Feb 3
The Day the Music Died
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. 'The Big Bopper' Richardson died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. Rock & roll lost three pioneers in one night.
🇺🇸United States · 50s
The Day the Music Died
Buddy Holly's plane goes down, Alaska and Hawaii join the union, and Castro takes Cuba.
What happened
5 milestones of 1959
Jan 3 / Aug 21
Alaska and Hawaii Become States
Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, Hawaii the 50th on August 21. The American flag got two new stars. The continental era was over.
Jan 1
Castro Takes Power in Cuba
Fidel Castro's revolutionaries overthrew Batista. Cuba — 90 miles from Florida — went Communist. The Cold War arrived in America's backyard.
Jul 24
Kitchen Debate: Nixon vs. Khrushchev
Vice President Nixon and Soviet Premier Khrushchev argued about capitalism vs. communism in a model American kitchen in Moscow. Nixon poked Khrushchev's chest. The Cold War went domestic.
Jun 26
St. Lawrence Seaway Opens
Queen Elizabeth II and Eisenhower opened the St. Lawrence Seaway, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Ocean-going ships could now reach Chicago.
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
Ben-Hur
William Wyler — Won 11 Oscars — a record that stood for 38 years. The chariot race is cinema legend.
Some Like It Hot
Billy Wilder — 'Nobody's perfect.' The greatest comedy ever made.
North by Northwest
Alfred Hitchcock — Cary Grant chased by a crop duster. Hitchcock's most entertaining thriller.
Sleeping Beauty
Clyde Geronimi — Disney's most lavish animated film. The last fairy tale for decades.
Anatomy of a Murder
Otto Preminger — Jimmy Stewart in the courtroom. A groundbreaking legal thriller.
What was on TV
The Twilight Zone
1959-1964 — Rod Serling created TV's greatest anthology. 'Submitted for your approval...'
Bonanza
1959-1973 — The Cartwrights on the Ponderosa. First prime-time show broadcast in color.
Rawhide
1959-1965 — Clint Eastwood's first big role. 'Head 'em up, move 'em out!'
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
1959-1963 — Teenage comedy with Bob Denver as beatnik Maynard G. Krebs.
Gunsmoke
1955-1975 — Still the #1 show. Marshal Dillon was America's favorite lawman.
How much things cost
Currency: USD
Gallon of milk$1.01
Gallon of gas$0.31
New house (median)$12,400
New car (average)$2,200
Loaf of bread$0.20
Movie ticket$0.51
Inflation: 0.7%
The economy rebounded from the 1958 recession with near-zero inflation and rising wages.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Gallon of milkBLS
1959 (USD)
$1.01
→
Today's value ($)
--
Gallon of gasEIA
1959 (USD)
$0.31
→
Today's value ($)
--
New house (median)Census Bureau
1959 (USD)
$12,400
→
Today's value ($)
--
New car (average)BLS
1959 (USD)
$2,200
→
Today's value ($)
--
Loaf of breadBLS
1959 (USD)
$0.20
→
Today's value ($)
--
Movie ticketNATO
1959 (USD)
$0.51
→
Today's value ($)
--
Technology
Microchip patented
Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor improved the integrated circuit — Silicon Valley was born.
First weather satellite plans
NASA began developing TIROS, the first weather satellite (launched 1960).
Xerox 914
The first plain-paper copier went on sale. Office work was never the same.
Barbie doll
Mattel introduced Barbie at the New York Toy Fair. 300,000 sold in the first year.
Nuclear submarine Triton
USS Triton was launched — it would soon circumnavigate the globe underwater.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Bouffant hairstyles emergingPillbox hats (pre-Jackie)Pedal pushers and flats
Slang
Boss— Really great, excellent
Ankle-biter— A small child
Flip— To go crazy with excitement
Behavior
- Barbie dolls launched a cultural revolution in girls' toys
- The Twilight Zone made Americans think about conformity and fear
- Hawaiian shirts became mainstream as Hawaii became a state
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