Back In The Day

What Happened in 1955?

• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads the first major event of the U.S. civil rights movement, a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama

• President Eisenhower suffers heart attack, is hospitalized for three week

• Interstate Commerce Commission orders all U.S. interstate trains and buses to end segregation practices

• The USS Nautilus becomes the first operational nuclear powered submarine

• Jonas Salk's polio vaccine is declared safe and effective

• The United States begins its involvement in the Vietnam conflict.

• The St. Lawrence Seaway opens to Ocean Vessels from Montreal to US ports on the Great Lakes

• The minimum wage was raised to $1.00 per hour

• UHF television developed

• Artificial diamonds created for the first time

• Albert Einstein dies

• World Series: Brooklyn over New York Yankees, 4-3

• "Sugar" Ray Robinson wins world boxing championship

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT:

• Popular Films: Marty, The Seven Year Itch, The Rose Tattoo, Smiles of a Summer Night

• Popular Songs: Rock Around the Clock, The Yellow Rose of Texas, Davy Crockett, Love is a Many Splendored Thing

• Popular TV Programs: Truth or Consequences, Lawrence Welk Show, The Honeymooners, Gunsmoke, Name that Tune, $64,000 Question, Lassie, You’ll Never Get Rich

• Johnny Carson Show debuts on CBS-TV

• RCA Records pays $35,000 to Sun Records for Elvis Presley's contract

• The Mickey Mouse Club debuts on ABC

EVERYDAY LIFE:

• Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California

• Rudolph Flesch publishes Why Johnny Can’t Read, a stinging criticism of U.S. education

• Cost of a gallon of gas is 23 cents

FUN FACTS:

• Pink clothes for men become a fashion rage

• Black and white TV costs $99.95

What Happened in 1973?

• The United States ends its involvement in the Vietnam War after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords

• Secretariat becomes the first horse since Citation in 1948 to win the Triple Crown

• Alaska Oil Pipeline bill is passed to allow construction of a pipeline to access oil from the North Slope of Alaska

• Supreme Court of the United States rules on Roe v. Wade.

• Watergate Hearings begin in the United States Senate and President Richard Nixon tells the nation , “I am not a crook.”

• Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs competed in “The Battle of the Sexes” exhibition tennis match during September of 1973.

• Inflation tripled from 3.4% to 9.6% and put an end to post-World War II economic expansion.

• General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler laid off 100,000 workers. Wall Street was in a bear market, and stagflation presented a dilemma for U.S. economic policy.

• For the first time in U.S. history, women were allowed to serve on juries in all 50 states.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT:

• Popular Films: The Exorcist / Deliverance / Live and Let Die / Paper Moon / Dark Side Of The Moon Reminded by Pink Floyd Fan / Last Tango in Paris / Jesus Christ Superstar / American Graffiti / Lady Sings the Blues / The Sting

• Popular Musicians & Songs: Stevie Wonder / ABBA / The Eagles / John Lennon / Paul Simon / Pink Floyd " Dark Side Of The Moon " / Rod Stewart / Michael Jackson / Elton John with " Crocodile Rock " / Rolling Stones with " Angie " / The Moody Blues / David Bowie / Led Zeppelin / Wizzard / Electric Light Orchestra / Paul McCartney and Wings with " My Love " / Bob Marley and the Wailers / Diana Ross

• Popular TV Programs: The Odd Couple / The Partridge Family / Columbo / Masterpiece Theatre / McMillan and Wife / M*A*S*H / Sanford and Son / The Bob Newhart Show / The Price Is Right / The Waltons

FUN FACTS:

• In the year 1973, U.S. unemployment was 5.6%, the average family income was $12,900, and a new house cost around $32,500.

• The retail price for a gallon of gas averaged 39 cents, the minimum wage was $1.60 per hour, and an ounce of gold cost $106.48.

• Eggs were 69 cents a dozen, Oreos were 59 cents for a 19-ounce package, and peanut butter was 99 cents for a 2½-pound jar.

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