On the Korean peninsula, where the Soviet-backed North and pro-American South had been fighting each other for more than six months now, the frontline had finally stabilized along the Demarcation line. The Soviet Union initiated a series of truce negotiations which, two years later, resulted in an armistice agreement signed on July 27, 1953. By the end of 1950 and despite heavy losses suffered in the initial phase of the war, the American troops fighting on the southern side and led by General Douglas MacArthur, had made serious gains and re-established the status-quo reaching the Demarcation line.
Capitalizing on his success, General MacArthur persuaded President Truman to get rid of the Communist regime in the north and reunite the country. A northbound US advance followed shortly and, before long, the North Korean capital Pyongyang fell into American hands. The Americans then moved on to reach the Chinese border. At this point the People's Republic openly entered the war on Pyongyang's side. Backed by tanks and aviation, the Chinese army launched a massive advance forcing the US troops to beat a hasty and disorderly retreat. General MacArthur urged that the Chinese coast be blockaded and economic centers in the northeast be bombed. President Truman feared, however, that the actions that MacArthur advocated, might result in an enlarged and protracted war and that the Soviet Union, which until then had limited its participation to sending military aircraft to aid the North, would be induced to enter the war. MacArthur's plan was rejected and he himself was relieved.
The Korean War was a very graphic and dangerous consequence of the Cold War that had already been going on five years. International relations were governed by the military and political rivalry between the two superpowers each of which was trying to avoid an all-out confrontation. Because the outcome of such a showdown was absolutely unpredictable, the entire post-war history was a combination of crises which were always followed by periods of temporary relaxation of tensions between the superpowers.
In 1951 they established the International Federation of Deaf and Mute People and since then, every last Sunday of September has been marked to honor the people many of whom have managed to overcome their physical handicap to obtain prestigious professions and feel themselves useful members of the human society. There are many international and regional societies of deaf and mute people around the world now.
There are two internationally popular events established in 1951. One is the Pan-American Games bringing together athletes from the Western Hemisphere. The fist such games, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, featured about 2,000 athletes from twenty countries. The second event came about in the Italian resort town of San Remo and is called the International Festival of Italian Songs famous singers from all around the world have been vying to participate in since 1951.
The year 1951 was the last in the life of the Austrian auto designer and industrialist Ferdinand Porsche. The little powerhouses on wheels bearing his name are the pride and glory of their lucky owners. In 1951 the world-famous French oceanographer Jacques Yves Cousteau began his studies of the deep on board the refurbished minesweeper Calipso. In the same year, the American writer Jerome David Salinger published A Catcher in the Rye. The first edition of this novel about the 20th century American teenagers became an immediate bestseller. Translated into many languages and boasting one of the longest printing histories ever, the book has since become a world classic .

THE 20th CENTURY:YEAR AFTER YEAR series of historical programs is prepared by Vladimir Zhamkin.


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