When This Dropped

July 21, 1951

President
Truman
Dow (EOY)
269
Gas/gal
$0.27
Min Wage
$0.75

The federal minimum wage stood at $0.75/hr that summer of 1951, and the Dow Jones sat at 269 — the Korean War ceasefire negotiations were underway, with the U.S. and Soviet-backed North Korea working through the United Nations toward a military truce that held the attention of the country all season long. At the movies, Mario Lanza was packing theaters in "The Great Caruso," while on the radio Nat "King" Cole's "Too Young" sat at the top of the charts for weeks. On June 14, the U.S. Census Bureau formally dedicated UNIVAC I, the first commercially produced electronic computer in the United States, marking a concrete turning point in how large-scale data processing would work going forward.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — July 21, 1951

New York Times
Time
Nat. Geographic

World Events — July 1951

Time Person of the Year — 1951

The American Fighting-Man
Person of the Year
The American Fighting-Man

On the radio

Billboard Charts — July 21, 1951

Too Young
Nat "King" Cole with Orchestra Conducted by Les Baxter
Best Sellers #1
"Too Young"
Nat "King" Cole with Orchestra Conducted by Les Baxter

On the bookshelf

From Here to Eternity
NYT Fiction #1
"From Here to Eternity"
Look Younger, Live Longer
NYT Non-Fiction #1
"Look Younger, Live Longer"
The Town
Conrad Richter
Pulitzer Prize Fiction
"The Town"
Conrad Richter
The Collected Stories
William Faulkner
National Book Award Fiction
"The Collected Stories"
William Faulkner
Herman Melville
Newton Arvin
National Book Award Nonfiction
"Herman Melville"
Newton Arvin

On the television

Nielsen Top 10 — 1950–51 Season

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Nielsen #1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Nielsen
Top 10
TV Shows
Nielsen Ratings
Top 10 TV Shows
1950–51 Season

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — July 21, 1951

Show Boat
Box Office #1
Show Boat
An American in Paris
Oscar Best Picture
An American in Paris
George Stevens
A Place in the Sun
Oscar Best Director
George Stevens
A Place in the Sun
Humphrey Bogart
The African Queen
Oscar Best Actor
Humphrey Bogart
The African Queen
Vivien Leigh
A Streetcar Named Desire
Oscar Best Actress
Vivien Leigh
A Streetcar Named Desire

On the field

Sports Champions — July 21, 1951

NFL Champion
Los Angeles Rams
World Series
New York Yankees
def. New York Giants
NBA Champion
Rochester Royals
def. New York Knicks
Stanley Cup
Toronto Maple Leafs
def. Montreal Canadiens

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