![]() |
1955 Trivia, History and Fun Facts |
Table of Contents Quick Facts from 1955 |
|
Top Ten Baby Names of 1955Mary, Deborah, Linda, Debra, Susan, Michael, David, James, Robert, John |
Fashion Icons and Sex SymbolsMartine Carol, Dorothy Dandridge, Doris Day, Diana Dors, Anita Ekberg, Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Julie Newmar, Kim Novak, Bettie Page, Elizabeth Taylor, Mamie Van Doren |
Sex Symbols and Hollywood HunksJames Dean, Montgomery Clift |
Oscars: 27th Academy AwardsThe 27th Academy Awards occurred on March 30, 1955, hosted at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Bob Hope served as the master of ceremonies for the event. On the Waterfront stole the spotlight, winning eight awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Marlon Brando. Grace Kelly received Best Actress for The Country Girl, making headlines and further cementing her status as a Hollywood icon. Emmy Awards: 7th Primetime Emmy AwardsAs for the small screen, the 7th Primetime Emmy Awards took place on March 7, 1955, at the “Moulin Rouge Nightclub” in Hollywood. Steve Allen was the host. The ceremony marked a pivotal year for the TV industry, with Disneyland winning Best Variety Series. At the same time, Danny Thomas and Loretta Young took home the Best Actor and Best Actress awards for Make Room for Daddy and Letter to Loretta, respectively. The Oscars had an eligibility period spanning from January 1, 1954, to December 31, 1954. The Emmy Awards, on the other hand, targeted shows produced within the United States, though the specific eligibility window was less strictly defined at this point. |
“The Quote:“Now it’s time to say goodbye to all our company, / M-I-C… |
Time Magazine’s Man of the YearHarlow Curtice |
Miss AmericaLee Meriwether (San Francisco, CA) |
Miss USACarlene King Johnson (Vermont) |
The ScandalsRosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955. This event of peaceful protest was a catalyst for the civil rights movement in the United States. The producers of The 64,000 Question disliked Dr. Joyce Brothers, and her opponent was coached. They purposely asked her a boxing question, figuring a girl wouldn’t get the answer. She did. John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Lee Van Cleef, Agnes Moorehead, and Dick Powell all died of cancer, probably from filming The Conquerer near a Nevada nuclear testing site in 1955. |
The HorribleSwitzerland banned nearly all forms of motor racing after the tragic 1955 Le Mans disaster, which took place in France, where fragments of a crashed car flew in the stands, injuring 180 and killing 84 spectators, the most deadly accident in motorsports history. The ban is still in place to this day. Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black teenager, was killed for allegedly flirting with a white female. The murderers were acquitted in a trial by an all-white jury. |
1955 Pop Culture Facts & HistoryTV remote ‘clicker’ control became public. Maurice K. Goddard, director of the Department of Parks and Forests in Pennsylvania, set the goal of having a state park within 25 miles of every citizen. The Microwave Oven was invented. The first Moonwalk ever recorded was performed by tap dancer Bill Bailey in 1955… |
Retail giant Sears published a phone number that kids could use to “call Santa”. However, due to a misprint, the number Sears printed redirected to CORAD (now NORAD)’s top-secret emergency line. Rather than having the ad pulled, NORAD decided to “track” Santa’s progress, which they continue to do to this day. The Guinness Brewing Company published the first edition of the Guinness Book of Records following a debate in a pub (tavern) over the fastest species of European game bird. Journalist Edward R. Murrow asked Jonas Salk who ‘owned’ the patent to the polio vaccine, and his response was, “Well, the people, I would say… There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?” Jonas made it available for no charge. Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield was ‘discovered’ during a press junket for the 1955 film Underwater that starred another buxom actress, Jane Russell. Mansfield dived into a pool given the assembled journalists and “had the genius to permit her bathing suit to split open.” The phrase ‘In God We Trust’ wasn’t put on all US currency until 1955. When Tomorrowland originally opened in Disneyland, it represented an anticipated city of 1986. You’ve been there. Everybody has visited a McDonald’s since it first opened in 1955. When Albert Einstein died on April 18, 1955, in Princeton Hospital, the nurse assigned to him did not speak German, and his last words were not understood. Quaker Oats promoted their cereal by giving away 1 square inch of land in Canada in each box sold. In the end, it totaled up to 19 acres. The musical film Oklahoma! was predominately filmed in Arizona. Onions are no longer classified as a commodity due to the cornering of the onion market in 1955 (Onion Futures Act). Boeing’s development of the B-52 began in 1946. They have been in active service with the USAF since 1955, and the last operational ones will not be replaced until 2045. In 1955/56, Chrysler sold the Dodge La Femme, a car marketed exclusively to women. It included a designer purse with accessories, an umbrella, and an upholstery pattern of pink rosebuds for the interior. Two labor unions, the AFL and the CIO, united to become the AFL-CIO. Marlboro used to market its cigarettes as “premium ladies’ cigarettes.” Their slogan was “Mild as May”. In 1955, they changed their ads to Cowboys and “Marlboro Country” images. Their sales reputedly increased over 3,000 percent in 1 year. Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita was published. US publishers were initially reluctant to associate themselves with such a controversial work. |
1st Appearances & 1955’s Most Popular Christmas Gifts, Toys and PresentsTonka Trucks, Play-Doh (off-white), Bild Lilli dolls (predecessor to Barbie), Pluto Platter Flying Saucer (a frisbee type item) |
Best Film Oscar WinnerOn The Waterfront (presented in 1955) |
Nobel Prize WinnersPhysics – Willis Eugene Lamb and Polykarp Kusch |
Popular and Best-selling Books From 1955Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor |
1955 Most Popular TV Shows1. The $64,000 Question (CBS) |
1955 Billboard Number One SongsDecember 4, 1954 – January 21, 1955: January 22 – February 4: February 5 – February 11: February 12 – March 25: March 26 – April 29: April 30 – July 8: July 9 – September 2: September 3 – October 7: October 8 – October 14: October 15 – October 21: October 22 – October 28: October 29 – November 4: November 5 – November 25: November 26, 1955 – January 13, 1956: |
SportsWorld Series Champions: Brooklyn Dodgers |
More 1955 Facts & History Resources:BabyBoomers.com (1955) |