By the Numbers in 1957
World Population
—
UK Life Expectancy
54.5 years
US Life Expectancy
55.2 years
Gold Price (per oz)
$35.07
Dow Jones Index
502
US National Debt
—
Sovereign Nations
80
How Much Did Things Cost in 1957?
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £2,200 | $10,000 |
| Average salary | £560/year | $4,100/year |
| Pint of milk | 3½d | $0.24 |
| Loaf of bread | 6d | $0.19 |
| Dozen eggs | 3s 6d | $0.62 |
| Pint of beer | 1s 4d | $0.42 |
| Gallon of petrol/gas | 4s 0d | $0.31 |
| Cinema ticket | 2s 3d | $0.60 |
Technology and Inventions in 1957
Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union on 4 October, became the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. The Space Age and the space race had begun in earnest. Britain tested its first hydrogen bomb at Christmas Island. The Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community. FORTRAN, the first high-level programming language, was released by IBM.
- ● Sputnik 1 — the first artificial satellite — launched by the USSR
- ● Laika the dog becomes the first living creature in orbit aboard Sputnik 2
- ● FORTRAN programming language released by IBM
- ● Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb at Christmas Island
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