April 9, 1954
Gas cost $0.29 a gallon in the spring of 1954, and the Dow Jones stood at 404 — the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu was under sustained Viet Minh assault, with U.S. aircraft ferrying reinforcements in a conflict that was testing American foreign policy in Southeast Asia. Perry Como's "Wanted" was holding at number one on the charts, while the film "Rose Marie" was drawing steady crowds at the box office. The Minneapolis Lakers claimed the NBA championship over the Syracuse Nationals, and on April 12, Bill Haley and His Comets recorded "Rock Around the Clock" at a New York City studio, a track that would sit quietly as a B-side before igniting a nationwide rock and roll movement the following year.
On the cover
Magazine Covers — April 9, 1954
NY Times Headlines — Week of April 9, 1954
Stassen Defends Eased East Trade; Tells Senators It May Turn Soviet Toward Peace -- He Is Sharply Criticized Stassen Says Easing East Trade May Turn Soviet Toward Peace
World Events — April 1954
Time Person of the Year — 1954
On the radio
Billboard Charts — April 9, 1954
On the bookshelf
On the television
Nielsen Top 10 — 1953–54 Season
Emmy Winners — 1954
At the movies
Box Office & Oscar Winners — April 9, 1954
On the field
Sports Champions — April 9, 1954
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