1958 Flashback

1958 Flashback

Now we enter the year of the hula hoop. As the hula hoop craze was sweeping the country, transistor radios were becoming very popular. I had my first transistor radio now-you could now take the music with you. I was now in the 8th Grade at Frick Junior High School in Oakland, California and in September I would enter the 9th Grade. I was still collecting cards and these were two of the sets that I collected this year.

———————————————-News Events————————————————

This was the year Elvis Presley went into the Army, the Alaska Statehood Bill passed Congress, school desegregation in the South was still a major issue and unemployment reached 7.7% as a recession gripped the country. January 31 would see the launch of Explorer 1, the first U.S Earth Satellite at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The launch of the Explorer 1 satellite this year.

On March 17, Vanguard 1 (the second U.S space vehicle) was launched at Cape Canaveral. Martin Luther King was stabbed by a Black woman this year (he would fully recover). Charles De Gaulle would become the Premier of France this year. This was a peak year for drive in theaters (4,063 nationwide). Another top news story this year would concern the islands of Quemoy and Matsu, off shore islands next to China. The Chinese Communists wanted control of these islands.

Elvis inducted-March 24, 1958

1958-trouble on the Formosa Strait.

———————————————Cost Of Living—————————————–

In 1958, the average yearly income was $4,650, gasoline was 24 cents a gallon, a gallon of milk was $1.01 and a half gallon of milk was 42 cents, a loaf of bread was 19 cents, a first class postage stamp was now 4 cents, Swiss Steak was 75 cents a pound, a 14 ounce box of Uncle Ben’s Rice was 19 cents, a 5 pound bag of Sunkist Oranges was 49 cents, Nathan’s Hot Dogs were 25 cents a pound, a 15 1/2 ounce can of Chef Boyardee Spaghetti was 19 cents and a Corned Beef was 59 cents a pound.

—————————————–The World Of Sports————————————

This was the year that two of the New York baseball teams headed west. The Brooklyn Dodgers were now the Los Angeles Dodgers and The New York Giants were now The San Francisco Giants. Opening Day featured The Giants against The Dodgers at Seals Stadium in San Francisco (an old Pacific Coast League stadium).

In the 1958 World Series The Milwaukee Braves would battle The New York Yankees in a rematch of last year’s World Series. This time The Yankees would win the series 4 games to 3. In the world of Golf, Arnold Palmer would win his first Masters Title. In the NBA, The St.Louis Hawks would defeat The Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 to win the NBA Title. In the NFL, Jim Brown would win the MVP for the second year in a row and December 28 would see one of the greatest games in sports history. In the NFL Title game, The Baltimore Colts would defeat The New York Giants 23 to 17 in a game that went to sudden death overtime in a very frosty Yankee Stadium in New York.

St. Louis Hawks defeat Boston Celtics 4 games to 2