The cold war continued to worsen with the USSR exploding some very large bombs during testing and then masterminding the building of the Berlin Wall separating East from West Berlin
America sent a battle group to Germany and Americans and Russians Glared at each other across the border, due to this uncertainty many Americans built backyard fallout shelters in case of nuclear war.
To make matters worse the Americans financed anti-Castro Cubans for an invasion at the Bay of Pigs which was an unmitigated disaster.
The Soviets put the first man in space on April 12th Yuri Gagarin followed by the US in May with Alan Shepard.
Popular music included Chubby Checker’s “Pony Time” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by the Shirelles, and top movies included “West Side Story” and “The Parent Trap.”
Yuri Gagarin is the first human in space & Alan Shepard makes first US space flight
Peace Corps is established by John F. Kennedy
Construction of the Berlin Wall begins
IBM introduces Golf Ball Typewriter
“Freedom Riders” test the United States Supreme Court decision
Pampers, the first disposable diaper, is introduced
US Cuban Exiles and CIA mount unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro known as the Bay of Pigs
UN General Assembly condemns Apartheid
Population:
- Wake County (1960 census): 169,082
- NC: 4,663,000
- USA: 183,900,000
National Debt:
- $288,970,938,610 (1961)
- $18,152,809,942,589 (2015)
Value of a Dollar: $1 in 1961 is $7.87 in 2015
Cost Of Living 1955:
- Yearly Inflation Rate USA: 1.07%
- Average Cost of New House: $12,500
- Average Yearly Wages: $5,315
- Average Cost of a New Car: $2,850
- Cost of a gallon of Gas: $0.27
- Cheeseburger at McDonald’s: $0.15
- Ticket to Disneyland: $3.75
- Bacon for 1lb: $0.67
- Eggs per dozen: $0.30
Ounce of Gold Price:
- The cost of a Ounce of Gold was $35.25
- The inflation-adjusted price of a Ounce of Gold was $282
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.69
The cost of a movie ticket in 2015: $7.92
Top 5 Movies:
- West Side Story
- The Guns of Navarone
- El Cid
- The Absent-Minded Professor
- The Parent Trap
- Best Picture: West Side Story
- Best Actor: Maximilian Schell -Judgement at Nuremberg
- Best Actress: Sophia Loren – Two Women
- Best Supporting Actor: Jack Lemmon – Mister Roberts
- Best Supporting Actress: Jo Van Fleet – East of Eden
- Wagon Train – NBC – 15,586,155
- Bonanza – NBC – 14,566,500
- Gunsmoke – CBS – 13,741,065
- Hazel – NBC – 13,449,735
- Perry Mason – CBS – 13,255,515
- The Red Skelton Show – CBS – 13,158,405
- The Andy Griffith Show – CBS – 13,109,850
- The Danny Thomas Show – CBS – 12,672,855
- Dr. Kildare – NBC – 12,430,080
- Candid Camera – CBS – 12,381,525
- Bobby Lewis – Tossin’ And Turnin’
- Patsy Cline – I Fall To Pieces
- Highwaymen – Michael
- Roy Orbison – Cryin’
- Del Shannon – Runaway
- Jive Five – My True Story
- Chubby Checker – Pony Time
- String-a-longs – Wheels
- Dee Clark – Raindrops
- Joe Dowell – Wooden Heart (Muss I Denn)
- Lawrence Welk – Calcutta
- Bobby Vee – Take Good Care Of My Baby
- Roy Orbison – Running Scared
- Shirelles – Dedicated To The One I Love
- Mar-Keys – Last Night
- Shirelles – Will You Love Me Tomorrow
- Ferrante and Teicher – Exodus
- Connie Francis – Where The Boys Are
- Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack
- Sue Thompson – Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)
- Walk On By – Leroy Van Dyke
- Don ‘t Worry – Marty Robbin
- Hello Walls – Faron Young
- Tender Years – George Jones
- North To Alaska – Johnny Horton
- I Fall To Pieces – Patsy Cline
- Big Bad John – Jimmy Dean
- Foolin’ Around – Buck Owens
- Sea of Heartbreak – Don Gibson
- San Antonio Rose – Floyd Cramer
ACC Football Champ: Duke
ACC Basketball Champs: Wake Forest (Wake Forest 96 – Duke 81)
World Series Winner: New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 1
Heavyweight Boxing Champ: Ingemar Johansson, Floyd Patterson (Universal)
NFL Championship Game: Green Bay Packers (Green Bay Packers 37 – NY Giants 0)
NASCAR Season Winner: Ned Jarrett
Masters Winner: Gary Player
Wimbledon Winners:
- Men’s Singles: Australia Rod Laver defeated United States Chuck McKinley 6–3, 6–1, 6–4
- Women’s Singles: United Kingdom Angela Mortimer Barrett defeated United Kingdom Christine Truman Janes 4–6, 6–4, 7–5
- Men’s Doubles: Australia Roy Emerson / Australia Neale Fraser defeated Australia Bob Hewitt / Australia Fred Stolle 6–4, 6–8, 6–4, 6–8, 8–6
- Women’s Doubles: United States Karen Hantze Susman / United States Billie Jean King defeated Australia Jan Lehane / Australia Margaret Smith 6–3, 6–4
- Mixed Doubles: Australia Lesley Turner / Australia Fred Stolle defeated West Germany Edda Buding / Australia Robert Howe 11–9, 6–2