1954 would probably be less complicated than other years during the Eisenhower tenure but no less momentous. There was the fall of Dien Bien Phu and what would eventually become our foray into Southeast Asia, the landmark School Desegregation decision by The Supreme Court, the end of British occupation of Egypt - everything that would have some repercussions for the future, but what seemed at the time like orderly passage.

So today's recap of events from 1954 offers further proof that, no matter how innocent or innocuous something may seem at the time, it invariably winds up playing a major role in a future we hadn't anticipated.