What Happened In 1957?
57 Trivia Questions and Answers for 1957 History
1. Who was President of the United States in 1957?
Dwight D. Eisenhower (January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961)
2. What was the Biggest Number One Song of 1957?
All Shook Up – Elvis Presley
3. To the nearest quarter, what was the average movie theater ticket price in 1957?
50 cents
4. Published in 1957, this Dr. Seuss book used 236 different words. Name that book.
The Cat in the Hat
5. This Rodgers and Hammerstein musical production was the only one they wrote specifically for television. Starring Julie Andrews. Name that musical.
Cinderella
6. What was the highest-grossing film of 1957?
The Bridge on the River Kwai
7. How much did a Loaf of Bread cost in 1957?
19 cents
8. How much did a Gallon of Milk cost in 1957?
$1.00
9. In September of 1957, the Ford Motor Company introduced what unpopular car model?
The Edsel
10. How many people lived in the United States in 1957?
The population was an estimated 171,984,130 people.
11. How many people lived in the World in 1957?
The estimated world population in 1957 was 2,863,042,795 people.
12. Her performance in this 1957 American mystery drama film earned Joanne Woodward her Best Actress Academy Award.
The Three Faces of Eve
13. Who won the Stanley Cup in 1957?
In 1957, The Montreal Canadiens won over the Boston Bruins (4 games to 1)
14. In 1957, what was the average life expectancy in the United States?
Men – 66.4 years, Women – 72.7 years.
15. Popular until the late 1970s, name this airliner that is often credited with starting the “jet age”.
The Boeing 707
16. What was the first artificial Earth satellite?
Sputnik I, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957
17. What was the Bestselling Fiction Book in 1957?
By Love Possessed by James Gould Cozzens
18. This 1957 Broadway show became a hit movie in 1962, with the same leading actor in both. Name that musical.
The Music Man
19. Who was the star of The Music Man on Broadway and on Film?
Robert Preston
20. What country was the third to explode a nuclear weapon?
The United Kingdom
21. Name the United States Senator who set the record for the longest filibuster, with his 24-hour, 18-minute speech, speaking against a civil rights bill.
South Carolina’s Strom Thurmond
22. This shipping product can be both useful and fun.
Bubble Wrap
23. Ayn Rand’s final and longest novel was published in the United States. Name it.
Atlas Shrugged
24. Walter O’Malley agreed to move what famous organization from Brooklyn, New York, to Los Angeles, California?
The Brooklin Dodgers
25. What was the name of the Park that the Dodgers called home in Brookly?
Ebbets Field
26. Who described Elvis Presley as “This is a real decent, fine boy… You’re thoroughly all right.”
Ed Sullivan
27. Calypso was the first LP (long-playing) record album to sell over one million copies. Name the artist who released it.
Harry Belafonte
28. What Philadelphia Phillies player struck a fan TWICE with foul balls in the same game?
Richie Ashburn hit a fan, Alice Roth, with a foul ball, breaking her nose. He hit her again with another foul ball as she was being taken out on a stretcher. They later became friends.
29. This Philadelphia-based teen music show became part of the ABC Network in 1957. Name that show.
American Bandstand
30. Who was the host of American Bandstand?
Dick Clark
31. This short story, written by George Langelaan, was published in the June 1957 issue of Playboy magazine. It was adapted into a major sci-fi/horror film twice; in 1958 and 1986. Name that short story.
The Fly
32. Harry Truman refused to ride one particular ride while visiting Disneyland in 1957. What ride was it, and why?
The Dumbo the Elephant ride, because the elephant is the symbol of the Republican Party.
33. What brand of cigarettes used asbestos filters from 1952-1956, replacing asbestos with acetate?
Kent cigarettes. They called erroneously the asbestos filters “the greatest health protection in cigarette history.”
34. Who won the 1957 World Series?
In 1957, The Milwaukee Braves won, beating the New York Yankees (4 games to 3)
35. The 1980 satirical disaster comedy Airplane! was largely based on the 1957 drama?
Zero Hour!
36. Introduced in 1957, the “Hamilton 500” was what new fashion accessory?
The Hamilton Electric 500 was the first electric (battery-operated) watch.
37. In 1957, Lawrence Harvey Zeiger got his first media job on a Miami radio station. He also changed his name, and eventually became a well-known personality on radio and TV. What name is he better known as?
Larry King
38. This 1957 film featured Elvis Presley in his first leading man role.
Loving You
39. Name the politician who announced his “Great Leap Forward” in 1957?
Chairman Mao of China
40. Although the term is often used generically to describe all flying discs, this name is actually a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company. What term (or word)?
Frisbee
41. This book, later a film, is a best-selling collection of humorous essays by Jean Kerr, about suburban living and raising four boys.
Please Don’t Eat The Daisies
42. Who was the Time Magazine Man of the Year in 1957?
Nikita Khrushchev
43. Created by Don Featherstone, these tacky lawn ornaments first appeared in 1957.
Pink Flamingos
44. Who set an airspeed record by traveling from California to New York in a jet in 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 8.4 seconds?
Major John Glenn, Jr.
45. How much did a dozen eggs cost in 1957?
57 cents
46. What company used the slogan “It’s such a comfort to take the bus and leave the driving to us”?
Greyhound bus lines
47. Created in the 1950s, “hook-and-loop fasteners’ are better known as what?
Velcro
48. What was the Top-Rated TV Show in the 1956/1957 season?
I Love Lucy (CBS)
49. Can you name either of the two car models that Toyota introduced to the US in 1957?
Toyota Crown and the Toyota Land Cruiser.
50. On October 21, 1957, Army Capt. Harry Cramer of the 1st Special Forces Group was the unfortunate casualty of what?
He was the first combat fatality in Vietnam.
51. Which celebrity was NOT born in 1957: Andrew Cuomo, Dolph Lundgren, Senator Lindsey Graham, or Fran Dresher?
Lindsey Graham (born July 9, 1955)
52. President Dwight D. Eisenhower apologized to the finance minister of Ghana, Komla Agbeli Gbedemah, after an incident in Dover, Delaware. What incident?
He was refused service in a Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Dover, Delaware.
53. In Brazil, 26 swarms of these insects escaped quarantine in 1957. We still worry about them today. What are they?
African bees (aka Killer Bees)
54. Based on Romeo and Juliette, Leonard Bernstein’s musical opened in 1957.
West Side Story
55. How much did a gallon of gas cost in 1957?
$0.31 per gallon
56. Name the teenage pair, who later went to world-wide superstar status, who met at a summertime garden party at St. Peter’s Church, Woolton, Liverpool, England.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
57. What automobile safety device was invented by Nils Bohlin, a Volvo employee.
The Three-Point Seatbelt
Trivia Team Bonus Questions:
1. Who were the 1957 NFL Champions?
Detroit Lions
2. Prior to forming the European Union, what was the name of Europe’s financial organization?
European Economic Community (EEC)
3. What Horse won the Kentucky Derby in 1957?
Iron Liege
4. Standard & Poor’s first published what stock index for the first time, on March 4, 1957?
The S&P 500 Index
5. On February 25, 1957, the body of an unknown boy, 4 to 6 years old, was discovered along a sidewalk near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His story has not been solved. What did the press call him?
The Boy in the Box
6. Who was the Pope in 1957?
Pope Pius XII, March 2, 1939 – October 9, 1958
7. What company used the slogan: “Go to Work on an …”?
Egg Marketing Board
8. Who was the American Vice-President in 1957?
Richard Nixon (January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961)
9. Name the two stock exchanges that merged, to form the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange.
The San Francisco and Los Angeles stock exchanges.
10. Who were the 1957 NBA Champions?
For the 1956-57 Season, Champion Boston Celtics won 4 games to 3 over the St. Louis Hawks
