Step Back Into….1955

Golden Arches and Disneyland Open

Civil Rights Movement Begins

By Paula Green

Dr. Jonas Salk started inoculating children against polio. Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald's franchise on April 15 in Des Plaines, Illinois, marking the beginning of the global fast-food empire. Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, on July 17. Congress authorized all currency and coins to say “In God We Trust.” On September 30, James Dean died in a car accident at the age of 24.

Average:  The average income was $4,130. The cost of a new home was $10,950. The average cost for a new car was $1,606- $ $2,944. Gasoline was 23¢ a gallon. A loaf of bread was 18¢. A gallon of milk was 92¢, and eggs sold for 61¢ a dozen. A 10-pound bag of potatoes was 53¢. Pot roast was 43¢ a pound. The price of a movie ticket was 45¢. A first-class stamp was 3¢. 

Firsts: The microwave oven, manufactured by Tappan, revolutionized cooking time. The first pocket transistor radio became available. Velcro was invented. The first recorded Moonwalk was performed by tap dancer Bill Bailey. On December 24, NORAD Tracks Santa followed his flight for the first time in what became an annual Christmas Eve tradition.

Events: The National Trade Unions AFL and CIO merged. Defying Alabama law, Rosa Parks, the civil rights activist, refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus. This event of peaceful protest was a catalyst for the civil rights movement in the US.

World News: Israel obtained four of the seven Dead Sea scrolls. Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health. On April 18, Albert Einstein, one of the most influential physicists in history, died. On November 1, the Vietnam War began between the North and South Vietnamese armies.

Entertainment: Academy Awards - On the Waterfront won eight awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Marlon Brando. Grace Kelly won Best Actress for The Country Girl. Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, an adaptation of Jules Verne's novel, was released. Top films: To Catch A Thief, Mister Roberts, East of Eden, Galapagos, Lady and the Tramp, Rebel Without a Cause, and Oklahoma! 

Television: The Mickey Mouse Club premiered on ABC. Gunsmoke debuted on CBS and went on to be television’s longest-running western. On March 3, Elvis Presley made his first TV appearance. Popular TV shows - The $64,000 Question, I Love Lucy, The Ed Sullivan Show, Disneyland, The Jack Benny Show, You Bet Your Life, The Millionaire, I’ve Got a Secret, The Honeymooners, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Songs: RCA offered a $35,000 contract to Elvis Presley, an up-and-coming musician from Mississippi. The hit list – “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White,” “Mister Sandman,” “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,“ “Unchained Melody,” “Rock Around the Clock,” “Yellow Rose of Texas,” “Love is a Many Splendoured Thing,” “Only You (And You Alone),” “Love & Marriage,” “Tutti Frutti,” and “Sixteen Tons.”

Publishing: Popular books - The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings #3) by J.R.R. Tolkien, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6) by C.S. Lewis, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale, and Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C.S. Lewis.

Sports: MLB – NFL - The Cleveland Browns were the NFL Champs. NBA – The Syracuse Nationals were named NBA Champions. The Brooklyn Dodgers won their first World Series on October 4, defeating the New York Yankees. In the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup winners.

Politics:  President: Dwight D. Eisenhower: Vice President: Richard M. Nixon. 

Quotes:

“I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want, and then advise them to do it.” ~ Harry Truman

“Now it’s time to say goodbye to all our company, / M-I-C…Jimmie: See you real soon.Mouseketeers: K-E-Y…Jimmie: Why? Because we like you!Mouseketeers: M-O-U-S-E!” ~ “Mickey Mouse Club”

“The most exhausting thing in life, I have discovered, is being insincere.” ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh