When This Dropped

December 23, 1951

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

By the winter of 1951, Truman was in the White House and the federal minimum wage stood at $0.75/hr — and the United States Senate had just voted to ask the United Nations to bar Communist China from membership, a direct consequence of Chinese forces fighting against American troops in Korea. On the entertainment front, Patti Page's "The Tennessee Waltz" was sitting at the top of the music charts, while moviegoers were lining up to see "Harvey," the box office hit starring Jimmy Stewart. The Los Angeles Rams were the NFL champions that season, and on February 25, athletes from across the Western Hemisphere gathered in Buenos Aires for the opening of the first Pan American Games, a landmark international sporting event that would go on to become a permanent fixture in the Americas.

On the cover

Magazine Covers — December 23, 1951

New York Times
Time
Nat. Geographic

World Events — December 1951

Time Person of the Year — 1951

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

On the radio

Billboard Charts — December 23, 1951

(It's No) Sin
Eddy Howard and His Orchestra
Best Sellers #1
"(It's No) Sin"
Eddy Howard and His Orchestra

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 — 1951–52 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
1951–52 Season

At the movies

Box Office & Oscar Winners — December 23, 1951

Quo Vadis
Box Office #1
Quo Vadis
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 — December 23, 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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