Anthropologist Margaret Mead publishes Male and Female: A Study of the Sexes in a Changing World, claiming that many aspects of Western culture result from child-rearing practices in the West.

Biologists John Enders, Thomas Weller, and Frederick Robbins cultivate the poliovirus in vitro on human embryonic tissue.

General Mills and Pillsbury market the first prepared cake mixes.

Maurice Wilkes builds EDSAC, the first working computer with a stored program.

Richard Feynman delivers a paper, "Space-Time Approach in Quantum Electrodynamics," in which he introduces "Feynman diagrams" to calculate the probable path integrals for electromagnetic scattering of atomic particles.

Feb.

Edwin M. McMillan announces the first artificially produced mesons.

24 Feb.

The first rocket with more than one stage is successfully launched.

25 Feb.

The U.S. Navy sets a new rocketry altitude record at White Sands, New Mexico, when the WAC Corporal rocket reaches a height of 250 miles.

2 Mar.

U.S. Air Force...