Timeline February 1952

Events in February 1952 5

• 1895 – 1952 George VI (1895-1952) Died 6 February 1952, aged 56 King George VI of the United Kingdom died in his sleep at Sandringham House on 6 February 1952, having reigned since his brother Edward VIII's abdication in 1936. He had led Britain through the Second World War and suffered from lung cancer in his final years. His daughter succeeded him as Queen Elizabeth II.
• 1952 India holds its first general election Independent India's inaugural nationwide vote concludes India's first general election, the largest exercise of universal suffrage yet held anywhere, ran from October 1951 to February 1952 across the new republic. The Indian National Congress led by Jawaharlal Nehru won a decisive majority. The election established the electoral machinery for the world's largest democracy.
• 1952 1952 Winter Olympics VI Winter Games - Oslo The Olympic flame was lit in the hearth of skiing pioneer Sondre Norheim. Winner: Norway.
• 1952 Greece and Turkey join NATO Alliance expands into the eastern Mediterranean Greece and Turkey formally acceded to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on 18 February 1952, its first enlargement since the alliance's founding in 1949. The move extended NATO's southern flank against Soviet influence. Both countries had fought alongside UN forces in the Korean War.
• 1952 1952 World Snooker Championship The Split Year Fred Davis won the Professional Matchplay, recognized as the world title. Winner: Fred Davis; Runner-up: Walter Donaldson. Score: 38–35.