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
🇺🇸
US President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
🇬🇧
UK Prime Minister
Anthony Eden
🇺🇳
UN Secretary-General
Dag Hammarskjöld
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
- ♪ Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Oscar Best Picture: Marty
- 🎥 Lady and the Tramp
- 🎥 Cinerama Holiday
- 🎥 Mister Roberts
Top TV Shows
- 📺 The Ed Sullivan Show
- 📺 Gunsmoke
- 📺 The Honeymooners
Notable Books
- 📚 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
- 📚 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
CO₂ Levels
0
parts per million
Today: 422 ppm
Temperature Anomaly
-0.12°C
vs. pre-industrial average
Today: +1.45°C
Life Expectancy
69.6 years