Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The cost of a gallon of gas was 31 cents…


Thirty one cents gave you a full gallon of gasoline. Forty nine cents bought a gallon of milk. You could mail a letter with a four cent stamp. The average price of a new home was $16,500. Fifty seven cents would give you a dozen eggs. Eisenhower was the President, Nixon was a Vice President, and JFK was a Senator. Life expectancy was 69.7 years. Unemployment was at 5.5%. 3,500 American soldiers were sent to Vietnam.

Cassius Clay wins his first professional fight. Rome hosted the Summer Olympics. Wilt Chamberlain records 55 rebounds in a single game. Jim Kelly, John Elway, Marcus Allen, and Cal Ripken Jr. were newborns, as were Daryl Hannah, Valerie Bertinelli, and Howie Long. Ben Hur won the academy award for best picture. Charlton Heston was best actor. Shelly Winters was the best supporting actress.

Norm Van Brocklin was the NFL MVP, and his Philadelphia Eagles were NFL Champs. Navy’s Joe Bellino won the Heisman Trophy. Minnesota was the NCAA football champion. Roger Maris was the American League MVP, but Casey Stengel’s Yanks lost to the Pirates in the World Series. Duke played in the Cotton Bowl, and Southern California defeated Georgia 10-3.

What’s the significance of these events? The year was 1960, and that loss in Los Angeles marks the last time the Georgia Bulldogs played a regular season football game west of the Central time zone. They’ll be making their first regular season trip out west for the first time in 48 years, when they play Arizona State in the Valley of the Sun.

And just think, men have been to the moon and back.

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