The Cost of Things in 1958
• The Yearly Inflation Rate USA 2.73%
• The Average Cost of new house was $12,750.00
• The Average Monthly Rent $92.00
• The Average Yearly Wages $4.600.00
• A gallon of gas cost 25 cents

Important Happenings in 1958
• Alaska became the 49th State
• NASA North American Space Agency is formed
• America’s first satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral
• Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship at age 14.
• Toyota and Datsun Cars go on sale in The US
• Nikita Khrushchev became Premier of the Soviet Union
• Nelson Rockefeller was Elected Governor of New York
• US Unemployment reached 7% at 5.2 million, the U.S. is in a recession
• US passenger jet flights start with a National Airlines Boeing 707
• The first Trans Atlantic passenger jetliner service begins with flights between London and New York on the new Comet Jet
• Iraq became a Republic after Military Coup
• The Great Chinese Famine began in 1958 and ended in 1961. More than 30 million people died through a combination of natural disasters and poor planning.
• Elvis Presley was inducted into the Army.
• General Charles de Gaulle became Prime Minister of France.
• Brazil won the 1958 World Cup in Sweden
• The Hula Hoop is introduced and over 100 million are sold.
• The Broadway musical "My Fair Lady" opened in London, with Rex Harrison as Professor Higgins, and Julie Andrews playing Eliza Doolittle

Strides in Technology
• The Microchip is developed in US by Intel
• US Nuclear Submarine, Nautilus, passed under Ice Cap at North Pole
• The US Military states it will be possible with satellites orbiting the earth to make detailed maps from space
• The Computer Modem was developed in the USA
• Remote Control was invented in the USA by Zenith Corporation

Popular Films
• The Bridge on the River Kwai
• South Pacific
• Gigi
• King Creole
• Vertigo

Popular Singers
• Elvis Presley
• Billie Holiday
• Ricky Nelson
• Frank Sinatra
• The Everly Brothers
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Jerry Lee Lewis

Popular TV Programs
• Candid Camera
• The Ed Sullivan Show
• Come Dancing
• The Jack Benny Show
• Panorama
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents

 
Ah yes, I remember it well.

Information provided by The People's History