Memory Lane: 1956

Suez Crisis, Federal-Aid Highway Act signed for the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways.

Fidel Castro land in Cuba at the start of the Cuban Revolution.

Rock and Roll music sweeps the World, Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show and enters the US music charts for the first time, with “Heartbreak Hotel.”

Population:

• Wake County (1960 census): 169,082
• NC: 4,309,000
• USA: 168,900,000

National Debt:

• $272,750,813,649 (1956)
• $18,152,809,942,589 (2015)

Value of a Dollar: $1 in 1955 is $8.76 in 2015

Cost Of Living 1955:

• Yearly Inflation Rate USA: 1.52%
• Average Cost of new house: $11,700
• Average Monthly Rent: $88.00
• Average Yearly Wages: $4,450
• Average Cost of a new car: $2,050
• Cost of a gallon of Gas: $0.22
• Ground Coffee per lb: $.85
• Hamburger at McDonald’s: $0.15
• Ticket to Disneyland: $1.00 – (Rides and attractions were a separate fee via individual tickets. Three months after the park opened, books of tickets were available; the tickets were labeled “A” to “C.”)

Ounce of Gold Price:

• The cost of a Ounce of Gold was $34.99
• The inflation-adjusted price of a Ounce of Gold was $309.65

Cost of a movie ticket: $0.56

Inflation-adjusted price of a movie ticket: $4.42

The cost of a movie ticket in 2015: $7.92

Top 5 Movies:

1. The Ten Commandments
2. Around The World in 80 Days
3. Giant
4. War and Peace
5. The King and I

• Best Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
• Best Actor: Yul Brynner – The King and I
• Best Actress: Ingrid Bergman – Anastasia
• Best Supporting Actor: Anthony Quinn – Lust for Life
• Best Supporting Actress: Dorothy Malone – Written on the Wind

1. I Love Lucy – CBS – 16,999,300
2. The Ed Sullivan Show – CBS – 14,937,600
3. General Electric Theatre – CBS – 14,354,100
4. The $64,000 Question – CBS – 14,159,600
5. December Bride – CBS – 13,692,800
6. Alfred Hitchcock Presents – CBS – 13,187,100
7. I’ve Got a Secret – CBS – 12,720,300
8. Gunsmoke – CBS – 12,720,300
9. The Perry Como Show – NBC – 12,681,400
10. The Jack Benny Show – CBS – 12,564,700

1. Elvis Presley – Heartbreak Hotel
2. Elvis Presley – Don’t Be Cruel
3. Nelson Riddle – Lisbon Antigua
4. Platters – My Prayer
5. Gogi Grant – The Wayward Wind
6. Les Baxter – The Poor People Of Paris
7. Doris Day – Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera)
8. Elvis Presley – Hound Dog
9. Dean Martin – Memories Are Made Of This
10. Kay Starr – Rock And Roll Waltz
11. Morris Stoloff – Moonglow And Theme From “Picnic”
12. Platters – The Great Pretender
13. Pat Boone – I Almost Lost My Mind
14. Elvis Presley – I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
15. Elvis Presley – Love Me Tender
16. Perry Como – Hot Diggity
17. Eddie Heywood and Hugo Winterhalter – Canadian Sunset
18. Carl Perkins – Blue Suede Shoes
19. Jim Lowe – The Green Door
20. Four Lads – No, Not Much

1. Hound Dog – Elvis Presley from The Real Elvis EP
2. Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis PresleY rom Heartbreak Hotel EP
3. Don’t Be Cruel – Elvis Presley
4. Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley
5. Young Love – Sonny James
6. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You – Elvis Presley
7. Blue Suede Shoes – Carl Perkins
8. Love Me – Elvis Presley
9. Be-Bop-A-Lula – Gene Vincent
10. The Fool – Sanford Clark
11. I Was the One – Elvis Presley
12. I Walk the Line – Johnny Cash
13. Singing the Blues – Marty Robbins
14. Auctioneer – Leroy Van Dyke
15. Any Way You Want Me (That’s How I Will Be) – Elvis Presley
16. Crazy Arms – Ray Price
17. That’s All – Tennessee Ernie Ford
18. My Ba- Left Me – Elvis Presley
19. The Cat Came Back – Sonny James
20. Why Ba- Why – Red Sovine & Webb Pierce

ACC Football Champ: Clemson

ACC Basketball Champs: NC State (NCSU 76 – Wake Forest 54)

World Series Winner: NY Yankees over the Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3)

Heavyweight Boxing Champ: Floyd Patterson

NFL Championship Game: NY Giants over Chicago Bears (47-7)

NASCAR Season Winner: Buck Baker

Masters Winner: Jack Burke Jr. (Won over – won $6000)

Wimbledon Winners:

• Men’s Singles: Australia Lew Hoad defeated Australia Ken Rosewall 6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–4
• Women’s Singles: United States Shirley Fry Irvin defeated United Kingdom Angela Buxton 6–3, 6–1
• Men’s Doubles: Australia Lew Hoad / Australia Ken Rosewall defeated Italy Nicola Pietrangeli / Italy Orlando Sirola 7–5, 6–2, 6–1
• Women’s Doubles: United Kingdom Angela Buxton / United States Althea Gibson defeated Australia Fay Muller / Australia Daphne Seeney 6–1, 8–6
• Mixed Doubles: United States Shirley Fry / United States Vic Seixas defeated United States Althea Gibson / United States Gardnar Mulloy 2–6, 6–2, 7–5