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1957 Fun Facts, Trivia and History |
Quick Facts from 1957Table of Contents |
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Top Ten Baby Names of 1957Mary, Susan, Linda, Debra, Karen, Michael, James, David, Robert, John |
Fashion Icons and Sex SymbolsCarroll Baker, Brigitte Bardot, Claudia Cardinale, Doris Day, Diana Dors, Anita Ekberg, Annette Funicello, Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn, Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Julie Newmar, Kim Novak, Bettie Page, Elizabeth Taylor, Mamie Van Doren |
Leading Men and Sex SymbolsElvis Presley, Harry Belafonte |
Oscars: 29th Academy AwardsOn March 27, 1957, the Oscars ceremony was held at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, with Jerry Lewis and Celeste Holm sharing the hosting duties. The film Around the World in 80 Days was the big winner of the night, bagging five awards, including Best Picture. Yul Brynner won Best Actor for his role in The King and I, while Ingrid Bergman was awarded Best Actress for Anastasia. Emmy Awards: 9th Primetime Emmy AwardsThe Emmy Awards took place on March 16, 1957, at the NBC Studios in Burbank, California. Art Linkletter reprised his hosting role. The Best Drama Series award went to Playhouse 90, and The Phil Silvers Show won Best Comedy Series. Robert Young snagged the Best Actor for Father Knows Best, and Loretta Young took home the Best Actress for Letter to Loretta for the second time. In film and television, the Oscars and Emmys continued to be the pinnacles of achievement. The Oscars focused on recognizing the cinematic achievements of 1956, while the Emmys followed suit with productions aired in 1956. These award shows often provided a glimpse into the social and cultural trends of the era, and 1957 was no exception. |
Time Magazine’s Man of the Year |
Miss AmericaMarian McKnight (Manning, SC) |
Miss USAMary Leona Gage (Maryland)/ Charlotte Sheffield (Utah) |
The ScandalsOn March 25, 1957, US Customs agents seized over 500 copies of the Allen Ginsberg book Howl and Other Poems on obscenity charges. It was later decided in the US court that the material was not obscene. James Vicary announced that he invented subliminal advertising at a Fort Lee, New Jersey, movie theater. He flashed the words: “Hungry? Eat Popcorn” and “Thirsty? Drink Coke” very fast between film frames. Food and beverage sales increased significantly, he claimed. In 1962, he said he made the whole thing up. |
US PoliticsJanuary 21, 1957 (Monday): Second inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower |
1957 Pop Culture Facts & HistoryWhen US President Harry S. Truman visited Disneyland in 1957, he refused to come aboard the popular Dumbo attraction. Truman, a Democrat, didn’t want to be seen riding in the symbol of the Republican The comedy film Airplane (1980) is a parody of Zero Hour (1957) |
| The price of Coca-Cola was 5 cents (a nickel) from 1886 to m1959. Coca-Cola contacted the US Treasury Department, asking them to mint a 7.5 cent coin in 1953, to minimize a needed price increase for soda vending machines. On April 10, 12 Angry Men, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Martin Balsam as Juror 1, John Fiedler as Juror 2, Lee J. Cobb as Juror 3, E. G. Marshall as Juror 4, Jack Klugman as Juror 5, Edward Binns as Juror 6, Jack Warden as Juror 7, Henry Fonda as Davis, Juror 8, Joseph Sweeney as McCardle, Juror 9, Ed Begley as Juror 10, George Voskovec as Juror 11 and Robert Webber as Juror 12, was released. Philadelphia’s American Bandstand, with Dick Clark, became a national television show. Elvis asked his audience at a Seattle concert to please rise for the national anthem. He picked up his guitar and sang Hound Dog. A 15-year-old Jimmy Hendrix was there, a part of the enthusiastic audience. Elvis Presley bought Graceland on 3734 Bellevue Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee, for $100,000. In 1957, 1 out of 7 US workers’ income was earned in the textile or apparel industries. On Saturday, April 13, 1957, there was no mail delivery due to a budget crunch at the US Post Office. Additional funds insured Saturday mail continued by the following week. Stan Laurel (of the legendary comedy duo Laurel and Hardy) refused to ever perform publicly again after the death of his friend and partner Oliver Hardy in 1957. Fortran, an early computer language, was created. 1948 Swiss engineer George de Mestral took his dog on a hike. When he got home, he noticed many burrs on the dog. He examined one under the microscope. He noticed the burrs had small hooks that enabled them to cling to the soft fur. De Mestral got the US patent (#3,009,235) for Velcro in 1955, an upgrade from his earlier 1955 patent (#2,717,437) Laika, a Russian dog, was the first living creature to be sent into space in Sputnik 2. Sadly, she did not make it back alive. January 16 – January 1- Three B-52 Bombers set a record for around-the-world flight, 45 hours and 19 minutes. The Mayflower II from Plymouth, England, sailed to Plymouth, Massachusetts. The longest-ever speech delivered by the United Nations was eight hours long. Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon delivered it from India on January 23, 1957. The US Supreme Court decided, in a 6-3 vote, that Major League Baseball is the only antitrust-exempt professional US sport. |
Unlikely HeroesNortheast Airlines Flight 823 crashed onto Rikers Island shortly after take-off from LaGuardia Airport, killing 20 and injuring 78 out of a total of 95 passengers and six crew. Fifty-seven inmates ran to help the survivors. Most prisoners who helped were either set free or received reduced sentences. |
1957 Mysteries:The Boy in the Box is a still-unsolved murder of a ~5-year-old boy whose naked and battered body was found in a cardboard box in a wooded area of Philadelphia in 1957. Found to be Joseph Augustus Zarelli in 2022. William Laing, Michael Crowley, and Ray Baker described a ‘Timeslip‘ journey into the medieval version of the Suffolk village of Kersey. An explosion occurred at a plutonium plant in the USSR, resulting in the world’s third-worst nuclear accident. The government kept it secret for 19 years. An estimated 6,000-8,000 people died in the event. |
Oops!Killer ‘Africanized’ bees are a hybrid species (with European Bees) that exist because they accidentally escaped quarantine in 1957. During a 1957 Phillies game, Richie Ashburn hit a fan, Alice Roth, with a foul ball, breaking her nose. When play resumed, he hit her again with another foul ball as she was being taken out on a stretcher. They later became friends. The United States Air Force accidentally dropped a 10 Megaton hydrogen bomb on uninhabited land owned by the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. It did not go off, but a cow was reputedly killed. |
Fake NewsThe BBC aired a segment about a Swiss family harvesting their “spaghetti tree” as an April Fool’s Day Prank on Panorama. |
Civil RightsThe Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students who were escorted by 101st Airborne Division soldiers into Little Rock Central High School in 1957 after initially being blocked by the Arkansas National Guard and racial segregationists. A 24-hour and 18-minute speech by Sen. Storm Thurmond to stall the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the longest Filibuster in US history. He read the Declaration of Independence, talked about Jury Trials, and answered questions from other Senators. He successfully spoke from 8:54 p.m. to 9:12 p.m. the next day, but the bill was passed anyway. |
World War II AftermathAnne Frank Foundation was formed in Amsterdam. |
Unorthodox MedicineActor Cary Grant was diagnosed with “prolonged emotional detachment” and began medical LSD therapy. He had more than 100 acid trips over 2 years and believed it helped him cope with the pain from his childhood. |
The HabitsEverybody was flying those discs invented by Frederick Morrison, called ‘Pluto Platters,’ later renamed the ‘Frisbee.’ The cool kids were watching Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. |
1st Appearances & 1957’s Most Popular Christmas Gifts, Toys and PresentsDream Pets, Careers Game, Sea-Monkeys |
More FirstsAlfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes accidentally invented bubble wrap while trying to create plastic wallpaper. Standard & Poor’s S&P 500 opened on March 4, 1957, replacing the S&P 90. The phrase “In God We Trust” first appeared on US coins in 1864 but did not appear on U.S. paper currency until 1957. |
Nobel Prize WinnersPhysics – Chen-Ning Yang, Tsung-Dao Lee |
Best Film Oscar WinnerAround the World in 80 Days (presented in 1957) |
Broadway ShowThe Music Man (Musical) Opened on December 19, 1957, and Closed April 15, 1961 |
Popular and Best-selling Books From 1957Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand |
1957 Most Popular TV Shows1. Gunsmoke (CBS) |
1957 Billboard Number One SongsDecember 29, 1956 – February 8, 1957: February 9 – February 15: February 16 – March 29: March 30 – April 19: April 20 – June 2: June 3 – July 14: July 15 – September 1: September 2 – October 6: October 7 – October 20: October 21 – November 3: November 4 – December 8: December 9 – December 29: December 30, 1957 – January 3, 1958: |
SportsWorld Series Champions: Milwaukee Braves |
More 1957 Facts & History Resources:BabyBoomers.com (1957) |
