Life’s Curveballs

This is my birthday and apparently, nothing significant happened on this day back on December 20, 1953. There were no famous births or deaths and the only historical event was the beginning of broadcasting for 2 TV stations in, Idaho Falls, Idaho and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. What does that tell you? It tells me that I was born before some TV stations were in existence. Much of the following information was taken from Heartbeats One & Two - 50’s and 60’s and The People History websites…

Interesting Facts for 1953

• The Chevrolet Corvette is shown for the first time at a car show.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower is the President of the United States and Richard M. Nixon is his Vice-President.
• The Shah of Iran is restored to power in Iran with the help of the CIA.
• Queen Elizabeth II is crowned queen of England
• Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay perform the first successful ascent to the summit of Mount Everest.

Cost of Living in 1953

• Average Cost of a New House - $9,500.00
• Average Wages per Year - $4,000.00
• Average Cost of a New Car - $1,650.00
• Cost of a gallon of Gas - 20 cents
• Gallon of Milk - 94 cents
• Loaf of Bread - 16 cents
• Dozen Eggs - 75 cents
• Postage Stamp - 3 cents

Movies in 1953

• Best Movie: “From here To Eternity” - Directed by Fred Zinnemann
• Best Actor: William Holden - “Stalag 17″
• Best Actress: Audrey Hepburn - “Roman Holiday”

New Toy in 1953

Plastic Army Men

Technology in 1953

• The first color television sets go on sale for about $1,175 in the US
• New York adopts three color traffic lights
• Cigarette Smoking is reported as causing Lung Cancer
• British Physicist Francis Crick and US Biologist James Watson unveil their famous Double Helix Model of DNA the materials in Chromosomes that control heredity
• Transistor Radio invented by Texas Instruments

Early Memories

Obviously, I was too young to remember anything in 1953 but I do remember the later 50’s. It was a much simpler time and yes, I did play with army men back in the 50’s. The government wasn’t involved in our lives as it is today, i.e. safety standards were almost non-existent. I can remember riding on the back windowsill of my father’s 1953 Chevy or standing on the front seat. The only seat belt in existence back then was my father’s arm. Somehow, I survived untested toys and baby furniture, bike riding without a helmet, and the lack of warning label on any household products. I spent most of my time outdoors playing tag, hide and seek, baseball, or sledding in the winter. Yes, it was a much simpler time and one that I miss.