Nils Bolhin of Volvo invents the three-point seatbelt
The reason the three-point seatbelt is so widely adopted is actually because Volvo opened up the patent so that any car manufacturer could use it in their design.
1950s C.E.
Senegal and the French Sudan merge to form the Mali Federation, gaining independence from France
In January 1959, Senegal and the French Sudan merged to form the Mali Federation, which became fully independent on 20 June 1960. The transfer of power agreement with France was signed on 4 April 1960.
Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Scylla I becomes world’s first machine to achieve controlled thermonuclear fusion
The team that achieved it was led by a British scientist named James Tuck. After the success of Scylla-1, Los Alamos went on to build multiple pinch machines over the next few years.
The Iraqi Republic is established
The Iraqi Republic colloquially known as the First Iraqi Republic was a state forged in 1958 under the rule of President Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba’i and Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim.
The Soviet Union launches the first artificial satellite, Sputnik I
Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. It orbited for three weeks before its batteries died, then silently for two more months before falling back into the atmosphere.
Ghana declares independence from the United Kingdom and establishes its new nation
On 6 March 1957, Kwame Nkrumah declared Ghana’s establishment and autonomy. On 1 July 1960, following the Ghanaian constitutional referendum, 1960 and Ghanaian presidential election, 1960 Nkrumah declared Ghana as a republic as the first President of Ghana.
Tunisia achieves independence from France
Tunisia achieved independence from France on March 20, 1956 with Habib Bourguiba as Prime Minister. March 20 is celebrated annually as Tunisian Independence Day.
The Austrian State Treaty reestablishes Austria as a sovereign state
The Austrian State Treaty was signed on 15 May 1955 in Vienna among the Allied occupying powers and the Austrian government.
Global life expectancy surpasses 40 years for first time ever
Through major advancements in medicine, public health, and poverty alleviation, by 2021 the global average life expectancy was just over 70 years. Less than 15 years later, humanity reaches another critical milestone by achieving 75 years of life expectancy around the world.