In the Year of 1955
The world population was 2.78 billion.
In world events Winston Churchill resigned, Juan Peron was
ousted as Argentina's dictator, and the Federal Republic of West Germany
becomes a sovereign state.
The US Population was 165,931,202 with a life expectancy
of 69.6 years.
US unemployment was 5.5%
Eisenhower was the President of the United States with
Richard Nixon as the Vice President.
In US events, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a
bus in Montgomery Alabama. The CIO and AFL merge to become the AFL-CIO.
Sports Events and
Champions:
World Series
: Brooklyn Dodgers d. NY Yankees
(4-3)
NBA Championship:
Syracuse d. Ft. Wayne Pistons
(4-3)
Stanley Cup:
Detroit d. Montreal (4-3)
Wimbledon
Women: Louise Brough d. B. Fleitz
(7-5 8-6)
Men: Tony Trabert d. K. Nielsen (6-3 7-5 6-1)
Kentucky Derby Champion: Swaps
NCAA Basketball Championship: San Francisco d. La
Salle (77-63)
NCAA Football Champions: Oklahoma (11-0-0)
Science:
Albert
Einstein and Sir
Alexander Fleming died.
Narinder Kapany (England) develops fiber
optics.
Dr.
Jonas Salk developed Polio vaccine.
Owen Chamberlain and Emilio Segre discover the
antiproton, a form of antimatter.
The corticosteroid
prednisone is developed.
Severo Ochoa at NYU synthesizes DNA-
and RNA-like molecules.
Entertainment:
Carmen
Miranda, James
Dean and Charlie
Parker died.
Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers was the
Number 1 Billboard hit.
Nobel Prize for Literature: Hallder Kiljan Laxness (Iceland)
Pulitzer Prizes:
Fiction: A Fable, William Faulkner
Music: The Saint of Bleecker Street, Gian
Carlo Menotti
Drama: Cat on
a
Hot Tin Roof, Tennessee Williams
Oscars awarded in 1955
Academy
Award, Best Picture: On the Waterfront,
Sam Spiegel, producer (Columbia). O n the Waterfront nearly sweeps the 1954
Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon
Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Eva
Maria Saint), and Best Director (Elia
Kazan).
Nobel Prize for Literature: Halld—r Kiljan Laxness (Iceland)
Gunsmoke
debuts on CBS, and will go on to be television's longest-running western.
Elvis Presley made his television debut.
Other:
Oatmeal was introduced
McDonaldÕs, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Disneyland
opened.
