Timeline May 1955

Events in May 1955 8

• 1918 – 1955 Alberto Ascari The Ciccio Two-time World Champion and Ferrari’s first great champion.
• 1955 Chuck Berry meets Muddy Waters Sent to Chess Records Muddy Waters points him to Leonard Chess in Chicago.
• 1955 Muddy Waters sends Chuck Berry to Chess Records A tip to Leonard Chess Tells the young Chuck Berry to see Leonard Chess.
• 1955 West Germany joins NATO Bonn regains sovereignty and joins the Western military alliance Following the Bonn-Paris conventions, West Germany formally regained full sovereignty and was admitted to NATO on May 9, 1955. The move prompted the Soviet Union to form the rival Warsaw Pact days later. It marked West Germany's integration into the Western bloc during the Cold War.
• 1955 Warsaw Pact signed Soviet-led military alliance formed in response to NATO The Soviet Union and seven Eastern European communist states signed the Warsaw Pact in response to West Germany's admission to NATO. The treaty formalized Soviet military dominance over its allies for the rest of the Cold War. It remained in force until dissolved in 1991.
• 1955 Austrian State Treaty Restoration of Independence Re-established Austria as a free, sovereign, and neutral state after ten years of Allied occupation.
• 1955 Austrian State Treaty signed Allied occupation ends and Austria regains independence The Austrian State Treaty, signed by the Soviet Union, United States, Britain and France, ended the decade-long Allied occupation of Austria. Austria regained full sovereignty in exchange for declaring permanent neutrality. The treaty is regarded as a foundation of modern Austrian statehood.
• 1955 – 2017 Bill Paxton (1955-2017) Died 25 February 2017, aged 61 American actor known for roles in Aliens, Titanic, Twister, and the television series Big Love. He was one of few actors to appear in films depicting the destruction of the Titanic, the Alamo, and the White House. He died of complications following heart surgery.