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Life in the 50s
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!!
Autumn