The unemployment problems eased to 5.5%.
Television programs included “Rawhide”, “Bonanza” and “The Twilight Zone”, movies included “Some Like it Hot”, “Ben Hur” and “North by Northwest”.
Alaska is admitted to the union and becomes the 49th state and Hawaii is admitted to the the Union and became the 50th State.
The Boeing 707 Jet Airliner comes into service.
Little girls love the Barbie Dolls created by Ruth Handler and made by Mattel.
Fidel Castro comes to power in Cuba.
The Dalai Lama is forced to flee Tibet
Barbie Doll is launched
Alaska becomes the 49th State and Hawaii becomes the 50th state
St. Lawrence Seaway is completed
NASA introduces America’s first astronauts to the world including John H. Glenn Jr, and Alan Shepard Jr.
US Launches first Weather Station in Space
Population:
- Wake County (1960 census): 169,082
- NC: 4,458,000
- USA: 177,800,000
National Debt:
- $284,705,907,078 (1959)
- $18,152,809,942,589 (2015)
Value of a Dollar: $1 in 1959 is $8.12 in 2015
Cost Of Living 1959:
- Yearly Inflation Rate USA: 1.01%
- Average Cost of new house: $12,400
- Average Yearly Wages: $5,010
- Average Cost of new car: $2,200
- Cost of a gallon of Gas: $0.25
- Loaf of bread: $0.20
- Kodak movie camera: $67.50
- Ladies stocking: $1.00
- Cheeseburger at McDonald’s: $0.15
- Ticket to Disneyland: $1.25 – (Rides and attractions were a separate fee via individual tickets.)
Ounce of Gold Price:
- The cost of an ounce of gold was $35.10
- The inflation-adjusted price of an ounce of gold was $290.08
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.51
Inflation-adjusted price of a movie ticket: $4.21
The cost of a movie ticket in 2015: $7.92
Top 5 Movies:
- Ben-Hur
- Sleeping Beauty
- North by Northwest
- Some Like It Hot
- Pillow Talk
- Best Picture: Ben-Hur
- Best Director: William Wyler – Ben-Hur
- Best Actor: Charlton Heston – Ben-Hur
- Best Actress: Simone Signoret – Room at the Top
- Best Supporting Actor: Hugh Griffith – Ben-Hur
- Best Supporting Actress: Shelley Winters – The Diary of Anne Frank
- Gunsmoke – CBS – 18,437,250
- Wagon Train – NBC 17,568,000
- Have Gun Will Travel – CBS – 15,875,250
- The Danny Thomas Show – CBS – 14,228,250
- The Red Skelton Show – CBS – 14,091,000
- Father Knows Best – CBS – 13,587,750
- 77 Sunset Strip – ABC – 13,587,750
- The Price is Right – NBC – 13,359,000
- Wanted: Dead or Alive – CBS -13,130,250
- Perry Mason – CBS – 12,947,250
- Johnny Horton – The Battle Of New Orleans
- Bobby Darin – Mack The Knife
- Lloyd Price – Personality
- Frankie Avalon – Venus
- Paul Anka – Lonely Boy
- Bobby Darin – Dream Lover
- Browns – The Three Bells
- Fleetwoods – Come Softly To Me
- Wilbert Harrison – Kansas City
- Fleetwoods – Mr. Blue
- Santo and Johnny – Sleep Walk
- Paul Anka – Put Your Head On My Shoulder
- Lloyd Price – Stagger Lee
- Ritchie Valens – Donna
- Dodie Stevens – Pink Shoelaces
- Platters – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
- Coasters – Charlie Brown
- Martin Denny – Quiet Village
- Carl Dobkins Jr. – My Heart Is An Open Book
- Everly Brothers – (‘Til) I Kissed You
- Billy Bayou – Jim Reeves
- Don’t Take Your Guns to Town – Johnny Cash
- When It’s Springtime in Alaska (It’s Forty Below) – Johnny Horton
- White Lightning – George Jones
- The Battle of New Orleans – Johnny Horton
- Waterloo – Stonewall Jackson
- The Three Bells – The Browns
- Country Girl – Faron Young
- The Same Old Me – Ray Price
- El Paso – Marty Robbins
ACC Football Champ: Clemson
ACC Basketball Champs: NC State (NCSU 80 – UNC 56)
World Series Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers over the Chicago White Sox
Heavyweight Boxing Champ: Ingemar Johansson
NFL Championship Game: Baltimore Colts (Baltimore 31 – NY Giants 16)
NASCAR Season Winner: Lee Petty
Masters Winner: Art Wall (won $15,000)
Wimbledon Winners:
- Men’s Singles: United States Alex Olmedo defeated Australia Rod Laver, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4
- Women’s Singles: Brazil Maria Bueno defeated United States Darlene Hard, 6–4, 6–3
- Men’s Doubles: Australia Roy Emerson / Australia Neale Fraser defeated Australia Rod Laver / Australia Bob Mark, 8–6, 6–3, 14–16, 9–7
- Women’s Doubles: United States Jeanne Arth / United States Darlene Hard defeated United States Beverly Baker Fleitz / United Kingdom Christine Truman, 2–6, 6–2, 6–3
- Mixed Doubles: United States Darlene Hard / Australia Rod Laver defeated Brazil Maria Bueno / Australia Neale Fraser, 6–4, 6–3