1955
1950s Era
Act I
The World Stage
1955
2.8B
people on Earth when this year began
Today
8.2B
+5.4B more people since
๐บ๐ธ
US President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
๐ฌ๐ง
UK Prime Minister
Anthony Eden
๐บ๐ณ
UN Secretary-General
Dag Hammarskjรถld
Defining Moments
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Disneyland opens
Warsaw Pact formed
Einstein dies
Act II
Culture & Entertainment
#1 Song
Rock Around the Clock
Bill Haley & His Comets
- โช Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Oscar Best Picture: Marty
- ๐ฅ Lady and the Tramp
- ๐ฅ Cinerama Holiday
- ๐ฅ Mister Roberts
Top TV Shows
- ๐บ The Ed Sullivan Show
- ๐บ Gunsmoke
- ๐บ The Honeymooners
Notable Books
- ๐ Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
- ๐ The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien
Act III
Technology & Science
First nuclear power plant
Polio vaccine (Jonas Salk)
Velcro patented
Space
US announces plan to launch satellites
Nobel Peace Prize
No award
Nobel Physics
Willis Lamb & Polykarp Kusch
Act IV
Cost of Living
Gas / Gallon
$0.29
Today: $3.50
Milk / Gallon
$0.92
Today: $4.15
Movie Ticket
$0.50
Today: $11.75
Average Home
$10,950
Today: $420,000
New Car
$1,910
Today: $49,500
Postage Stamp
$0.03
Today: $0.73
Average Salary
$3,850 / year (min wage: $0.75/hr)
Act V
Sports Champions
World Series
Brooklyn Dodgers
NBA Finals
Syracuse Nationals
NFL Champion
Cleveland Browns
Act VI
Our Planet
COโ Levels
0
parts per million
Today: 422 ppm
Temperature Anomaly
-0.12ยฐC
vs. pre-industrial average
Today: +1.45ยฐC
Life Expectancy
69.6 years