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Pepsodent inaugurates "You'll wonder
where the yellow went" ad campaign. |
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture
formulates the four basic food groups. (I'm sure there would have been five -
but Chicken McNuggets hadn't been invented yet.) |
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Federal minimum wage rises to $1 |
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At a Fourth of July family barbecue,
Milton Levine dreams up the idea for the first Ant Farm, complete with live
ants. |
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Yahtzee is born! |
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Nate Sherman of Chicago establishes
Midas and introduces the muffler guarantee - Hugh Landrum signs agreement to
open first Midas Muffler shop in Macon, Georgia. |
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The
Andrea Doria sinks. |
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200,000 Soviet troops and tanks crush
anti-Communist uprisings in Hungary. |
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Budweiser Brewery introduces Busch
beer |
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As the World Turns and Edge of Night
premiere. |
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On the Air! You'd find 2,790 AM radio,
540 FM radio and 442 TV Stations. |
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Los Alamos Laboratory discovers the
neutrino, an atomic particle with no electric charge. |
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Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince
Rainier III of Monaco in a highly publicized Monte Carlo wedding on April 19.
A pic of the Princess in her
gown. |
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At a reception in the Kremlin, Soviet
premier Nikita Khruschev tells ambassadors from the West, "History is on our
side. We will bury you!" A pic of their
Nikita. |
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A busy year for Nikita - The Soviet Union
sends troops and tanks to occupy Hungary to put down anti-Soviet protests. Why?
Hungary is the best place from which to launch mid-range ballistic missiles and
Soviets can't afford to let the natives think independence. |
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Choosy mothers can now choose - Jif
Peanut Butter! Some fun facts! |
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Dash laundry detergent - gets clothes
cleaner than any other product especially made for automatic washers! |
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President Eisenhower (R) is re-elected
defeating Adlai E Stevenson (D). |
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And the winner is...Oscar stuff. |
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Britain abolishes death penality. |
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Certs, the first candy breath mint, is
introduced. |
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Anti-protons detected in the
atmosphere. |
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In Sports... |
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Admiral George Dufek, as part of
Operation Deep Freeze, is the first American to land an airplane at South
Pole. |
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My Fair Lady opened at the Mark Hellinger
Theatre in New York and enjoyed a run of 2,717 performances over nine years.
The original production featured Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins and Julie
Andrews as Eliza.
Buy the Movie on VHS Buy on Movie DVD |
|
Wizard of Oz first aired on TV.
Buy the Movie on VHS Buy on Movie DVD |
|
Elvis Presley makes his television debut
on CBS Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show. The Fifties Web
Elvis Pages |
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average marks a
new high - 500.24 points. |
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The after-tax income of the average
American is $1700, up $63 from 1955. The average weekly take-home for a worker
with three dependents is $74.04. |
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Albert Woolson, the last Union soldier of
the Civil War dies at age 109. The last Confederate soldier, Walter Williams
will die in 1959. |
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And while we're on passings...Samuel J.
Seymour , the last eyewitness to the death of Abraham Lincoln dies. |
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Marilyn Monroe marries Arthur
Miller. |
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Finally, a law is passed allowing the FBI
to enter a kidnapping case 24 hours after the abduction. Before, it was local
matter. |
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A dollar buys only as much food in 1956
as 41¢ bought in 1939. |
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A big year as momentum builds in the
quest for Civil Rights. |
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The first transatlantic telephone cable
goes into operation (Newfoundland-Scotland) |
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Americans exported 700 million cases of
canned goods. And no doubt called it "cuisine." |
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The gross national product is $408
billion. |
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650,000 US steel workers go on
strike. |
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The La Leche League is founded in
Illinois to encourage mothers to breast-feed their infants. |
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Israel captures Egyptian militay post at
El-Thamad, Gaza, Sheham and the Straits of Tiran & reach Suez Canal in
Egypt |
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Last Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey
Circus under a canvas tent. Read the
sad story. |
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By now, more than 80 percent of U.S.
households have refrigerators. By contrast, only 8 percent of British
households do. |
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Clairol introduces the "Does She or
Doesn't She" advertising campaign. "Only her hairdresser knows for sure."
Wanna see the ads? |
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Bob Cousy (basketball), Bobby Lane
(football) and Duke Snider (baseball) get their own Wheaties boxes! |
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Allen Ginsberg publishes Howl, which he
had read the previous year at Berkeley. It will become a classic of the beat
generation in American poetry and literature. "I've seen the best minds of my
generation destroyed by madness." |
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There is a 48% business failure rate.Chart for 1946-1964 |
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The first commercial videotape recorder
is introduced. The device is intended for industrial applications, and it
quickly revolutionizes the way television programming is produced. Engineers
race to produce a practical VCR for consumers. |
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The book, Peyton Place is published.
A personal recollection. Also,
BUY THE BOOK or
BUY MOVIE ON DVD |
|
American will import 107,675 passenger
cars. |
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There are 39,628 motor vehicle related
deaths. While in the air, there were 6 accidents resulting in 152 fatalities.
|
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Unemployment is 4.2% |
|
U.S. GNP (Gross National Product) is
$434.0 billion |
Pop History
