July 26, 1958

The federal minimum wage stood at $1.00/hr that summer of 1958, and the Dow Jones sat at 584 — right as the U.S. Congress was formally debating Alaska statehood, which it approved that session along with a civil rights bill, marking a rare stretch of bipartisan cooperation in Washington. On screens and turntables, Americans were watching "Gunsmoke" as the top-rated show on television while lining up at theaters to see "The Vikings," the sword-and-ship adventure that led the summer box office. On July 29, Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, establishing NASA as a permanent civilian agency and setting the institutional foundation for the American space program.