953 FA Cup Final, Match summary
Bolton took the lead after just 75 seconds with a Nat Lofthouse shot. Mortensen equalised after 35 minutes with a deflected "cross-shot". Four minutes later, Bolton took the lead again when Willie Moir outstripped Blackpool's goalkeeper George Farm after short crossing pass of Bobby Langton and Bolton went in at half-time 2–1 ahead. Ten minutes into the second half, Eric Bell, playing through injury with a torn hamstring, put Bolton further ahead, a lead they kept for 13 minutes.


1953 FA Cup Final, Match summary
Then came the turnaround for which the match has become famous, when Matthews proved to be the inspiration for a Blackpool comeback. His cross from the right wing, with 22 minutes remaining, was met by Mortensen who netted his and Blackpool's second goal. Then, with less than two minutes remaining, Mortensen completed his hat-trick and Blackpool's comeback to equalise directly from a free-kick. Then, with just seconds remaining, Matthews again crossed from the right wing. His cross, which passed just behind Mortensen, was met by Bill Perry, whose shot made the score 4–3 and won the match for the Seasiders. Even Nat Lofthouse, in defeat, is said to have stood and applauded.


1953 FA Cup Final, Match summary, Coverage
The match was considered the first major TV audience for a sporting event. Televisions had been bought or rented by many households for the forthcoming Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. On Radio the match was broadcast in full on the BBC World Service and the second half on the domestic Light Programme. After this final proved to be so popular, the Cup Final was given its own standalone slot and broadcast in full on TV and radio.


1953 FAMAS Awards
The 1st Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards Night was held on July 16, 1953, in Hotel Riviera Mansion, Dewey Boulevard (now Roxas Boulevard). Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo produced by Manuel Vistan Jr. is the first recipient of FAMAS Award for Best Picture.


1953 FC Dinamo București season
The 1953 season was Dinamo București's fifth season in Divizia A. For the third year in a row, Dinamo ends the championship in the second place, three points from the champions CCA Bucharest. Titus Ozon won for the second consecutive year the Division A top scorer with 12 goals this season.


1953 FC Dinamo București season
Games from rounds 9 to 11 were played in Bucharest because of a decision made by Football Central Committee, in order to see all the players for the national team. Thus, the match between Ştiinţa Cluj and Dinamo, originally scheduled in Cluj-Napoca, held in Bucharest.


1953 FC Dinamo București season
The game between Dinamo and Casa Armatei Câmpulung Moldovenesc, in the 16th round, never took place, the Bucovina club being disbanded, following a decision taken by the Republican Association CCA to have only one representative in football (in this case CCA Bucharest).


1953 FC Dinamo București season, Squad
Standard team: Iosif Fuleiter (Constantin Constantinescu) – Iosif Szökő, Ladislau Băcuț, Florian Ambru (Anton Fodor) – Gheorghe Băcuț, Valeriu Călinoiu (Viliam Florescu) – Dan Ion Sârbu (Nicolae Voinescu), Carol Bartha, Ion Suru, Nicolae Dumitru, Titus Ozon (Alexandru Ene).


1953 FC Dinamo București season, Squad
At the end of the first half of the season, coach Iuliu Baratky left the club and was replaced by Angelo Niculescu.


1953 FC Dinamo București season, Squad, Transfers
Since the transfers were discouraged by the Federation, Dinamo has a few players during the inter-competitive, only five players from Dinamo Orasul Stalin, which included Nicolae Voinescu.


1953 FC Steaua București season
The 1953 season was FC Steaua București's 6th season since its founding in 1947.


1953 FIBA World Championship for Women
The 1953 FIBA World Championship for Women(Spanish: 1953 Campeonato Mundial FIBA Femenino) was the first edition of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. It was held in Chile from 7 March to 22 March 1953. Ten national teams entered the event under the auspices of FIBA, the sport's governing body. The city of Santiago hosted the tournament. The United States won its first title.


1953 FIBA World Championship for Women, Venues
All games were played at the Estadio Nacional de Chile.


1953 FIBA World Championship for Women, Preliminary round
Winners qualify to the final round. Losing teams to the first repass round, and the losing team with the largest point margin to the second repass round.


1953 FIFA Youth Tournament Under-18
The FIFA Youth Tournament Under-18 1953 Final Tournament was held in Belgium. Argentina was the first non-European team that entered.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland general election of 15 December 1953 was the first election to the legislative assembly of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which had been formed a few months before. The election saw a landslide victory for the Federal Party under Godfrey Huggins, who had been Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia for the past 20 years.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Composition of the Federal Assembly
Voters elected 35 members of a unicameral Federal Assembly: 14 from Southern Rhodesia constituencies, 8 from Northern Rhodesia constituencies, and four from Nyasaland. In addition, there were three members from each territory representing African interests: one of these was a European and two were African. In Southern Rhodesia only, these positions were elected; in the other territories, the Governor appointed the European member, while an electoral college chose the African members.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Electoral qualifications
When the Federal constitution was agreed at the London conference of 1953, the qualification for electors in Northern and Southern Rhodesia was taken as the same as those in operation for territorial elections in those territories. Nyasaland did not have direct elections at this point and so was excluded until the Legislative Council there enacted proper provisions.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Electoral qualifications
At the election day, the electorate was comprised as follows:


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Election campaign
The advent of the Federation caused a profound shift in the structure of politics in the Rhodesias. Godfrey Huggins formed the Federal Party to fight the election, merging his own United Party with the opposition Rhodesia Party and incorporating supporters in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Several members of other opposition parties in Southern Rhodesia who supported federation also decided to join the Federal Party. Among them were William Eastwood, from the Rhodesia Labour Party, whose departure was prompted by the initial decision of his Party to fight the elections: Eastwood felt that this would divide supporters of federation. Another opposition member going over to the Federal Party was Ian Smith, who had been elected as a Liberal candidate in the 1948 general election.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Election campaign
Opponents of federation formed the Confederate Party, which advocated a system in the Rhodesias akin to apartheid in South Africa. This issue was also raised by Huggins who campaigned vigorously against it. Huggins believed the policy was unpopular and impractical. A group called the Progressive Party was formed to offer voters a party of the centre-left, but swiftly dissolved when it found organising a difficulty and realised it would not be able to nominate more than about two candidates. There were a few independent candidates, most notably two in Northern Rhodesia. Dr Alexander Scott in Lusaka and Norman Lacey in the copperbelt constituency of Nkana-Chingola both advocated a liberal racial policy similar to that which the Progressive Party had been intending to offer.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Election campaign
One unusual court case arose after nominations. Gaston Thornicroft, a mixed-race man who was described as "living like a European", was refused nomination for the Southern Rhodesia constituency for Europeans to represent African interests on the grounds that he was not a European. He challenged the decision in court but was unsuccessful.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Changes during the Assembly, Southern Rhodesia by-election
Rev. Percy Ibbotson, the specially elected European member representing African interests from Southern Rhodesia, died on 3 April 1955. When nominations closed on 27 May 1955, Harry Ellinder Davies was the only candidate to replace him, and was therefore declared elected unopposed.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Changes during the Assembly, Kafue by-election
Guy Van Eeden, who became increasingly opposed to Federal Party policies, was expelled from the party in July 1955 and responded by resigning on 8 July 1955 to seek re-election in his constituency of Kafue (Northern Rhodesia). The by-election was held on 6 October 1955.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Changes during the Assembly, Sebakwe by-election
J.R. Dendy Young, the Confederate Party member for Sebakwe (Southern Rhodesia), was appointed as a Judge. He resigned on 26 January 1956, and the by-election to succeed him was held on 5 April 1956. By this time, the Confederate Party had been dissolved and replaced by the Dominion Party.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Changes during the Assembly, Mrewa by-election
Neville Barrett, the Federal Party member for Mrewa (Southern Rhodesia) died on 15 April 1957. The by-election to replace him was held on 6 June 1957.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Changes during the Assembly, Mashonaland by-election
Jasper Savanhu, the specially elected African member for Mashonaland (Southern Rhodesia), had problems with the proposed new constitution in terms of its provisions for voters' qualifications. Although his responsibility was to represent the views of Africans, his electorate were predominantly Europeans. He therefore decided to vote for the proposals, but immediately to resign (1 August 1957) and seek re-election. When nominations closed on 27 September 1957, he was the only candidate nominated, and was therefore declared elected unopposed.


1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election, Changes during the Assembly, Seat vacant at dissolution
Paul Brereton (Federal Party), one of the ordinary members for Nyasaland, died on 21 July 1958. The seat was left vacant due to the imminent federal election.


1953 Fijian general election
General elections were held in Fiji on 29 August 1953.


1953 Fijian general election, Electoral system
The Legislative Council consisted of 32 members, including 16 'official' members who were civil servants, fifteen 'unofficial' members (five Europeans, five Fijians and five Indo-Fijians), and the Governor sitting as President of the Council.


1953 Fijian general election, Electoral system
For Europeans and Indo-Fijians, three of the five representatives were elected from single-member constituencies, with the other two appointed by the Governor. All five Fijian members were appointed from a list of ten candidates submitted by the Great Council of Chiefs.


1953 Fijian general election, Electoral system
Voting for Europeans remained restricted to men aged 21 or over who had been born to European parents (or a European father and was able to read, speak and write English), who were British subjects and had been continuously resident in Fiji for 12 months, and who either owned at least £20 of freehold or leasehold property or had an annual income of at least £120. For Indo-Fijians, eligibility was also restricted to men aged 21 or over.


1953 Fijian general election, Electoral system
They had to be a British subject or from British India, have lived continuously in the Fiji for at least two years, be able to read or write in English, Gujarati, Gurmukhi,  Hindi, Tamil, Telegu or Urdu, and for the previous six months, have either owned property with an annual value of five years, had a net annual cash income of at least £75, or held a Government or municipal licence worth at least £5 annually.


1953 Fijian general election, Campaign
Leaders of the Muslim Indo-Fijian community urged a boycott of the elections, calling for separate representation and for Urdu to be taught instead of Hindi.


1953 Five Nations Championship
The 1953 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-fourth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 10 January and 28 March. It was contested by England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England won its 14th title.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado
On Monday, June 8, 1953 an exceptionally violent tornado struck the north side of Flint, Michigan and the northern suburb of Beecher, causing catastrophic damage and hundreds of casualties. Rated as an F5 on the Fujita Scale, the tornado touched down in Genesee County, Michigan, at 8:30 p.m. (01:30 UTC) and continued on a 18.6-mile-path (29.9 km), causing 116 fatalities, 844 injuries and an estimated $19 million (1953 USD) in damage. This was the deadliest tornado in Michigan history and the 10th deadliest in United States history. Most of the casualties and damage occurred in the unincorporated community of Beecher.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado
The tornado was one of eight tornadoes that touched down the same day in eastern lower Michigan and northwest Ohio. It was also part of the larger Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak that began over Nebraska and Iowa, before moving east across the upper Great Lakes states and Ontario, and on to New York and New England causing more deadly tornadoes. This is often noted as the last single tornado to exact a triple-digit death toll in the United States until the 2011 Joplin tornado.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado, Event
Just prior to the tornado touching down eyewitness accounts recalled that an approaching thunderstorm with several intense lightning strikes turned the northwest sky a dark "black-yellow-green" color. The US Weather Bureau (predecessor of today's National Weather Service) observations that evening recorded a temperature of 78 °F (25.5 °C) with a dew point of 71 °F (21.6 °C) and a barometric pressure reading that fell to 28.89 inHg (inches of mercury) (978.32 mb). Surface map analysis showed a frontal system associated with a strong low pressure moving west across lower Michigan. At 7:30pm (00:30 UTC) the Weather Bureau's Severe Storms Unit issued a Severe Weather Bulletin alerting of the threat of hazardous weather for southeast lower Michigan.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado, Event
At approximately 8:30 p.m. the tornado touched down in Mt. Morris Township north of Flushing near the intersection of Webster and Coldwater Roads. The first reported observation from the Weather Bureau's Flint station came just minutes after the tornado touched down, "...unconfirmed Tornado reported 2 mi N Flushing heading ENE possibly hitting Flint 2033 E." It began to take a path directly east down the Coldwater Road corridor entering the residential neighborhoods of the Beecher district, a Flint suburb. Moving at approximately 35 mph (56.3 km/h) the tornado cut a path 833 yards (762 m) wide.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado, Event
At a time before severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings the residents of Beecher had almost no advanced warning other than by sighting the tornado heading towards them. Victims recalled hearing the incredible roar from the tornado and seeing its black funnel before heading for shelter in home basements. The densely populated Beecher neighborhoods took a direct hit with several single family houses being completely destroyed. Witnesses recalled that the tornado's massive funnel resembled black smoke and was accompanied by smaller multiple vortices. Others reported seeing fireballs within the debris of the tornado.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado, Event
Beecher High School was heavily damaged as it was also directly hit by the tornado. The tornado's path also came close to the North Flint Drive-in theater. Patrons evacuated the drive-in in their vehicles. Some got into vehicle crashes in the ensuing panic to flee while others inadvertently drove into the path of the tornado after leaving the theater. The theater itself received only minor damage.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado, Event
After leaving Beecher the tornado took an east-northeast path following just south of the Flint River where it ravaged farms causing more casualties and destruction near the rural communities of Genesee, Richfield Center and Columbiaville. The tornado stayed on the ground for 18.6 miles (29.9 km) and finally dissipated north of Lapeer near Five Lakes Road in Lapeer County's Deerfield Township. Within minutes a second tornado formed near where the original Flint-Beecher Tornado left the ground. That tornado reached F4 wind speeds and continued east through rural farm lands in Lapeer and St. Clair Counties causing more injuries and damage before moving out over Lake Huron.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado, Aftermath
While most of the tornado's 18.6-mile-path (29.9 km) went through rural farmland, most of the devastation was concentrated in the Beecher district. 113 of the 116 fatalities from the tornado occurred in Beecher, including 54 children under the age of 18 with multiple deaths occurring in 20 families. The two greatest losses were exacted to the families of Pedro Gatica and Thomas Gensel; both men survived, but lost their entire families. Gatica, a worker at General Motors, had been at work when the tornado struck, while his small home was directly in the path of the storm.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado, Aftermath
His wife Cecilia, who was eight months pregnant with their third child, was killed, as were their two small children and a niece who lived with them. Gensel had been at home with his wife Vanessa and their four children when their home was blown apart; only Thomas survived. Eight area hospitals, including three in Saginaw, were involved in treating victims. Some accounts recalled employees of Flint's automobile industry leaving factories to head to the site to discover whether or not their families had survived. Large sections of neighborhoods were completely destroyed.


1953 Flint–Beecher tornado, Aftermath
It was the last tornado to kill more than 100 people until it was surpassed by the Joplin, Missouri, tornado on May 22, 2011. The last F5 tornado in Michigan was the Hudsonville-Standale tornado of April 3, 1956. It was debated in the U.S. Congress at the time whether recent atomic bomb testing in the upper atmosphere had caused tornadoes including this one. Congressman James E. Van Zandt (R-Penn.) was among several members of Congress who expressed their belief that the June 4th bomb testing created the tornadoes, which occurred far outside the traditional tornado alley. They demanded a response from the government. Meteorologists quickly dispelled such an assertion, and Congressman Van Zandt later retracted his statement.


1953 Florida A&M Rattlers football team
The 1953 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1953 college football season. In their ninth season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 10–1 record. The team's sole loss was to Prairie View A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic. The team played its home games at Bragg Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.


1953 Florida Gators football team
The 1953 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1953 college football season. The season was the fourth for Bob Woodruff as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The 1953 season was a year of rebuilding and backsliding after the graduation of All-American Charlie LaPradd and the loss of fullback Rick Casares to the U.S. Army.


1953 Florida Gators football team
The highlight of the season was the Gators' second consecutive victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, but the Gators began a pattern of agonizingly close losses to the Rice Owls (16–20), Auburn Tigers (7–16), Tennessee Volunteers (7–9) and Miami Hurricanes (10–14), as well as two ties with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0–0) and LSU Tigers (21–21). Woodruff's 1953 Florida Gators finished with a 3–5–2 overall record and a 1–3–2 record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), placing ninth of twelve SEC teams.


1953 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 1953 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 1953 college football season. In 1953, Tom Nugent, the creator of the I formation, became head coach and led the team to a 5–5 record. He was coach for six years, and compiled a 34–28–1 record.


1953 Football Championship of the Ukrainian SSR
The 1953 Football Championship of UkrSSR were part of the 1953 Soviet republican football competitions in the Soviet Ukraine.


1953 Fordham Rams football team
The 1953 Fordham Rams football team represented Fordham University during the 1953 college football season. The Rams went 4–5 and amassed 176 points while their defense allowed 128 points.


1953 Formula One season
The 1953 Formula One season was the seventh season of the FIA's Formula One racing. It consisted only of a number of non-championship motor races. As in 1952, all races counting towards the World Championship of Drivers, apart from the Indianapolis 500, were held for cars complying with Formula Two regulations rather than with Formula One, with the Indianapolis 500 held to AAA regulations.


1953 Formula One season
The 4th FIA World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on 18 January and ended on 13 September after nine races, was won by Alberto Ascari, driving for a Scuderia Ferrari. Ascari became the first driver to successfully defend his title.


1953 Formula One season
In addition to the non-championship Formula One races and the World Championship Formula Two races, numerous other non-championship Formula Two races were also held during the year.


1953 Formula One season, World Championship season summary
Ferrari drivers again dominated the championship, taking seven of the eight grands prix, although Juan Manuel Fangio's challenge in his more fragile Maserati took him to second place in the championship and a win at Monza. Ascari extended his unbeaten run to nine consecutive World Championship Grand Prix wins before his teammate Mike Hawthorn broke the sequence in becoming the first ever British winner in the French Grand Prix at Reims after a thrilling battle with Fangio.


1953 Formula One season, World Championship season summary
In 1953, all but one of the races counting towards the World Championship of Drivers were run under Formula 2 regulations, while the remaining one, the Indianapolis 500, was run under AAA Championship Car regulations. The 1953 championship was the first truly global World Championship of Drivers, with a championship event being staged outside of Europe or the United States for the first time. That race, the 1953 Argentine Grand Prix, was marred by an accident involving the Ferrari of Giuseppe Farina, which crashed into an unprotected crowd, killing nine spectators.


1953 Formula One season, World Championship season review
The 1953 World Championship of Drivers was contested over a nine race series.


1953 Formula One season, World Championship season review
The Spanish Grand Prix, scheduled to be staged on 26 October, was cancelled. The Indianapolis 500 also counted towards the 1953 AAA Championship.


1953 Formula One season, Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1953 FIA World Championship of Drivers.


1953 Formula One season, World Championship of Drivers standings
Championship points were awarded to first five finishers in each race on an 8–6–4–3–2 basis. Points for shared drives were divided equally between the drivers, regardless of the number of laps driven by each. One point was also awarded for the fastest lap in each race. The point was shared equally between drivers sharing the fastest lap. Only the best four results from the nine races counted towards a driver's total points in the World Championship. Numbers without parentheses are retained championship points and numbers within parentheses are total points scored.


1953 Formula One season, Non-championship races
The following Formula One/Formula Two races, which did not count towards the World Championship of Drivers, were held during 1953.


1953 Four Hills Tournament
The inaugural Four Hills tournament was held in January 1953. It was in planning since 1949, but in the post-war years German athletes were not allowed to compete internationally. The organizers were German and Austrian ski jumpers who knew each other from competing together for Germany under the Nazi regime


1953 Four Hills Tournament
At the time, ski jumping was an amateur sport and the winners were given material prizes like portable radios or cooking pots.


1953 Four Hills Tournament
The first competition was held on New Year's day, making it the only Four Hills tournament that did not start in December, although the New Year's day competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen would eventually become traditional.


1953 Four Hills Tournament, Results, Bischofshofen
Before the last event, Sepp Bradl was leading the tournament ranking by only half a point ahead of Asgeir Dølplads, who in turn had a ten-point lead to fellow Norwegian Halvor Næs. In the competition however, it was Næs rather than Dølplads who put Bradl's tournament victory in danger. Winning the Bischofshofen event clearly, he reduced the distance to Bradl from 10.5 to 1.1 points but ultimately could not prevent him from becoming the first Four Hills winner.


1953 French Championships (tennis)
The 1953 French Championships (now known as the French Open) was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. The tournament ran from 20 May until 31 May. It was the 57th staging of the French Championships, and the second Grand Slam tennis event of 1953. Ken Rosewall and Maureen Connolly won the singles titles.


1953 French Championships (tennis), Finals, Men's Doubles
Lew Hoad /  Ken Rosewall  defeated  Mervyn Rose /  Clive Wilderspin  6–2, 6–1, 6–1


1953 French Championships (tennis), Finals, Women's Doubles
Shirley Fry /  Doris Hart defeated  Maureen Connolly /  Julia Sampson 6–4, 6–3


1953 French Championships (tennis), Finals, Mixed Doubles
Doris Hart /  Vic Seixas defeated  Maureen Connolly /  Mervyn Rose  4–6, 6–4, 6–0


1953 French Championships – Men's Singles
Third-seeded Ken Rosewall defeated Vic Seixas 6–3, 6–4, 1–6, 6–2 in the final to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1953 French Championships.


1953 French Championships – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Ken Rosewall is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1953 French Championships – Women's Singles
Maureen Connolly defeated defending champion Doris Hart in the final 6–2, 6-4, to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1953 French Championships. With this win, Connolly became the first woman to complete the Career Grand Slam in Women's singles.


1953 French Championships – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Maureen Connolly is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1953 French Grand Prix
The 1953 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 5 July 1953 at Reims. It was race 5 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.


1953 French Grand Prix
It is popularly known as The Race of the Century because of the sixty lap battle between Briton Mike Hawthorn and Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio. Hawthorn won the duel after they reportedly swapped the lead at virtually every corner on the Reims circuit. In addition, after 500 km of racing, the four lead cars were less than 5 seconds apart.


1953 French Grand Prix, Background
For 1953, the Reims-Gueux circuit’s layout changed. The new, faster and slightly longer circuit bypassed the town of Gueux and as a result, the circuit was now called just Reims.


1953 French Grand Prix, Background
Coming into the French Grand Prix, Ferrari driver, and 1952 World Champion Alberto Ascari had a large lead in the championship, having won the first three races of the season (not including the Indianapolis 500 in which none of the Grand Prix contenders took part). Meanwhile early favourite, 1951 World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio, driving for Maserati, had yet to even finish a World Championship qualifying event in 1953.


1953 French Grand Prix, Background
Unlike in 1952, in 1953 Maserati and Ferrari were quite evenly matched. The Maseratis had slightly more power, and hence straight-line speed, but the Ferraris had slightly better brakes, road holding, and low-end acceleration. Both works teams sent four drivers. For Ferrari there was Ascari, Luigi Villoresi, Nino Farina and Mike Hawthorn. Maserati had Fangio, José Froilán González, Onofre Marimón and Felice Bonetto. Both Ferrari and Maserati were also represented by a single private entry each, Louis Rosier driving a Ferrari and Toulo de Graffenried a Maserati.


1953 French Grand Prix, Background
All of the other entries had little chance of winning, as they had significantly less power than the Ferraris and Maseratis, as well as generally worse road holding. They consisted of two privately entered OSCAs (one to be driven by Louis Chiron in his last French Grand Prix start), four works Gordinis and three of each of Connaught, HWM and Cooper. The works Gordinis were poorly prepared, the team instead focusing on the 12 hour race which ran from midnight to midday on the same day as the Grand Prix. Two of the Connaughts were works entries, and were notable as the first fuel injected cars to start the French Grand Prix.


1953 French Grand Prix, Practice/Qualifying
There was very little activity in the earlier practice sessions, with the Ferrari team only arriving just in time for the final session. González was the early pacesetter for Maserati, but was eventually outdone by both Villoresi and Ascari for Ferrari. González would again set the fastest time of 2:41.5, but in Bonetto’s car, but Ascari would finally take pole position with a time of 2:41.2 late in the session. The front row of the 3-2-3 grid was therefore Ascari, Bonetto and Villoresi, with Fangio and González sharing row two.


1953 French Grand Prix, Practice/Qualifying
The fastest six cars were separated by just 1.3 seconds, with the Ferraris and Maseratis clearly quite evenly matched. The first non-Ferrari or Maserati was the Connaught of Prince Bira with 2:53.2, 12 seconds slower than Ascari and around 2 seconds slower than Rosier in the slowest Ferrari.


1953 French Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy
The Grand Prix was preceded by the 12 hour sportscar race which ran from midnight to midday. During that race, the leading Ferrari, driven by Umberto Maglioli and Piero Carini, was disqualified, ostensibly for receiving a push start, and for switching off sidelights before the appointed time. Many, including Ferrari team manager Ugolini, felt this quite unfair, since the push-start had been to get clear of spilt petrol in the pitlane, and nearly every other car in the race had already switched off their sidelights by the time Maglioli did the same. Many in the crowd also disagreed with the disqualification, with the crowd booing and throwing rubbish at head officials Charles Faroux and Toto Roche.


1953 French Grand Prix, Pre-race controversy
As a result, Ferrari threatened to withdraw their cars from the Grand Prix, which would have surely handed Maserati an easy win. However after several phone calls between Reims and Modena, the Ferraris were eventually allowed to start in the Grand Prix.


1953 French Grand Prix, Race
For the race, González decided to start with half a tank of fuel and make a pitstop in the race, while all of the other main contenders started with full tanks hoping to last the whole distance. This of course meant that González would need to build a large enough gap to make his pitstop.


1953 French Grand Prix, Race
At the start, from the front row Bonetto and Ascari both made good starts, while Villoresi was slow away, leaving a gap for González to quickly move into the lead with his much lighter car. At the end of the first lap González had built a 2.8 second gap over the other Italian cars, the order being Ascari, Villoresi, Bonetto, Fangio, Hawthorn, Farina and Marimón, with the gap from second to eighth just 2.2 seconds. Further back was the first of the non-Italian cars, with Bira just ahead of the Gordini of Maurice Trintignant, who had started from the back having not set a lap in practice.


1953 French Grand Prix, Race
On the second lap, González continued to pull away from the main pack, now led by the Ferraris of Ascari, Villoresi and Hawthorn, all disputing second place, with Farina close behind. They were followed by the Maseratis of Fangio and Marimón, with Bonetto dropping to ninth after a spin, behind Trintignant, Bira and de Graffenried. Apart from the three Ferraris contesting second place, the order near the front remained the same for the next 20 laps or so, at which point González ceased increasing his lead, making it unlikely he would be able to hold it when he made his stop.


1953 French Grand Prix, Race
On lap 23, Fangio overtook Farina, who responded by setting the then fastest lap of the race and retaking the position. On the following lap Fangio overtook Farina again, setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. This increase in pace of Fangio and Farina had now placed them in the middle of the three Ferraris, Fangio now in third place. Some shuffling of the pack took place by the time González made his pitstop on lap 29, with Fangio now leading it ahead of Hawthorn, with Villoresi dropping back to Marimón. González’s pitstop took just 27 seconds, but this allowed Fangio into the lead, with González dropping all the way down to sixth, ahead of Villoresi but behind Marimón who had just passed him.


1953 French Grand Prix, Race
At half distance, Fangio lead Hawthorn and Ascari, the top three separated by less than a second, followed at small intervals by Farina, Marimón, then González and Villoresi just a second apart, around 20 seconds behind Fangio. Bonetto was over a minute and 20 seconds behind Fangio, and no other drivers were still on the lead lap.


1953 French Grand Prix, Race
Over the next few laps, Fangio and Hawthorn would swap the lead several times, sometimes more than once a lap, pulling slowly away from Ascari who was locked in a close battle with Farina, González and Marimón. Villoresi, meanwhile, fell back, but not enough to be challenged for seventh place. González continued to push, catching and overtaking Farina then Ascari on lap 37. This spurred Ascari on, and he and González duelled for third place over the following 20 laps. Both the duels, for first place and for third place, would last until very near the end of the race, with the drivers separated by not more than a carlength at any stage.


1953 French Grand Prix, Race
With two laps to go, Fangio and Hawthorn crossed the finish line side by side, followed less than a second later by González and Ascari, also side by side. Hawthorn led into the last lap, with González very close now, but Ascari well off the pace having eased off. Coming into the final straight González was able to overlap slightly on Fangio, but Hawthorn lead the pair, winning the race by just one second from Fangio, with González just 0.4 seconds behind in third place.


1953 French Oceanian legislative election
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Number 57 (talk | contribs) at 17:07, 10 April 2020 (Ah, the list is incomplete, so Teariki is presumably in addition to Lehartel). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


1953 French Oceanian legislative election
Legislative elections were held in French Oceania on 18 January 1953, the first to the new Territorial Assembly, which replaced the Representative Assembly.


1953 French Oceanian legislative election, Results
The result was a victory for the Democratic Rally of the Tahitian People (RDPT) led by Pouvanaa a Oopa, which won 18 of the 25 seats. The Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance won five seats and the Rally of the French People two; the two parties had run together as the Union for the Defence of the Interests of French Oceania (UDIOF).


1953 French Oceanian legislative election, Results
Oopa failed to win a seat in Papeete, and subsequently stated that he would complain about election fraud to the French government. Governor René Petitbon organised an official enquiry, which concluded that the allegations were unfounded.


1953 French Oceanian legislative election, Aftermath
Following the elections, the Assembly convened for the first time on 14 March. Jean-Baptiste Céran-Jérusalémy, a member of the RDPT, was elected  President of the Assembly two days later.


1953 French Oceanian legislative election, Aftermath
Following a dispute in the Assembly on 10 April, a fight broke out between Noël Ilari and Alfred Poroi. Ilari then challenged Poroi to a duel, which Poroi agreed should take place at the end of the day. However, the Governor broadcast a radio message, banning it from taking place and stationing police at the homes of the two.