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To put this trip down memory lane in perspective, here are a bunch of facts, figures and tidbits. Some of these will conjure up memories of a far simpler, safer and more affordable era where innocence and a good five cent cigar ruled the day.
1956
• The average new car cost is around $2,010
• A gallon of gasoline cost 22 cents
• February 23: Norma Jean Mortenson changed her name to Marilyn Monroe
• Cost of a first class postage stamp was 3 cents
• Dwight Eisenhower was President and Richard Nixon was Vice President in 1956
• Ernie Kovacs becomes the host for NBC's The Tonight Show on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• “As the World Turns” made its debut
• Cost of a loaf of bread was 18 cents
• World Series was: the New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers(4-3)
• Best Motion Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
• "Memories are Made of This" - sung by Dean Martin was a hit
• Minimum wage in U.S. was $1.00 per hour (some things never change)
• December 31: Bob Barker makes his debut on Truth or Consequences
• January 3: Mel Gibson is born
1957
• The Frisbee (originally called "Pluto Platter") is introduced
• The Soviet Union launched Sputnik. The satellite weighed only 184 pounds
• NBC introduces an animated version of the "in living color" peacock
• September 4:,The governor of Arkansas, Orville Faubus, orders the National Guard to
prevent African-American students from enrolling in Central High School in Little Rock
• September 24 : President Dwight Eisenhower sends federal troops to Little Rock to provide
safe passage into Central High School for the Little Rock Nine
• Leave It to Beaver premieres
• NBA Basketball Championship: Boston Celtics defeated the St. Louis Hawks (4-3)
• Best Actress: Joanne Woodward - The Three Faces of Eve
• Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel name themselves Tom and Jerry and begin their recording career
• United States Population: 171,984,130
• Toyota begins exporting vehicles to the U.S., beginning with the Toyota Land Cruiser
• January 7: Katie Couric is born
1958
• June 15, 1958: The first Pizza Hut opens in Wichita, Kansas
• An average U.S. house cost $18,200
• The U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously that Little Rock, Arkansas, schools must integrate
• Scandal involving rigged CBS quiz show "The 64,000 Question" ended in its cancellation
• October 2, 1958: The Huckleberry Hound Show debuts
• Best Motion Picture: Gigi, Arthur Freed, producer (MGM)
• Record of the Year: “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu” (Volare) Domenico Modugno
• World Population: 2.945 billion
• Cost of a U.S. first-class stamp: $0.03 ($0.04 as of 8/1/58)
• March 24 Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army in 1958
• 1958 World Series was: the NY Yankees vs. Milwaukee Braves (4-3)
• September 22, 1958: Peter Gunn premieres on NBC
• First Annual GRAMMY AWARDS started
• November 22: Jamie Lee Curtis is born
1959
• January 3: Alaska becomes the 49th state
• At Toy Fair in New York City, Ruth Handler introduces "Barbie", a new doll named for her
daughter Barbara
• "Bonanza" debuts on NBC and it's the first weekly television series shown completely in color
• March 31: Tibet's Dalai Lama escapes to India
• "The Twilight Zone" premieres on CBS
• August 21: Hawaii becomes the 50th state
• February 2: A plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper (J.P.
Richardson, Jr) - this date becomes known as "The Day the Music Died"
• Best Actor: Tony Curtis in "The Defiant Ones"
• 1959 World Series was: Los Angeles Dodgers. vs. Chicago White Sox (4-2)
• Minimum wage in U.S. was $1.00 per hour (some things still never change)
• Jimi Hendrix buys first electric guitar: a White Single pickup Supro Ozark 1560 S
• October 23:"Weird Al" Yankovic is born
1960
• June - Donald miraculously graduates from Case High School with 59½ of the required
60 credits. Friends and family breathe a collective sigh of relief!!