djofraleigh's blog

50 years ago - 1958

 abuse

1958 - 50 years ago LIFE was good. There was a great hope for the future. That pix is from a view of the future in 1958. 

WWII vets had saved the world from Hitler, and were amassing wealth in their most productive years. WWI vets were reaching retirement in a time of plenty.

LIFE

Cars were almost all American, and had big fins, four headlights, and radios playing rock’n’roll. Gas was 30 cents a gallon, cigarettes a quarter a pack, coffee a nickel a cup, a phone call a dime. There were half as many people in the world and the USA as now. Segregation was alive and well, but under attack. Seat belts were rarely used. Spray paint was beginning to have colors. Drink and beer bottles had to have a special opener. Beer cans were not easily squeezed. Most planes were prop driven. No air bags existed. EMTs were just ambulances, like big station wagons. Phones had dials, not touch tones, and answering machines were almost unheard of. Homes had no computers, no remote controls, no microwaves, no microwaves, TVs were in black & white and about half of the homes had one.  Most people got a couple of channels. Game shows were big, but died in a scandal. Most all radio was still AM. FM had classical music and few commercials. All movies were G because they weren’t rated and none had nudity or cursing to speak of. The hula hoop sold 25 million in a few months. Few homes or cars had air conditioning. Dishwashers were rare in homes. Those lucky enough to have a washing machine, mostly used clothes lines to dry clothes. There were no copy machines, and students copied work from the board, and tests were the smelly ditto & mimeo machines. Most lawn mowers were still push mowers. Power mowers were catching on and riding mowers were for the well off. TV signed off the air after midnight. Test patterns ran so TV could be adjusted for vertical and horizontal. When a bottle of Coke went from a nickel to a nickel and a penny (in a separate slot), we knew something was wrong.

Government

President Eisenhower was 2nd term president.

Krushchev became premier of the USSR.

DeGaulle took over France.

Pope dies and appointed.

Nuclear testing was happening every month among the US, USSR, France and Britain.

Castro the rebel fights all year to ‘free’ Cuba from Dictator Batista.

Alaska became the 49th state.

United Arab Republic formed and dissolved. (Arabs uniting over Israel – oil funded)

General Abdul K Kassem forms a military government in Iraq, with Saddam Hussein’s help.

1st class postage up to 4 cents (had been 3 cents for 26 years)

Anti-Chinese uprising in Tibet

A recession occurred.

Driver’s license didn’t have photo ID.

Ike sends U.S. troops to Lebanon; they stay 3 months

U.S. atomic sub USS Nautilus 1st dives under North Pole

Science & Technology –

Space age and space race is off and running (Sputnik Oct 1957)

first US satellite launched into orbit (Explorer I)

TV showed a host of failed launches on TV.

Many attempts to have lunar shots fall short

NASA formed.

1st radio from space with IKE asking for peace on earth

First man-made atom created.

Communications satellite

Implantable pacemaker

Civil Rights –

first NHL black player

Ozzie Virgil is 1st black to play as a Tiger

NAACP Youth Council begin sit-ins at Oklahoma City Lunch counters

1st women in English House of Lords

The first and last KKK meeting in Robeson County. A SC man, “Catfish” Cole burns a cross in the yard of a Lumbee due to an Indian woman dating a white man. Later, at a publicized KKK meeting of a 100 Klansmen and reporters, over a 1000 armed Lumbees surrounded the Klan, and attacked, ending the meeting and KKK rallies there.

Dodger catcher Roy Campanella paralyzed in car wreck

Ted Williams makes $135,000/yr as highest paid player.

Bill Russell gets 41 rebounds in a game.

AL batters are made to wear helmets

Clown Emmett Kelly stops performing/mascot for Dodgers.

Oscar Robertson scores 56 pts in NCAA regional game.

Kentucky becomes NCAA champs (UNC was 57)

Sugar Ray Robinson defends crown a 5th time

Arnold Palmer wins 1st major golf tournament

New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers move to California

Brooks R obinson, hits into 1st of record 4 triple plays

Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford fans 6 in a row to tie an AL record

Billy Pierce's perfect game bid broken with 2 outs in 9th

Ted Williams is fined $250 for spitting at Boston fans again

Floyd Patterson takes heavyweight boxing title

St. Louis Card Vinegar Bend Mizell walks a record 9 men & 5 stolen bases in a 4 hit shutout. He later used his name to become 3x congressman from NC

What might be called greatest NFL game, Colts beat Giants 23-17

Entertainment

George Harrison joins Quarrymen (Lennon-McCartney-Best-Sutcliffe)

1st color video recording on magnetic tape