1958


	The U.S. folllows the Soviets into the space race with the launching of the satellite Explorer 1 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 31 - the first U.S. satellite to go into orbit around the Earth. Scientists discover the Van Allen radiation belts. The first undersea crossing of the North Pole is made by a U.S. submarine named the “Nautilus. The first integrated circuit is manufactured. The LASER invented of the at Bell Labs

The first U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)

America’s first jet airline passenger service,
between New York and Miami

Douglas introduces DC- 8 airplane

F-4 Phantom is unveiled By Mcdonell- Douglas
The first Boeing 707:
Pan Am introduces 707 Service Across Atlantic

The American Express Card and the Americard (now Visa)

The introduction of ultrasound for examining an unborn fetus

A new artificial sweetener called “Sweet’n Low.”

Nobel Prize in Medicine: for the discovery that genes act by regulating definite chemical events

Conceiving a Clone: a complete carrot plant is grown from a fully differentiated carrot root cell. The success surprises biologists because it is thought individual differentiated cells would not divide and grow to form complete organisms.

International Geophysical Year: a comprehensive series of
global geophysical activities intended to allow scientists
from around the world to take part in a series of coordinated observations.

Computing:
The first ransistor integrated with resistors and capacitors on a single semiconductor chip.

SAGE system for Air Defense - McGuire AFB.

First effective air traffic control system operational.

Fully transistorized supercomputer.
LISP programming language.
(Later students, changed the meaning of LISP into "Lots of Idiotic, Silly Parentheses". )

Computing 2

World Expo in Brussels

China

As a gift to the American people, famed jeweler Harry Winston donates
the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution.

To alleviate the world shortage of Catholic cardinals, Pope John XXIII
abrogates legislation which had limited the number of cardinals to only 70.

Charles Phillip Arthur George is created Prince of Wales.

President Eisenhower's State of the Union

Time Magazine's Man of the Year: Charles de Gaulle

TV series: Seventy-Seven Sunset Strip

Emmy awards: Best Actress: Loretta Young

Walt Disney: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,
The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca,
& the Alice in Wonderland ride

Mickey Mouse Club:
The New Adventures of Spin and Marty

Music Hits

Another Music Hits
more

Lyrics

RocknRoll Hall of Fame
March 14 » The Recording Industry Association of America grants Perry Como the very first gold record for Catch a Falling Star.
March 24 » Elvis Presley starts his service with the U.S. army, creating a void that will soon be filled by teen idols and pop acts.
August 4 » Billboard begins its Hot 100 chart for singles.
November 24 » The Kingston Trio becomes the first group to have a number 1 album when their self-titled LP beats out all the solo competition.
Year-end » Stereo records begin production in both the U.S. and the U.K.

Elvis inducted into army (until March 3, 1960)

Everly Brothers: Hey Bird Dog, All I Have to Do is Dream
Chipmunks Song, Purple People-Eater, Lollipop, Tom Dooley
Coasters: Yakety Yak
Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops (first?)
James Brown: Try Me
Chuck Berry: Johnny B. Goode
Johnny Otis: Willie and the Hand-Jive
Stereophonic recordings come into use

Bobby Darin: Splish Splash (first?)
Phil Spector starts producing records (?= start of Motown?)
Kingston Trio: Tom Dooley
Theodore Bikel Town Hall concert, NY
John Coltrane: first album

Jazz

Dances

Nobel Prize in Literature:
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak

Lawrence Durrell: Balthazar
William Lederer: The Ugly American
John Kenneth Galbraith:
The Affluent Society

Science Fiction

Lawrence Ferlinghetti:
The Coney Island of the Mind

Jack Kerouac:
Dharma Bums,
The Subterraneans

Lorraine Hansberry:
A Raisin in the Sun

Soccer: Brazil's Pele & World Cup

Baseball: World Series

Basketball: NBA
Brooklyn Dodgers move to Los Angeles;
New York Giants to San Francisco

Football: Heisman Trophy

Golf:
Arnold Palmer wins his first
of four Masters golf tournements

Horse Racing

Sportsman of the Year:
Rafer (Ray) Johnson, world decathlon gold winner