-
Johnnie Ray
signs his first recording contract with Okeh Records, although he would not become popular for another two years. -
Period: to
we didnt start the fire
-
Marilyn Monroe
soars in popularity with five new movies, including The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve, and attempts suicide after the death of friend Johnny Hyde who asked to marry her several times, but she refused respectfully. Monroe would later (1954) be married for a brief time to Joe DiMaggio (mentioned in the previous verse). -
Studebaker
a popular car company, begins its financial downfall. -
Liberace
has a popular 1950s television show for his musical entertainment. -
Rock Around the Clock
is a hit single released by Bill Haley & His Comets in May, spurring worldwide interest in rock and roll music. -
Peyton Place
the best-selling novel by Grace Metalious, is published. Though mild compared to today's prime time, it shocked the reserved values of the 1950s. -
Charles de Gaulle
is elected first president of the French Fifth Republic following the Algerian Crisis. -
JFK blown away:
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated on November 22 while riding in an open convertible through Dallas. -
Watergate
Political scandal that began when the Democratic National Committee's headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC was broken into. After the break-in, word began to spread that President Richard Nixon (a Republican) may have known about the break-in, and tried to cover it up. The scandal would ultimately result in the resignation of President Nixon, and to date, this remains the only time that anyone has ever resigned the United States Presidency. -
Two individuals,
John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, are mentioned by name twice in the song.
