World
Population: 2.888 billion
Russia launches Sputnik I, first earth-orbiting satellite—the Space Age begins (Oct. 4)
The first Japanese car, a Toyota, is sold in the U.S.
U.S.
President: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Vice President: Richard M. Nixon
Population: 171,984,130
Life expectancy: 69.5 years
The ‘Little Rock Nine’ integrate an Arkansas high school.
The motto “In God We Trust” was first published on U.S. paper currency
Car of choice: “57 Chevy”
Loaf of Bread: 18 cents
Dozen Eggs: 60 cents
Steak (per lb): 88 cents
Gallon of Milk: 46 cents
New Car: $2,400
Movie Ticket: 15 cents
1st Class Postage: 3 cents
US GDP (1998 dollars): $461 billion
Federal spending: $76.58 billion
Federal debt: $272.3 billion
Consumer Price Index: 28.1
Unemployment: 4.1%
Sports
World Series Milwaukee Braves d. NY Yankees (4-3)
NBA Championship Boston d. St. Louis Hawks (4-3)
Stanley Cup Montreal d. Boston (4-1)
Entertainment
Academy Award, Best Picture: Around the World in 80 Days, Michael Todd, producer (United Artists)
Miss America: Marian McKnight (SC)
Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story debuts on Broadway and brings violence to the stage.
Columbia University professor Charles Van Doren becomes a media sensation by winning $129,000 on the quiz show Twenty One.
Leave It to Beaver premieres on CBS, ushering in an era of television shows that depict the ideal American.
Movie: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Twelve Angry Men, Sayonara, Peyton Place, Witness for the Prosecution
Science
Temporary artificial heart invented by Willem Kolff.
Clarence W. Lillehie and Earl Bakk (US) invent the internal pacemaker.
First round-the-world nonstop jet plane flight. Maj. Gen. Archie J. Old, Jr. (USAF) led a flight of three Boeing B-52 bombers around the world in 45 hours, 19 minutes (completed Jan. 18).
