Featured moment
Sputnik 1 Launched
The Soviet Union launched the first artificial Earth satellite, kicking off the Space Race and shocking the United States.
The Space Age begins.
Sputnik terrified the West, the Little Rock Nine integrated a high school, and the Cat in the Hat changed reading.
The Cost of Living in 1957
Gallon of Gas
$0.30
Loaf of Bread
$0.19
Gallon of Milk
$0.97
World Population
2.87 billion
Featured moment
The Little Rock Nine
Federal troops were deployed to protect nine Black students integrating Central High School in Arkansas.
Featured moment
The Cat in the Hat Published
Dr. Seuss's book revolutionized children's literature by making early reading highly entertaining.
The wider picture
More from 1957
A few more things worth remembering.
World Events
European Economic Community Formed
The Treaty of Rome was signed, creating the EEC, the precursor to the modern European Union.
Technology
First Commercial Nuclear Power Plant
The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania went online, bringing atomic energy to the public.
Cinema & TV
West Side Story Premieres on Broadway
The groundbreaking musical updating Romeo and Juliet to gang-ridden NYC debuted to critical acclaim.
Science & Space
Sputnik 2 and Laika
The USSR launched the second spacecraft into orbit, carrying the dog Laika, the first living creature in space.
You arrivedin 1957.
The longer view
This was only the opening scene.
Follow the world as it changed around you, from 1957 to today.