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Welcome to Retroville! It’s 1954!
IN THE NEWS:
- Five U.S. Congressmen shot on the floor of the House by Puerto Rican nationalists firing from the spectator’s gallery
- Brown v Board of Education decision by Supreme Court unanimously bans segregation in public schools striking down a 60-year old ruling that allowed “separate but equal” conditions in American public schools
- Southeast Asia defense treaty (SEATO) signed by eight nations in Manila
- French withdraw from Vietnam
- Chaplin, Fuller, and Pearson patent the solar cell
- U.S. commissions the first atomic submarine,Nautilus
- The first kidney transplant is performed
- Ray Kroc opens his first McDonald’s
- NY Giants defeat Cleveland Indians to win the World Series
ON THE RADIO:
- Challenge of the Yukon
- Dr. Sixgun
- Dragnet
- Gunsmoke
- Hallmark Hall of Fame
- Lone Ranger
- Perry Mason
ON TELEVISION:
- First coast to coast color broadcast – Tournament of Roses Parade
- First color commercial airs – Pall Mall cigarettes
- Father Knows Best (moved over from radio)
- US Steel Hour
- Lassie
- Omnibus
FADS & FASHION:
- Oral contraceptives (the Pill)
- Non-stick pans (Teflon)
- CinemaScope appears in theaters
- Robert the Robot (Robbie)
- Whee-Lo
- Coonskin caps
- Poodle skirts (not all were poodles, but those were most popular)
- Saddle shoes
- Cardigan sets
- Pearls during the day
- Stereo music tapes (reel to reel)
- Transistor radios
WHAT THINGS COST:
- Car: $1,950
- Gasoline: 29 cents per gallon
- House: $17,500
- Bread: 17 cents per loaf
- Milk: 92 cents per gallon
- Postage Stamp: 3 cents
- Average Annual Salary: $4,700
- Minimum Wage: 75 cents per hour
ACADEMY AWARD – BEST PICTURE:
- On The Waterfront – crime drama by Elia Kazan starring Marlon Brando and Karl Malden
TONY AWARD – BEST MUSICAL:
- Kismet – based upon the book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, choreographed by Jack Cole, starring Alfred Drake, Richard Kiley, and Joan Dienner
PULITZER PRIZES:
- The Teahouse of the August Moon by John Patrick (drama)
- A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton (history)
- The Spirit of St. Louis by Charles A. Lindbergh (autobiography)
- The Waking by Theodore Roethke (poetry)
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE:
- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, an international aid organization established by the United Nations in 1951
TOP SONGS:
- Mr. Sandman by the Chordettes
- Sh-Boom (Life Would be a Dream) by the Crew-Cuts
- Shake Rattle and Roll by Bill Haley and the Comets
- Young at Heart by Frank Sinatra
- Mambo Italiano by Rosemary Clooney
- Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight by the Spaniels
